After Returning to the Sect

Pei Yi pointed at the Pill Cauldron, and a wisp of white steam mixed with a few specks of black residue rose up.

A hint of disappointment appeared on Pei Yi's handsome face, but he still made a hand seal to condense the pills. The lid of the cauldron landed steadily on the lion-shaped table beside him, and several pills covered with black star spots shot out from the cauldron and landed in Pei Yi's hand.

"Tsk, still a second-rate pill." The top Alchemist of the Chongming Sect sighed deeply. This was his sixteenth batch of Wondrous Jade Pill in two months, and he still hadn't succeeded.

Even though the Wondrous Jade Pill is the easiest First-Tier Middle-Grade pill to make, and the ingredients used are not precious, Pei Yi has still failed to refine a good pill after sixteen cauldrons, wasting a lot of Spirit Stone.

It should be noted that the Chongming Sect is not wealthy at present, which made Pei Yi frown deeply.

Pei Yi gently lifted his long, slender fingers, creating a slight breeze in the room that lifted the pills one by one, placing them into the jade bottle for safekeeping.

Although the inferior pills of Wondrous Jade Pill are far less precious than the superior pills, the cultivators of Pingrong County are all very wealthy, so as long as there are people selling them, they still have no worries about sales and can actually bring back quite a few Spirit Stone.

If calculated this way, Pei Yi didn't waste that many Spirit Stones, but he still felt somewhat guilty.

"Junior Brother Yuan has been in the weapon-refining room for a month or two and hasn't come out yet, which is obviously because he's anxious about the sect's financial difficulties."

Junior Brother Zhou has been guarding the spirit fields day and night these days. A few days ago, he even said that he wanted to go and take a look at the near-spirit land in Ye Household Heng Mountain. He was thinking about whether he could clear out a few more acres of spirit fields so that he could hand them over to Mo Ku to manage.

Junior Brother Jiang has already used a lot of his treasures to exchange for sect Merit Points, and there are still a few things in the main storehouse that are worth exchanging Merit Points for.

Even Junior Brother Ye, who had just entered the sect, was thinking of opening a shop near the sect gate after sorting out the affairs of the disciples. He was also planning to use his spiritual appraisal skills to open a shop.

Even Anle, that child, started thinking about when he could bring his pack beast to help the He Household's caravan again, so he could earn some more Spirit Stone to support his family.

The sect leader had just returned from the perilous Spirit Stone mine in Tanggu County and hadn't even had a chance to rest when Uncle Black Shoes took Junior Brother Zhou out to see something.

He works so hard, so we, as his juniors, should do our best to do our best.

Unfortunately, my aptitude is too poor. I was first stuck at the bottleneck of the Late Qi Refinement, wasting many years, and now I still can't seem to reach the level of First-Tier Middle-Grade- Alchemist."

Pei Yi sighed again and pushed open the small door to the Alchemy Chamber.

Outside the Alchemy Chamber was Pei Yi's private courtyard, furnished much like Kang Dabao's sect leader's courtyard, but without a chess table.

Of the three disciples, Kang Rongquan, Ye Yaoling, and Yuan Changsheng, the first two had already entered the Dao and, according to the rules previously set by Kang Dabao, could live in separate courtyards. However, Pei Yi considered that they were still young, so he assigned them separate rooms in this courtyard to facilitate his instruction.

The moon was bright and the stars were few tonight, Pei Yi felt quite melancholy. He stepped out of the courtyard and flew away on his sword to clear his mind. The night wind and the stars brushed past his hair, seemingly carrying away much of his sorrow.

Pei Yi hadn't gone far when he saw Lu Yunniang bowing and saying goodbye to Kang Dabao and Zhou Yixiu. Curious, Pei Yi landed in front of the two after they left.

"Sect Leader, Junior Brother Zhou, what brings Lu Yunniang here?" Pei Yi asked curiously.

