Making a Wedding Dress for Someone Else

The cultivators of Shandu Ridge collapsed from this point on. Even those who truly did not want to return to be henchmen of Sect Leader Kang Da would not choose to entangle with Zheng Xibei any longer.

This Senior Brother Zheng isn't very talkative, nor is he very brave in a fight. He doesn't seem like someone who can accomplish anything, nor someone you should rely on.

Sect Leader Kang Da had long known that these Rogue Cultivator's respect for Martial Uncle Li was genuine, but their fondness for Spirit Stone was also true.

To win people's hearts, you can't just talk about feelings, and you can't just talk about Spirit Stone either.

If one truly intends to use power to intimidate others, most of these rogue Rogue Cultivator will likely turn their backs on Zheng Xibei, but they may still harbor resentment.

If one were to truly lure people with Spirit Stone, they would only attract a group of profit-driven individuals, and it would be difficult to trust them with any trust.

Things are different now. Pei Yi, holding Martial Uncle Li's memorial tablet, helped Sect Leader Kang Da put on a show, and the cultivators of Shandu Ridge also gained a way out, saying, "We all came to Sect Leader Kang Da to repay our master's kindness."

It would make him appear kind and righteous, and he could also get a lot of Spirit Stone. Not to mention, he would have the opportunity to truly become a disciple of Master Li. If he could really do that, he wouldn't have to be that despised, lonely ghost anymore.

In this way, the Shandu Ridge obtained the Spirit Stone and their minds were at ease, so naturally they had no resentment.

Zheng Xibei had no leverage to struggle anymore. Or rather, if he had known that Sect Leader Kang Da had so much leverage, he probably wouldn't have struggled at all.

They have no Spirit Stone, no courage to fight head-on, and not even a memorial tablet for Martial Uncle Li. What's the point of fighting?

This pirate leader, who was used to living on the edge of a knife, was unusually upright. He tore off his brand-new hair ornament and Daoist robe and threw them on the ground to show that he was convinced of his defeat.

He also thought that if he could no longer be the sect leader, the Spirit Sword Mountain Manor would soon come knocking on his door, and he probably couldn't stay in Ji County any longer.

Zheng Xibei then bowed again to Kang Dabao and said, "Sect Leader Kang, I wonder if I, a Late Qi Refinement, could also become an external affairs disciple?!"

Kang Dabao hadn't expected Zheng Xibei to be such a bachelor, so he thought highly of him.

He immediately nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, it's certainly acceptable for an outsider to admit your mistakes and correct them. However, I've heard that you still have a grievance to settle at the Spirit Sword Mountain Manor. Fellow Daoist Zheng needs to take care of that first."

"Understood. I'll go back and have that scoundrel punished as an explanation. However, the Spirit Sword Mountain Manor might not be willing to let this go so easily. I'll ask Sect Leader Kang to mediate."

Kang Dabao naturally agreed, and for this reason, he stayed in Shandu Ridge, Ji County for another three days.

During this period, not only did the lawsuit between Zheng Xibei and Spirit Sword Mountain Manor come to an end under Kang Dabao's mediation, but with the help of Chu Huer, Sect Leader Kang Da also verified the identities of all the cultivators in Shandu Ridge.

The purpose of this recruitment is to establish Thief-Catching Office, which will be used to compete with Xu Yingshi in front of the Acting Sima Gun, so not just anyone can be recruited.

He could go back to Double Brightness Trade Market with Zheng Xibei's men, but he didn't think much of the bandits under Sect Leader Kang Da. Not only were they all mixed with spiritual energy, but they were also all full of Blood Qi.

If these people are used, Sect Leader Kang Da might get entangled in some undesirable karma, which he dislikes the most.

Kang Dabao then instructed Zheng Xibei to disperse these people, thus temporarily quelling a scourge for the people of Ji County.

The matter was finally completed. On the return journey, Yuan Jin piloted the spirit boat, carrying thirty or forty people towards Double Brightness Trade Market.

This flying boat was taken out of Ying Bi's Storage Bag by the Daoist Black Shoes. He didn't need it much, so he gave it to Sect Leader Kang Da for exclusive use.

