Joy and Mourning

----One year later, the Cold Crow Mountain Range and Phoenix Cry Mountain

This year, the training of the Pine Wind Volunteers started much later than in previous years. As a result, by the time You Xiaobao removed his armor and returned to his ancestral home with his supplies, it was already early winter.

According to what the cultivators sent by the Chongming Sect preached in the past, places like Phoenix Cry Mountain may have warm dragons hidden in the Spirit Vein during winter. If the head of the household does not mind the hardship, they can also grow a season of Xuanxin radish.

Recently, due to the increasing prosperity of the markets under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Sect, the sales of these kinds of useless spiritual materials, which only have the advantage of delicious taste, have been quite good, which has brought in a lot of income for the still poor Phoenix Cry You Household.

You Xiaobao took the job alone, and naturally couldn't take care of many things at home. So, the affairs of the spiritual land could only be handled by his master Cai Qingyun and a group of disciples with varying levels of cultivation.

When the Phoenix Cry You Household becomes more prosperous in the future, any outstanding individuals among these retainers will have the opportunity to become sons-in-law of the You Household. The You Household may also rise to prominence like other prominent families, thanks to the wealth extracted from these individuals.

However, as the head of Lush Forest Jia, You Xiaobao was still able to send people to help tend the spirit fields as a sign of respect, even when he was away from home. People from families like the Golden Sword Sect and the Hua Household would send people to help him tend the spirit fields as a way of showing their respect.

Therefore, things at home can't really be delayed.

You Xiaobao's cultivation had improved, so his rank among the hundred and ten fire chiefs had moved up a few places. As a result, the hundred chief Dong Hu, obtained a Grass Deer from the logistics department for him.

Despite being just a lame beast, for a Qi Refining Qi Refinement like You Xiaobao, it is an excellent mount that the beast masters of the Chongming Sect Beast Garden have improved in recent years.

Its rank had even reached the First-Tier Middle-Grade, making it difficult for three or five early-stage cultivators to get close. If it weren't for its slight imperfection, this good fortune wouldn't have fallen into You Xiaobao's lap.

You Xiaobao was naturally delighted to have acquired a mount for free, but the Grass Deer's cultivation resources were also a burden.

Even if it's just a single white alfalfa that costs two spirit stones, the Grass Deer would still need two Spirit Stones from You Xiaobao over the course of a month, not to mention the various equipment, elixirs, and herdsmen.

Even though You Xiaobao also holds the title of a Righteous Fire Chief and receives a fixed amount of rations from the upper sect every year, this expense is still enough to make him frown.

After all, his son, You Wenrui, was still at the Mo family in Wei Mountain Bao Ma Duo Ridge Mo Household, Weishan, diligently cultivating under the guidance of Mo Ku, a former outer disciple of the Chongming Sect. No matter how strapped for cash the You Household was, they couldn't avoid giving him gifts for the three festivals and two birthdays.

He had just returned from the spirit field and exchanged a few words with his master Cai Qingyun before setting off for his residence. Unexpectedly, he encountered an acquaintance who was waiting for him halfway there.

"Chief You has worked so hard this time."

The newcomer was tall and upright, neatly dressed, and dignified, yet he was dressed like a country peddler. Although he clearly had two or three large Storage Bag at his waist, he also carried a cargo basket as tall as himself on his back, which was quite strange.

Seeing the person opposite him sigh deeply, You Xiaobao's words revealed a hint of helplessness. "Fellow Daoist Shui, you've arrived far too quickly. I haven't even had a chance to warm up the Spirit Stone I obtained from the upper sect, and you've already set your sights on them again."

The water spirit was clearly quite familiar with You Xiaobao. Hearing the sarcasm in the words, he wasn't annoyed, but simply said in a cheerful voice:

"Chief You's words are hurtful. We follow the call of the tower and travel to the countryside only to make things easier for fellow Daoists and save them trouble. We are not as mercenary as you describe."

As he spoke, he rearranged the goods behind him, and soon the shelves were laid out as a low table, filled with all sorts of magical items. You Xiaobao looked at it carefully for a while, and felt that it was really well-organized, yet there wasn't a single gap. He sighed, "No wonder he makes money."

Phoenix Cry Mountain was quite a distance from the branch of the Chongming Small Pavilion in Jia-Chou Military Stronghold. The peddler was a decent person and indeed had many useful items on hand, You Xiaobao didn't need to think too much and began to examine them.

