Cloud Horn's Remaining Affairs, A Respectful Farewell to the Sect Leader

---- Green Lotus Courtyard, Dormitory

"Are you going to Ying Prefecture? Should we take Yi'er and Xi'er with us?" Fei Shuhe's beautiful eyes lit up, a hint of joy flashing in them.

A subtle, sensual scent filled the air. Kang Dabao, his forehead slightly damp with sweat, leaned against the wall, looking at his wife, who was only clad in a light veil and still warm, and whispered, "You're in charge of things at home."

"In that case, we might have to present a generous gift to Madam Qi. No, no, no, she has very high standards. Rather than trying to please her, it would be better to give Master Qi some precious items."

After listening, Sect Leader Kang Da laughed again, "How come my Shuhe has also picked up these mercenary habits? How utterly pathetic."

Fei Shuhe gave him a disgruntled look, and although she was now a mother, she seemed to have more of a lively spirit than when she was young.

She rushed to the bedside in shame and anger, her small hands barely able to contain the hideous thing. She breathed on it, startling Kang Dabao so much that his face changed color before he was satisfied. Then he grabbed her hair and pulled it domineeringly. "Considering your merit in serving me tonight, I, the Lady of the Imperial Household, will not punish you for this presumptuous act."

"Thank you, Madam," Sect Leader Kang Da immediately feigned distress and begged for mercy. Only then did the noblewoman of the Fei Household loosen her grip, and the ugly thing flicked against the former's stomach with a crisp sound, startling her into blushing. Just as she was about to run away, she was grabbed back by a large hand.

"With such kindness from you, Madam, how could I not repay you sincerely?"

Amidst the rolling white waves, two large whale oil candles flickered on and off, and a faint fragrance wafted intermittently.

When Kang Changxi came to pay his respects the next morning, he did see that his mother was less dignified than usual and more radiant. Even the maids attending to her seemed to be happier as well.

He was Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in his thirties, and he was well aware of the situation, but his face showed no sign of anything amiss. He respectfully bowed and greeted the cultivator.

Fei Shuhe was quite strict in raising her son, and she had high standards for etiquette. Sect Leader Kang Da would sometimes find his eldest son's rigid manners displeasing, but he would never argue with his wife at this time.

"I'm all packed and ready to go at any time." After Kang Changxi looked up, he put those previous distracting thoughts to the back of his mind.

Capital Circuit is rumored to be the most prosperous place in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, with its flourishing culture and abundant resources, which naturally makes Kang Changxi, who has never left Shannan Circuit, very eager to visit.

"Yes, we'll set off once your elder brother returns from Xuanwei City," Fei Shuhe said with a smile.

Kang Changxi nodded in agreement, showing no sign of surprise.

Since they were returning to their ancestral home in Ying Prefecture, the stepmothers naturally couldn't accompany them. If they did, the Fei Household in Ying Prefecture might think that Sect Leader Kang Da was coming back to intimidate them, which could cause them a lot of trouble in the future.

The remaining half-brothers and sisters-in-law are much more suitable in terms of status, but the Kang Household is not a noble family. They may not be treated with courtesy after going to the Fei Lineage's territory, and there may even be more trouble.

After much deliberation, only his eldest brother, Kang Changyi, could conveniently accompany him back. This was because he was only sixty years old at the time, yet he was already close to reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and he had mastered the "Wind and Flame Nine Tribulations Instruction," a low-grade Cultivation Method of the Cosmos Rank, Lower Grade, which was also genuinely taught by Golden Core cultivator.

With these multiple identities laid out, he was no less humble than Kang Dabao, who was still just the head of a Foundation Establishment sect. Even from the Fei Household's She Mountain Hall in Cloud Horn Prefecture, it would be difficult to find a few who could rival him.

If Kang Changyi were to return to Ying Prefecture, not only would they be unlikely to face difficulties, but they might even gain prestige for the small Double Brightness Kang Household Chongming.

