Sacrificing the Family to Meet the Crisis
"Senior Brother Song, please wait." Song Hui, who had just returned from the training puppets, was stopped by someone. With a great battle approaching, his master Zhou Yixiu wanted him to hone his skills.
Zhou Yixiu didn't have much to teach him in this area. He had relied on his farming skills for most of his life and lived a peaceful life wherever he went. He rarely made enemies and had no need to use this skill.
In a real contest, he might not even be able to beat his daughter, Zhou Xinran.
Song Hui turned his head and saw that it was Song Cheng, his junior brother who had just joined the sect last year, who had called out to him.
Although the latter shares the same surname as Song Hui, he is not related to the Minor Song Clan Pinghe Fort. His family moved to Chongming City a few years ago due to the war.
Song Cheng has good aptitude; he is another immortal seedling with Triple Spirit Root in the Chongming Sect, following Kang Rongquan.
Previously, Kang Dabao had intended for him to become Jiang Qing's disciple, but the latter refused, saying he was busy preparing for the Foundation Establishment stage and had no time to teach.
So Song Cheng became a disciple of Ye Zhengwen, who came from a distinguished family with a long tradition of scholarship and had no disciples at the moment, making him an excellent candidate to teach a student.
"Ah, so it's Junior Brother Song," Song Hui stopped and asked with a smile, "What brings you here, Junior Brother Song?"
"Senior brother, my master has summoned me." Song Cheng, who was only six or seven years old, was as innocent and cute as a porcelain doll, but his serious expression made people unable to help but laugh.
Song Hui himself was only a boy in his early teens, so he didn't laugh out loud. He simply followed Song Cheng to Ye Zhengwen's courtyard.
When he arrived at the courtyard, all the younger disciples of the sect had already arrived, and the oldest was Song Hui himself.
At this moment, Ye Zhengwen, who was sitting at the head of the table with his eyes closed and meditating, slowly opened his single eye, and the somewhat noisy courtyard instantly quieted down.
Objectively speaking, Ye Zhengwen's dignified appearance did indeed inspire more awe in these youngsters than that of the other elders in the sect.
Ye Zhengwen carefully examined the disciples in the courtyard, then said softly, "The sect leader and all the junior brothers have received the imperial edict from the Sima Office and will be setting off soon. The sect leader has appointed Junior Brother Yuan as the sect's guardian, and I as his deputy. There are some matters you need to hear carefully."
"Yes."
"Junior Nephew Song, since you have the highest cultivation level, spend the next Ji Wuwu to relocate each family's direct relatives to the sect's sacred grounds. Keep it discreet and don't make a fuss."
"I will go and find my senior brothers to arrange this matter later." Song Hui immediately accepted the order.
"Junior Nephew Zhang, Junior Nephew Dong, you two should take your junior brothers and sisters and move out of your respective courtyards and into the Sect Leader's courtyard to cultivate. Starting tomorrow, that place will be vacant."
"I understand, junior disciple."
Before Ye Zhengwen, the "Junior Brother Yuan," could speak, Yuan Jin walked in with a gloomy face and said in a muffled voice, "Senior Brother Ye, the assignment is suspended; the situation has changed."
"Has the situation changed?" Ye Zhengwen asked in surprise.
--
"The situation has changed. The vanguard of the state court suffered a minor setback at Little Wu Mountain. Now even my family's immortal seedlings over ten years old will be conscripted to the state court?" Kang Dabao's eyes were filled with rage, and he slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"Market Commandant Kang, look at this place! This is the Municipal Commander's Office, not your family's main hall!" Deng Baichuan shouted sternly. Kang Dabao remained unmoved, but Jiang Qing stepped forward from behind him, his eyes sharp and piercing, like flying swords, revealing their full edge.
"This guy has such a strong sword intent," Deng Baichuan said, his eyes showing a hint of pain after only a brief glance at Jiang Qing, quite surprised.