"Please take a look, Chief You. This Li Fire Sword is a rare find among mid-grade flying swords. It was crafted by the Refining Artifact Hall of the Upper Sect. The craftsman was the first disciple of Elder Yuan, True Disciple He. It's here, take a look."

The peddler surnamed Shui paused, pointed to a hair-thick crack on the flying sword, and whispered, "Fellow Daoist, please look. It's because the Fire Circulation Technique was a bit too strong that this magic sword dropped in grade. Otherwise, it should be a high-grade flying sword."

You Xiaobao pushed the cart away without even looking at it closely, showing no interest in asking the price. He bluntly said, "Go away, you peddler, you're clearly making fun of me. Do you think I'm someone who can buy a flying sword?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong, Mr. You? I'm not the type to make fun of people!" The peddler surnamed Shui cupped his hands to calm the anger on You Xiaobao's face, and then said:

"This flying sword may not be of much need to you, fellow Daoist, but I know that you have a son who is cultivating in the Ma Duo Ridge Mo Household. This flying sword would be of great benefit to him."

"What benefits?" You Xiaobao wondered.

After glancing around with a cryptic expression, the peddler surnamed Shui whispered, "The Mo Household family patriarch Mo Ku, has yet to find a son with Spirit Root. There are rumors that he intends to recruit a son-in-law from among his disciples, and he plans to settle the matter with a martial arts contest."

"A son-in-law?!" You Xiaobao's expression suddenly turned ugly. After all, among his bloodline, only You Wenrui currently possessed Spirit Root. If he were to be taken in as a son-in-law and have his surname changed, how could that be considered a good thing?!

"Returning to the ancestral lineage after three generations, what's wrong with that!" The peddler surnamed Shui saw through You Xiaobao's intentions at a glance, and before the latter could speak, he spoke up again:

"Don't you know what kind of person the Mo Household head is? Even your former master, who was able to serve the sect leader, was extremely friendly to the Mo Household head!"

Don't underestimate him just because he's an abandoned outer disciple. Compared to the True Disciple and inner disciples of Little Ring Mountain, who is truly more valuable? Don't you, Master You, have any idea?"

Upon hearing the peddler's words, You Xiaobao's anger subsided considerably. After all, he knew that although Mo Ku had left Little Ring Mountain, he was different from Du Qing, who was not well-liked by the cultivators on the mountain.

He has always been quite close to the lineage of Elder Zhou Yixiu of the Spirit Plant Sect, and also has a good relationship with rising Chongming Sect Kang Rongquan. Therefore, even though the Mo Household is only a Qi Refinement sect in the Cold Crow Mountain Range, they can still interact with Foundation Establishment forces like the Rainbow Mountain Yang Household on an equal footing.

For ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators, being able to be on good terms with the Mo Household is something to be very happy about.

The peddler surnamed Shui was eloquent and persuasive, and after a little encouragement, You Xiaobao's resistance gradually melted away.

After the latter nodded repeatedly, the peddler surnamed Shui handed him the gleaming flying sword for a closer look, and said enticingly:

"Such fine items are rare indeed, and this mid-grade flying sword, with its affordable price and refining materials comparable to a high-grade flying sword, is nowhere else I know of. This is also related to your son's future. If You Huochang is truly unmoved, I, an outsider, can only sigh for you."

You Xiaobao gave a wry smile, then said helplessly, "Fellow Daoist Ren Shui is very eloquent, and it's not easy for me to gather so many Spirit Stones."

The peddler surnamed Shui hurriedly shook his head and said again, "If You Huochang were to use these words to fool others, you might be able to fool them, but I, Shui, am well aware of the truth."

After all, who knows better than me that Lush Forest Jia is the place where you, Chief You, are most adept at managing a household? Besides, your Phoenix Cry Mountain is a wonderful place, not only with spirit bamboo and spirit fish, but also with specially cultivated mushroom fields. The produce has been sold to the disciples of the Chongming Sect for many years. How could you possibly not be able to afford a few Spirit Stone?!

Hearing this, You Xiaobao had nothing to say, since it seemed that the peddlers sent out by the Chongming Small Pavilion, such as the cultivator with the surname Shui, also had the duty of visiting people.