This is a genuine Second Tier Spirit Artifact flying boat, a coveted item even most Foundation Establishment True Cultivator would covet, causing the cultivators of Shandu Ridge boarded the flying boat for the first time to have their eyes gleam with excitement.

Many people secretly thought to themselves that it was indeed worthy of being Foundation Establishment sect from which Master Li originated; its profound foundation made it truly admirable.

Sect Leader Kang Da felt a pang of heartache. These Qi Refinement were too weak to control this Second Tier Spirit Artifact flying boat, so they had no choice but to burn Spirit Stone.

This Second Tier Spirit Artifact flying boat is fast, but a single trip to Double Brightness Trade Market costs around seventy or eighty Spirit Stone, which is truly shockingly expensive.

Everything was for the sake of the future. In order to deter these unruly Rogue Cultivator and make them settle down, Sect Leader Kang Da had no choice but to take this drastic step of putting on a brave face.

When the flying boat landed in Double Brightness Trade Market, Xie Liusheng's fellow practitioners invited from the Fish Mountain Fellow Cultivators Association and the bandits led by the Shao siblings had all arrived.

At this moment, not only was Sect Leader Kang Da observing the three teams, but they were also examining each other's strengths and weaknesses.

The majority of the cultivators came from Shandu Ridge, but their strengths were quite mixed. There were rare late-stage cultivators like Chu Huer, as well as impoverished old cultivators who were only at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

The number of bandits who came with the Shao siblings was slightly smaller, and their cultivation levels were more uneven. Although these bandits were decent in combat, most of them were not strong enough. Without the support of the Shao siblings and the Feng Household Brothers, they would be completely useless.

Fortunately, they spent most of their lives as bandits who extorted money on the road, and they didn't commit many murders. Although their skills were lacking, they were still useful.

To be honest, among the three teams, the ones Xie Liusheng found from the Fish Mountain Fellow Cultivators Association were the strongest.

This is because although Lord Yin Shan established this force to earn resources for Qin Sufu, Lord Shan also provided guidance to these rootless and independent Rogue Cultivator in the Fellow Cultivators Association in his early years.

Those invited by Xie Liusheng this time are all outstanding individuals. Most of them came here because Qin Sufu lost power and influence after joining the state court, and only then did they think of coming to Sect Leader Kang Da to try their luck.

In this small market town's Thief-Catching Office, not only were Market Commandant Kang and the Acting Commandant Xu vying for power, but even Kang Dabao's team was divided into three factions.

Differentiation and checks and balances, balancing close and distant interests, and employing both kindness and severity.

Unbeknownst to them, Sect Leader Kang Da had also become quite adept at using these methods. It's hard to say whether it's good or bad that cultivators have become so involved in these power struggles.

Recruiting these people is only the first step. How to identify and utilize these Rogue Cultivators who have come to join the cause, and how to integrate and organize them into a team, is a considerable undertaking.

Kang Dabao first selected those who had mastered various cultivation arts from among these people, and the majority of them were cultivators from Shandu Ridge.

However, most of them were not very skilled. Only Sun Buer, with his white beard, could occasionally brew First-Tier Lower-Grade spirit wine. As for the others, it was difficult for them to make a living with these skills.

Even the Sect Leader Kang Da had no choice but to select a general from among the dwarfs, reluctantly choosing the person with the best skills in each category.

He didn't plan to put these people in the Thief-Catching Office to do dangerous work. Instead, he planned to put them all in the newly opened Chongming Small Pavilion, give them some supplies, and see if he could train them.

These people all have some basic skills, so training them shouldn't be too difficult. If one or two of them are truly promising, then we've really struck gold.

Those cultivators who were not chosen were all devastated, even for most of Bandit Cultivator bandit cultivators. If they had a chance to cultivate peacefully, most would turn over a new leaf.

The life of someone living on the edge is far from as pleasant as outsiders imagine. One moment you might be a close friend sharing drinks with you, and the next you could have your head ripped off right in front of you.

While obtaining Spirit Stone Law Artifact by robbing others is certainly easy, it also carries the risk of incurring karmic consequences, injury, or even death.

Often, the little bit of stuff you get after all that hard work might not even be enough to get Alchemist to heal your injuries.

