Rallying Anew

Kang Rongquan stood in a large field of spirit fields, leaning on a spirit hoe, and sighed deeply.

Normally, Song Hui, as Zhou Yixiu's only male disciple, would come to help him even though he had no talent in the art of farming.

Dong Liu'er and Song Hui were also inseparable, and she would often come along as well.

After the three of them finished their work, they chatted idly, drank the spirit wine that Song Hui had stolen from Zhou Yixiu's cellar, and then gossiped about Han Yundao's pretentious bad habit behind his back. They couldn't have been happier.

Now that he's all alone, he can't help but feel a little lonely.

"Oh dear, Senior Brother Kang Senior Brother Kang, I'm late!" It was Mo Ku, wearing a plain turban, who came panting from afar.

After the battle at Little Wu Mountain, Mo Ku, who had always only known how to bury himself in tending to Spirit Plant, would also take the initiative to make time to go to the training machine puppets.

However, his talent was really mediocre, and despite practicing diligently for a long time, his progress was barely noticeable.

"Ah, Junior Brother Mo is here! I thought Master Zhou took you to Zither Leaf Forest this morning." Kang Rongquan snapped out of his reverie, saw Mo Ku approaching, and greeted him with a smile, "No rush, no rush, I'm all set. Sit down for a while, the breeze is just right now, let's enjoy it together."

Kang Rongquan cast a Clear Wind Incantation on himself, which carried away most of the dust and sweat on his body. With a wave of his hand, a silver ring Law Artifact sprang out from the thick mound of earth.

"Senior Brother Kang's Cold Silver Earth Spirit Ring is almost complete, isn't it?" Mo Ku sat down cautiously next to Kang Rongquan, looking at the gleaming magic Law Artifact in the latter's hand with envy in her eyes.

"It's almost done. Ideally, we should find an earth-elemental spirit mine to properly absorb its essence and nurture it for a few more months. But the white alfalfa is almost ripe and needs someone to help it, so we can only leave it in the spirit field. Well, it's alright, it'll still be of some benefit." Kang Rongquan replied with a smile.

Despite his still round face, he is now a genuine Qi Refinement Fourth Layer disciple, his cultivation level having caught up with Duan Anle, only slightly behind He Yuanbing, who comes from the best family. He is considered one of the most outstanding members of the next generation of the Chongming Sect.

"If Senior Brother Han were still here, that would be great. He loves a lively atmosphere. Once all the fellow disciples are gathered, I could go up on stage and give a lecture on Daoist arts, showing off a bit."

He poured Mo Ku a cup of spiritual wine, and after Kang Rongquan drank it all, he leisurely lay down on the dry earth.

Looking at the blue sky and white clouds, the chubby boy recalled the days when he used to argue with Han Yundao, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

A short while later, a lithe and agile gray shadow swept across the sky. Kang Rongquan sat up in slight surprise. Before he could speak, Mo Ku beside him exclaimed, "It's Senior Brother Duan's Gray Spirit Falcon! Senior Brother Duan has emerged from seclusion!"

Nearly three months had passed since Han Yundao's soul lamp went out. Duan Anle had only left the house when two major events occurred: Kang Dabao's return to the sect and Jiang Qing's awakening.

Even his usual goofy smile was gone; he was stiff and expressionless, like a steel puppet.

Everyone knew that he and Han Yundao had always been on good terms, so he was feeling distressed and couldn't get over it. They wanted to comfort him but didn't know where to start, and even the masters and elders in the sect were at a loss.

"Grand Uncle is right, time will always heal all wounds." Kang Rongquan thought to himself, stood up, told Mo Ku to pack up the things, and the two returned together.

It was almost time for evening classes. Mo Ku had not yet reached the Middle Qi Refinement, so he had not asked for leave and could not be absent.

Kang Rongquan didn't need to go, but since he hadn't been there for a while, and thinking that Duan Anle would probably go to the scripture hall today after leaving seclusion, he went with Mo Ku.

