Lord Yin Shan

The next day, after sobering up, the four gathered in Kang Dabao's cloud chamber to discuss matters.

"Now you know why I said the caravan was dangerous, don't you?" Kang Dabao snapped at Jiang Qing. So what if he had brought back a pile of Storage Bags? He had nearly lost his life, and too many hidden injuries could affect Foundation Establishment.

In Kang Dabao's eyes, nothing mattered more than his junior brother's Dao Path. After all, Sect Leader Kang had placed most of his hopes of becoming the ancestor who restored the sect to glory on him.

Damn it, a gang of desperadoes, around twenty of them! And their leader was in Late Qi Refinement! The thought made Kang Dabao break out in a cold sweat. Jiang Qing had nearly killed every last one of them! Wasn't that frightening? That little bastard really needed a good scolding!

"I understand, senior brother. I didn't expect He Degong to be such a petty man." Jiang Qing was no fool. He Degong had hurt him deeply when he turned his back and left, and Jiang Qing no longer had any favorable impression of the He Household's second master.

Being scolded by his sect leader senior brother didn't bother him much. Even before drinking yesterday, he had known he wouldn't escape it. Fortunately, Senior Brother Pei was present too, so their sect leader senior brother would probably leave him some dignity.

"You don't understand a damn thing. People like He Degong are the ones who live long. Even if you swapped He Dezong with him, he might well have abandoned you too." Kang Dabao scowled as he scolded him again. He knew all too well what sort of character these cultivators had.

Even his own scruples were only a little stronger than He Lao'er's. At most, he would have handled things a little more gracefully than He Lao'er.

"Of the things you brought back, sort out the He Household's goods. We'll have to return them. As for the rest, pocket the Spirit Stones and anything that catches your eye. Hand everything else to Yuan Jin to inventory and convert into merit points. Junior Brother Pei, please take some trouble to see what medicinal ingredients are needed to treat Jiang Qing's hidden injuries. Tell me what the sect lacks, and I'll buy it myself. Don't worry about the Spirit Stones for now; get the best we can."

A look of concern for his junior brother flashed across Kang Dabao's eyes, but he gave his instructions in a stern voice.

Pei Yi and Jiang Qing didn't dare neglect their orders. After hearing them, they left the cloud chamber one after the other, while Yuan Jin stayed behind.

"Senior brother, about converting those things into merit points..."

Yuan Jin's face showed his difficulty. The Chongming Sect had once been a major Foundation Establishment sect listed in the Immortal Dynasty's golden register of sects, and it had its own established system for assessing merit. It had simply fallen into disuse as the sect gradually declined.

All these years, the three brothers had pooled what they had to get by. When they had something good, they shared it; when there was nothing to eat, they all went hungry. When had they ever bothered with "merit points"?

Besides, he hadn't even finished his apprenticeship under Master Qi, and in a few days he would have to leave with his whole family in tow. Where would he find the time?

"Strictly speaking, although there are more people in the sect now, they're all juniors who haven't grown up yet. Assessing merit shouldn't be a problem, but Junior Brother Pei is, after all, still a step removed from us."

Kang Dabao cut Yuan Jin off with a look. It was enough for them to know such things; what would it look like if they said them aloud?

"I understand. Once you've got the things from Third Brother, take Junior Brother Pei around the storeroom and let him take whatever catches his eye first. We're all brothers here. There's no need to keep petty accounts."

Yuan Jin agreed cheerfully. Keeping accounts was such a bother. There weren't many of them anyway, so it was better to eat from the same big pot. Their sect leader senior brother was fair in his dealings; nobody would go hungry.

"Changsheng will be six in three years," Kang Dabao said, then paused.

"Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. If he isn't fated for it, living out a hundred years in wealth and comfort wouldn't be much worse than cultivating bitterly all his life, only for it all to come to nothing." Yuan Jin sounded open-minded; apparently, he had long since given the matter thought.

"It's good that you can take it so well. Being a wealthy gentleman in the mortal world is a fine thing too." Kang Dabao nodded.

Qi Refining Realm cultivators were unlike true Foundation Establishment True Cultivators. For the former, having children was hardly any more difficult than it was for mortals, so the chance of their descendants possessing Spirit Roots was only a little higher than for mortals.

Master Qi was one such example. He had nearly a hundred direct descendants, but only one was a cultivator. Cultivators at Foundation Establishment and above were different. Although they had difficulty producing offspring, the chance of their descendants possessing Spirit Roots was much greater.

