Trouble Begins to Brew

"The state court specifically appointed Yue Feng from Han City to serve as a tribute at Double Brightness Trade Market?" Sect Leader Kang Da, standing upright to Fei Nanying, showed a slight look of surprise upon hearing the latter's news.

Sima Fei continued working on his abacus, smiled calmly, and gestured for Kang Dabao to sit down. Only after two pretty maids had served both Acting Sima Gun and Sect Leader Kang Da spiritual tea did he speak:

"That's nothing. We've followed you, Lord, for nearly sixty years and accomplished many things. The blessings and favors we receive come naturally from above; there's no need to worry about anything."

Kang Dabao couldn't detect any resentment in Sima Fei's words, but he didn't believe that Fei Sima truly had no objection to Kuang Liuting's actions.

After all, Double Brightness Trade Market had been the private domain of the two Sima since its inception.

The rental income from the shops in the market is only the visible income and may not be of interest to the Sima Office; however, the purchase and negotiation of various spiritual items by the state court now accounts for at least 50% of the Double Brightness Trade Market, and there is certainly much to be done here.

This part of the income is the real money; even Kang Dabao couldn't calculate how much profit the two Sima brothers extracted from it each year.

The conflict between the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court is intensifying, with the Yuan Cong faction, led by Sima Fei, holding a significant advantage from the outset.

It wasn't until the Han City Yue Household used the life of the False Core from the Two Instruments Sect as a pledge of allegiance that the local tribes finally had a backbone and were able to compete with the Yuan Cong from the capital.

But this time, the state court selected talented individuals from the Yue Household and sent them to the Sima Office's treasure trove. The deeper meaning behind this is worth pondering.

"Don't worry, Gun Shilu will be able to form False Core within six months." Sima Fei put down his abacus. As an outsider, he spoke of this matter as if he were more confident than Acting Sima Gun himself.

After reassuring Kang Dabao, Sima Fei only reminded him of one more thing:

"Yue Feng is not someone to be trifled with. Among the younger generation of the Yue Household, apart from Yue Lan, who serves as the Battle Hall Elder in the Two Instruments Sect, he is the most Spiritual Qi and the most likely to succeed that old Yue Lin."

Seeing that Sect Leader Kang Da nodded in agreement, Sima Fei suddenly remembered something and asked again, "When you first took office as the county magistrate, on your way back to your hometown from Guo County, you must have encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator who tried to ambush you, right?"

Kang Dabao recalled the blade that had nearly taken his life, and a chill ran down his spine. He nodded and replied, "That's true. My nephew-in-law almost lost his life back then, and it was only thanks to Uncle Black Shoes's help that he was saved."

Fei Nanying could hear the resentment in Kang Dabao's tone, but he didn't care much and continued calmly, "When I chose you to be the Fei Household's son-in-law back then, I did think that you would be targeted by some people with ulterior motives on your way back."

However, I was short of people I could use back then, and neither I nor Gun Shilu could escape. Since I had no one to help Foundation Establishment, I assigned the task of protecting you to Tie Liuyun.

But since you said you were saved by the Black Shoes, then I'm a little confused as to why the Tie Liuyun Sect didn't send anyone."

Kang Dabao remained silent, but the Acting Sima Gun spoke up to remind him:

"Later, the Sima Office sent people to investigate and found out that the person who killed you back then was named Yue Wen. He hasn't shown his face in the past few years, and we don't know if the Yue Household deliberately hid him. However, Yue Wen is Yue Feng's younger brother, so you'd better be careful."

Sima Fei still didn't seem to care much about Kang Dabao's reaction. After saying that, he added, "You and Shuhe also always make sure to come back at different times."

Seeing that Kang Dabao remained silent with his head down, Sima Fei became somewhat displeased. "Why are you also adopting that 'can't utter a word even after being hit three times' attitude?"

Seeing that Sect Leader Kang Da remained silent, Sima Fei finally said, "This is a one-time exception!"

"From now on, your son-in-law will follow your lead without question! Only then will he live up to your kindness in nurturing me!" Kang Dabao seemed to have been struck by something by these words and immediately replied.

Sima Fei said nothing more after that, and even the Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't tell whether he was satisfied or not, so he had no choice but to obediently follow Sima Fei's instructions and stay for a family dinner.

The delicacies on the table were so numerous and dazzling that even Sect Leader Kang Da was somewhat overwhelmed.

One of the dishes, Fish and Dragon Soup, is said to have originated from a dish from the palace, stemming from an anecdote that occurred overseas during the reign of the founding emperor of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

Back then, the founding emperor captured a Fifth Tier Mystic-Patterned Fish Dragon, a descendant of the True Chi Dragon, and wanted to make it the clan's guardian spirit beast.