If he were to be chosen by a high-ranking official, it wouldn't be impossible for him to marry a legitimate daughter, just like his father.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was unaware that his eldest son had processed so many thoughts in just a few breaths. Faced with Fei Ye Shui's summons again, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Regardless of whether this ancestor, whom the Fei Household reveres like a god, still harbors resentment about what happened back then, some preparations should be made.

Moreover, Fei Tianqin had not returned for several years, and now that he had returned to Cloud Horn Prefecture, it was said that Fei Ye Shui wanted to summon him to Ying Prefecture, which was something worth considering.

"It can't be a bad thing, can it?" Kang Dabao wasn't entirely sure. Gao Xiu often acted solely on his impulses; how could he be judged by common sense?

Unable to figure it out, Sect Leader Kang Da paused his thoughts on Ying Prefecture and instead pondered, "I wonder if this trip to Ying Prefecture will be beneficial to my Core Formation process?!"

---- Xuanwei City, Fei Household

After Fei Tianqin returned from visiting Kuang Liuting at the Duke's mansion, this old bird couldn't help but marvel at Fei Nanying: "The Duke is becoming more and more unfathomable. Even I, the old ancestor, can't quite understand him. I wonder what kind of inheritance that person from the outer sea gave him?"

He knew that asking Fei Nanying about this matter would be fruitless, so he only recited one sentence and then fell silent. He then asked again, "Isn't the relocation of the Duke's residence to Phoenix Cry Prefecture already underway? When will it begin?!"

The latter replied respectfully, "Zhu Tong, the chief clerk of the Duke's mansion, recently received Chancellor Gui Golden Core Formation Pill. He has been in seclusion for the past few months, so this matter has not yet been settled. However, all preparations have been made, and regardless of whether Zhu Tong succeeds in forming the elixir or not, this matter should be settled within six months."

"Gui Nianzhi? Tsk," Fei Tianqin scoffed, clearly showing little respect for this important figure. He suppressed some thoughts in his mind and turned to Fei Nanying, saying:

"In that case, my Fei Household will also move to Phoenix Cry Prefecture. Remember to inform each other beforehand which spiritual lands each family should occupy, so as not to make a scene and become a laughing stock."

Don't abandon that mid-grade Third-Tier Middle-Grade Spirit Vein at Bearfall Peak in the Cold Crow Mountain Range; the spiritual land between it and Hong County also needs careful management. Speaking of which, how exactly has Sixth Sister managed the household all these years?

"We both recruited Rogue Cultivator, so how come Kang managed to turn a barren place into a thriving one, while my family is struggling to make ends meet?"

This old bird never knew the meaning of tact. Fei Nanying could only feel fortunate for Fei Granny Liu. If she were here today, she might have burst into tears of grievance.

After all, managing the Badlands is never that simple. It's common to see no results after one or two decades, but Fei Granny Liu has done her best.

After thinking it over carefully for a while, Fei Nanying changed the subject and said, "After all, my family's spiritual land far surpasses the Double Brightness sect, so managing it will naturally be much more difficult and arduous."

Furthermore, the number of respectable and humble individuals who migrated from Capital Circuit was ultimately small, and those recruited locally were not particularly capable, which is why no results have been seen. However, I think things will improve in a few years once things become more familiar."

Given Fei Tianqin's personality, he didn't really care about such trivial matters. He had only mentioned it on a whim, and after hearing Fei Nanying's explanation, he let it go.

However, Fei Tianqin remained silent, but Fei Nanying's mind raced, and he turned to ask again, "Then, Ancestor, what about Cloud Horn Prefecture?"

Fei Tianqin glanced at him and said indifferently, "What's there to miss about such barren land? Do you expect me to leave disciples here to guard this wretched place? Let's talk to that kid Zhu Tong and offer myself to your nephew-in-law. He's never had anything good to eat, so he'll be overjoyed. Consider it a dowry from the Fei Household."

Fei Nanying had no objection, but added, "I wonder if the Han City Yue Household will stay and hold a grudge against Kang. Yue Lin, below the Golden Core, is ultimately a troublesome character."

