[Fortunate Opportunity: Within a certain range, it will seek out a piece of good fortune suitable for the development of your Dao Lineage.]
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow at the prompt. Just hearing the words "fortunate opportunity" sounded like a good thing.
With Qingxiao Sect's current conditions, trying to grow was far too harsh. If they wanted to develop into a true cultivation sect, they would inevitably need enormous resources.
But the benefits brought by "good fortune" might also drag them into conflict. With the abilities of just the seven of them, could they withstand it?
"Good fortune" sounded like something positive—it probably wouldn't lead to total annihilation. Still, even if a single junior brother or sister got injured, Li Qingqiu would struggle to bear it. This was deep in the mountains; finding a doctor was extremely difficult.
After thinking it over again and again, Li Qingqiu decided to wait. He would open the Fortunate Opportunity only after all the disciples had reached the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. In any case, there was no countdown timer on it—different times would bring different fortunes more suited to them.
He stopped dwelling on it and continued practicing swordsmanship with a wooden sword he had carved himself.
This sword art had been left behind by Lin Xunfeng. It was called the Nine Extremes Divine Sword. The name sounded intimidating, but it actually didn't belong to the realm of cultivation. Still, the moves were exquisite—once mastered, it could be very effective in combat.
Of course, that assumed your reactions were fast enough. Otherwise, the sword techniques could be broken with a single strike—much like traditional martial arts being overwhelmed by modern combat sports in his previous life.
Worth mentioning: the Nine Extremes Divine Sword could mobilize inner qi. He was wondering whether he could substitute yuan qi for it.
With the "Born Sword Maniac" Fate, Li Qingqiu mastered the Nine Extremes Divine Sword after practicing it just once. Each time he ran through it, the sword art improved. After only two days, his sword strikes were sharp as the wind, leaving Li Sifeng and Li Sijin—watching from not far away—gaping with open mouths, their faces full of admiration.
Jiang Zhaoxia emerged from the forest and saw the scene. His expression shifted slightly. Without a word, he turned around and walked back into the woods.
Over these two days, Li Qingqiu's frightening insight into swordsmanship had deeply shaken him.
He'd always thought he was a genius—just lacking opportunity. But Li Qingqiu had effortlessly grasped the sword art on his first try. Jiang Zhaoxia could be sure: all these years, Li Qingqiu hadn't practiced swordsmanship at all.
Jiang Zhaoxia believed he could master the Nine Extremes Divine Sword in one go because he'd built a solid foundation in swordsmanship as a child in his clan. That only made him feel Li Qingqiu's sword talent was higher than his.
Li Qingqiu had no idea what Jiang Zhaoxia was thinking. But yesterday, Jiang Zhaoxia's loyalty to him had risen by two points, so he wasn't worried.
The Dao Lineage panel was remarkably "smart," able to answer some of his doubts—like loyalty.
The maximum loyalty was 100, and Jiang Zhaoxia's was already 98, practically fanatical devotion.
After about half an incense stick's time, Zhang Yuchun came running excitedly to find Li Qingqiu and tell him about his results. Li Qingqiu was delighted and decided they would have a better meal tonight so everyone could celebrate.
Zhang Yuchun was deeply moved. He felt senior brother truly valued him.
But when he got to the kitchen to cut the meat, something felt off.
We're celebrating me… so why am I still the one cooking?
…
Summer gave way to autumn. In the Tai Kun Mountain Range where Qingxiao Sect stood, a fine drizzle fell without end, and the mountains were wrapped in mist.
Three months had passed since Lin Xunfeng left. Now, aside from Wu Man'er, all the other juniors had cultivated yuan qi, which left Li Qingqiu feeling content.
Near noon, in the courtyard, Li Qingqiu lay on a lounge chair with his hands behind his head, admiring the rainy scenery. A canopy sheltered him from the rain, and a table beside him held flowers and fruit. Life was leisurely.