Mystic-Patterned Fish Dragon, arrogant about his noble bloodline, was ungrateful and mocked the Taizu Emperor for his inferior bloodline, which angered the Taizu Emperor. Enraged, the Taizu Emperor had Xuanwen Yulong skinned alive and his flesh was then shared among the generals.

The roe of the Mystic-Patterned Fish Dragon was collected by the accompanying chef and placed in the Golden Scale Pool of the Imperial Palace.

Emperor Taizu extracted the True Chi Dragon bloodline from the hatched fish-dragon descendants for use in the purification of the bones and marrow of the imperial family members; then the fish-dragon descendants that lost the True Chi Dragon bloodline were bred by the imperial chefs into delicacies exclusively for the royal family.

It was impossible for Sima Fei to have genuine offspring of the dragon and fish at his family banquet; such delicacies were rare even for distant relatives of the imperial family. Even if one or two did manage to escape, given Sima Fei's status in the Fei Household, he probably wouldn't get a single bite.

However, this fish and dragon soup was made with several kinds of Second Tier spirit fish and was carefully cooked according to the proper fish and dragon soup method, making it quite rare.

Even though Sect Leader Kang Da had already reached the Foundation Establishment, he still felt that the spiritual power within his body was growing stronger.

He estimated that finishing this fish and dragon soup would be equivalent to the results of six months of arduous cultivation.

It's easy to imagine that even a family like Sima Fei's wouldn't be able to eat such delicacies often. The difference between what Sect Leader Kang Da experiencing before and after Foundation Establishment is truly incomparable.

Being able to enjoy fine wine and food was only one aspect; Fei Shuhe's aunt, who came from the Yukun Han Household, also condescended to attend the meeting.

This middle-aged beauty possessed an elegant demeanor. Although she spoke to Kang Dabao with a degree of intimacy, her inherent arrogance and aloofness, which looked down on those of humble origins, were still difficult to conceal.

However, her approach does seem to promote equality among all people.

Not to mention that the Kang family, whose ancestors had never even produced a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was considered too lowly by others, Kang Dabao also clearly saw that even Gun Shilu, a minor disciple who was about to become a Pseudo-Dan Master, was nothing in the eyes of this noble lady of the Han family.

The family dinner was only halfway through when Madam Han excused herself and left the table.

Neither Acting Sima Gun nor the Sect Leader Kang Da dared to voice their opinions, and Sima Fei, disregarding their thoughts, unusually took the initiative to discuss the New Cloud Alliance:

"Although the Book and Sword Gate has shown some promise, its leader is old and useless; since the death of its leader, the Zi Maple Valley has been plagued by internal strife between the two families; and the Jade Moon Shan Household, who had just reached the Foundation Establishment, is now dead, leaving no successor."

As for that Hemu Dao, after the Black-Leg Daoist abandoned them, they actually hired a rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage as their retainer. How short-sighted! Using the weak to subdue the strong is not something an ordinary person can do. Judging from this, their family will inevitably suffer the fate of being usurped sooner or later.

Sima Fei paused here, then said, "In truth, I shouldn't need to concern myself with such trivial matters. But since it involves your family, it's causing me some trouble. Don't you think about it? Chongming Sect has been associating with these disreputable families for so long; what kind of future can he have?"

"My master's uncle shares the same idea as you, sir. Once my nephew-in-law and the various families have renegotiated the share of the Spirit Stone mines, the alliance between the families should be able to be relaxed after the twenty-year term expires," Kang Dabao said solemnly, straightening his clothes and composing himself.

Sima Fei downed the weak tea in his cup in one gulp, his tone becoming much more serious:

"Hmm, your Black Shoes has good judgment. It's just that being a carefree immortal isn't easy in Cloud Horn Prefecture these days."

Take this saying back to him: 'The later one enters the banquet, the less rich and flavorful the food becomes.'

If he comes to his senses and is still willing to serve the state court, I can advise the Earl that after he reaches the Core Formation, perhaps we can ask Nascent Soul True Person to take him as a disciple.

Seeing Kang Dabao's sudden surprise, Sima Fei added fuel to the fire, "And let's not be bound by the distinction of True Person of the imperial clan."

Upon hearing this, the look of surprise on Sect Leader Kang Da deepened.

Even the seemingly composed Acting Sima Gun spoke up, saying, "There are many things in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty that are not as simple as you think. If the Immortal Dynasty were truly as it appears, with only three True Person still alive, then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sima Fei stopped him with a look, then added, "You just need to pass on the message to Black Shoes. Let's eat."