"Ha, that brat Yue Lin's coveting of the position of Imperial Consort has already caused dissatisfaction among many noble families in the capital. If it weren't for his foolish act back then, he might have succeeded by now."

The officials in the capital are only worried about whether the Duke will still care about their past relationship; otherwise, that damned Han City Yue Household would have been slaughtered long ago.

But given the nature of the Kuang Household, how many more years can they hold onto this old affection? The Yue Household will have no ties then, so what is there to worry about? If Kang boy can't even withstand such a powerful family, then there's no need for me to see him."

Whether it was Fei Nanying's imagination or not, when Fei Tianqin mentioned Kang Dabao again this time, he felt that the latter's sharp eyes had a strange look.

However, when the old bird brought up the matter of Yue Lin coveting the position of concubine, Fei Nanying was indeed a little scared, and immediately put the surprise in her heart out of her mind.

After all, Kuang Liuting had already made Yue Hongguo a saintess of the Nascent Soul sect at that time, which shows how much favor she received.

If this wild girl were to actually win the position of imperial concubine, the Zhou Liang family of the Yue Han City Yue Household would have blatantly torn a hole in the heavily guarded foundation of the various families in the capital region, posing endless troubles and almost becoming a laughing stock in the world.

After hesitating for a moment Fei Nanying said, "In that case, the Yue Household might have to abandon their base in Han City and move with the Duke's mansion."

"Yes, if Yue Lin hasn't lost his mind, he wouldn't have made a second decision. Away from the protection of the Office of the Duke of Qin, plenty of people would be happy to take his life."

Fei Tianqin lost interest at this point. After all, even if Yue Lin was the number one False Core in the world, he was still just a False Core. In terms of future prospects, he was not even comparable to Senior Cultivator Wufeng Shangxiu. This old bird was naturally unwilling to waste any more effort on him.

It turned and pressed down on Fei Nanying, who seemed about to speak but hesitated, and said calmly, "Ancestor, I know what you want to say. My brother is just in seclusion at home, and everything is fine. Don't worry, don't ask."

The latter lowered his head, his eyes seeming to wander and flicker, but his movements remained meticulous. "I understand, lad."

Fei Tianqin then said in a low voice, "This time I will not stay for long, Ancestor. Dongwen is also busy with errands at home and cannot leave for the time being."

The other Golden Core cultivators are not necessarily much stronger than you, and they all hold important positions. For the time being, no one from Shannan Circuit will be sent here. Besides focusing on your cultivation, don't stay away from the government office for too long, lest someone with ulterior motives take advantage of you."

"Yes!"

Ten days later, Little Ring Mountain

Kang Changyi's journey home on leave went very smoothly. If Chu Yanran had taken him under her wing before out of consideration for the relationship between Black Shoes and the Sect Leader Kang Da, then decades later, the childless Madam Qi had developed a certain maternal affection for Kang Changyi.

For a young cultivator, being able to travel to a bustling place like Capital Circuit to broaden his horizons is undoubtedly a good thing. How many cultivators in the surrounding provinces go through life without ever even stepping outside a single province or county? Isn't that pitiful?

Not to mention that the spiritual items Fei Shuhe prepared for Master Qi were very much to the latter's liking. However, the old cultivator sent Kang Changyi with a letter to inquire about the rare spiritual pill, "Spirit Offspring Radiant Color Pill".

The couple had been childless, which had become a major worry for the old man. If Kang Dabao remembered correctly, this was the third time Qi Buxiu had sent a letter inquiring about the matter.

However, Sect Leader Kang Da was not yet qualified to request such elixirs, so he could only reply with some joking words, as before.

Before parting, there were many things to be explained. Sect Leader Kang Da summoned all his fellow disciples and stewards for a grand meeting to discuss recent important matters and future plans.

In the past, at such times, it was customary for the elder who was supposed to transmit the skills to speak first, but...

Kang Dabao glanced at Pei Xiangcao, who was leaning against Zhang Qingran, but said nothing. He simply said softly to Ye Zhengwen, "I'll trouble Junior Brother Ye to preside over today's meeting."

