Anle Modestly Reports on the Six Beast Gardens; Trouble Brews for the Ying Prefecture Fei Household

As a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, when Sect Leader Kang Da woke up the next day, he was refreshed and energetic, showing no signs of fatigue despite working hard all night.

But after all the absurdity, it's time to get down to business.

After the maid helped him change his clothes, Kang Dabao greeted his wives and concubines, who looked as if they were about to fall apart.

Even though the sight of those white, rippling buttocks almost blinded him, he still forced himself to calm down and abstain from desire before stepping out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Wan'er, who always served Fei Shuhe.

This sparrow is truly blessed. Back then, it was just a useless mortal that accompanied Fei Household's illegitimate daughter into marriage, but after following Fei Shuhe, it gained a great deal of resources.

Over the past hundred years, relying solely on witty remarks, it has now become Second-Tier Lower-Grade spirit bird, far surpassing its former strength.

This was an opportunity that none of Fei Shuhe's personal maids had ever had back then, not to mention its extraordinary status in Green Lotus Courtyard. Even the newly appointed False Core Mama from the Fei Household would speak to this sparrow politely when she saw it.

With a sigh, Sect Leader Kang Da quickly stepped into the council hall.

Over the years, Wei Gu's mastery of formation techniques has improved considerably, and he has meticulously rectified many key areas within the sect.

The hall was adorned with a plaque inscribed with the words "Gathering the Wise to Discuss the Way" in gold lettering. This time, Kang Dabao Sect Leader Kang Da not request Master Qi's calligraphy again, as he felt that his own handwriting was still presentable.

A layer of pale golden spiritual energy lingered around the edge of the plaque, and when the wind blew, one could hear faint Daoist chants flowing through it.

In each of the four corners of the hall, there was a dew-collecting lamp. The wicks were made of Third Tier snowflower grass and burned with dark true flames. The pale white flames were wrapped in spiritual mist, and even breathing was filled with clear spiritual essence, without any heaviness or stagnation.

After half a century, the sect leader finally appeared. All the influential figures in the Chongming Sect who were not in seclusion immediately put aside their most pressing matters upon hearing the news and awaited his summons.

Therefore, after Duan Anle was temporarily in charge of clan affairs, picked up the mallet and struck the large chime in the hall, the disciples from all departments arrived one after another.

There's no need to elaborate on the three elders of the same generation, Ye, Yuan, and Jiang. They have all relinquished their duties and no longer distinguish rank based on cultivation level, but are simply ranked as senior, second, and third. In name, they no longer concern themselves with anything and have left everything to the younger generation.

Of course, the only one who usually deals with these mundane affairs is Elder Ye Zhengwen, who considers himself hopeless about his Dao Path.

As always, Jiang Qing was devoted to cultivation. Apart from occasionally going out to compete with others, he rarely taught the cultivation of his own disciples.

Yuan Jin followed the same logic. Back then, when Sect Leader Kang Da obtained two mid-grade Golden Core Formation Pill, one of them was given to Kang Changxi, the eldest son of the Fei family, who had Fei Household blood in his veins. The other one was not even obtained by Kang Changyi, the eldest son of the concubine whom he had always favored. Instead, it fell into Yuan Jin's hands.

The deep affection and friendship between them goes without saying. In the end, Yuan Jin listened to the repeated advice of his fellow disciples and finally chose the "Mystic Ape Embracing the Moon Dao Union Instruction" to practice.

This Cosmos Rank, Lower Grade Cultivation Method, which I don't know which sect the Chongming Sect had cut off its lineage from, should have been extremely difficult to cultivate.

However, thanks to the unexpected windfall that Sect Leader Kang Da made, the Chongming Sect is currently not short of resources.

Over the past fifty years, the resources consumed by Yuan Jin in his cultivation efforts alone would probably be enough to nurture a Golden Core.

In addition, renowned high-level cultivators like Guhongzi came to preach and teach, Chongming Sect worked together to acquire those classic texts and treasures, allowing Yuan Jin to reach the Foundation Establishment Peak stage.

As Lian Xuepu said before, if we can completely eliminate the ape demon that we introduced back then, then we can truly attempt to Core Formation.

Besides his three fellow disciples, he was also very familiar with the remaining eighth-generation Sect Leader Kang Da, so there was no need for him to look at them much.

However, after half a century, many ninth-generation disciples have gradually emerged and gained access to the inner sanctum. This prompted Kang Dabao to take another careful look around the hall.