After hearing these words, Kang Dabao felt that the delicacies on the table had lost some of their flavor. He muttered to himself, "This Daoist has already reached the Foundation Establishment, so why is he still just a messenger?"

However, Sect Leader Kang Da was a broad-minded person. He thought that he used to not even get tea at Sima Fei's place, but now he was able to enjoy a feast. Given time, perhaps he could even...

So even though the lavish family feast was rather tasteless, Kang Dabao still returned home full of Spiritual Qi and high spirits.

On the way back, because the servants of the Fei Household had fed the golden-haired old donkey two high-quality spirit-nourishing pills while it was waiting in the stable, the old donkey's steps were much more agile than when it came.

Now it has broken through to the First-Tier Superior-Grade, becoming the highest-grade spirit beast in the Chongming Sect. Perhaps because it was castrated by Sect Leader Kang Da, the golden-haired old donkey is now not only fat and strong, but its skeleton has also grown significantly.

In terms of physique, the golden-haired old donkey at this time was no less than the Black Blood Colt that Kang Dabao had seized from the Ghost Horse Owls and ruthless Zhao Gu.

Furthermore, after taking that unknown elixir, his fire-breathing technique became even more powerful.

In this way, even the most outstanding disciples in the sect, such as Duan Anle and He Yuanbing, would find it difficult to subdue this old donkey without using all their skills.

Sect Leader Kang Da never imagined that the man-eating donkey he had captured so casually and kept in the sect as food would have such a good fortune.

Judging from this, this old donkey might still have a chance to advance to the Second Tier, making him even more worthy of cultivation than most of the disciples.

Kang Dabao was no longer the nobody he once was. As soon as he stepped out of the Fei Household and onto the main street of Xuanwei City, several relatives and attendants came to greet him.

Most of them were people sent by Foundation Establishment clans that had just migrated from the capital region. Don't be fooled by the fact that they could be considered fellow villagers of Sima Fei and Acting Sima Gun.

In reality, his family background was very low, and it was extremely difficult for him to establish any connection with the two Sima families.

While it's true that Sect Leader Kang Da, having achieved the Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment, was just a junior in the eyes of big shots like Daoist Black Shoes, Fei Nanying, and Tie Liuyun, these newly arrived Foundation Establishment clans saw him as a rising star worthy of their acquaintance. Given the opportunity, they naturally tried their best to befriend him.

Some Lineage have even done their homework, keeping several beautiful young widows at home.

However, Kang Dabao, who had just been reprimanded by Sima Fei, was not in the mood for such behavior. He politely declined all the Foundation Establishment disciples who came to visit, making empty promises such as "I will definitely pay a visit another day."

However, because of this incident, Sect Leader Kang Da's depressed mood improved considerably.

Riding his golden donkey once again through the streets of Xuanwei City, the place was still bustling with people as before, but Sect Leader Kang Da suddenly felt a sense of loss and disillusionment.

He suddenly remembered the time when he led the entire clan into the city in a donkey cart pulled by the golden-haired old donkey to buy flying swords for Jiang Qing.

That year, Sect Leader Kang Da never imagined that one day he would strip naked and pin down that pretty steward of the Illusory Sword Alliance who refused to give up a single Spirit Stone, and even make her bear his children;

I never imagined I'd one day be a guest of honor at one of the city's top portals;

I never imagined I could achieve Foundation Establishment two in one day;

I never imagined that one day Yundao.

Halfway through his journey, Kang Dabao saw Master Qi's weapon-refining shop again. Because of the reputation of the number one female cultivator in Cloud Horn Prefecture, business there was still good.

Qi Duoluo was guarding the shop, still acted like a drunkard, and when he saw someone lingering outside, he instinctively put on a smile and invited them in.

Halfway there, Qi Duoluo's narrow eyes finally cleared from their haze. Upon seeing the person in front of him, his usually eloquent mouth, unusually, stumbled and couldn't utter a complete sentence.

His smile froze halfway through, his hand reaching for the areca flower petals he then hesitated, caught in a dilemma. After a long while, he swallowed hard, hunching over like a dried shrimp, and stammered, "Thank you, Senior Kang Kang."

Seeing Qi Duoluo's appearance, Kang Dabao felt no sense of pride or vindication, but simply laughed and said, "Brother Dao, how have you been?"

His tone was warm and natural, just like before.

"This junior dares not!" Qi Duoluo had not only learned of the news of Sect Leader Kang Da Foundation Establishment today; he had also attended when Master Qi came to congratulate him last time.

At that moment, he was like a shy child, hiding tightly behind his father, not daring to look up, afraid that someone would see the embarrassment on his face.

"Ha, we're brothers, no need for such formalities. I'm busy today and can't visit Master Qi in person, so please convey my greetings to him." Kang Dabao lightly patted the old donkey with his heel and bowed in farewell.