"It's still about the spirit bees collecting honey. Senior Brother Gao Yi, the sect leader, is determined that the matter will proceed as before, which puts Lu Yunniang at ease. He stated that the share for both families will remain unchanged, and they can discuss it again after the agreed time."

Zhou Yixiu responded, her face still showing regret. If Kang Dabao had really done as she said, Chongming Sect could have earned a lot more money this year thanks to this locust tree.

"But why talk about this with the sect leader so late?" Pei Yi found it strange and then asked.

"Lu Household also sent a letter through Lu Yunniang, saying that our people have learned almost all the skills from the He Household's caravan. He wants our sect leader to find a time to discuss with Brother He Shi about when the caravan's route can be drawn up." Zhou Yixiu continued to explain, his face beaming with joy as he spoke of this matter.

"Oh, this is great news!" Pei Yi's face lit up with even more joy; this was a business that could generate long-term profits.

Since the destruction of Chongming Market, the sect's income has decreased significantly. If Pei Yi and Yuan Jin had not reinstated the Merit Points system beforehand, Chongming Sect would have had difficulty even paying its disciples' annual salaries this year.

"It is indeed a good thing, but what a pity." Sect Leader Kang Da glanced at Pei Yi, paused, and suddenly said, "Junior Brother Pei, not to be nosy, but if you do this now, we still have a chance to back out. I'll talk to the Kuai Household, or I'll talk to the He Household. If all else fails, I'll get them to agree to let the Kuai Household's little sister become my concubine."

The message Lu Xun sent to Lu Yunniang included not only his request to meet with He Dezong to discuss the caravan, but also news that He Dezong had recently broken through to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer.

This made Kang Dabao want to arrange a marriage with the He Household again. Little did he know that his elder brother was practicing the Vast-Tier Superior-Grade Cultivation Method, "The Heart-Concentrating Instruction".

This Cultivation Method is of a high grade and very difficult to learn, but in terms of combat, it is not particularly outstanding compared to other Cultivation Method of the same grade. However, it has one outstanding advantage: it is said to increase the probability of Foundation Establishment.

Because of this benefit, this cultivation Cultivation Method can be considered a "secret" even among many Foundation Establishment forces. It is the reward that the He Household obtained by serving that Foundation Establishment cultivator diligently for three generations.

If the success rate of an ordinary cultivator in Foundation Establishment without external help is barely five out of ten, then the success rate of a Foundation Establishment who practices the "Heart-Concentrating Instruction" will increase to more than ten out of ten.

Moreover, even if a cultivator who practices the "Heart-Concentrating Instruction" fails to Foundation Establishment on the first attempt, they are usually not seriously injured and theoretically will have a second chance to Foundation Establishment.

He Dezong is not yet fifty years old, and is in the prime of his life. If you think about it carefully, it is quite possible for him to Foundation Establishment.

Compared to the sparsely populated Kuai Household, the Sect Leader Kang Da would naturally prefer to become in-laws with powerful families like the He Household.

"Senior brother, let's not discuss this matter any further," Pei Yi immediately shook his head. "How can one refuse a promise already made? Even if it's just out of gratitude for Master's guidance, junior brother, you can't possibly go back on this marriage to the Kuai Household. Junior brother, you should have ambition; you can succeed on your cultivation path without relying on your wife's family."

Seeing that Pei Yi was determined, Kang Dabao did not try to persuade him further. It was a pity that Zhou Yixiu was too old, Ye Zhengwen had incomplete facial features, and Jiang Qing herself was reluctant to part with him; otherwise, the He Household would most likely have been able to become in-laws.

"But if that's the case, the two families will have to wait until the next generation to form a marriage alliance." Sect Leader Kang Da pondered. To relieve his distress, he thought of inviting his two junior brothers back to the courtyard for a game of chess.

