Taking a Disciple

"Senior brother, don't pursue a cornered enemy," Pei Yi said with concern.

"Damn it, I couldn't catch him even if I wanted to. That was a first-tier superior-grade Divine Movement Talisman at the very least. What a pity." Kang Dabao sighed inwardly, then suddenly shuddered, the hairs all over his body standing on end. He immediately grew alert.

He had once made an honest living as a traveling merchant, earning his money through hard work. Whenever he saw others feasting on meat in public, he would quietly remind himself to think of the beatings they endured behind the scenes. He had never expected that, after suddenly coming into a windfall and getting a taste of meat, his outlook would change so drastically.

Tsk, tsk. Killing people and stealing their treasures really is addictive. This won't do. No wonder there are more and more Evil Cultivators and bandit cultivators these days.

Even if he had caught up, Pei Yi had yet to recover from his grave illness, and Kang Dabao himself was injured. If they had fought the old thief to the death, it was hard to say who would have lived or died.

Gui Xiang had been a steward in the Fellow Cultivators Association for years, his status second only to Qin Sufu, Lord Shan, and a handful of others. There was no telling whether he had a few trump cards tucked away.

Kang Dabao could barely see at the moment. Enduring the intense pain in his eyes, and despite having lost seven-tenths of his spiritual power, he still remembered to stuff the corpse of Gui Xiang's lover whole into his Storage Bag.

The female cultivator Gui Xiang had called "Channiang" carried a silver mace that was clearly no ordinary item, and who knew how many other valuables she had? Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't bear to leave them behind.

He summoned the old donkey back, and the two battered men, both horribly injured, climbed onto its back and hurried into the market.

They spent only half a day in Pei Yi's rented room. Once their injuries had improved slightly, they dared not rest any longer.

Having just been ambushed, Sect Leader Kang Da now saw a snake in every bow's reflection. He didn't even go to ask Qin Sufu.

He found a cart and hitched the old donkey to it, then took Pei Yi and the five youths out of the market in a desperate hurry. Trembling with fear, they made their way back to the Chongming Sect's grounds as fast as they could. Only after activating the Red Light Formation, which he usually couldn't bear to use, did Sect Leader Kang Da's heart sink a little from his throat.

He summoned the five youths, who were still shaken, and reassured them, sternly warning them not to go out for the time being.

He also fetched spirit talismans and sent separate messages to Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing, urging them both to remain on guard.

Gui Xiang was no weak opponent. In terms of ability, he was probably about on par with Bai Bian.

This time, he had simply misjudged Kang Dabao's abilities and committed the grave mistake of failing to prepare for the worst. One moment of carelessness had cost him dearly. Kang Dabao and his junior brothers must not follow in his footsteps.

Kang Dabao and Pei Yi each devoted themselves to healing behind closed doors, but that need not be dwelt on.

Ten days later, both their injuries had stabilized, and all that remained was to recover. Only then did they come out of seclusion, one after the other. The boys finally felt completely reassured and busied themselves attending to them.

Kang Dabao had often warned his two junior brothers not to venture into dangerous places without good reason or pick fights for the thrill of it, and not without cause.

For most cultivators, under ordinary circumstances, no one was eager to fight. Especially when facing a stronger opponent or a cultivator of the same level, it was hard to win unscathed.

Kang Dabao's last few fights had all been pyrrhic victories. Victories they might have been, but the word "pyrrhic" meant that each of those fights had left him teetering between life and death.

He was fortunate that his injuries could heal. The world was full of cultivators burdened with stubborn, incurable ailments, their Dao Paths utterly ruined. Among them were plenty who had been dazzlingly gifted in their youth.

If one really counted them up, perhaps the unremarkable cultivators truly did make up a larger share of those who lived long lives.

Fortunately, a pyrrhic victory was still a victory, and Pei Yi had finally agreed to come back. For the Chongming Sect, these were great blessings.

Their cultivation resources were reasonably plentiful now, too. In the days ahead, Sect Leader Kang Da could spend more time cultivating peacefully at home and teaching his disciples. Once his injuries improved a little more, he would set aside his trading business for the time being, open up a few mu of spirit fields, and raise some spirit fowl and livestock. It would count as a small step up from the poor and lower-middle peasant class to the rich peasant class.

"Your disciple Pei Que pays his respects, Master." The youth had inherited his father's unadorned bearing and his manner of making no effort to embellish himself. He was a pleasing sight.

"Good!" Kang Dabao sat in his chair and accepted the bow without ceremony.

It had not been Kang Dabao's idea to take Pei Que as a disciple; Pei Yi had brought it up of his own accord. This made Kang Dabao very happy, for it showed that Pei Yi regarded the Chongming Sect as home again.

But he still carried a blood feud. That was rather troubling.

Kang Dabao could not afford to provoke that man, nor did he want to. He could only hope that Pei Yi would come to terms with it and forget it sooner rather than later.

Some things in this world simply could not be helped. Sect Leader Kang Da could not concern himself with avenging the dead just yet; he only wanted the living to have better lives first.

