Counsel and Strategy: Recruiting Volunteers, Old Faces and New Affairs Facing Danger Together

---- Little Ring Mountain, Chongming Sect

The high seats in the council chamber were empty, but the lower seats were filled with a group of fresh faces.

Elder He Yuanyi of the Artifact Hall, Ye Yaoling, the head of the Nurturing Qilin Hall, Qi Ke, the steward of the Talisman-Making Pavilion, and Shan Yong, the town garrison commander of Chongming City, are among the newly emerging eighth-generation disciples.

Some of them, due to their superior aptitude, had already caught up with their senior brothers in terms of cultivation progress, but when they heard Yuan Jin speak, they all had solemn expressions and dared not be negligent.

Besides the aforementioned individuals, Duan Yunzhou and Zheng Wanbi, who had only recently Foundation Establishment, were also fortunate enough to attend the meeting as observers, and they listened attentively.

In recent years, Yuan Jin has become increasingly concise in his speech, finishing his explanation in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. After scanning the assembled cultivators in the hall, he put down the letter in his hand and asked in a calm voice:

"My lords, have you all remembered what I just said? The matter of rushing to the Xian Prefecture cannot be taken lightly."

Upon hearing this, the heads of each hall immediately perked up and replied in unison, "We obey the elder's command and remember it clearly."

"The news can't be kept secret, but don't deliberately spread it around. Cloud Horn Prefecture may seem peaceful on the surface, but there might be some lurking monsters and demons. Be careful in your actions, lest you fall into someone else's trap."

"Yes,"

"Well, you are all pillars of the sect, so I won't say more. Although my senior brother personally ordered us to prepare supplies at home, the battle ahead may not be that dangerous."

After all, the sect leader is always cautious and prudent, and good at planning ahead, so if any of his disciples ask him about it, he shouldn't be pessimistic.

"Just look at the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, it sounds so prestigious, yet they just watched helplessly as our Chongming Sect reclaimed Xian Prefecture! Even though Huang Mi has a fearsome reputation and has been famous for a hundred years, how could he possibly gain the upper hand in a battle against our sect leader?"

"Yes! Your disciple will follow your teachings."

"Hmm," Yuan Jin nodded, then beckoned to Duan Yunzhou before saying, "Go back to work, Yunzhou, stay here."

"Yes,"

After Duan Yunzhou quickly approached Yuan Jin and softly asked, "May I ask what instructions Grandmaster-Uncle has for me?"

The latter looked Duan Yunzhou up and down for a while, a hint of pleasure appearing in his eyes, before saying, "This time, our sect leader originally intended for you to stay home and cultivate diligently, but you insisted on volunteering to go to Xian Prefecture to serve the sect, which puts me in a bit of a dilemma."

Seeing that Duan Yunzhou was eager to explain, Yuan Jin waved his hand to stop him, and then said to himself, "Did Anle send you any letter? What are you saying?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Yunzhou finally dared to speak:

"Reporting to Grandmaster Uncle, although my father did not explicitly state it in his letter, he clearly favored me to take the lead. I have achieved this level of success thanks to the cultivation of the sect, and I am certainly grateful for Grandmaster Uncle's consideration and care. However, if I were to fall behind my fellow disciples at this time, I would feel Double Brightness ashamed and embarrassed."

Yuan Jin chuckled softly upon hearing this, his satisfaction deepening. "Good child, in that case, you will temporarily take charge of recruiting volunteers from the state."

All Merit Points will be rewarded with half a grade higher than before, and even Rogue Cultivator can apply. This time, whether it's women providing provisions or Spirit Vein cave abode, all are welcome."

Duan Yunzhou carefully agreed, and he understood how the Chongming Sect, which had almost been emptied out, would allocate these resources, women, and Spirit Vein cave abode in the future.

After all, the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has some of the things that the Chongming Sect doesn't.

After Yuan Jin gave a few more brief instructions, he waved his hand again, and Duan Yunzhou bowed once more before leaving the hall.

At this moment, Yuan Jin once again stroked the Jade Slip of the "Scripture of Clear Mind to Overcome Huihai and Enlighten the True Nature," which he had always kept close to his body and knew by heart, and frowned deeply:

"It's all in vain. So many years have passed, and I still can't alleviate my senior brother's worries. Sigh, I still need to think of another way. But what can I do?"

Yuan Jin's thoughts grew stronger and stronger. When he closed his eyes and chanted the incantation again, a phantom image of a mind monkey that looked exactly like Yuan Jin appeared out of nowhere.

The phantom of the mind monkey remained silent and still, projecting itself behind Yuan Jin with a bitter smile. Its two bright red eyes, each the size of a teacup, were fixed intently on Yuan Jin's back, silent and still.

Without taking a break, Duan Yunzhou quickly assembled a team to recruit volunteers.

The so-called "righteous followers" were different from the local militia. The latter came to enlist naked and no one could say anything, and they also received a stipend and a salary every year.