In terms of familiarity with each household, these people are probably far more knowledgeable than village chiefs like You Xiaobao.

Some busybodies even claimed that this was the real reason why Chongming Small Pavilion was sending out peddlers everywhere. And the intelligence information in the Chongming Sect Office regarding its jurisdiction was already so abundant that it was almost overwhelming.

Some of the older cultivators who often consider themselves elders even privately slandered him, claiming that Sect Leader Kang Da was actually stricter than the Grand Ancestor was back then, but he just used subtle methods and often played the good guy.

However, compared to these rumors of dubious veracity, You Xiaobao didn't take them to heart for the time being. So he simply asked the peddler surnamed Shui for a price, and after carefully considering it in his mind for a while, he nodded in agreement:

"Since that's the case, it's settled then. However, I don't have enough Spirit Stone on hand right now, so I'll give half first, and the other half will be secured by the few acres of mushroom fields at home. I won't leave Fellow Daoist Shui with a pile of bad debts."

"Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Chief You!" The peddler surnamed Shui smiled so broadly that his eyebrows and eyes seemed to fold together, and it was easy to tell that he must have made a considerable sum of money again.

Although the families of Cold Crow Mountain have escaped poverty thanks to the support of the Chongming Sect, they are still far from wealthy.

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators from impoverished families, like the peddler surnamed Shui, are generally not someone they can befriend. Therefore, cultivators like You Xiaobao, who hold military positions and have family wealth, are considered top-tier guests in his eyes.

If you really think about it, most of the revenue this year comes from these kinds of people. Otherwise, the peddler surnamed Shui wouldn't have revealed Mo Ku's son-in-law recruitment information for free.

After all, if he were willing to sell to those idle people known as "know-it-alls," this peddler surnamed Shui could at least get eleven or twelve Spirit Stone.

However, this was not bad either. You Xiaobao arrived, the peddler surnamed Shui emptied his pockets, saving the latter a lot of hard work.

However, the former was a cautious person, so he could only watch helplessly as the peddler surnamed Shui gathered up the dazzling array of spiritual items, secretly envious.

A short while later, the peddler surnamed Shui picked up his stall again, hopped around on the hemp rope slung over his shoulder, and was about to bow and take his leave when he heard You Xiaobao ask, "Hey, there seems to be a character on your stall, fellow Daoist?"

After all the hard work, he was finally discovered. The salesman surnamed Shui couldn't hide the color on his face. After taking a few deep breaths in front of You Xiaobao, he pointed at the word "Qin" in the lower right corner of the front of the shelf and said happily:

"This stall was given to me by shopkeeper Semi-Color Mo when I was evaluated at the end of this year and promoted to a first-class stall. The word 'Qin' was also copied exactly from the top of the stall used by Shang Zongkang."

As soon as the peddler surnamed Shui finished speaking, You Xiaobao immediately understood. After all, which of the peddlers around wasn't using Sect Leader Kang Da as their benchmark?

This can be seen from the fact that, despite having Storage Bag, they still carried a peddler as tall as themselves on their backs, just like Kang Dabao back then, who was extremely poor and didn't even have Storage Bag.

You Xiaobao touched his Storage Bag, which was already mostly empty, and examined the Li Fire Sword in his hand for a while. He was about to go back and pack it up before personally delivering the flying sword to Ma Duo Ridge.

Before he had gone halfway there, he saw General Dong Hu, who was also the village head, looking anxious as he fled towards the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold.

"Dong Baijiang, what's wrong?"

"A message has arrived from the Jia-Chou Military Stronghold, stating that the ancestral temple bell has rung seven times, indicating an impending change."

"Two sounds signify joy, odd sounds signify sorrow." You Xiaobao muttered to himself for a moment, then immediately realized something was wrong. He felt that the flying sword he had just acquired seemed to have lost much of its spiritual essence.

Little Ring Mountain, Chongming Sect

Zhou Yixiu, her face rosy, leaned against the tall haystack, watching the distant bell tolling from the mountaintop. A look of satisfaction suddenly appeared on her face. "Hey, that bell certainly rings with grandeur."

He was so old that he seemed to be nothing more than a skin stripped of its grease, clinging tightly to his thin bones. His already dwindling vitality dissipated like smoke under the sunlight, which seemed to intensify the sorrow of the senior brothers surrounding him.