In the past, Deng Baichuan often heard idlers in the market talk about the Chongming Sect, Jiang Qing, but he never took it seriously, thinking they were just country bumpkins who had never seen the world.
In his own opinion, Jiang Qing didn't even have a master who had reached the Green Leaf Foundation Establishment, and the Chongming Sect was a declining sect, so how could he be any outstanding figure?
But seeing him today, I realize that he truly lives up to his reputation. If he were to face him, Deng Baichuan wouldn't be so confident of a complete victory.
"Third, come back." Kang Dabao was angry, but he didn't dare to lay a hand on Deng Baichuan.
Jiang Qing retreated, but Deng Baichuan's tone softened, and he said, "This matter wasn't decided by Sima Fei and my master. It was someone in the state court who advised the Earl to select a family of loyalty and righteousness to serve as a model for all families. The Earl then named your family in court. No one can refuse such a favor."
"This..." Sect Leader Kang Da had no time to investigate which maid had made the suggestion, but since it was arranged by Kuang Liuting himself, the subordinates had no choice but to obey.
He can now even defeat True-Grade Golden Core. With this decision he made, who in the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court, from top to bottom, would dare to utter a single word of dissent?
Moreover, with Sect Leader Kang Da alone, he is far from being worth enough to make Fei Nanying with Kuang Liuting on his behalf.
A family of loyalty and righteousness—what does that mean? Ideally, it means the entire family serves the country loyally and dies in service to the king. This is using the Sect Leader Kang Da as a selling point.
"Even the eldest son-in-law of the Ying Prefecture Fei Household sacrificed his family fortune to relieve the country's suffering. What kind of wretched background do you people have? Why don't you contribute your manpower and resources to serve the country loyally!"
"I am a novice official," Pei Yi began, about to soften his tone, when Deng Baichuan shook his head repeatedly. "How can you negotiate with me about something the Earl has decided? You should go and beg the Earl for a favor for your family."
"One, leave a late-stage cultivator to guard the house. My family also has two or three Qi Refinement young cultivators who haven't even entered the Qi Refining stage yet. They should at least leave some capital for my family." Kang Dabao's gaze was so intense that Deng Baichuan almost dared not look at him.
"I will report this matter to the two Sima for a decision later, but I cannot guarantee whether it will be successful." Deng Baichuan hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
The argument ended badly. Deng Baichuan was a dog-faced man, a true lackey of the state government, and he would turn his back on anyone in a heartbeat.
All the cultivators in the patrol team who bore the title of disciples of the Chongming Sect were put on his conscription list.
On the contrary, Xie Liusheng and Shao Meng, the cultivators recruited by Sect Leader Kang Da, are relatively safe for the time being and can stay in Double Brightness Trade Market to observe the situation.
A group of people were as if they had lost their parents, while another group felt a deep sense of sorrow.
Even the cultivators who had come to apply for the sect because of Xu Yingshi felt a sense of shared sorrow upon seeing the plight of the Chongming Sect.
These people came for wealth and status. Xu Yingshi was already resentful about leaving Jin County, and now he was at risk of being selected by the state court to fight in battle, so his resentment naturally intensified.
That very night, more than a dozen people asked Kang Dabao and Deng Baichuan to resign, but the two of them refused. As a result, two of them fled in the night.
Upon learning of this, Deng Baichuan chased after them with only his sword and killed them all, but that wasn't enough. He then single-handedly broke through the formations of the two families and brought all the immortals and mortals within the formations back to Double Brightness Trade Market to sell them.
Even the Foundation Establishment forces that sent the two to Double Brightness Trade Market to curry favor with Xu Yingshi were reprimanded by Deng Baichuan. In his article, Deng Baichuan scolded the Foundation Establishment as if he were scolding his own son, truly showing his consistent disregard for these rural Foundation Establishment cultivators.
This operation was quite effective; few people in the patrol team dared to have any ulterior motives. The Foundation Establishment faction that Deng Baichuan had scolded also sent ten more Late Qi Refinement cultivators to fill the vacancy.