"Third Brother can't keep following the He Household. It's better if I keep an eye on him while he cultivates diligently at home. So what if he's slower? He isn't on the demonic path. Surely a sword cultivator can't have killing as his only way to cultivate! Reaching Foundation Establishment sooner is the proper path. Once he does, I won't interfere at all." Kang Dabao waved a hand as he spoke again.

This one trip nearly cost him his life. How could he go again? Yuan Jin thought, nodding in agreement. In his younger days, he had actually been even more eager to fight than Jiang Qing, with a temper that exploded at the slightest spark. Only after being ground down by both reality and Kang Dabao had he managed to correct that fault a little.

"A little later, I'll send a letter to the He Household's eldest. I don't suppose he'll have much to say for himself." Kang Dabao opened his little eyes wide, his tone unfriendly.

"He is a family friend of our generation, after all. Senior brother, you shouldn't be too..." Yuan Jin recalled that burly figure, and his tone softened.

"I know. Among the younger generation in Cloud Horn Prefecture, He Dezong really is a rare and formidable figure, after all." Kang Dabao shook his head. He wasn't stupid. He Dezong wasn't trash like Wang Daoqiong; Kang Dabao couldn't afford to provoke him. Even if he sent a letter, he would naturally have to choose his words tactfully.

When your own abilities fell short, even if right was on your side, you still couldn't speak to the other party with any force.

That principle held true in every small world.

At that point, Kang Dabao frowned and raised a hand. The cloud chamber door swung open, revealing Han Yundao standing respectfully outside with a calling card. "Master, a fellow Daoist has come to visit the sect."

"Quickly, invite him in. Then go ask your Martial Uncle Pei and Third Martial Uncle to come out. Tell them an honored guest has arrived." Kang Dabao took one glance at the calling card and hurriedly spoke, passing it to Yuan Jin, whose face immediately lit up with surprise and delight.

Kang Dabao had already changed into his sect leader's Daoist robes and stepped into the courtyard. Yuan Jin was no less attentive. He carefully put away the calling card and went out of the little courtyard to welcome the guest.

The visitor who could make their elders go out to welcome him with such ceremony aroused the curiosity of Kang Dabao's four disciples as well. Before long, the little courtyard was packed.

Soon, someone entered with a pointed snout, sunken cheeks, and vines growing from his ears.

Han Yundao and the other youngsters were startled. The visitor was a short, hunched silver-furred monkey dressed in hemp robes and straw sandals.

"This junior greets Lord Yin Shan." At the sight of the visitor, Kang Dabao bowed deeply and respectfully, with even greater deference than he had shown Qin Sufu.

"You're too courteous, Sect Leader Kang. That lad Qin sent this old man here to offer an apology." The monkey-like cultivator Kang Dabao had addressed as Lord Yin Shan raised his hands in return. His voice rang like a great bell, though it had a slightly muddy quality.

"You overstate the matter, Lord Shan. How could this junior deserve such a thing?" Kang Dabao had not expected that, before he had even decided how to bring up Gui Xiang with Qin Sufu, the latter would already have sent someone to apologize. Still less had he expected it to be this person.

"This old man is unworthy, yet serves as a grand elder of the Fellow Cultivators Association. Since this happened on the association's ground, I cannot escape responsibility. The association has sent wanted notices to every power in Pingrong County. If Gui Xiang shows himself, neither that lad Qin nor I will go easy on him." The guilt in the monkey's eyes was genuine, and his words were sincere.

"That lad Qin said he must prepare for Foundation Establishment and truly cannot spare the attention, so he asked me to apologize to you on his behalf." As the monkey spoke, he spat out a beast egg, clear and lustrous as jade.

"I happened upon this egg on Cold Crow Mountain the year before last. This old man's knowledge is shallow, and I cannot tell much about its origins. I can only be certain it belongs to the 'hidden-six' kind. I know you have raised White-Armored Land Tortoises for many years, so I imagine you have learned a thing or two. If this egg hatches, I expect it could be a great help to you."

"This junior is overwhelmed. I couldn't possibly accept it." Anxiety showed on Kang Dabao's face.

"Farewell." The monkey paid him no heed. He set down the beast egg, cupped his hands, and turned to leave, as carefree as an immortal.

"I've cultivated the Dao for twenty years, and only today have I been fortunate enough to meet Lord Shan." A trace of reverence showed on Jiang Qing's face.

