The Double Brightness Alliance
On the sixth day of the ninth month of the 452nd year of the Qianfeng reign, the Sect Leader Kang Da turned sixty-five, a year of auspiciousness for officialdom, wealth, learning, and industry.
Kang Dabao was, after all, a practical and down-to-earth person. According to his own intentions, he shouldn't have wanted to hold this birthday banquet.
After all, regardless of whether he hosts the birthday banquet or not, how could any household in Ping and Jin counties dare not send gifts? Given this, why should he waste Spirit Stone to treat others to a good meal and drinks?
The pain of throwing a lavish banquet at Double Brightness Trade Market for Kang Changxi's birth is still fresh in the Sect Leader Kang Da. Therefore, he believes it's best to save money wherever possible now.
However, Yuan Jin and his fellow disciples were all thinking about Kang Dabao's birthday when he turned sixty, which had not been celebrated because he was in seclusion. That's why they were all clamoring to make up for it for him.
The latter is now the leader of a major sect with thousands of cultivators under his command. Although he may not be able to claim absolute authority, it is no exaggeration to say that he can decide the life or death of hundreds of cultivators with a single thought.
Therefore, such a person should at least have some dignity.
The heads of major Foundation Establishment sects such as Cold Mountain Sect, Ingenious Craftsman Fort, Tanggu Ming Household, Jade Moon Shan Household, and Hemu Dao all came with gifts to offer their congratulations. The heads of Qi Refinement Refining families such as Chang County Ma Household and Caishi Lu Household had arrived at Double Brightness Trade Market half a month in advance to wait for them.
As for the smaller sects, they arrived even earlier. The reason they did this was because they were hoping that Chongming Sect would arrange the seating order based on their arrival time.
After all, if they could get closer and chat with the sect leaders and elders of the Chongming Sect, even just a few words would be enough for them to use as a pretext when they got back.
It's understandable that small families, struggling to survive, would have some reservations.
Zhou Yixiu, who was originally in Hong County looking after the Moon Fern Field for Sect Leader Kang Da, also took some time off to return. At this moment, he was helping Ye Zhengwen collect the congratulatory gifts brought by the guests. The Storage Bag were so full that they were hard to count.
This scene made Sect Leader Kang Da reminisce about the past, thinking that if he were still the itinerant merchant carrying his wares through the streets and alleys, he didn't know how long it would have taken him to sell these spiritual items.
The cultivators inside the hall had no idea that their master harbored such thoughts. They were busy laughing and chatting for a while, and it wasn't until noon that Kang Changyi hurriedly returned to the hall. Only then did Fei Shuhe instruct the disciples in the dining hall to prepare a banquet.
For the past year or two, he has often stayed at the Qi residence in Xuanwei City, obeying orders and following Golden Core's side, which is quite different.
Although Kang Changyi was only Registered Disciple of Chu Yanran, Kang Changyi felt enlightened and greatly benefited from even the slightest guidance from her from time to time.
In addition, although Chu Yanran did not value this nominal disciple much, she had always been generous and always spent lavishly.
With both his stepmother and his master providing him with sustenance, Kang Changyi's cultivation progressed quite rapidly.
This child is only twenty-two years old, and he is just one step away from the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer. In terms of cultivation alone, he is not much worse than his senior brothers like Jin Shilun, who are more than twenty years older than him.
If things continue to develop this way, he might reach the Foundation Establishment stage earlier than Jiang Qing, the Double Brightness Sword Immortal.
This is a matter that Chongming Sect's family can not only figure out clearly. Everyone in the room was also slightly excited when they saw Kang Changyi step in.
Furthermore, the appearance and demeanor of this young master of Pingrong County were beyond reproach.
Therefore, as soon as Kang Changyi appeared, without even making a move or saying a word, he easily captured the hearts of many female disciples in the room, something that even a powerful sect leader with a large harem of wives and concubines could hardly accomplish.
It was rare for all the factions close to the Chongming Sect to gather so completely, and Sect Leader Kang Da certainly wouldn't host a banquet for nothing. After a brief exchange of toasts, the remaining excitement was left to the younger disciples.
Kang Dabao led a group of elders ahead, while the heads of various factions were invited to a side hall to discuss matters with the others in front.
Not long after everyone was seated, and only one round of tea had been served, before even the formalities had begun, Ma Yansong, the new head of the Changyun Ma Household after the death of Ma Wenhan, couldn't wait to express his loyalty. "If Sect Leader Kang has any orders, just give the word, and our Ma Household will be the first to respond and at your beck and call."
His words made the others chuckle. Ma Yansong had never been this eager when Chongming Sect had encountered tough opponents before, but now he was putting on an act.