Generally speaking, those who serve as volunteers must provide their own supplies, armor, weapons, and troops. Only after risking their lives on the battlefield and achieving merit can they, depending on the circumstances, beg their master to truly deliver on those generous rewards.

For a righteous servant, there is absolutely no guarantee. It's one thing to have worked hard for nothing, as one can at least accept the bad luck, but if someone is injured or dies, whether anyone will take care of them depends entirely on the conscience of the master.

Therefore, it is often said that large and powerful families recruiting followers to serve them is no different from conscripting laborers, and this makes some sense to most people.

Recruiting volunteers is no easy task, but for the Chongming Sect under the Sect Leader Kang Da, it was a much easier matter.

While Kang Dabao's reputation for "bullying women and being vindictive" was deeply ingrained in people's minds, regardless of how the families in his jurisdiction viewed him, they could not help but marvel at the earth-shaking changes he had indeed brought to most of Cloud Horn Prefecture.

Compared to most of the people in charge around here, Sect Leader Kang Da can be considered a decent person. As for "reputation," it goes without saying that Kang Dabao is highly regarded and probably even more worthy of admiration than the one in the Office of the Duke of Qin.

With the backing of Sect Leader Kang Da, Duan Yunzhou's mission proceeded smoothly. Within three days, the quota allocated by Yuan Jin had already been mostly filled.

Not only are there local cultivators from Cloud Horn Prefecture here, but cultivators from the Star-Picking Pavilion and the Office of the Duke of Qin's Mansion also come to join us.

It wasn't that no other families within their jurisdictions were actively recruiting followers, but after all, ordinary people had an uncertain future and only their lives to gamble on. If one were to risk their life to gain Dao Path and resources, it would be more worthwhile to find a trustworthy master.

At first, Duan Yunzhou was overjoyed and accepted all applicants. However, as the recruitment process progressed, the number of applicants did not decrease. Instead, he began to select cultivators based on their Cultivation Method, Law Artifact, and cultivation levels, which finally managed to suppress the overwhelming enthusiasm.

With the Chongming Sect as a stronghold, there's no need to worry about how arrogant those Foundation Establishment True Cultivator might be.

Duan Yunzhou didn't linger among the documents; he simply handed over the recording task to a seasoned junior brother and then surveyed the long line of applicants.

Among them were those with weak cultivation and taciturn nature; those with a strong Sha Qi and a face full of fierce flesh; and those with an icy expression, bright eyes, and white teeth.

It is an undeniable fact that people come and go for profit. However, it is quite Chongming Sect was able to weave these diverse individuals together.

After watching for a while, Duan Yunzhou spotted two familiar faces in the crowd and asked with surprise, "Uncle Du, Uncle Mo, what brings you two here?"

No wonder Duan Yunzhou was surprised. Mo Ku and Du Qing were both over a hundred years old, especially the latter, who was already a hundred and twenty years old, and was at the age when their vitality was dissipating.

This joint, however, is also dangerous. One might be able to fight someone today, but by the next morning, he might be lying dead on his bed without a sound. The two of them coming to this place is quite conspicuous.

There were too many people and too much chatter here, Duan Yunzhou invited the two men and their followers to a quiet room to drink tea and talk.

Mo Ku was getting old; his eyebrows and beard were mostly bald, but he was talking more and more. He began by saying:

"The sect leader has bestowed a special favor, forbidding us retired elders from applying and insisting that all our nephews and nieces be sent. Their aptitude is insufficient to enter the sect, and if they do not apply, they will find it difficult to secure an opportunity to serve the sect elsewhere, which is not ideal."

Du Qing's speech was not as fluent as Mo Ku's, so he did not rush to speak. Instead, he and Duan Yunzhou pointed to several young cultivators wearing Du Household robes behind them, clearly expressing the same idea as Mo Ku.

Duan Yunzhou was slightly surprised to see this scene, because he had heard some things about the family circumstances of such senior disciples as Mo and Du who had returned to their hometowns.

Therefore, Duan Yunzhou could roughly see that these two had held nothing back, truly entrusting all their disciples to them. Before Duan Yunzhou could reply, he heard Mo Ku speak again:

"I still have some armor, spirit rice, elixirs, and talismans stored at home, mostly given to me by my fellow disciples out of old friendship. I've donated them all to the sect this time, so I can at least do my part."

"That won't do. My uncle still needs to manage his household."

"Junior nephew, you are mistaken. If it weren't for the sect's nurturing, Mo Ku would be all alone, without any relatives or friends. He might have already rotted away in some unknown market, where the word 'home' would no longer exist."

Mo Ku, and Du Qing lowered his voice as well, after all, the latter was not as generous as him.

But after hearing this, Mo Ku laughed and said, "However, that young man temporarily taking over the Merit Points Hall is quite interesting. He even gave me a donation slip, saying that the sect will return it with interest after the war. He doesn't know how I, Mo, can face Elder Zhou in the future if I accept such a thing!"

"I will certainly report the loyalty and righteousness of my two senior uncles to our grandmaster and all the senior uncles, and at that time..."

