Night had fallen, and the moon hung pale among sparse stars.
When Li Qingqiu returned to his room, he found it clean and tidy. The bed was neatly made with blankets and pillows. It seemed the Qin family's funding had finally arrived—life in Qingxiao Sect was improving.
He had already handed financial control to Zhang Yuchun. In his view, money was a mundane thing. What truly mattered was the spirit stones in the Underground Spiritual Lake beneath the sect.
Spirit stones aided cultivation and were clearly the hard currency of the cultivation world—just like oil in the mortal world. That was the true foundation of the Qingxiao Sect.
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on his bed and opened the Dao Lineage panel. The Dao Lineage Inheritance Reward he earned after escaping from the Seven Peaks Alliance still hadn't been claimed. He hadn't dared use it while out in the wild, but now that he was home, with safety at hand, he finally decided to open it.
[Claim Inheritance Reward]
[Activating Dao Lineage Inheritance]
[You have obtained a spell — Soul-Binding Curse]
[Do you wish to accept the inheritance?]
Soul-Binding Curse?
Just from the name, it didn't sound righteous at all.
Apparently, the Dao Lineage panel didn't restrict him to being a righteous cultivator or a demonic one.
'Not bad. I like that.'
Li Qingqiu never liked being bound by too many rules. He didn't mind dabbling in unorthodox or even forbidden techniques, as long as they were useful.
With that thought, he immediately accepted the inheritance of the Soul-Binding Curse.
A familiar sensation washed over him as he sank into the flow of inherited knowledge.
Time passed quietly.
When he opened his eyes again, it wasn't the first time he had received a spell inheritance, so the experience no longer excited him. Instead, his brows furrowed deeply.
This Soul-Binding Curse was cruel—vicious even.
It could seize a person's very soul. Even if the target was still alive, the process of extraction brought unbearable agony. Once their soul was taken, it would remain forever bound to the curse caster, enslaved until the caster's death.
If the bound soul became a ghost, it would never be able to defy its master—the suppression came directly from the soul's essence.
However, the spell carried risk. Using it across cultivation realms—forcing it upon someone far stronger—could trigger severe backlash.
After memorizing the entire spell, Li Qingqiu didn't begin cultivation right away. He still had to master the Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles first. Once he reached a certain level with that, he would study this new spell.
He steadied his breathing and soon entered a meditative state, drawing in vital energy.
The moon sank, and the sun rose—a whole night passed in quiet cultivation.
By morning, the disciples of Qingxiao Sect had all risen. Those practicing martial arts went to train in the courtyards, while the cultivators sat cross-legged, drawing in the essence of the sun and moon.
Li Qingqiu instructed Yuan Qi to train under Yang Jueding, alongside the six Qin family disciples.
From now on, not everyone would be allowed to practice the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. Only those with exceptional aptitude or outstanding merit would earn that right.
After the golden hours for cultivation had passed, Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun returned indoors to discuss the sect's next plans.
"First," Li Qingqiu said while sipping tea, "organize a group of disciples to start building houses. Do it in the forest below the mountain gate. Take Yang Jueding along—he's an adult, he'll keep them in line.
Second, recruit ten more disciples. As long as they're under twenty years old, they're eligible. We can't keep bringing in children forever."
The tea he drank had been a gift from the Qin family—fragrant and smooth. After tasting it last night, he had already grown fond of it.
Zhang Yuchun smiled. "I've been meaning to suggest the same. Now that we finally have funds, it's time to expand properly. Oh, and should we hire a teacher? Li Dongyue mentioned you planned to do that."
"Do it," Li Qingqiu nodded. "You handle these matters. You don't have to do everything yourself—start training some disciples for administrative duties. As Qingxiao Sect grows, we'll need to divide responsibilities more clearly."
Zhang Yuchun nodded seriously. "Huang Shan and Yu Lin have potential. They're a bit rough but careful when it counts. I'll focus on grooming them."