To reiterate, what spiritual practitioners seek is Changsheng and freedom, not slaughter. The latter is merely a means to accumulate resources on the path to Changsheng, not the goal itself.

Most of the people recruited by Sect Leader Kang Da from these three forces, including leaders like Xie Liusheng and the Shao siblings, lacked the skills to cultivate immortality and various arts, and thus could not live a peaceful life, having no choice but to make a living by fighting on the battlefield.

Kang Dabao was quite adept at organizing and training troops due to his experience in the battle to destroy the Five Aspects Sect, so it wasn't a particularly difficult task.

After a final count, the three forces together numbered fifty-nine people. After deducting the eight cultivators selected to specialize in various cultivation arts, fifty-one people remained, who were then organized into a team as before.

Among them, three Late Qi Refinement, Chu Huer Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, and the Second Feng Household Brother and Zheng Xibei were both at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. All of them served as fire chiefs.

Among the forty people in the Middle Qi Refinement, Shao Wei and Xie Liusheng were also selected as fire leaders. As for the eight people in the Early Qi Refining Stage, they were randomly distributed among the fires in order not to affect the balance of strength among the fires.

Sect Leader Kang Da had many things to do and couldn't devote all his energy to training the team every day, so he asked Yuan Jin to act as the team leader.

Unlike Jiang Qing, Yuan Jin was not much older than Kang Dabao. When Old Sect Leader He taught Kang Dabao military affairs, he did not leave him out. Yuan Jin still had some basic military skills.

Shao Meng was initially somewhat resentful of Yuan Jin, but she calmed down after she instigated the Second Feng Household Brother to fight with Yuan Jin and nearly fainted from a blow from his Tiger Sha Staff.

Kang Dabao wanted Yuan Jin to be the acting team leader precisely because of this.

Don't underestimate Yuan Jin just because his cultivation level is only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. Within the Chongming Sect, apart from Jiang Qing, even the Sect Leader Kang Da wouldn't dare to claim he could easily defeat him. Subduing this group of Rogue Cultivator who are used to letting their fists do the talking is no problem at all.

Time passed quickly. On the 25th of the fifth month of the 427th year of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, Deng Baichuan announced that the Acting Sima Gun would be coming to Double Brightness Trade Market to inspect military preparations.

Xu Yingshi stood in the middle of the training ground with fifty men, beaming with joy. He had put in a lot of effort to recruit these men, even though he was unfamiliar with the area.

Fortunately, the Dai County Xu Household was very useful. Even though Xu Yingshi was a illegitimate son who almost couldn't be included in the Xu Lineage genealogy, he was still enough to win over this small, impoverished Lineage in the remote countryside.

Not to mention, Xu Yingshi is not even forty years old yet, but he has already reached the ninth Qi Refinement Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment. With such talent, whether or not he is an Ice Leaf or not is uncertain, but he is almost certain to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Because of this capital, Xu Yingshi gained the support of many second-generation elites from Foundation Establishment Lineage who followed him around all day long. Even if each family sent a few Qi Refinement experts to support him, it would be enough for Xu Yingshi to maintain an army.

This is why Xu Yingshi's team was able to consist entirely of cultivators at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

A cultivator with this level of cultivation would be qualified to serve as a family elder in many small, unremarkable families nearby. Moreover, they are all resolute and courageous individuals who dare to fight and take risks, making them not so easy to find.

Therefore, their overall strength is indeed much stronger than the team that Sect Leader Kang Da painstakingly assembled.

Fortunately, Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin have put in a lot of effort these days, with the Shao Brother and Sister and the Feng Household Brothers, who are experienced warriors, as the backbone. Chu Huer, Zheng Xibei and their generation are also determined to perform well.

This team had far less training time than Xu Yingshi's team, yet they still mastered the combined attack formation quite well.

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang Da placed the White Bear Fang Banner that Sima Fei had bestowed upon him in the middle, and handed it to Chu Huer, a short but conspicuous blond man who looked like a lump of iron, to hold it up with both hands, looking very imposing.

This performance completely overshadowed Xu Yingshi's bare-bones army.