"Disciple obeys." Ye Zhengwen showed no change in expression. After bowing, he turned to the cultivators in the hall and said loudly, "Any matters may be reported; state them quickly without delay."

Just as Zhou Yixiu was about to make a move, she seemed to remember something and gave Kang Rongquan beside her a wink. The latter hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed.

"Elder Kang Rongquan of Spirit Plant has something to report to the Sect Leader. Spirit Plant Hall has trained sixty-one cultivators who have entered the cultivation stage at Wild Fox Mountain. Most of them are innocent Rogue Cultivator who are honest and have no karmic entanglements. According to the observations of this disciple and Master Zhou over the years, there is nothing unusual about them."

For the sake of the sect's future development, this disciple dares to make another petition, humbly requesting that the sect leader, in his great benevolence, grant them a path to advancement, so as to repay the sect's kindness in nurturing them."

No sooner had Kang Rongquan finished speaking than the Sect Leader Kang Da fell into deep thought again. He knew that Chongming Sect was opening more and more spirit fields, and it would be difficult to manage them all with only the current disciples in the sect.

However, hiring Rogue Cultivator has many drawbacks. At the very least, they cannot be involved in the cultivation of many essential Spirit Plant, and they cannot be present at many crucial points.

While the path of the cultivator is less demanding than the more glamorous arts of alchemy, artifact crafting, and talisman arrays, some talent is still required to advance to the next level.

Therefore, if these honest rogue Rogue Cultivator selected by Zhou and Kang could be recruited into the sect, it would solve the Chongming Sect's urgent problem.

However, while this is the rationale, Sect Leader Kang Da still harbors reservations about accepting Rogue Cultivator into the sect. Once this door is opened, other sects, seeing the benefits and conveniences that the Spirit Plant Hall has gained, will likely follow suit, making it difficult to deal with them later.

Kang Dabao did not agree immediately. After pondering for a while, he slowly said, "Junior Brother Zhou and Junior Nephew Kang, please select a list and include Master Jia's Rogue Cultivator according to the number of 21 mentioned today."

Before these thirty people enter the sect, they must Heart-Questioning Formation to Clear Mind. After three years, they will need to be tested again on their skills, cultivation, and conduct before they can be formally accepted into the sect. After verifying the quality of these disciples, further matters will be discussed.

Kang Rongquan, who was in this position for the first time, let out a long breath. Seeing that Zhou Yixiu was also looking at him with encouraging eyes, he felt a chill and warmth all over his body. With mixed feelings, he bowed to the Sect Leader Kang Da and returned to his seat.

As soon as Kang Dabao finished speaking, the heads of the various halls, who had been somewhat moved by Kang Rongquan's advice, calmed down.

From this, it seems that their sect leader does not have a good impression of Rogue Cultivator. People like Zhou Yixiu are really lucky and have chosen the right path.

Otherwise, if this were the case with the current Chongming Sect, let alone a First-Tier Superior-Grade Rogue Cultivator, even Second-Tier Upper-Grade, Sect Leader Kang Da would not accept a disciple on behalf of his master.

After Kang Rongquan stepped down, Elder Duan Anle of the Beast Garden stepped forward and said, "This disciple has something to report to Master. There are currently three Second Tier spirit beasts, two thousand two hundred First Tier spirit beasts, and countless mixed-blood spirit animals in the Beast Garden."

Currently, its uses are roughly fourfold: firstly, to supply the various merchant caravans within the alliance with riding beasts; secondly, to allocate them for the training of the Azure Jue and Crimson Zhang Guards; thirdly, to be distributed at a low price to the Chongming Small Pavilion for sale and consumption; and fourthly, to provide for the disciples of the sect when they go out.

However, these beasts are scattered across six pastures, and the Beast Garden are currently short-handed, making proper care difficult. Therefore, I request that the allocation of Beast Garden by the Nurturing Qilin Hall be increased by 10% over the next five years to resolve this problem.