Sect Leader Kang Da purchased another batch of talismans from the Tie Household Talisman Shop, intending to distribute them to his disciples for protection.
Now that the two families are on good terms, the Tie Household manager, who was guarding the Double Brightness Trade Market, did not raise the price on the spot, but sold it at the original price from some time ago, which made Kang Dabao feel a little better.
The Sect Leader Kang Da, returned to the sect, began training his disciples, and awaited news.
The results of the Immortal Ascension Assembly in the past two years have been less than ideal. Currently, only Song Cheng and a disciple named Liu Ya in the sect have not yet Drawing Spirit into the Body.
The latter, also possessing the Four Spirit Roots of an ordinary talent, was a celestial seedling that Ye Zhengwen accidentally discovered last year in a cultivator's manor in Tanggu County.
He was brought back with the consent of his widowed mother, and Kang Dabao arranged for him to become Ye Zhengwen's apprentice.
Among the others, the youngest, Yuan Changsheng and Dong Liu'er, were both Qi Refinement cultivators who had reached the age of ten.
Sect Leader Kang Da first moved all the tables and desks out of the kitchen and neatly placed them in the ancestral hall. He then offered three kinds of sacrificial animals, prepared six kinds of wine and six kinds of food, and meticulously carried out a grand sacrificial ceremony before feeling a little more at ease.
At this moment, Deng Baichuan also brought news that Sima Fei had agreed to Sect Leader Kang Da's request, and also brought a message: "Don't embarrass yourself."
Sect Leader Kang Da was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood what Sima Fei meant.
The real saying is "Don't be ashamed," not "Don't be afraid of the dead."
Even if Sect Leader Kang Da, the eldest son-in-law of the Fei Household, were to die on the battlefield for the state, Sima Fei might not be unhappy. On the contrary, the more loyal and righteous Kang Dabao's death, the more glorious Sima Fei would be.
Of course, if Sect Leader Kang Da and his disciples were to emerge unscathed, they would have achieved a great feat, which would naturally please Sima Fei, as it would also demonstrate that both he and the Earl of Nan'an possessed the ability to recognize talent.
He's making money from both sides, Sima Fei is truly sitting back and enjoying the benefits.
Sect Leader Kang Da had always known that the favor of the horse bone would eventually be repaid, but he never expected it to come so quickly, and that it would drag his fellow disciples into danger along with him.
Now that Deng Baichuan had replied, Kang Dabao had no further reason to delay.
They still assigned Yuan Jin to guard the house, watching over the two immortal seedlings, Song Cheng and Liu Ya. After learning this, Yuan Jin mumbled for a while but still couldn't say anything.
The morale of the group was low. It wasn't just the Shandu Ridge cultivators who had been recruited by Sect Leader Kang Da for the meager annual salary of the patrol team who looked mournful; even disciples like Zhou Yixiu and Wei Gu, who already felt a strong sense of belonging to the Chongming Sect, wore expressions of frustration.
Ye Zhengwen had already learned the details of the minor setback the state court suffered at Little Wu Mountain. The state court, led by Registrar Gun Shide and Military Commander Qin Sufu, had sent ten Foundation Establishment and a combined force of 1,200 local experts to attack Auspicious Brocade Gate. However, they had been unable to conquer it for three months due to the enemy's Second-Tier Supreme-Grade formation.
Just as Gun and Qin were about to withdraw their troops and return, the two Foundation Establishment True Cultivator of Auspicious Brocade Gate, who had been besieged for too long, were extremely anxious and actually used a Third-Tier Lower-Grade Li Fire River-Burning Talisman their Golden Core Ancestor.
The protective treasures that the state court brought to the registrar Gun Shide were utterly ineffective, and the latter died instantly.
Commander Qin Sufu was seriously wounded and was rescued by Lord Yin Shan in the midst of battle. He is still receiving medical treatment at the state court.