Everyone suppressed their laughter, forcing back their smiles and focusing on sipping their tea, which made the current head of the Ma Household quite embarrassed.
"Ahem," while others might simply watch the spectacle unfold, the Sect Leader Kang Da, as the master of this place, couldn't very well do so. He simply coughed lightly and then said, "Master Ma Household, you are indeed exaggerating. There's no question of commanding or disobeying. Our two families should be mutually beneficial and have a bond of friendship between us."
"Yes, yes, yes," someone chimed in, offering a way out. Ma Yansong didn't care what Kang Dabao was saying, and after responding, he returned to his seat as if he had been granted a pardon, remaining motionless for a long time.
"I, Kang, would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for coming to offer your congratulations. I am deeply grateful for your kindness."
After exchanging polite words and receiving a string of empty phrases like "where" and "how dare I?", Sect Leader Kang Da got straight to the point and got down to business.
"In my humble opinion, the state government has been quite active lately, and something big may happen soon. Our families should take action."
Kang Dabao then spoke up, and He Degong, who had remained silent in the crowd, stood up and said:
"My He Household has been merchants for generations, and we have always been sensitive to the happenings in the world. This is just one person's opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt. I believe that, as Sect Leader Kang said, war and disaster are imminent, and our families must prepare as soon as possible."
Everyone was not blind or deaf; they could easily see that He Degong was now jumping out to play the straight man for his elder brother.
However, what the two brothers said was true. Although their families had not yet received news that Juntian Bird had already occupied a Third Tier Spirit Vein in the Cold Crow Mountain Range, the rumors circulating in the market had indeed intensified considerably.
Just by looking at the fact that the price of the Fireball Talisman, a talisman that has always been commonplace, has increased slightly in various markets, it is not hard to see that there must be a formidable force in Cloud Horn Prefecture that is quietly stockpiling resources in preparation for conquest.
After hearing Ming Hun Kang and He had said, Minghui immediately frowned.
This was because after Tie Liuyun led the Tie Household to Old Ox Mountain in White Sand County, the Ming Household's situation in Tanggu County became even more difficult. The ruthless methods used by the Yunwei Zheng Household, who moved back to Tanggu County from the bitter battlefield of Old Ox Mountain, were no less than those of Tie Liuyun, the Demon Correction Office Division.
The False Core ancestor of the Yunwei Zheng Household was severely injured by Yuan Buwen's halberd technique. Although he was given spirit medicine by the state court afterward, he was still far from fully recovering from his injuries.
The Zheng Household patriarch needed resources to heal his injuries and could not take action. The Zheng Household cultivators were not yet firmly established and were still thinking of making another effort to provide a False Core cultivator to oversee Tanggu.
Both of these matters were extremely urgent, so they could only exploit the local resources for their own benefit.
If the Ming Household hadn't saved Kuai En's entire family, making the Zheng Household somewhat wary, they might have already asked Sect Leader Kang Da to send troops to rescue them.
These people from the capital region are not here to help the needy and bring peace to the land, as they claim; they are clearly here to compete with border families like the Tie Household for crops.
The people inside and outside this state court are clearly all birds of a feather.
Under such circumstances, the Ming Household's situation is naturally quite difficult.
Due to the hidden injuries accumulated from his early years of fighting and brawling, Second Master Ming did not live a long life and passed away last year before reaching the age of one hundred.
Overwhelmed with grief, Ming Hun felt even more burdened, fearing that one day the Zheng Household might arbitrarily frame him, surround the mountain gate, and force the entire clan to relocate. He didn't know how many more Ming Household members would lose their lives or how many more human tragedies would be witnessed.
His feelings were difficult for outsiders to describe, and he showed no intention of revealing them, only saying softly, "Then, according to Sect Leader Kang's wise opinion, how should we proceed?"
"It's nothing more than forming an alliance and protecting each other." Kang Dabao took out a document, which was carried by a small sparrow and distributed to the rest of the people in the hall.
"Another alliance?" Xu Liuxian came from a background of independent Rogue Cultivator, wasn't particularly interested in alliances.
He glanced at the covenant in his hand, only remembering the three characters "Double Brightness Alliance" in his mind. He then stamped the seal without hesitation and urged the little sparrow to take it back first.
After all, Xu Liuxian had genuinely profited from Kang Dabao after his trip to Mountain-Viewing Cave, so he naturally trusted the latter much more than others.
Upon hearing the news of the alliance, the various factions reacted differently, showing both joy and worry. However, after reviewing the proposal personally drafted by Sect Leader Kang Da, they all signed their seals.
After all, this time Sect Leader Kang Da was as generous as ever, and the conditions he offered were extremely reasonable.