"Good. From now on, only inner or true disciples can study the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra. For now, Xu Ning remains the only confirmed true disciple. As for Huang Shan and the other seven, they can hold the title of true disciples, but their focus will remain martial training."
Li Qingqiu continued outlining the structure while Zhang Yuchun took careful notes.
He had many ideas about the ranking system for disciples, but it wasn't yet time to implement them. The sect still lacked stability, and the differences in disciple privileges couldn't be enforced yet—Qingxiao Sect had yet to develop a proper framework.
Even now, they had no steady income.
That was what Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun discussed most seriously. They couldn't keep relying on the Qin family's donations. Jiang Zhaoxia's experiences while traveling down the mountain offered inspiration.
They could take escort missions—protecting nobles or valuable cargo—or accept government bounties and official commissions. Those tasks would not only train the disciples but also earn money and build Qingxiao Sect's reputation.
Without fame, recruiting new disciples would be difficult. The sect would have to keep pulling from nearby villages.
But village recruits, while honest, often had mediocre aptitude—and many couldn't even read. Even teaching them martial arts required extra time and effort.
Of course, Li Qingqiu planned for Qingxiao Sect to have its own education system eventually. He just didn't want the sect's recruitment to remain limited to rural backwaters.
The discussion went on for over an hour. When they finished, Zhang Yuchun left, full of determination, immediately setting to work.
Li Qingqiu stayed behind a bit longer, then stepped out, calling for Li Dongyue to join him for practice. Together, they went to the forest behind the mountain to train the Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles.
They cultivated until nearly noon before standing up and heading back toward the sect.
As they walked, Li Dongyue reminded him softly, "Senior Brother, don't forget—you promised the Qin family you'd take one of their disciples as an apprentice. Those children are still waiting."
Li Qingqiu nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Yuchun already reminded me about it."
Qin Jue had already designated his own son to become Li Qingqiu's disciple, so there wasn't much for him to consider. Still, the sooner he made it official, the more at ease the six Qin family disciples would feel.
After lunch at noon, Li Qingqiu called for Qin Ye and told him to come along.
Qin Ye leapt to his feet in excitement, his face flushed red. The other five Qin family disciples were just as thrilled—they had all come carrying the hopes of their clan.
…
Once Li Qingqiu formally accepted Qin Ye as his disciple, he immediately assigned him to train under Yang Jueding. Qin Ye's Cultivation Aptitude was too poor—cultivation would be difficult for him. Still, if he performed well in the future, Li Qingqiu wouldn't mind helping him along the path of cultivation himself.
The Underground Spiritual Lake's presence could help make up for some of his natural shortcomings.
With this, Yang Jueding officially gained a title within the sect—Martial Arts Elder of Qingxiao Sect.
Half a month passed quickly. Since Li Qingqiu had kept his mission to the Seven Peaks Alliance secret, Jiang Zhaoxia continued training halfway up the mountain as usual. Li Qingqiu didn't stop him—after all, beyond the Seven Peaks Alliance, there was still the threat of the Qing Sect lurking in the shadows.
Then one day, Zhang Yuchun brought surprising news.
He called Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Dongyue, Wu Man'er, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin into Li Qingqiu's room.
"The Seven Peaks Alliance is in chaos!" Zhang Yuchun said, barely able to contain his excitement. "Their First Alliance Master, Lü Taidou, is dead! The entire alliance is in turmoil—no wonder they haven't come looking for trouble!"
Li Qingqiu raised a brow. "Where did you hear this from?"
This was Zhang Yuchun's third trip down the mountain in just half a month, and Li Qingqiu hadn't expected him to be capable of gathering news from the martial world so soon.
Zhang Yuchun grinned. "I ran into some bandits on the road this time. I took Huang Shan and Yu Lin with me, and we took care of them. Afterward, we made some new friends. That's how I heard about it. This incident has shaken all of Guzhou."
