Turning Danger into Safety

Ten days after Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan transplanted the elm tree next to the locust tree, Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't wait to arrange for Huo Ying to make elm seed dumplings for the younger generation.

Even Zhou Xinran, who was still guarding the Double Brightness Trade Market, was called back by Kang Dabao.

In short, only Duan Anle, who was still out trading and had no time to spare, missed out on this treat.

Huo Ying had spent years honing her skills in the kitchen, all for this day. She seized the opportunity, making dumplings with thin wrappers and generous fillings, quickly and skillfully.

The younger generation is used to a good life. A simple meal of dumplings is nothing to them. Besides, the elm seeds used for the filling aren't magical, so even if they eat them, they won't know whether they're good or bad.

Sect Leader Kang Da, however, ate with great relish, feeling that these dumplings already possessed three-tenths of the flavor of his master's wife's cooking from back then.

After finishing his meal, he thought for a moment and then sent Kang Rongquan to deliver some more to Green Lotus Courtyard.

The younger generation couldn't fully grasp the profound meaning behind Kang Dabao's reminiscence of past hardships, but Pei Yi, Yuan Jin, and Jiang Qing felt a pang of sadness.

Even Ye Zhengwen could discern a hint of meaning in it.

Having just returned to the sect after receiving news of Jiang Qing Foundation Establishment, Chu Huer found the taste rather bland.

He rushed back from Shandu Ridge in Feng Prefecture Ji County, Fengzhou, not for this meal of dumplings.

Now that his cultivation level and age are almost at the limit of Foundation Establishment, Jiang Qing's successful Foundation Establishment has an encouraging effect on him, not to mention that he has also gained other benefits from this matter.

It's true that Chu Huer returned to Ji County to visit friends, but he also had another matter to attend to: collecting debts.

Things were not going well at first, as the old acquaintance who had lent the money was as stubborn as a mule, vehemently denying that he had ever lent Chu Huer Spirit Stone.

Chu Huer, with his fiery temper, was unwilling to stand by and watch, and now the two sides were almost at the point of fighting.

Although Chu Huer's skills were not weak among his fellow Rogue Cultivator, all his reliable and capable relatives and friends were now living in Pingrong County.

If a real fight breaks out, I'll be at a disadvantage without any help, so I was just about to return to my sect to summon some reinforcements.

At this time, news also spread that Jiang Qing had achieved the Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment.

Upon hearing this news, the old deadbeat's arrogance subsided. As a result, not only were the principal and interest returned in full, but to maintain their relationship, the other party also gave Chu Huer an apology gift.

Compared to Jiang Qing's Foundation Establishment, this old scoundrel's apology seemed insignificant in Chu Huer's eyes.

So he rushed back day and night. This incident shows the difference in status between disciples of Foundation Establishment sects and disciples of Qi Refinement sects in the surrounding counties.

All the factions in Pingrong County now understand that the Chongming Sect has returned to the position it held at its inception.

The title of the First Sect of Pingrong has already been bestowed upon the Chongming Sect by Sect Leader Kang Da.

After finishing the dumplings, Sect Leader Kang Da got busy with important matters.

With Jiang Qing's Foundation Establishment Ceremony about to begin, Chongming Sect was dealing with a lot of complicated matters, such as which forces to send invitations to, how to arrange seating, who would attend, and who would only offer gifts. However, Kang Dabao was enjoying doing all of this.

Fortunately, Zhou Yixiu was quite adept at administrative affairs and could help Sect Leader Kang Da, thus relieving some of the latter's burden.

Before things were even settled on the sacred mountain of the Chongming Sect, Chongming City, under Kang Dahou's management, was already adorned with red and green decorations and lanterns.

Because of Jiang Qing's Foundation Establishment, an imperial decree was issued from the Immortal Mountain and the City Lord's Mansion, exempting all mortals under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Sect from three years of taxes, truly sharing the joy with the people.

At this time when the Chongming Sect was enjoying a harmonious and joyful occasion, Duan Anle was imprisoned in a dark and secluded jail, unable to escape.