Furthermore, for them, Kang Dabao's position as leader of the alliance was already nominal rather than real, so even if the alliance agreement wasn't officially signed, it wasn't a worthless piece of paper. Given that, why bother getting involved in any trouble?
The crowd's reaction was not unexpected for Kang Dabao. He did not take the alliance lightly; after all, whether it was nominal or nominal, it was never as legitimate as having both. He carefully put the list away before speaking:
"We are nothing more than insignificant forces that are not taken seriously by the big shots. Our so-called alliance is nothing more than a banding together for warmth because of our weakness."
When the time comes, a banner will be issued, and provisions and labor will be provided. There must be no slackening in the slightest. You must not let this disrupt your mindset, lest you bring trouble upon others.
The cultivators nodded in agreement without hesitation. Kang Dabao glanced at them briefly before continuing, "Alright, let's begin discussing the first matter since the alliance's founding."
He took out a map and pointed at it, saying:
"The three families of the Chongming Sect, Ingenious Craftsman Fort, and Hemu Dao are crammed into Pingrong County, a poor county. Even with the meager resources allocated by the Sima Office from Double Brightness Trade Market, they are still running a deficit. At first, this may not be apparent, but in the long run, it will definitely cause problems. Therefore, we still need to think of a way to earn more spiritual land."
"What do you mean?!" Mo Wen and Li Mingyuan, whose names were called, were slightly panicked, almost thinking that Alliance Leader Kang was discarding them after using them, and was going to drive their two families out of Pingrong County for no reason.
Shan Shijie had only been at the Foundation Establishment for a few years, and his strength was weak, not to mention that he couldn't afford the slightest risk. So he advised, "Uncle, the surrounding area is under the military control of the Immortal Dynasty. Attacking another's sect without cause will indeed incur punishment from the state court!"
Kang Dabao vehemently denied it, saying, "Who said that the nearby counties are all under the military control of the Immortal Dynasty? But isn't the Cold Crow Mountain Range right behind us?"
"The Cold Crow Mountain Range?!" Xu Liuxian, who was much older than the others in the hall, exclaimed in surprise. After thinking for a moment, he said, "That's a good idea, but I'm afraid it will be very difficult."
"We're not afraid of hardship," Li Mingyuan, the only Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in the Hemu Dao, assured his disciples. He continued, "The disciples of the Hemu Dao Sect are the most capable of enduring hardship."
After laughing, Kang Dabao addressed the crowd again, saying, "Our three families, Pingrong, have indeed benefited the most from this matter. The other families can offer assistance to the best of their ability."
People like Xu Liuxian, who were not directly involved, did not react as actively as Li Mingyuan, but they did not raise any opposing opinions.
Thus, the matter was settled at this time, and each family was to be allocated manpower for the purpose of cultivating the sacred land.
As a natural barrier that isolates the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty from the outside world, the Cold Crow Mountain Range are not easy to develop. Back then, the Patriarch Zhang Chongming Sect had this idea, but he failed to do so because his disciples were not up to the task and he could not manage it alone.
However, Sect Leader Kang Da did not come here out of boredom to fulfill the last wish of the founding patriarch. It was because the land of Pingrong County was indeed barren and could hardly support three sects that had Foundation Establishment.
Furthermore, since Chongming Sect will be sending people to wipe out the Fei Household in the future anyway, we might as well take this opportunity to practice on the territory of that Third Tier Demon Beast that was killed by the elder of Juntian Bird Sect.
Anyway, Kang Dabao wasn't greedy. If he could cultivate even a small portion of spiritual land, he would be grateful. Even if he gained nothing, he wouldn't feel like he had lost out.
The outcome this time is of no importance. The most crucial thing is to accumulate experience before the real battle. Since Sect Leader Kang Da is already being so cautious, there should be fewer disciples who die.
After the cultivators discussed a few less important matters in a lively manner, the first meeting since the establishment of the Double Brightness Alliance came to an end.
At Ye Zhengwen's suggestion, the cultivators also held a small trade fair, exchanging what they had and what they needed. Except for a few people, everyone gained something.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sect Leader Kang Da had Pei Yi pull out a considerable amount of spoils collected over the years from the treasury.
Most of them were unsuitable Spirit Artifact and Law Artifact. However, due to the fair price, the other vendors paid the Spirit Stone without hesitation.
Chongming Sect cashed out a considerable amount of Spirit Stone, and Kang Dabao did not keep them for too long this time. Some of them were immediately transported by special personnel to the county temples of Ping and Jin counties.
The next morning, as the sun rose, rows of local militia from Ping and Jin counties, led by their respective county officials, gathered at the drill ground outside Little Ring Mountain.