Unexpectedly, the two immediately changed their expressions. Pei Yi declined, saying he had to go back to guard the Pill Furnace, as the furnace was more important and the pills needed to be refined. Zhou Yixiu, on the other hand, said he would go to the scripture pavilion to look through the sect's records to see if there were any descriptions related to the Glazed Treasure Tree.

The two were discussing serious matters. Although the two junior brothers didn't look too happy while they were talking, Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't force them to stay, so he had no choice but to return to the courtyard and rest alone.

The next day, after Kang Dabao got up, he went to check on Jin Shilun's injuries.

Actually, I should have gone to see him earlier, but Kang Dabao was summoned by the Daoist Black Shoes before he even entered the gate of the Chongming Sect on the first day. After returning from the Big Locust Tree, he was talking with Lu Yunniang in the evening, which delayed him too long, so he only came now.

"It's all my fault, Master, for causing you so much worry." Jin Shilun's injuries had not yet fully healed.

His cultivation level was too low. It was already a stroke of luck that he managed to escape from the mouths of the Red-Maned Mountain Boar Wind Eagle. The fact that he managed to return alive was enough to comfort Sect Leader Kang Da.

"No need to say such things, what master doesn't worry about these things?" Kang Dabao placed the steamed buns and the steaming hot spirit rice porridge on the small table, and then handed the small table to Jin Shilun to place on the bed.

The spirit rice porridge was made from the Red Spirit Grain harvested by Kang Rongquan last season. This was a rare delicacy; many Late Qi Refinement cultivators among the Rogue Cultivator could only afford to eat it once or twice a month, just as a treat.

These steamed buns are made with the lard of Red-Maned Mountain Boar, resulting in a soft, sweet, snow-white, and oily texture. This is Sect Leader Kang Da's signature recipe, and it's incredibly nourishing.

The disciples of the Three Incense Cult did not do all bad things in Pingrong County; at least they provided Chongming Sect with a lot of meat and vegetables.

Chongming Sect hadn't had such good food for a while. When the Sect Leader Kang Da got up early, he specifically instructed Mo'er, who was on duty in the kitchen, to stew a pork knuckle from Red-Maned Mountain Boar for himself at noon, because good food is good for your health.

Just as Jin Shilun was halfway through his meal, Kang Dabao's other three disciples came to pay their respects.

Han Yundao still had that mature demeanor, Duan Anle still wore a simple, Pei Que, though not talkative, exuded the most noble air.

After careful consideration, Sect Leader Kang Da realized that among his four disciples, Han Yundao was the most rule-abiding but lacked flexibility; Duan Anle was the most benevolent but not fierce enough; Pei Que was good in every way but not ruthless enough.

In the end, it seems that Jin Shilun, who has the lowest cultivation level and is the oldest, is the most suitable to be the sect leader.

Whether it was his decisiveness in the face of bandits back then, or his quick thinking in the Chongming Market not long ago, it all demonstrates the most crucial qualities of a head of a family, such as composure in the face of major events.

However, he is older and less capable, so he doesn't seem like a good candidate for sect leader.

As he thought about it, Kang Dabao suddenly smiled.

Cloud Horn Prefecture is currently in a state of war and chaos, and many people are still going to die. Even if I were to die one day, one of my two junior brothers, Yuan Jin and Pei Yi, should be chosen as the sect leader.

If, like the old man did back then, he chose a young master and appointed one of his own disciples, who was still in the Early Qi Refining Stage, as the sect leader, he might very well tear the newly assembled Chongming Sect to pieces again.

Sect Leader Kang Da had just broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and had some insights in his heart. Since his four disciples happened to be gathered together, the five of them decided to hold a Daoist meeting in Jin Shilun's courtyard.

The lecture continued until Mo'er brought over the braised pork knuckle. Then, Sect Leader Kang Da released Little Qi to eat as well. He led his disciples, holding the pork knuckle in both hands, while earnestly giving his lecture. Afterward, he instructed Jin Shilun to take good care of his injuries before leading his three disciples away.

He has many things to do and shouldn't linger here too long.

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