As soon as the two entered, they discovered that Pei Yi's seat had been replaced by a robust young man with a simple and honest appearance, who was none other than Duan Anle, who had just emerged from seclusion.

The younger generation members who came in one after another were both surprised and delighted, greeting Duan Anle in a flurry of chatter. The latter was as kind and generous as ever, which excited everyone.

After chatting for a while, the bell rang for the scripture lesson. Duan Anle's face immediately hardened again. He became solemn and dignified, sat upright, and slammed the ruler beside him on the low table several times. "Silence! Today we will study the last four chapters of the * Liezi: Perfect Scripture of the Pervading Emptiness *. Recite after me: 'Yin Tang asked Xia Ge.'"

All the children were chased down, and those who were a beat slower were indeed punished with a ruler. Even He Yuanbing, who had come to join in the fun, was no exception. Yuan Changsheng, who was closest to Duan Anle, was punished the most severely because of his relationship with Duan Anle.

Kang Rongquan narrowly escaped being hit as well, feeling that Duan Anle had changed faster than flipping through a book today. "Why is Senior Brother Duan acting like Senior Brother Han today?"

Kang Rongquan wasn't the only one who felt this way. During scripture lessons, many people felt that this kind and honest senior brother, who held a scripture scroll, was very much like Han Yundao from back then.

Even the way he imitated the way his teachers spoke and reprimanded him was incredibly lifelike.

Even though only half of the scripture had been read, everyone understood it and began to recite it attentively. Only when the scripture reading ended did everyone break free from the solemn and serious atmosphere.

After class, they all stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, senior brother."

Duan Anle returned the greeting respectfully, and as he bowed his head, he murmured, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

After class, Pei Que brought Jin Shilun along to invite him, "Second Senior Brother, come sit at my place for a while."

Even though Duan Anle put on a smiling face after finishing her lessons, Jin Shilun was still worried, and a hint of concern appeared on his face. "Little Wu Meng just brought back some snacks from Chongming City. Senior brother, why don't you try them together?"

"Of course we'll go. Let me pack up." Duan Anle showed no sign of distress, nodding in agreement before slowly and methodically putting away the scriptures on the table. The three of them then entered Pei Que's courtyard together.

The courtyards of these disciples of the Sect Leader Kang Da were almost identical to the courtyard of the Kang Dabao. Even the hitching posts used by the old donkey back then were exactly the same, with only minor differences.

The three felt a sense of warmth upon entering. Little Wu Meng, who was dozing off with his head propped up on his hand at the round table, exclaimed with delight upon seeing the three of them, "Oh, brothers, you're here! Please, have a seat!"

"You've grown taller again! I heard Uncle Jin Household is going to arrange a marriage for you?" Duan Anle was also happy to see Little Wu Meng. The latter had been staying in Chongming City for the past few years, learning martial arts from Jin Shilun's father Jin Huohua, and rarely came back.

Although Little Wu Meng is already about the same height as an average adult, and his martial arts have reached the pinnacle of Marrow Refinement Great Accomplishment, he is still just a young boy who is not yet of age to dance with an elephant.

Upon hearing Duan Anle's words, he immediately blushed deeply. Then, somewhat awkwardly, he replied, "It was the sect leader who instructed Jin Household to arrange it; I..."

"Haha," seeing Little Wu Meng's appearance, the three of them laughed and took their seats one after another, ignoring the honored ones.

After exchanging only a few words, they heard Kang Rongquan angrily dragging He Yuanbing and Ye Pingshui to the door. Little Wu Meng went to open the door and welcomed the three of them in.

"Pingshui, I told you, those three disciples of the sect leader are eating alone here! You didn't believe me!" Kang Rongquan directly pointed out the honest boy Ye Pingshui.

"Well, what are you saying, Senior Brother Kang? There's not even a single meat dish on the round table. How can this be considered eating alone?" Ye Pingshui muttered softly, but everyone present heard him and burst into laughter.

"Junior Brother Kang, since you know that our sect leader and his disciples are having a banquet here, what brings you here?" Pei Que asked jokingly, feigning annoyance.