Qi Duoluo watched Sect Leader Kang Da's departing figure, he sighed deeply, feeling that the banquet he had been looking forward to that evening was suddenly quite boring.

"How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? How can a roc laugh at the cuckoo's words? Wrong! Wrong!"

In White Sand County, Jingnan Prefecture, inside the newly built main hall of the Changning Sect, seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators sat in a circle, but no one spoke for a long time.

The first leader, unanimously chosen by the three sects, came from the True Spirit Gate and was called Dai Fu.

He was chosen by popular vote for two reasons: firstly, his cultivation level was the highest, having spent many years in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and he also had a Second-Tier Supreme-Grade Snow-Feathered Night Owl by his side. In terms of cultivation ability, he was unparalleled among the newly established Foundation Establishment of the Changning Sect.

Secondly, because he is the oldest, and has only formed Azure Leaf Dao Foundation, with almost no hope of False Core, he cannot hold the position of sect leader for too long, making it convenient for other sects to replace him.

In reality, this so-called Changning Sect was nothing more than a few defeated families who had lost their spiritual lands, cobbled together by Jiang Yuan, the peak leader of the Black Sand Peak of the Two Instruments Sect, for his own personal purposes.

It seems that the True Spirit Gate and the Chang County Lin Household were originally both in the Clear Cloud Alliance, serving the Two Instruments Sect.

However, after the battle of Little Wu Mountain, the original four families of the Clear Cloud Alliance were all destroyed: Auspicious Brocade Gate was attacked and destroyed by Sima Fei's troops, and its lineage was cut off; Ingenious Craftsman Fort was persuaded to surrender by the state court and changed its allegiance.

The True Spirit Gate and the Chang County Lin Household suffered heavy losses and had no means of resistance against the state government's army sent to quell the rebellion. As a result, they had no choice but to leave their homes and flee to other counties to make a living.

The Clear Cloud Alliance was thus completely wiped out. The True Spirit Gate and the Chang County Lin Household, following Jiang Yuan's orders, became entangled with the Feng Prefecture Ge Household, a disreputable unorthodox Lineage.

However, the three families had different ideas, and right from the start, there were many disputes and troubles, which was very exhausting. Therefore, Dai Fu felt that being the head of the sect was quite meaningless.

With the strength of the True Spirit Gate, it wouldn't be difficult for them to reclaim first or second-tier spiritual lands with a little planning. However, no one dared to disobey Jiang Yuan, so they could only be tied up and used as his tools.

"Ahem." The room was quiet, but it was Dai Fu, the sect leader, who broke the silence. "Elder Chen, your commotion at Double Brightness Trade Market last time was a bit too much. According to Jiang Fengzheng, our Changning Sect is newly established, and we shouldn't cause any unnecessary trouble."

"Yes!" Chen Ye replied solemnly, showing no trace of arrogance. Seeing his demeanor, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator present dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

This was a ruthless person who had killed a Foundation Establishment with only Qi Refining Qi Refinement. Even Dai Fu, who had been at Foundation Establishment for many years, was wary of Chen Ye.

Seeing Chen Ye respectfully comply, Dai Fu was slightly taken aback, but then said, "Very well, let's move on to the next matter. Song Fengqian a letter ten days ago, saying that several members of the New Cloud Alliance have been making quite a few moves lately and need us to do some things."

"Then let's send troops and slaughter the Chongming Sect first!" As soon as Dai Fu finished speaking, a Foundation True Cultivator Foundation Establishment from the True Spirit Gate immediately responded. A Foundation Establishment from the Chang County Lin Household thought that both families shared a deep-seated pain with the Chongming Sect, but was stopped by the person next to him.

Dai Fu frowned deeply. These people must have sold their brains to do something easy to appease their superiors, right?

If they were to truly clash with the Chongming Sect, who would dare to face the Daoist Black Shoes's flying sword, which even Fei Nanying had praised highly?

Does this guy really think he's just a pawn of the Two Instruments Sect? Since the Changning Sect was founded, Black Sand Peak has only allocated a few Spirit Stone to him.

"Among the various factions of the New Cloud Alliance, the Book and Sword Gate is large and powerful, the Shan Household is tight and sharp, and the Chongming Sect is small but refined—none of them can be easily defeated. The Hemu Dao is weak and feeble; even if we were to wipe them out, Senior Brother Song might not be satisfied."

At this point, a sharp glint appeared in Chen Ye's eyes. "Only the internal strife in Zi Maple Valley remains unresolved; perhaps we can give it a try."

Thank you to Brother Chennian Jiushuchong for the twenty Extended Net Moon.

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