Ever since Li Qingqiu led his juniors into cultivating yuan qi, his prestige had risen another level. Everyone obeyed him completely. Even Jiang Zhaoxia resisted at most with his mouth—his body was very honest.
Wearing a straw raincoat, Li Sifeng ran into the courtyard. He was small and thin, the hem of his raincoat dragging on the ground, trailing mud the whole way.
He hurried to Li Qingqiu's side and said, "Senior Brother, someone came to the sect gate. He says he's one of Master's old friends. You told me that if anyone asks about Master, I should say I don't know. That's what I did to brush him off. But he wants to come in and stay the night."
Master's old friend?
Li Qingqiu frowned and slowly stood up. "I'll go take a look. Don't run around in the rain. If you slip and tumble down the mountain, you'll look unbelievably stupid."
With that, he picked up the oil-paper umbrella beside him and headed for the courtyard gate.
Li Sifeng made a face at Li Qingqiu's back. The moment Li Qingqiu disappeared around the corner outside the courtyard, he immediately stretched out his mud-smeared little hand and began eating the flowers and fruit on the table.
From the courtyard, a winding path only a few dozen meters long led to the sect gate. The gate sat on the mountainside with a broad view over the surrounding ranges. Li Qingqiu stopped there every day.
From afar, he saw a man in a straw raincoat standing at the gate with his back to him. Just judging from his build, he didn't look like someone to mess with.
Even though Li Qingqiu had already entered the Nourishing Yuan Realm, he still kept his guard up. He didn't know what his odds were against a true jianghu master with only first-level Nourishing Yuan.
He had always thought Lin Xunfeng's martial arts were half-baked, but from the stories Lin Xunfeng told, the martial artists of this world were still powerful—leaping across rooftops, subduing tigers, wrestling bears, all of that was possible. Add in inner qi, and they might be as terrifying as the wuxia novels he'd read in his previous life.
Perhaps Lin Xunfeng himself had been extremely strong—he'd just never shown it to his disciples.
Without real skill, how could Lin Xunfeng roam the jianghu and keep saving orphans now and then?
Li Qingqiu hadn't gone down the mountain in sixteen years, but he still had childhood memories. Back when he was still swaddled as an infant, the world seemed chaotic. He remembered Lin Xunfeng holding him while fighting someone. His view had been covered, and he could only hear hoofbeats and shouts of slaughter all around—it had probably been a battlefield.
The man in the straw raincoat heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Seeing a handsome teenage boy in plain clothes approaching under an oil-paper umbrella, he broke into a smile.
Before Li Qingqiu could speak, the man asked first, "Are you Li Qingqiu, or Zhang Yuchun?"
Hearing the man say his name and his second junior brother's name, Li Qingqiu's guard eased a lot. That meant his master must have been close enough to this person to mention them.
"This junior is Li Qingqiu. May I ask how I should address you, senior, and what your relationship is with my master?" Li Qingqiu stopped, raised a hand in salute, and kept seven paces' distance.
The raincoat man looked unkempt, dressed like a wandering hero. Aside from the bundle on his back, there was a long flute hanging at his waist. He smiled with bold ease, making him seem generous and open.
"My name is Jiang Kuotian. I'm your master's sworn brother-in-arms—sixteen years of life-and-death friendship. When you were little, I even held you!"
After hearing Li Qingqiu introduce himself, Jiang Kuotian's gaze softened even more.
Li Qingqiu really did remember the name. Sixteen years ago, when his master had been fleeing with him, they'd encountered Jiang Kuotian. Jiang Kuotian had escorted master and disciple all the way to Qingxiao Sect.
"So it's Martial Uncle Jiang! I've often heard Master mention you!" Li Qingqiu said warmly at once.
"Martial Uncle? Oh? So your master privately still acknowledged me as his big brother?"