A slight smile appeared on Du Qing's deeply lined face, but Duan Yunzhou's high-sounding words were stopped by Mo Ku's gesture. The latter took a sip of the spiritual tea in front of him, a tea that would cost the entire Ma Duo Ridge Mo Household a whole season's worth of effort to obtain, before speaking calmly:

"I wonder if it was Senior Brother Duan who specifically taught you these platitudes to say to outsiders. Mo Ku be somewhat useless, you still disdain doing things like seeking credit in front of others."

I'm saying all this because we're close fellow disciples, but please don't go talking about it outside, lest I be laughed at next time I see my fellow disciples."

Duan Yunzhou remained silent for a while, and after pondering for a long time, he bowed and said, "Yunzhou has been impolite; please forgive me, Uncle Mo."

Du Qing inwardly groaned. He knew that Duan Yunzhou had been raised by Rong since childhood, and even the Sect Leader Kang Da had given him many pointers. So how could he possibly believe that what this young and vigorous new True Cultivator said was entirely from the heart?

Thinking of this, Du Qing quickly turned to Mo Ku and tried his best to give him a look. Unexpectedly, the latter bowed and apologized to Duan Yunzhou, but his expression did not improve. Instead, he looked like an elder of a sect.

Seeing this, Du Qing became even more anxious, and even the young men and sons-in-law of the Ma Duo Ridge Mo Household and the Du Household of Scallion Ridge turned pale.

They never knew that Mo Ku, who was always extremely cautious, could be so resolute in the face of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.

However, when Mo Ku saw that Duan Yunzhou had not gotten up despite not receiving permission, most of his anger immediately dissipated.

He then lessened the anger in his tone and continued, "So that my junior brother may know that we, as idle members of the outer sect, have been granted the grace of our sect to retire to our hometowns, establish our clans, reproduce, and raise our disciples. Firstly, this is due to the benevolence of our sect leader, and secondly, it is to Double Brightness lineage."

Normally, the fellow disciples scattered in different places might not be without their grievances. But at this time, there are quite a few who are willing to sacrifice their families and even their homes to alleviate the crisis.

Mo Ku paused here, ignoring Du Qing's slightly flushed face, and said directly, "In the more than four hundred households in Cold Crow Mountain, in the various wards and villages, and in the thirteen counties and towns of Cloud Horn Prefecture, where are there no Double Brightness disciples who have settled and guarded the area?"

The spirit grains transported from all over the land were practically filling the entire prefecture's roads; the skilled Alchemist and weapon makers invited from various places were almost unable to use the earth fire; although the disciples of various families were not up to great use, they all had some courage and could always shield my Double Brightness disciples from some blades."

At this point, Mo Ku took a deep breath, stepped forward to gently help Duan Yunzhou up, and said solemnly:

"Junior Nephew Duan, I hope you understand that although we may be somewhat useless, we are still disciples of Double Brightness. Whether the sect rises or falls, and how the lineage prospers, we care just as much as you do."

At this moment Duan Yunzhou also looked ashamed. He was about to say something more when he saw Mo Ku get up to leave. He reached out to stop him, but the latter spoke first:

"Junior nephew has important matters to attend to in the sect, so it's not good for him to spend too much time on us. I'm not busy either, but there are still two acres of Firethorn Fruit in Ma Duo Ridge that haven't been harvested due to insufficient heat. I'll go back and guard them for three days, and that should be enough."

This is a medicinal herb that's difficult to obtain and hard to sell right now. Two acres of firethorn fruit are enough to exchange for a sought-after top-grade defensive magic Law Artifact. We can't afford to delay."

After speaking, Mo Gu didn't say another word to Duan Yunzhou. Just as he was about to step out of the hall alone, he suddenly turned back and admonished the disciples he had brought with him:

"Rest assured, the territory under my Chongming Sect is abundant and prosperous, unlike those small sects whose people are impoverished. What makes the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall think it can compete with us? The cultivators of Cloud Horn Prefecture may be cunning, lazy, greedy, and sly, and some may be lowly and uncouth, but they know their current situation. They are still inferior to the Star-Picking Pavilion and the Duke's Mansion!"

"Your Majesty's command,"

At this moment, Mo Gu turned to Duan Yunzhou and said seriously, "I know that the children in my family may not be up to the task. I need my junior brother to be lenient and give them a chance to serve the sect."

Mo Gu's tone suddenly became more serious, and he continued, "Don't worry, they won't lose face. Don't worry, as long as the sect leader bestows further favors, we can still hold onto our flying swords."

After hearing these words, Duan Yunzhou no longer harbored any criticism; he was truly stunned into silence by Mo Gu's heartfelt words.

Finally, a serious expression appeared on his face, and the regret he felt for looking down on the two of them before welled up from his heart at this moment. At this moment, Duan Yunzhou truly understood what the purpose was of the Sect Leader Kang Da's insistence that outer disciples over ninety years old go down the mountain to cultivate.

"That's right, just as Uncle Mo said, what makes the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall worthy of this?"