Not a single member of the Double Brightness Caravan escaped; they were all imprisoned in this stronghold with Duan Anle.

The mastermind behind the capture of the Double Brightness Caravan —the head of the Mi Household —didn't look too good either.

He sat imposingly on a tiger skeleton, his face covered with dark scars from slashing his flesh with a sharp knife, and his face was smeared with colorful witch's ink, making him look quite ferocious and terrifying.

At this moment, the head of the Mi Household looked at the burly man below the stage with a sinister gaze, and said in a cold and impatient tone:

"Speak up, you bastard! Didn't you say that as long as we captured Chongming Sect disciple, we could exchange him for a Higher Vehicle Foundation Establishment spiritual item? Why don't you dare to deliver the message now? Where did all that swagger go?!"

"My lord, I had only heard that Kang Dabao received a lot of rewards from the state court. He must have received quite a few Foundation Establishment spiritual items, and he should have received one or two Foundation Establishment Pill as well."

"I never imagined that Jiang Qing would actually achieve the Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment. When the news arrived, I was almost at Pingrong County, but I still had to turn back. If I hadn't come back, I might have been killed by Jiang Qing on the spot."

The burly man adopted a pitiful and timid posture, which was completely inconsistent with his tall and imposing figure.

Seeing his expression, Mi Household's chief clerk was initially angry but eventually had to let it go. After all, he was his bedmate, and it wasn't right to be too harsh on him.

This matter is truly infuriating. He had already made his plans, thinking that his idea of having a male concubine was good. Fortunately, He Dezong was already dead, and his relationship with the Chongming Sect was over. He wouldn't ruin his reputation among the heroes because of this.

As for the strength of the Chongming Sect itself, the Mi Household leader didn't take it seriously.

Although most of his three hundred sorcerer soldiers were lost during the foundation- Foundation Establishment years ago.

But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Mi Household believed that with their remaining witch soldiers, they had no fear of the weakened and depleted Chongming Sect.

The Mi Household's chief clerk also didn't believe that the Daoist Black Shoes was the Chongming Sect.

If it's true, as the legends say, that Kang Dabao has become the Daoist Black Shoes's illegitimate son, then why didn't the Daoist Black Shoes offer any protection when Chongming Sect was recruited?

How could Jiang Qing, the undisputed Foundation Establishment prodigy of this generation of the Chongming Sect, have suffered a crippled Dao body and ended up with his Dao Path cut off?

In the eyes of the Mi Household, this Daoist Black Shoes was no different from Lang Yi of the He Household in terms of the Chongming Sect.

They were all lords who rode on the backs of their respective vassals and sucked their blood; the only difference was that the Daoist Black Shoes's methods were somewhat more lenient than Lang Yi's.

Even so, he didn't care during a life-or-death battle, so the Daoist Black Shoes would be even less likely to intervene for the sake of a Qi Refinement merchant caravan.

Mi Household's boss thought he was a smart man who had seen through Kang Dabao's deception, so after thinking it through, he acted swiftly.

The Double Brightness Caravan led by Duan Anle was considered to be of some size by ordinary people, but in the eyes of local tycoons like the Mi Household, it was nothing special.

After all, Mi Household Stockade had forced back two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Mi Household Chief only needed to send his trusted confidants to use a few tricks to capture the entire Double Brightness Caravan.

After succeeding, the Mi Household's chief eunuch had already sent this burly man to the Chongming Sect to demand the spiritual item back, but just then, news arrived.

Upon learning that Jiang Qing had already Foundation Establishment and was not yet at the Green Leaf, this was indeed a difficult situation.

If the capture of the caravan hasn't happened yet, then we can simply abandon the idea before it even begins.

If the Mi Household continues to rely on their mountain stronghold, they can simply collect Spirit Stone to buy spiritual items and send a generous congratulatory gift to the Chongming Sect. That would be a good thing, as it would strengthen their connections within the Foundation Establishment faction.

If the spiritual item has already been obtained, then it's even simpler.