"Of course. He mentions you often. He says there aren't many people in the jianghu he truly admires, and you're one of them. In many ways, he takes you as his goal."
Li Qingqiu rattled it off smoothly. It was all nonsense—Lin Xunfeng had never mentioned Jiang Kuotian at all.
Jiang Kuotian burst into hearty laughter. The more he looked at Li Qingqiu, the more he liked him, and the resentment in his heart toward Lin Xunfeng faded.
After chatting for a long while, Li Qingqiu invited him into the courtyard to talk.
Li Sifeng saw them coming, hurriedly grabbed two pieces of fruit, and ran back to his room.
Li Qingqiu had long since gotten used to his little junior's antics. He pretended not to see it, then motioned for Jiang Kuotian to sit beneath the tree and poured him water.
As Jiang Kuotian drank, he swept his eyes over Qingxiao Sect.
This place was still as shabby as ever. Lin Xunfeng clearly hadn't bothered developing the sect at all.
Jiang Kuotian set the bowl down, looked at Li Qingqiu, and said bluntly, "I already understand what happened with your master. A month ago, I ran into him in Guzhou's prefectural seat. He said he was going to seek immortals and asked me to look after you. Come back with me to White Emperor Manor. White Emperor Manor is one of the seven great sects in Guzhou's jianghu—famous and prestigious. It's absolutely better than staying up on this mountain."
White Emperor Manor!
Li Qingqiu had indeed heard Lin Xunfeng mention it. White Emperor Manor was one of the few jianghu sects with ties to the imperial court—the manor lord's brother was a high official.
Joining White Emperor Manor truly would be a good thing for Li Qingqiu and the others.
Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu had already activated the Dao Lineage panel. He had to be sect leader to keep copying Fates and claiming inheritance rewards.
If he went to White Emperor Manor, he'd end up doing errands. It wouldn't be as free as now, nor would his prospects be as great.
Li Qingqiu pretended to hesitate, then finally made up his mind. "Martial Uncle Jiang, thank you for your kindness. But my junior brothers and sisters and I don't want to be swept back into jianghu grudges and feuds. Life on the mountain is bitter, yes—but it's steady and free. We won't be going down."
Jiang Kuotian looked at him in surprise.
Lin Xunfeng had specifically said that Li Qingqiu had dreamed since childhood of roaming the world with a sword. Once they reached White Emperor Manor, when Li Qingqiu grew up, Lin Xunfeng hoped Jiang Kuotian would give him freedom.
He hadn't expected Li Qingqiu to choose this.
A trace of pity rose in Jiang Kuotian's heart.
Is this child giving up his own dreams for the sake of his juniors?
"If you're worried about your junior brothers and sisters, you don't need to be. White Emperor Manor will take good care of them. And in the future, you can go wherever you want," Jiang Kuotian said earnestly.
Li Qingqiu was about to answer when he suddenly heard movement from a nearby room. Those little troublemakers were pressed against the door, eavesdropping.
He immediately changed tack and said seriously, "Martial Uncle, I prefer to keep my fate in my own hands. I'll take care of my junior brothers and sisters myself—that way I'm at ease."
He didn't speak loudly—he even spoke softly, as if afraid someone might hear. But he was confident his juniors would hear.
Jiang Kuotian thought of the internal struggles within White Emperor Manor and felt Li Qingqiu's choice might not be a bad thing.
After some thought, Jiang Kuotian took the bundle off his back and set it on the table. He flipped it open, and inside were scattered clothes, manuals, hidden weapons, and a few odd little items.
He picked up one manual and said, "Your master asked me to look after you. I can't just do nothing. This manual—I obtained it only after countless hardships. Practice it quietly. Don't spread it."
Li Qingqiu didn't look at the manual in his hand. Instead, his gaze locked onto a small knife inside the bundle.
Its blade was shaped like a willow leaf, covered in rust, as if it had been buried in the earth for a thousand years.
And on that little knife… he could actually sense the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.