Pei Yi had given Pei Que a solid foundation over the years, and the Chongming Sect now had medicinal herbs ready at hand. Only two days after becoming a disciple, Pei Que succeeded in Drawing Spirit into the Body.

Jin Shilun, who was stewing a pork knuckle in the kitchen, gazed longingly at his newly minted third senior brother for quite a while. When he turned away, he resolved to cultivate even harder.

Kang Dabao was naturally overjoyed. Of the twelve rooms, only five now stood empty. How could he not be happy? It was much livelier than when it had been just the three brothers.

In the days that followed, he spent his spare time guiding the disciples in their cultivation and drinking tea and discussing the Dao with Pei Yi.

When he had time, he would take his junior brothers and disciples around Lingyun Market, passing the spirit grain shop a few extra times to get a look at Widow Ma's big backside.

Life was truly pleasant.

Another ten days passed like this. Kang Dabao and Pei Yi were sitting in the courtyard playing a board game, though Pei Yi had grown sick of this terrible player of late.

Whenever Kang Dabao lost, he refused to stop, yet he was so bad that Pei Yi didn't even know how to let him win. Pei Yi had no idea which disciple had inherited their senior uncle sect leader's skill at the game.

An obedient-looking child with his hair in two topknots came over carrying two cups of spirit tea. He said respectfully, "Reporting to Master Sect Leader and Uncle Pei: City Lord Kang just sent word that he has assigned capable men to bring the Pei and Li Household clansmen back from Feng Prefecture. He and the He Household have already made arrangements with the Chongming Sect's mortal steward. One of their caravans will make a detour, taking our people along to fetch them, and they will see the matter done properly. He also said that, if time permits, he'll help bring this servant's family here as well."

Taking the chance to extricate himself from the board after being left dizzy by the terrible play, Pei Yi accepted a teacup and took a sip. Then he cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Kang Dabao frowned, his mind entirely on the hopeless game before him, and merely waved a hand. "It won't cost more than a few Spirit Stones. We're family, so what are you thanking me for?"

"Boy Wu, nothing's happening on the mountain these days. There's no need for you to wait on me; Shilun is here for that. When you have time, go learn a few moves from your Jin Household uncles. Their family's inherited internal cultivation art is rather interesting. Master it, and you'll be no weaker than an ordinary beginner cultivator. You're young, so endure more hardship and learn some skills."

After hearing Master Sect Leader's instructions, Wu Meng felt his heart burst into bloom. He had no idea what lifetime of merit had earned him such good fortune. Although he had no Spirit Root and could not cultivate, Master Sect Leader had praised his loyalty and taken him on as a personal attendant. What did that mean?

The Chongming Sect ruled over tens of thousands of mortals, including more Martial Ancestors than he could count on both hands. Yet only Kang Dahou, He Muxian, and he, little Wu Meng, could be called the "three great giants."

His relatives could also live and raise families in peace under the sect's protection, and might even have the great fortune of ascending to immortality. It would be no exaggeration to start a fresh page in the family genealogy from this day forward!

A child of seven or eight, no matter how sensible, could hardly keep his face free of childish innocence.

The two brothers found his look of longing amusing. They teased him a little, then sent him off to work.

Once Wu Meng had gone, Pei Yi saw Kang Dabao turn his gaze back to the game. This is bad, he thought, and hurriedly interrupted. "I wonder when Senior Brother Yuan and Junior Brother Jiang will return. As long as old Gui Xiang is alive, it's hard to feel at ease."

Kang Dabao paid it little mind. After thinking for a long while, he placed a piece on the board and said, "Who knows? Those two are always making people worry." He had already warned Yuan Jin to go out less in Xuanwei City. With so many Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Niu Household watching, Gui Xiang probably wouldn't dare cause trouble there even if he had ten heads. As for Jiang Qing, he was with a caravan and perfectly safe; there was little to worry about.

Pei Yi's face fell. He casually placed a piece, making Kang Dabao frown again.

"Shilun, is the pork knuckle ready yet? Can't you move a little faster? I'm so hungry I'm about to lose to your Martial Uncle Pei."

He had barely spoken when Duan Anle came stumbling in from outside, shouting, "Master, Third Martial Uncle is back, and, and-"

Kang Dabao frowned, got up, and headed outside. The caravan operated on a fixed schedule. It might not always be exact, but it would never be this far off.

And judging by the look on that honest child Duan Anle's face, something must have happened!

The game had finally broken up. Pei Yi secretly breathed a small sigh of relief, then followed Kang Dabao outside, looking anxious as well.

Jiang Qing had already entered the small courtyard. His first-tier middle-grade White Cloud Robe had been replaced with a rather old brown magic robe, and he was hung all over with Storage Bags of every kind. His face was pale, and he looked terrible.

Seeing him, Kang Dabao felt reassured. Whatever had happened, at least Jiang Qing had returned in one piece.

He therefore put on a stern face and was about to scold him, only for Jiang Qing to give an embarrassed smile and open his mouth. "Sect Leader, Se-blegh!"

A pool of black blood splattered across the ground. Kang Dabao's expression changed instantly as Jiang Qing suddenly collapsed and lay unconscious.