The Mi Household's leader could easily abandon even this Mi Household Stockade, having taken the Foundation Establishment artifact and fled to another place. If he could achieve True Cultivator Foundation Establishment and live to be sixty years old, he could be happy anywhere in the world, so why bother staying in this poor and remote Mi Household Stockade?

But...

He couldn't bear to let the Mi Household's top leader run away on his own. If he lost such a large foundation and had to leave home to become Rogue Cultivator, he didn't know when he would earn enough spirit Spirit Stone to buy Foundation Establishment item.

But if they don't run away, regardless of whether Duan Anle kills or releases them, if this matter is exposed, then the Mi Household Stockade might be in danger of being destroyed.

Those within the family know their own situation. The Mi Household Stockade had expended tremendous effort to force back two ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators. Although they won, it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Now, facing Jiang Qing, who has only recently Foundation Establishment Jiang Qing Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment stage, the Mi Household Stockade, already weakened, might not be able to hold out.

Thinking of this, the head of the Mi Household frowned again. The burly man suggested at the right moment, "Head, in my opinion, if we just kill these people one by one, the Chongming Sect might not be able to find us."

"Alright, go do it now. Just be the first to stop Jiang Qing when he attacks." Mi Household's leader sneered, his brows furrowed, which frightened the burly man so much that he turned pale.

At this moment, a scholar-like monk in plain clothes stood up and spoke, "Chief, if you ask me, we should release this caravan."

"Release him?" Mi Household Da Dang's voice rose another notch, his fierce eyes widening, which made the plain-robed cultivator's hair stand on end.

"What I mean is that since the leader hasn't shown up in the whole affair, the people in the Double Brightness Caravan only know that the people from Mi Household Stockade kidnapped them, and they can't confirm whether the leader knew about it. So why not pin the blame on the person who did it?"

If we put on a show of righteous indignation in front of the Double Brightness Caravan, and then offer Chongming Sect a generous gift to take back, we can at least block Chongming Sect from taking action.

After all, his caravan didn't suffer any losses; their people and goods were all unharmed. Their reputation was widespread, and our Mi Household Stockade was no pushover either.

The Chongming Sect has gained benefits and a way to save face, so they might not be willing to cause trouble for us because of some disciples at the mid-to-low level of Qi Refinement.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the head of the Chongming Sect is truly ungrateful and insists on coming to punish us, our Mi Household Stockade is not located on Pingrong County's territory.

Even if Jiang Qing is powerful, he's still just a newly promoted Foundation Establishment. Without a legitimate reason to attack, the nearby Foundation Establishment forces won't allow the Chongming Sect at their doorstep.

The monk in plain clothes felt his clothes were soaked with cold sweat. He mustered his courage and forced himself to speak his thoughts.

As soon as the words were spoken, the expression on Mi Household's leader's face improved, while the burly man's eyes widened in shock, and he cried out in alarm, "Leader! Leader! You can't do this! The men sent to capture Chongming Sect's caravan are all your trusted and skilled men. Doing this will surely discourage everyone in the stronghold!"

Mi Household Jiadang knew why the burly man was afraid; after all, it was he who had led the men to intercept the Double Brightness Caravan last time. If things were to proceed according to plan, the man would definitely not be able to escape.

If the monk in plain clothes hadn't been intimidated by the fierce appearance of the Mi Household's leader, he probably wouldn't have revealed this plan in front of the burly man.

To be fair, the burly man wasn't entirely wrong. Since it concerned Foundation Establishment spiritual object, the people the Mi Household sent out to do this were indeed his trusted confidants.

If they were all eliminated by him, the loss of his subordinates would be secondary; with the people's hearts turning against him, the Mi Household's main force might not be able to hold onto these three hundred witch soldiers in Mi Household Stockade.

Mi Household was instantly caught in a dilemma, his sinister gaze wavering between the burly man and the monk in plain clothes.

The burly man would sometimes cling to the leg of the Mi Household's leader and plead desperately, and at other times point at the plain-robed monk who had come up with such a vicious plan and curse him vehemently. The scene was extremely lively for a moment.