At this moment, He Chang, the steward in charge of announcing the names, had a few gold hairs on his lapel. However, he was so handsome that few people could see the flaw in his otherwise flawless appearance.

However, it is unknown whether the golden-haired old donkey beside him has had other encounters in recent years. Over the decades, its cultivation level has increased remarkably, and it is now no less than Duan Anle below him, far surpassing ordinary spirit beasts.

The nephew of the Sect Leader Kang Da was as handsome as ever, with a face like solidified jade, eyebrows slightly raised like distant mountains, and a faint golden light gleaming at the corners of his eyes.

Perhaps due to his constant companionship with the golden-haired old donkey, the few golden hairs clinging to his clothes shimmered with a faint silver light under the dim glow of the lamp, making his complexion appear even more translucent, and even the few strands of hair hanging down by his temples seemed to be wrapped in a thin layer of frost.

He held a white jade tablet in his hand, the name of each person engraved on its surface. When he raised his sleeve to display the tablet, his movements were as light and slow as flowing clouds and the moon. His fingertips were long and slender like jade, and his knuckles were tinged with a faint pink blush. Even the way he picked up the jade tablet exuded a calm and elegant air.

When he began to pronounce the name, his voice was clear and melodious, like a mountain stream gurgling over rocks, and it was also imbued with a touch of spiritual power. As it fell into everyone's ears, it seemed as if there was a spiritual charm flowing through them.

Occasionally, He Chang's gaze would sweep over the old golden donkey beside him. The donkey's mane was fluffy like a golden carpet, and its aura was solemn and imposing. However, He Chang would only slightly turn his head, and in the blink of his eyes, his clear and elegant demeanor would overshadow the old donkey's sturdiness.

Even the most experienced elders in the hall couldn't help but take a second look.

Such a Hehuan Sect the attention of even the female Daoists of the Hehuan Sect who rely on their looks. Moreover, his demeanor when calling out names was neither humble nor arrogant, his spiritual charm was restrained, and he showed no vulgarity whatsoever. He seemed like a celestial official from the moon descending to earth, checking his name according to the celestial register.

Although He Chang's talent and skills are not particularly outstanding, just like his father and mother, his good looks alone make him a suitable candidate for the position of steward of rites.

"Welcoming and seeing off guests with proper etiquette and decorum," "contracting alliances and establishing friendly relations," "sending messages and communicating with each other, and discerning public opinion," and "mediating disputes and protecting the reputation of the clan"—these superficial tasks certainly require a dedicated person to perform efficiently.

It's true that Sect Leader Kang Da is fond of promoting a pragmatic and down-to-earth style within the sect, but he also knows that He Chang's handsome appearance can add some color to the sect on many occasions.

Not to mention, Kang Dabao has always cherished the only bloodline left behind by his master.

Although Sect Leader Kang Da always strives to embody the principle of "selflessness," as long as he doesn't touch the treasury, he can use his own private funds to subsidize his nephew. This principle is universally applicable, and few can find fault with it.

Seeing He Chang lightly trace a few strokes on his tablet, thus clearly verifying the identities of the disciples who had come to Qi:

Today's meeting has a total of twelve elders from this mountain:

Elder Kang Changxi of the Battle Hall, Elder Duan Anle of the Beast Garden and Elder in charge of the sect affairs, Elder Han Xundao Kang Rongquan of the Spirit Plant Hall, Elder Wei Gu of the External Affairs Formation Hall, Elder Wei Gu of the Artifact Hall, Elder He Yuanyi the Punishment Hall, Elder Liu Ya of the Punishment Hall, Elder Ye Yaoling of the Nurturing Qilin Hall, Elder Zhou Kun of the Guardian of the Treasury Hall, Elder Qi Ke of the Alchemy Hall, Gun Fangmu, and Chen Zihang.

Besides the elders of this mountain, there are also Jin Shilun, the commander of Azure Jue Guard; Tang Jiu, the commander of Crimson Zhang Guard Sky-Treading Cavalry; Duan Yunzhou Cavalry; Kang Yiqing (husband of Pei Xiangcao), the military governor of the twelve prefectures; Jin Tanglü, the governor of the counties of Cloud Horn Prefecture; Zheng Yuntong, the commissioner of Huangpi Circuit South; and Jiang Tangpei, the commissioner of Huangpi Circuit North.

The twelve disciples held important positions, including Zhu Yunsheng, the chief interpreter of Huangpi Circuit; Zheng Wanbi, the town garrison commander of Xuanwei City; Zhou Xinran, the chief supervisor of the Zongmen (Imperial Clan); Shan Yong, the chief instructor of the Hundred Arts Pavilion; and Qi Lang (son of Chu Yanran and her husband), the guest master of Baiyilou.