At this moment, Zhou Yixiu was much more magnanimous than the other cultivators present. He grinned and laughed for a while before saying, "Senior Brother, don't forget to tell all the households under your jurisdiction to wear mourning clothes for three days, so that I, your junior brother, can have a moment of glory."

The joy of Sect Leader Kang Da obtaining the Law Treasure and severing the Golden Core had largely faded by now. Hearing Zhou Yixiu's words and instructions, he could only suppress his grief and nod slowly, saying, "I remember. I will make the arrangements when we get back. It will be as glorious as you imagine."

Back then, when Kang Dabao accepted Zhou Yixiu as a disciple on behalf of his master, it could be said that both sides benefited from each other's company. However, after nearly a century of interaction, which of the cultivators present hadn't become a fellow disciple with this honest and hardworking master who was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sect?

Zhou Yixiu's eyes flickered, his throat bobbed as if he had something to say, but in the end he only said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Yuan Jin, already feeling lonely, was heartbroken, yet he still maintained a nonchalant demeanor, sitting down directly next to Zhou Yixiu, taking out a bottle of strong liquor, and asking with a laugh:

"You, junior brother, aren't used to the high-grade spiritual bed that our senior brother personally arranged for the elder, so you insist on resting in this haystack. You're really willing to put us through this ordeal."

Zhou Yixiu her mouth and let Yuan Jin feed her the wine, but as soon as the fine wine entered her mouth, she realized that she no longer had the strength to swallow.

This scene finally made Ye Zhengwen unable to hold back any longer, and two clear tears streamed down the face of this tough man, which ironically landed on the weeds at his feet.

"Second Senior Brother, you're so stingy! Such fine wine, why didn't you invite me sooner?" After drinking, Zhou Yixiu spoke with increasing difficulty, his bones seemingly turning to limp mud, yet he still managed to answer Yuan Jin's question:

"Sigh, leaning on the couch, watching my children grow old. My wife, disciples, and followers are making a ruckus, crying and wailing all at once, but what's the point?"

He paused for a long time, as if he had just mustered up a few more words to speak. The veins on his neck bulged and throbbed erratically for a moment before he finally managed to utter another sentence:

"In my entire life of cultivating immortality, you, junior brother, seem to have never even touched a life. You are... you are... a useless person. It was only because of your senior brother's shelter that you became an elder of a major Golden Core sect and a junior brother of a fellow cultivator."

He rested for a while longer, his face flushed as if carried away by the breeze along with the fine grass in the field, before finally speaking:

"Junior brother, I've spent my whole life cultivating spiritual fields, but all I know is how to cultivate. Fortunately, I've been blessed by heaven in my lifetime. I've found a good place to cultivate... good... good... fields for the rest of my life."

He seemed to slide off the haystack intentionally or unintentionally, and only when his curled-up fingers touched the spiritual soil did a sense of peace return to his face.

He seemed to have been given some strength by the spiritual field he had painstakingly cultivated, and speaking was no longer difficult for him.

"My eldest brother is exceptionally kind and virtuous, and Anle has a promising future. Xinran, Kun'er, and Yunzhou, I, your junior brother, need not worry about their future."

Rongquan's talent far surpasses mine; he only lacks sincerity in farming. As for the sect's businesses, I, your junior brother, need not worry about them. My only concern right now is Le'er."

"Yes, I know." It took a lot of effort for Sect Leader Kang Da to finally prevent the sorrow from welling up in his throat.

Zhou Yixiu laughed for a while, then finally said in a slow voice, "Since my senior brothers have agreed, what else could I possibly worry about? Alright, thank you all for seeing me off. Yixiu going to see Xuerong now."

"Wait a minute, listen before you go." Kang Dabao pinched Zhou Yixiu hard, but the latter seemed oblivious to the pain and just smiled.

But then Jiang Qing, who had remained silent all along, took out a newly copied book and coughed lightly. "Chongming Sect currently has eight hundred Second Tier spirit fields."

Zhou Yixiu heard this, and when he closed his eyes, he seemed to see the desolate scene where he first arrived at Little Ring Mountain to take up his post.

"That's great!"

On the 21st day of the 11th month of the 495th year of the Qianfeng Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, a day of divine destiny and auspicious for teaching and preaching, he died Double Brightness Zhou Si, at a time unsuitable for farming.