"Ha! Senior Brother Pei, stop talking to me like that! You're the sect leader's disciple, and I'm the sect leader's direct descendant! Little Wu Meng, bring the wine, bring the wine!" Kang Rongquan wasn't afraid of arguing with these senior brothers, so he immediately pulled He Yuanbing and Ye Pingshui to sit down together.

Everyone laughed again. Little Wu Meng brought over a wine jar that was half a person tall and filled it for each of his fellow disciples.

The wine was cloudy, and the dishes were vegetarian, but the brothers didn't mind. They chatted and joked for a while, and the time passed quickly. After chatting for a while, the topic naturally turned to cultivation and future prospects.

"My master told me recently that he would probably be focusing most of his energy on cultivation in recent years, and that I should put more effort into weapon training to take on some of the responsibility."

Ye Pingshui. Everyone knew that this matter was important, so they each offered their own ideas.

"If Junior Brother's cultivation could break through to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer Refining earlier, it would surely be of some benefit to his weapon crafting skills, wouldn't it?" Duan Anle, being the most senior, spoke first.

"Yes, it will have some benefits," Ye Pingshui nodded in agreement. "It's actually a good thing that my 'Savage Ox Scripture' is of a lower grade. In another month or two, I should be able to break through."

"In the initial stage of cultivating immortality, improving one's cultivation level is merely icing on the cake; it doesn't touch the fundamentals." Although Kang Rongquan was young, he was the only cultivator among those present who possessed an entry-level skill. While he had a tendency to show off, he was the most persuasive in this regard.

Hearing him speak, everyone turned their gaze to him. "Learn more, do more, and think more. Don't learn without thinking or think without learning. But this requires some talent, and you can't rush it."

Junior Brother Mo Ku studies very diligently and earnestly, but he just doesn't do anything particularly well. There's nothing we can do about it. Uncle Yuan just wants Junior Brother Ye to be more dedicated, so you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."

His words were simple and sincere, and everyone who heard them felt they made sense and agreed with them.

Upon hearing Kang Rongquan mention Mo Ku, He Yuanbing suddenly remembered something. "I heard from Senior Sister Zhou that the elders intend for Junior Brother Mo Ku to take over the position of guarding Chongming City from Junior Brother Ji before his death. I wonder if that's true or not."

"Martial Uncle Chu is temporarily in charge of foreign affairs, did mention it, but he also knows that Junior Brother Mo's fighting skills are somewhat lacking. He was thinking of having Senior Brother Wei Gu go with Junior Brother Mo, but my master Yu Tang rejected it."

Master said, "Senior Brother Wei Gu has been diligently studying the manuals on array formations these days, and I've heard he's made considerable progress. My master is about to open up a new spirit field, and Junior Brother Mo, who is also a half-farming master, can't leave either. How can the two of them put down their work and go to Chongming City to guard it?"

He Yuanbing was relieved after hearing Kang Rongquan's words.

Mo Ku was protected by him all the way back from Little Wu Mountain. He knew Mo Ku's fighting skills all too well. Even ordinary Rogue Cultivator couldn't defeat him. How could he possibly do a good job guarding Chongming City?

Moreover, guarding Chongming City is clearly a tough job. Away from the sect, there are no Spirit Vein for cultivation, and it's also difficult to get close to the sect's higher-ups.

Logically, after Ji Wuwu's death, the masters should have done the same as before, placing an old cultivator with no hope of advancement on the Dao Path. Although Mo Ku was low, he was only over twenty years old, so by any measure, it shouldn't have been his turn.

However, among the foreign affairs disciples recruited from Shandu Ridge, there seem to be quite a few suitable ones.

Even He Yuanbing, a young master who doesn't concern himself with worldly affairs, can understand these matters. There's no reason why Chu Huer temporarily in charge of external affairs, shouldn't be able to figure it out.

He Yuanbing was startled when he realized this, as if he had never sensed any internal strife within the Chongming Sect before.

Pei Que noticed that He Yuanbing's expression was off, and after thinking for a moment, he explained, "Uncle reprimanded Martial Uncle Chu a while ago. Senior Brother Niu Kuang has been assigned a post and will be going to Chongming City to take up his new post in the next few days."