After an unknown amount of time, a sharp crack suddenly rang out, abruptly silencing the burly man's shouting. Large splatter of brain matter landed on the marble floor tiles, and a faint, fishy smell gradually filled the room.

Mi Household Da Dang casually wiped the starch from his hands on his black feather cloak, his cold gaze sweeping over the scholar in plain clothes. He whispered, "You handle this matter yourself. Do it well. I don't need to tell you how to do it cleanly, do I?"

"Yes, yes, I will do it right away and do it perfectly." The scholar in plain clothes ignored the large patches of yellow and white liquid on the ground and knelt down with a thud, letting his long robe be soaked by the sticky liquid on the cloud bricks.

"Yes, go ahead. I'll reward you handsomely after it's done." The Mi Household's chief minister's tone was slightly cloying, causing the scholar in plain clothes to quickly press his raised buttocks down again.

"I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

The following morning, eleven bloodstained heads were placed before Duan Anle and his group.

Some of the caravan members were seasoned Rogue Cultivator who had traveled the martial world for a long time. They recognized these people as key figures in the Mi Household Stockade, almost all of whom were Late Qi Refinement cultivators.

Some of these people became famous even before Duan Anle was old enough, yet now they are presented to this young man, Duan Anle, like sacrificial offerings.

Duan Anle had been imprisoned for some time, and it was only today that he finally saw the head of the Mi Household family.

The latter acted in the same manner as when he held a banquet at Mi Household Stockade, except that besides feigned kindness, his face also showed a pretentious apology.

"Alas, I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates, causing my young friend to suffer such a great injustice! I have no face to see my fellow Daoists from the Chongming Sect again." The head of the Mi Household bowed and apologized as soon as he entered the prison.

Unlike the others in the caravan, who were terrified and blank-headed by the eleven bloody heads, he was completely stunned.

Duan Anle stood in the middle of the cage, maintaining his calm and composed demeanor. Upon hearing Mi Household Da Dang's words, he simply smiled and replied, "This junior knew from the beginning that there must be a misunderstanding. Senior, you are of noble character; how could you commit such a despicable act?"

"Young friend, your insight is truly remarkable," said the head of the Mi Household, a slight look of surprise on his face. He wondered to himself how he hadn't noticed the young man's hidden talents before.

"To express my apologies, I have prepared a banquet as an apology to my young friend."

"I shouldn't refuse your kind offer, senior, but I've been away for so long, my elders at home must be worried. Every trip must have a purpose, and just then, a major event has occurred at home, so I dare not delay and must return to the sect first."

"Oh," a hint of surprise flashed across the Mi Household's head, but he quickly smiled and said, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer, young friend. When you come again next time, please stay at my humble abode for a few more days."

"Thank you, senior." Duan Anle replied with a smile.

After their conversation, Duan Anle led the caravan out of the prison, meticulously checking the goods before bidding farewell to the Mi Household's business hall after about half an hour.

Mi Household's gaze was complex, a mixture of apprehension and admiration, with a slight sense of regret rising in his heart. He then looked at the scholar in plain clothes beside him, lost in thought.

Only after the caravan was out of sight of the Mi Household's stall did Du Qing finally dare to unleash his power.

He huddled close to Duan Anle, laughing and crying, and said, "Senior Brother Duan, who did we offend this time? Let's run!"

Even a mediocre talent like Du Qing wasn't fooled by the Mi Household's spies, which shows how poor the latter's acting skills were.

"No need to panic. Let's go a little further and then speed up. If we run too fast and startle him, it will backfire."

Duan Anle paused here before continuing, "If I'm not mistaken, it must be that Third Uncle has successfully Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, this fellow wouldn't be so docile."

"Don't worry, junior brother. After we go back and report to our master, the elders will have their own plans. Who knows, next time we come to this Mi Household Stockade, it might be to destroy their family and wipe them out. Just behave yourself then. This debt will be settled sooner or later."

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