The hundred or so cultivators in the training ground waited from dawn until noon before the Acting Sima Gun arrived late, riding a black Mystic Falcon.

"My lord summoned me suddenly for a military meeting, so I am a little late. Please forgive me, gentlemen. Excellent, excellent. The two city lieutenants truly deserve to be called pillars of the state. In such a short time, they have trained the Thief-Catching Office unit to be such a strong and well-equipped force."

Compared to Sima Fei, who was known for his hurtful words, Acting Sima Gun was undoubtedly a kind and gentle elder. As soon as he landed and received the greetings from the cultivators, he smiled and praised them.

"Sima is too kind." Kang Dabao had only exchanged a few polite words with Xu Yingshi when he thought he would be inspecting the troops.

Unexpectedly Acting Sima Gun only glanced at it, gave each of the cultivators present a reward of five Spirit Stones, and then ordered his men to disperse the entire group.

"Why aren't we competing anymore?" Xu Yingshi, who was full of confidence, was a little anxious. He was determined to show off in front of the Acting Sima Gun today on the training ground, so as to suppress the arrogance of the Sect Leader Kang Da. Why were they not competing?

Deng Baichuan and Sect Leader Kang Da were equally baffled, but neither of them were as anxious as Xu Yingshi. They simply waited to hear Acting Sima Gun had to say.

"Acting Commandant Xu, Sima has greatly improved his opinion of you due to your recent diligence. Effective immediately, you are to be promoted to Magistrate of Jin County. Pack your things and set off. There is currently no chief official in charge there, so it's best not to waste time."

Xu Yingshi's expression immediately became uncertain. If the news hadn't come personally from the Acting Sima Gun, he might have started cursing.

Deng Baichuan, standing to the side, was somewhat surprised, and his gaze towards Sect Leader Kang Da changed from usual. "Does Sima Fei really consider him his son-in-law?"

Sect Leader Kang Da heard it clearly and thought to himself, "Is Sima Fei using Xu Yingshi and then discarding him? He's not even bothering to pretend anymore?!"

Everyone present knew that Jin County was a far more impoverished and desolate place than Pingrong County.

With the market about to open, and the team that Xu Yingshi had recruited to compete with Kang Dabao for power only just completed, Xu Yingshi was transferred from his position as acting commander of the market to become the magistrate of Jin County.

To call this behavior "discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose" might be an exaggeration, but calling it "crossing the river and then destroying the bridge" is certainly not an exaggeration.

"May I ask, Sima, Jin County is impoverished, and the county government is in dire need of funds? Could you spare some of the men from the Thief-Catching Office in the market and neighborhoods?"

To the surprise of Sect Leader Kang Da, Xu Yingshi did not give up despite being treated so harshly. Instead, he adopted a composure rarely seen on him.

His sudden change of temperament even made Acting Sima Gun think more highly of him.

"It seems I'm not the only one who has made progress over the years!" Kang Dabao thought to himself, alarmed. He had previously regarded Xu Yingshi as a brave but reckless fighter.

I thought I had enough skill to crush the latter, but now I realize I was being a bit too arrogant.

"They were recruited by you, Jin County, so there's no question of whether or not they're allowed to go with you. As long as they're all willing to go to Jin County with you, you can take ten of them with you," the Acting Sima Gun said with a smile.

"Then I will go first. Once I have chosen the right person, I will leave. I will not dare to disappoint the two Sima's trust!" Xu Yingshi did not even glance at Sect Leader Kang Da. He simply bowed to the Acting Sima Gun and left the hall.

"Heh." Acting Sima Gun glanced at Xu Yingshi's departing figure, seemingly lost in thought, then shook his head, no longer taking it to heart.

At this moment, only Acting Sima Gun, Kang, and Deng remained in the hall. Acting Sima Gun smiled casually, pointed at Kang Dabao, and said, "Sima has taken the Spirit Stone from the Blue Silver Mine. He was quite pleased and praised your filial piety, so he sent me to help you with a small favor."

"It's all just what we juniors should do, nothing to brag about." While Sect Leader Kang Da uttered these words, the profits from the Blue Silver Mine were even less significant in the eyes of Sima Fei and the Fei Household.