Aside from Shan Yong and Zhu Yunsheng, who had already reached the False Core, most of these twenty-four people were at least at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Among them, Zheng Yuntong, as the first Single Spirit Root disciple of the Chongming Sect in this generation, had even reached the Ice Leaf Dao Foundation.

The so-called Golden Core Elixir Path is, for him, a relatively smooth road.

Moreover, there were many more disciples of similar cultivation level outside who were not allowed to take their seats due to seniority or other reasons. If you count carefully, there were already more than four hundred True Cultivator from the Chongming Sect's own sect alone.

It is evident that the phrases "having successors and being able to prosper" are not empty words spoken by the fellow disciples and Sect Leader Kang Da.

Kang Dabao raised his hand to suppress the soft sounds in the hall. The golden silk Daoist robes passed down from the first patriarch of the Chongming Sect were no longer respectable to the current Golden Core cultivators, but in this crucial occasion where no outsiders were present, Sect Leader Kang Da wore them all the time.

He glanced at the table in front of him. The sect leader's stone thumb ring on his hand had been worn for over a hundred years. Although it was an ordinary object, it had been stained with a faint blue spiritual light. At this moment, it reflected the Taiyin flame of the dew-collecting lamp, which made the spiritual mist in the whole hall quiet down a bit.

Kang Dabao's gaze swept over the twenty-three people below the steps one by one. His voice was deep and resonant, like a bell, imbued with profound spiritual power. However, it did not sound dull to the ears of the crowd; instead, it was like a spring breeze.

"Half a century has passed, and you two or three disciples have managed the sect remarkably well; it must have been hard work."

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators in the hall straightened up and bowed, replying, "We owe it all to the Sect Leader's guidance."

"Having neglected clan affairs for many years, this grand meeting will proceed as usual. My lords, please refrain from formalities and speak freely."

After Sect Leader Kang Da set the tone, all the cultivators below responded, and then, according to seniority and rank, they stepped forward one by one to report their important matters.

Seeing that the three elders sitting beside the sect leader showed no intention of making a move, Duan Anle was first in rank, stepped forward without hesitation and bowed respectfully:

"Reporting to Master, I am deeply grateful for the favor shown to me by my fellow disciples. For the past twenty-nine years, managing the sect's affairs has been a perilous journey. It is thanks to the guidance and instruction of my teachers and fellow disciples that I have been spared any negligence or hindrance to the sect's important matters. This is the second point."

"I've already said, let's skip the formalities and get down to business!"

Even though Duan Anle had been reprimanded, his expression remained unchanged, and he still spoke respectfully and calmly:

"All the important matters are handled by my fellow disciples, and I am merely doing miscellaneous tasks behind the scenes. If Master wants to hear clearly, it is necessary for my fellow disciples to personally step forward and report to him."

"This lad is as generous as ever, so willing to take credit. In terms of kindness, he's even more so than my senior brother." Yuan Jin, who could see this clearly from above, couldn't help but praise Ye and Jiang beside him.

The two men had different expressions. Jiang Qing Qingxian couldn't say he agreed with Duan Anle's actions, but he sighed softly, "What Senior Brother did doesn't mean Anle can do it. Times have changed. If cultivators want to maintain their edge, they must understand the meaning of 'struggle'."

Ye Zhengwen just chuckled. In the past, he had worried about his disciples much more than his two junior brothers, but now he felt that the saying "children and grandchildren have their own Sun Fu" was a wise saying.

So they simply watched quietly as Sect Leader Kang Da proceeded.

Upon hearing Duan Anle's words, Kang Dabao glanced at the latter with a mixture of worry and delight, and then said, "Then let's just talk about the matters of the Beast Garden; you surely have something to say about that."

"Reporting to Master, in recognition of the prestige of all the masters, I have established six Beast Garden in places such as Yangming Mountain in Xian Prefecture, Ink Cloud Marsh in Huo Prefecture, and Tidal Gorge Mountain in Si Prefecture, all of which are of some scale."

Currently, the various Beast Garden have a total of 46 True Cultivator Foundation Establishment and 1,900 Qi Refinement disciples available for use, most of whom have decent beast-taming skills.

Excluding non-ranked livestock in the various Beast Garden, there are 46,000 First Tier spirit beasts and birds of various grades, 260 Second Tier spirit beasts and birds of various grades, and no Third Tier Demon Beast yet.