From any perspective, Duan Anle Sect Leader Kang Da was extremely satisfied with Duan Anle's two disciples. It was widely rumored that among all the second-generation disciples, only the former resembled Kang Dabao in his actions, a fact that he readily accepted.

To be honest, even the Sect Leader Kang Da felt that Duan Anle's personality was more like his own than his two grown-up sons. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked him to preside over sect affairs alongside the other elders.

However, Kang Dabao, whose Dao Path Core Formation is progressing smoothly and who is about to form his core, does not need to consider a successor for the time being.

Apart from Jiang Qing, the other junior disciples and younger generation in the sect would likely find it difficult to advance further without any major opportunities. Even becoming False Core would depend on luck, so they would have no way to handle the affairs after the death of Sect Leader Kang Da.

Although Duan Anle has not participated in major sect decisions in recent years, he has managed his small territory quite well after shifting his focus to cultivation and the Beast Garden.

Although Duan Anle has Mixed Spirit Root, his cultivation is not much worse than Kang Rongquan's, who has Triple Spirit Root. If the two do not encounter any bottlenecks along the way, then it should only take a few years for them to advance to the mid-stage of True Cultivator.

The scale of the Beast Garden has grown rapidly in recent years. Duan Anle is also very capable, managing the food and food of these spirit beasts very clearly. Recently, he has been able to hand over nearly 10,000 Spirit Stone to the sect every year.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that, as time goes on, this Chongming Sect location of the Chongming Sect will become increasingly prosperous under Duan Anle's management.

Therefore, Kang Dabao must take Duan Anle's advice very seriously. This disciple is very reserved and rarely pleads for others. Since he has spoken out in public despite the opinions of his fellow disciples, this matter must be urgent and needs to be resolved immediately.

"As Anle requests," Sect Leader Kang Da nodded slightly, and the matter was settled. He then turned to Ye Yaoling, the steward of the Nurturing Qilin Hall, and said calmly, "Nephew Ye, please discuss this with Anle. The Beast Garden is a crucial area for the sect's management and should not be taken lightly."

Ye Yaoling dared not utter a single word of hesitation and immediately agreed.

The other hall leaders had different expressions, which Kang Dabao found unsurprising. After all, having reached this position, they were supposed to fight for the interests of their respective halls. If the Beast Garden gained more, the other halls would get less, so they were naturally somewhat dissatisfied.

Sect Leader Kang Da's mind raced, but then he sensed something strange. "Could it be that I, a mere Daoist, have only revitalized my sect for seventy years, and yet there are already signs of internal strife?"

When the thought first came to mind, it was truly frightening.

However, after a moment's thought, Kang Dabao chuckled to himself and put the matter behind him. This was a sect he had built brick by brick; he should have some confidence in it. Even if there were some disputes later, it would never escalate to the point of brothers fighting amongst themselves.

After Duan Anle made his request, Ye Zhengwen discussed the expenditure of the treasury, Yuan Jin spoke about the expansion of the Crimson Zhang Guard, Zhou Xinran reported on the addition of the Chongming Small Pavilion, and He Yuanyi presented the renovation of the Refining Artifact Hall.

After the Sect Leader Kang Da listened attentively and answered each question seriously, he finally looked at the sky and realized that it was not long before the time he had agreed to meet Fei Tianqin.

Kang Dabao immediately severed his lingering attachments and bowed to each of the cultivators in the hall to bid them farewell. "Turbulence has already appeared in the Mountain South region, and I, Kang, am unworthy to do so, must steal away to travel to the outer realms. I hope you will all guard your gates and refrain from causing trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Qing led his disciples forward and bowed, saying, "Respectfully seeing off our sect leader!"

(Lao Bai has also read everyone's recent comments. To be honest, like many readers, Lao Bai doesn't appreciate the current book title. However, after changing it, the traffic has improved by about a third in the past two days, if not immediately. So, please forgive me. Lao Bai isn't like any of you noble ladies; I still have to support my wife and children.)