Since arriving in Shannan Circuit, the Fei Household has married off so many illegitimate daughters, and even one of their legitimate daughters has been married off. Yet, only Sect Leader Kang Da, after receiving guidance from the Daoist Black Shoes, knows how to be filial.

Among the other sons-in-law, although there were many who were far superior to Kang Dabao in terms of talent, family background, appearance, and character, they all only knew how to make their daughters from the Fei family go back to their parents' home to extort Fei Household, and to cry poverty and take advantage of wealthy families.

The contrast between the two makes the sentiment Sect Leader Kang Da all the more precious.

Sima Fei suddenly found Kang Dabao's round face quite pleasing to the eye, so he specially summoned Acting Sima Gun to come over.

Sima Fei is pleasing to the eye, wouldn't Acting Sima Gun be even more pleasing? That's what he said.

"Alright, from now on, Baichuan, you'll be a provisional lieutenant. As for the vacant chief accountant position, Dabao, you can choose another junior brother to fill it. And as for the head of the Thief-Catching Office, the state court originally said they wanted to reduce redundant personnel and wouldn't allow any new positions to be created."

"But either way, it's all family members taking the positions. The state government is large and powerful; they won't miss out on this small difference. Da Bao, why don't you choose another junior brother to take the position? Don't underestimate them just because they're not officially appointed officials; they still receive an imperial decree from the Earl and get an annual salary."

Acting Sima Gun's words left Deng Baichuan somewhat dumbfounded. How could the newly built Double Brightness Trade Market be any different from the Chongming Market built by the Chongming Sect himself? Wouldn't it be under the Kang family's control again?

Before my master sent me here, it was agreed that one of his purposes was to restrain and monitor Kang Dabao.

Didn't they give him stern instructions before? They said they needed to ensure that Sect Leader Kang Da wasn't led too far astray by powerful Foundation Establishment like the Daoist Black Shoes who weren't under the control of the State Court, and to prevent him from straying too far from the path the State Court had planned for him?

Currently, there are only five positions in Double Brightness Trade Market, and Kang Dabao's side has lost three of them. Moreover, Xu Yingshi, who was originally intended to check and balance him, has been transferred away by the Acting Sima Gun.

So, he'd suddenly become part of the minority?! Deng Baichuan felt a pang of frustration. Did those in power really have the right to do whatever they wanted?

All his previous arrangements have now come to naught. Kang Dabao just gave him a small token of respect, Sima Fei practically offered him the entire market town?

"Isn't this a bit too extravagant?" Deng Baichuan, who came from a humble background, felt a pang of heartache.

But then Acting Sima Gun spoke up again, "Enough of the pleasantries, let's get down to business. Baichuan, how's the matter I asked you to handle going?"

Thank you to Brother Wuhuang Lei for the 500 coins and to reader 2022121522022747 for the 100 coins.

Thank you to the brother who raises cats together for the six Extended Net Moon.

Thank you Xiao Yulou for the Extended Net Moon.

Thank you to the following gentlemen for their two monthly tickets: Lonely Leaf No.1, liuhsf Xuan, Zheng Chai Liu, Spring Blossoms, Wind Blows Panties, Albert_Newton, Dragon Lu Wood, Black Cloud Guest, Nothing I Can Fly, Dao Ke Ming, One Step to Love Heart, Cloud Soaring Sword Immortal, Dirty Emperor Lei Ge, and Saint Siro.

Thanks to xxDawn, the Flying Pig Who Can Perform Magic, Bai Si, Book Friend 150203113109375, ironman2018, Book Friend 20210301105262635998, Fu Yue Bai Jing, --Bu Yi Hou, Pao Yu Yi Qian, I Love D Version, Your Affairs Have Been Exposed, Chaohu Big Shrimp, Cherish Thanks, Book Friend 20221215222022747, Book Friend 2 0210728015119135, Spring Blossoms, Mingchao Pamijin, Book Friend 20180524222049781, Simple V, 8246, Book Friend 20180227122751638, Never Give Up, Book Friend 170316161744022, Nameless Mountain, Book Friend 2018002232137336, these are some of the monthly votes from you guys.

Thank you all for reading, subscribing, voting, and commenting!