Li Sifeng's eyes widened as he turned to look at Li Qingqiu. "Senior Brother… don't tell me you did it?"
The other disciples all looked at Li Qingqiu nervously, yet with anticipation too. After all, he had disappeared for half a month not long ago.
Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes. "What nonsense. You think I'm that powerful? Ask your Third Senior Brother—does he think the Seven Peaks Alliance is that easy to deal with?"
Jiang Zhaoxia nodded solemnly. "Taking down the strongest man in the alliance within their own headquarters? Nearly impossible. Fighting one-on-one is one thing—but facing hundreds, even thousands, is another matter entirely."
The group nodded in understanding, remembering the injuries Jiang Zhaoxia had suffered before.
Li Sifeng started excitedly reenacting the battle scenes he had heard about, waving his arms around and mimicking sword slashes.
Jiang Zhaoxia, however, quietly stared at Li Qingqiu with a complicated expression that made him feel slightly guilty under the gaze.
Clearing his throat, Li Qingqiu interrupted Li Sifeng's noisy "performance." "Whatever the case, the Seven Peaks Alliance won't be bothering us anytime soon. But that doesn't mean we can relax. From now on, no one slacks off. You're either training or helping with construction—no exceptions."
The expansion of Qingxiao Sect had already begun, and the younger male disciples contributed the most to the manual labor.
Except for Li Sijin, everyone had been assigned tasks by Li Qingqiu.
After the meeting ended, Zhang Yuchun didn't leave. Instead, he tugged at Li Qingqiu's sleeve. "Senior Brother, I brought someone up from the foot of the mountain—a teacher. He claims to be skilled in physiognomy and divination. He insists on meeting you."
"You didn't pay him, right?"
"I did," Zhang Yuchun admitted. "But he said the amount of work he'll do depends on your face."
Li Qingqiu sighed. "Fine. I want to see what kind of trick he's playing."
He agreed, and the two of them stepped outside.
Just as they exited the house, they spotted a man in white standing behind two disciples who were busy carpentry work. The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, carrying a scholar's book box on his back. His refined manner made him look every bit the learned gentleman.
"Mr. Zhang, my Senior Brother is here," Zhang Yuchun called out.
The scholar—named Zhang Yu—turned immediately. He strode toward them with a bright smile, his gaze locking onto Li Qingqiu. As they drew near, his eyes lit up, and before Li Qingqiu could say a word, he eagerly stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
Li Qingqiu almost pulled back, but after sensing that the man had no trace of inner energy, he let him be.
"Master Li," Zhang Yu exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement, "your face is extraordinary! Born under a noble destiny—though your early years were turbulent, fate favors you! The stars of Ziwei shine above your head. One day, you will ascend as a true dragon!"
What a load of nonsense.
Slick tongue. Con artist.
In his mind, Li Qingqiu immediately labeled the man with two traits—Deceptive and Glib-Tongued.
His biological father certainly hadn't been that remarkable.
With a calm smile, Li Qingqiu pulled his hand back. "Thank you for the kind words, sir. May I ask where you learned this art of face-reading?"
Zhang Yu composed himself and took a respectful step back, bowing lightly. "I was taught by the Hermit of Nine Veins. You may not have heard of him—he's a reclusive sage who has lived for over 130 years and now enjoys his twilight years in peace."
Li Qingqiu didn't challenge his claim but smiled faintly. "And tell me, sir, do you feel any pressure teaching all of my disciples by yourself?"
"Not at all," Zhang Yu said with a polished smile. "Though small, your sect is full of hidden dragons and rising stars—radiant in both martial and scholarly talent. Qingxiao Sect has the fortune of a phoenix about to soar. I'd be honored to contribute. Of course," he added with a grin, "if the Sect Master could spare an extra 30 copper coins each month, I'd be even more inspired."
His tone was smooth, his enunciation clear and confident, carrying the air of someone who fancied himself a virtuous scholar.