The older men all looked relieved after hearing Pei Que's words.

People say, "A small temple has a strong demonic wind, and shallow water has many turtles." Although the saying is crude, it is easy to understand.

Since Sect Leader Kang Da took the step of recruiting cultivators from Shandu Ridge into the sect, it is only natural that he should bear the consequences of the emergence of factions within the Chongming Sect.

After the cultivators of Shandu Ridge entered the sect, they naturally became closer to Chu Huer and Pei Yi, while becoming much more distant from the other disciples of the Chongming Sect. Even Kang Dabao could not reverse this situation in a short period of time.

As the leader of the cultivators in Shandu Ridge, Chu Huer felt guilty because of the heavy casualties they suffered in the battle of Little Wu Mountain. Afterwards, he wanted to do more good for them and help them avoid some hard work, which is only human nature.

Fortunately, as Martial Uncle Li's true disciple, Pei Yi's stance was not swayed by Chu Huer and others, and his decision was still quite fair.

"If Chongming City also had a Spirit Vein, that would be wonderful. Then I, your junior brother, could guard it. Anyway, Master often says that one cannot become a sword cultivator by staying indoors."

He Yuanbing downed a bowl of wine in one gulp and said with a rather bold air.

"I saw Martial Uncle Jiang the other day; he was still practicing swordsmanship at the training ground late at night." Ye Pingshui's tone was full of admiration.

"I heard that Martial Uncle Jiang doesn't want to rest," Pei Que nodded, then continued, "However, my uncle said that Martial Uncle Jiang's injury is healing faster than the physician predicted, and he'll probably be fully recovered in another six months."

"Third Uncle may have suffered a minor setback, but his Dao heart remains as strong as ever. It seems that reaching Foundation Establishment in the future will be a piece of cake for him." Jin Shilun, the eldest and least powerful among them, also praised him.

"Once our master uncle Foundation Establishment, we'll storm the Chang County Lin Household and avenge our Senior Brother Han!" Ye Pingshui suddenly smashed his bowl and roared.

When Ye Pinglin passed away, he followed Ye Yaoling into the Chongming Sect. Han Yundao, the senior brother, took the most care of him, and he was naturally grateful.

The slightly cheerful atmosphere was greatly dampened by Ye Pingshui's roar, and everyone finished their drinks and fell silent.

Kang Rongquan thought for a moment, then, with his slightly protruding belly, spoke first, "Let's hold a Daoist meeting! Senior Brother Han loves holding Daoist meetings! We can't just keep thinking about staying under the protection of our teachers; we have to strive for progress too."

"Alright!" Ye Pingshui slammed his hand on the table and was the first to step forward in response. "I'll go first. I'll tell my fellow disciples how to nurture and care for magical Law Artifact."

Everyone cleared the table and set aside their cups and goblets. Ye Pingshui, slightly drunk, stood on a branch of the golden mulberry tree in the courtyard, while the others listened intently below.

Even Little Wu Meng, as before, sat on a small stool and listened intently to those profound and mysterious principles.

Seeing this scene before him, Duan Anle's eyes suddenly welled up with tears again. He lowered his head and murmured, "Senior brother for life, junior brother for life."

As Ye Pingshui's somewhat simplistic theories on craftsmanship gently reached his ears, the honest and straightforward young man below clenched his fist again. "The day may pass, but it's never too late. Just do your part as well as your senior brother's. Let's pull ourselves together!"

As night deepened, a gentle breeze blew, bringing a refreshing coolness that gradually carried away the dejection from the disciples.

The bright moon, hanging high in the sky, cast a silvery glow across the simple courtyard with its clean, smooth strokes, further strengthening the resolve of the two or three disciples.

As before, yet not as before.

(A bit sentimental, I'll speed things up in the next chapter to lay the groundwork for Foundation Establishment. PS: The words in parentheses don't count.)

Thanks to Brother "Identification Method" for the six Extended Net Moon.

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