"Qin Sufu is fortunate indeed," Pei Yi sighed, his tone complicated. Hearing him, the other three brothers all fell silent.

"I've heard that the grandfathers of our master's wife and the He Household's aunt were both saved from the jaws of Demon Beasts by Lord Shan back then. Only afterward did they receive teachings in the Dao and bring their Lineages to prominence."

Yuan Jin broke the silence and continued, "They both fell at the hurdle of Foundation Establishment, though. If they were still alive today, we would have to pay our respects as filial juniors. The old gentleman loved teasing Jiang Qing most of all back then. If he hadn't looked after us following Master's death, our days would have been even harder. It's hard to say whether we'd even be alive now."

Afraid Yuan Jin's words would make Pei Yi uncomfortable, Kang Dabao picked up the conversation. "The old gentleman did like Jiang Qing best back then, but he also called me dull-witted plenty of times. He was generous to you, but he wasn't all that nice to me. Even when he gave me Spirit Sprout candy, he'd pick out the runny bits to shove at me."

His amusing words made the brothers laugh aloud, and the slight awkwardness their conversation had just brought between them dissolved completely.

"Remember this, all of you. In Cloud Horn Prefecture, the one person you must never disrespect is Lord Yin Shan. Let alone you—even ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators must speak respectfully to this elder." Kang Dabao carefully put away the beast egg, then turned and spoke solemnly to the five juniors.

"One hundred and twenty years ago, the Southern Wei-Pingrong war had just entered its final stages. The remnant spirit of a Manrong Golden Core demon slave slipped through the army's barrier, only to be discovered by a cultivator surnamed Yin who was guarding a mortal settlement. It happened so suddenly that the demon slave's remnant spirit intercepted every method the Yin cultivator used to send word. With no other choice, he fought the remnant spirit alone for seven days as a mere Qi Refinement cultivator. Even after exhausting all its Divine Abilities, the remnant spirit could not break free. It then conceived a wicked plan and invaded the Yin cultivator's sea of consciousness, intending to seize his body.

"How fragile was the spiritual platform of a minor Qi Refinement cultivator? Even though the Golden Core remnant spirit had been weakened a hundredfold, the Yin cultivator was still no match for it.

"But to protect all the mortals in the settlement behind him, Lord Shan endured immense pain and torment with great perseverance and courage, holding his spiritual platform for ten whole days. Only when several Foundation Establishment True Cultivators sensed that something was wrong, rushed to his aid, and used a secret treasure to disperse the remnant spirit was the Yin cultivator finally freed.

"Yet most of his human body had already been corrupted by the great demon's true spirit, leaving him as he is now. He could only remain trapped in beast form, his Dao foundation utterly destroyed.

"When the exalted cultivator Shen Lingfeng, then governor of Mountain South, learned of this, Shen Lingfeng sighed, 'I could not have done as well.' Shen Lingfeng later personally invited many friends and summoned Lord Shan several times. Sadly, even the methods of several exalted Golden Core cultivators could not rid the Yin cultivator of the taint of beast form.

"People of the time said that the governor asked, 'What will you do from now on?'

"He answered, 'I would be a lord of the mountains, guarding the common folk in life and death.'

"For the hundred years since, the Yin cultivator has often visited mortal settlements, teaching young children and cutting down evil with his sword. The people of Cloud Horn Prefecture gradually forgot his original name and all respectfully called him 'Lord Shan.'"

Thanks to brother Hanhan Laohan for adding this book to a reading list to promote it, to brother Wang Chengtie for the two monthly votes, and to brothers Jiuyi and Nide Shifale for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to all of you for keeping up with the story and commenting, and for helping me catch errors and offering suggestions.

If you come across any unreasonable or off-putting plot points while reading, feel free to bring them up. Old Bai can usually see them, and we can discuss whether they need changing, so everyone can have a somewhat better reading experience.

Lastly, my editor, Fox, contacted me today and said the book might have a chance of doing somewhat well, but its name needed changing to fit the mortal-cultivation genre better and get more exposure.

The new title is tentatively The Sect Leader's Journey. Please don't be surprised when you see it.

I hope those of you with time will keep reading, vote, and comment. Even throwing some coins at me would be fine. Those who are busier, please stay on the last page of each day's update for twenty seconds. Thank you, everyone.

Old Bai knows the plot has been a little slow these past few chapters. The next chapter will start with a battle of spells.