Among the Three Southwest Circuits, apart from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, our sect can be considered first-rate among Golden Core sects in terms of the abundance and number of spirit beasts.

After further selective breeding, all the adult Cloud-Treading Colt are now First-Tier Superior-Grade spirit beasts. With a stock of three thousand, they can barely ensure that after the Sky-Treading Cavalry has ridden a long way, there will be no shortage of mounts available.

Furthermore, all the necessary spirit beasts for scouting, training, transporting, fire control, medicine, and meat consumption for the various halls and departments have been prepared, which should alleviate the urgent need for the prosperity of our Chongming Sect's various industries."

Kang Dabao was well-versed in administrative affairs and naturally knew the great achievements hidden behind Duan Anle's humble tone.

Even if we consider the more than 40,000 spirit beasts he mentioned, most of them would be cheap animals destined for the kitchens of the Chongming Small Pavilion in various prefectures and counties. Just as even a hundred First-Tier Lower-Grade Fire Boar would hardly be worth the price of a Cloud-Treading Colt.

But to be able to amass such a large fortune is truly remarkable.

After he finished speaking, Duan Anle remained calm, showing no intention of taking credit. As soon as he saw Sect Leader Kang Da nod, he bowed again and returned to his seat.

After seeing Duan Anle take his seat, Kang Rongquan, before even hearing the proclamation, was about to step forward and recount his recent actions.

Unexpectedly, another imperial edict arrived at the door at this moment. After a brief glance, Kang Dabao frowned deeply and lost all interest in listening to his disciples' words.

"This is bad news."

---- Capital Circuit, Ying Prefecture, Fei Household

On the Core-Embracing Terrace, Fei Tianqin's sharp eyes were filled with dejection, while Fei Ye Shui, who had not yet formed Nascent Soul Formation, looked completely at ease. The latter's body was as thin as a sheet of paper, and he even lacked the strength to speak.

"I've disappointed you again, brother. If you had taken the Mystic Celestial Infant-Nurturing Pill, you might have been able to advance even further. What a pity."

Fei Tianqin shook his head violently and sighed, "My brother knows that although the bloodline I inherited from Bitter Spirit Mountain is extremely precious, advancing to the next level is incredibly difficult. A single Mystic Celestial Infant-Nurturing Pill is useless to me; it should have been given to my brother in the first place."

Fei Ye Shui knew that Fei Tianqin was right, so he just chuckled and said, "This desperate struggle is useless. With the help of the Mystic Celestial Infant-Nurturing Pill, I may only have three to five more years left in my life. Brother, you should start planning for the Fei Household soon."

"How could this be?" Fei Tianqin exclaimed urgently. "Our Fei Household made a great contribution last time, Kuang Household didn't offer any thanks. How can we just sit by and watch several other families disregard reason and attack our Fei Household?"

The old bird was stopped halfway through his sentence by Fei Ye Shui's gentle gaze.

This man, who could be considered the most outstanding head of the Ying Prefecture Fei Household founding, showed no sign of dejection even in such a predicament.

However, the implication in his words was also difficult to deny his pride:

"This time, brother, you were able to safely bring the Mystic Celestial Infant-Nurturing Pill back to the Fei Household; for fifty years, all families have been obedient and have not dared to invade our territory; Fei Household's eldest son-in-law has become the Huangpi Circuit Pacification Commissioner. This is already a testament to the Kuang Household's achievements. How could you not know this, brother?"

"My brother sees things clearly, and I can't pretend to be confused either." Fei Tianqin sighed again, then asked, "My brother's wisdom surpasses mine a hundredfold. How should we plan for the future?!"

"There's no need to rush. Even though the Kuang Household is currently eager to win over various Nascent Soul sects and has few bargaining chips, it's true that they're aiming for those of us who are vulnerable but have a lot to lose."

But what my brother said isn't entirely unreasonable. My Ying Prefecture Fei Household still has some merit, and the Kuang Household remembers it somewhat, so each family won't act too blatantly. We can slowly transfer our supplies and children to various places, so there's no need to worry about the entire family being wiped out."

Fei Ye Shui paused here, his gaze falling on a huge map of Great Wei, and then whispered to Fei Tianqin, "In the future, besides cultivating Nanying, my Fei Household, having just gained the position of that son-in-law, may also be able to add fuel to the fire."

"Okay, I understand."

(Yesterday, I revised a section for a long time, but it was still deleted by the reviewer. There's nothing I can do about it, so please forgive me. Tomorrow, Lao Bai will be officially accompanying me during childbirth, so please forgive me if updates are not timely!)