The remaining ten Foundation Establishment suffered heavy casualties, and the various factions also fell apart as a result. They were overwhelmed by the united and vengeful disciples of Auspicious Brocade Gate, and were routed, suffering countless deaths and injuries.
This news not only sent chills down the spines of the disciples, but even the Sect Leader Kang Da, was drenched in sweat.
As expected of our Earl, he is indeed obsessed with saving face. Despite the state court suffering such a crushing defeat, the news that came down was merely a "minor setback."
Given the dire situation, Kang Dabao had no idea whether his trip to the state court would lead to Sima Fei assigning him to Little Wu Mountain as a show of loyalty to the Earl of Nan'an.
Kang Dabao had considered asking the Daoist Black Shoes for help, but the latter had already returned the seal of the Hemu Dao Daoist sect leader to his junior disciple surnamed Han two years ago, and had been cultivating as Rogue Cultivator ever since.
The biggest reason was undoubtedly that the younger generation of the Daoist Black Shoes in Hemu Dao were all incompetent, which hurt the feelings of this pure Daoist. But the Daoist Black Shoes himself may also have had some desire to transcend the conflict between the two sides in Cloud Horn Prefecture.
If they were to invite the Daoist Black Shoes again at this point, it would inevitably put their elders in a difficult position.
Furthermore, unless the Daoist Black Shoes promises to serve the state court, he can hardly be said to have much influence with Sima Fei, so this matter is naturally not feasible.
Therefore, regardless of everyone's mood, they all have to make a trip to the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court first.
Integrating their own disciples was only the first step. After a few years of relatively peaceful times, the various families in Pingrong County had just grown up with a new wave of young cultivators, making it the perfect time to reap the rewards.
As the Pingrong County, Kang Dabao was still responsible for conscripting men and organizing the army.
Since arriving in Cloud Horn Prefecture, the Earl of Nan'an has never suffered a loss like that of Little Wu Mountain, as the conscription quota issued by the Sima Office is very high.
Fortunately, Luo Heng has done some decent work in Pingrong County over the years, apart from frequenting prostitutes and playing with men. He has recorded the names of each family quite clearly, and is even more familiar with the situation of each family than Sect Leader Kang Da, the local headman.
The county clerks arrested people from each household according to the register of County Magistrate Luo Heng, while County Lieutenant Kang relentlessly drilled County Magistrate Luo.
Since the state court demands loyalty and righteousness from him, then Pingrong County should simply eliminate all its officials, and the county magistrate and county commandant should personally brave rocks to serve as the king's vanguard, demonstrating both tragedy and loyalty.
Once everyone in the county had gathered, Sect Leader Kang Da them carefully. Apart from the Chongming Sect, which consisted of fifty-two Qi Refinement cultivators, the other families in Pingrong County combined numbered only three hundred and twenty-one.
Only after realizing that his own family had been among the most involved in the county's uprising did Kang Dabao finally understand the situation, and he let out a long sigh.
The benefits of the state court are not easy to gain. Although even those who have reached the Foundation Establishment in Cloud Horn Prefecture often suffer the loss of their families, Chongmingzong has been doing very well, with the Chongming Sect joining the family and becoming quite prosperous.
But after this great battle, the little capital that Sect Leader Kang Da painstakingly accumulated will likely be mostly lost.
His disciples, who had grown up in the sect since childhood, were forced to recite scriptures and learn martial arts all day long. Not only were they unable to enjoy the joys of childhood like other children their age, but they also had to follow him, the sect leader, into battle without ever experiencing even the slightest benefit of being an "immortal."
Kang Dabao felt guilty and was so upset that he couldn't speak.
Closing the personnel register, Sect Leader Kang Da frowned and walked towards the county's training ground. The speed of training the troops was still too slow; the state court was already urging them, and there was no time to lose.
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(Lao Bai has something to do today, he'll update another chapter if he has time.)