The sunlight pierced the earth, sweeping over Seven Peaks Town at the foot of the mountain.
Inside an inn, the woman in black looked at the gray-robed elder sitting across from her, her face full of impatience.
“You certainly move fast.
I only just arrived, and you found me by the next morning,” the woman in black said coldly.
Her words left the elder quite helpless.
The elder appeared to be over seventy years old, with brown age spots on his face.
He sighed and said, “Young Lady, do not be impulsive.
With your current martial arts, you will surely suffer if you go to the Seven Peaks Alliance.
Moreover, I have heard that a major event occurred there.
Now, anyone who provokes them will face a frenzied retaliation.”
“What event?” the woman in black asked.
Her mind instinctively went to Li Qingchu.
She was curious what he had intended to do there.
The elder’s face was solemn as he said, “Last night, Lu Taidou, the First Alliance Leader of the Seven Peaks Alliance, was assassinated in his own room.
It is said that another alliance leader was beaten to death while trying to intercept the killer.”
At these words, the woman’s expression changed drastically.
She was struck with shock as she realized the truth.
No wonder there was such a commotion at the Seven Peaks Alliance last night.
But…
Assassinating Lu Taidou?
How exactly did he do it?
The woman remembered Li Qingchu flicking her sword away and felt that he indeed might have that kind of strength.
But he was so young.
How could he be so strong?
Could it be that he was skilled in the arts of youth-retention or disguise?
The more she thought, the more startled she became.
That was Lu Taidou—a peerless expert who could shake the martial world of Gu Prefecture with a single stomp.
And he had died within the Seven Peaks Alliance itself.
This was simply inconceivable.
She looked up at the elder and quickly asked, “Who did it?”
The elder shook his head and said, “It is unclear.
It is said the person had three heads and six arms, like a demon god descended from the heavens, unstoppable.
He also took two children with him; perhaps he went there for them.”
The woman couldn’t help but roll her eyes and said irritably, “What three heads and six arms?
You actually believe that?”
“That is what the people from the Seven Peaks Alliance are saying.
I am only relaying it,” the elder shrugged.
He paused and said earnestly, “Young Lady, the Seven Peaks Alliance will fall into a great storm of internal power struggles.
External enemies will also come to attack.
The matter that troubles you might even resolve itself.
Why risk yourself?”
The woman revealed a cold smile and said, “Lu Taidou is dead; my troubles have naturally vanished.
Rest easy, I will return with you today.”
The elder breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, stroking his beard.
The woman hesitated for a moment and asked, “Can you have someone investigate who killed Lu Taidou?
I only want to know his name.”
“I will do my best.
Last night was dark; investigating his name will not be simple.” The elder didn’t think much of it and casually agreed.
The image of Li Qingchu’s face appeared in her mind again, and curiosity blossomed in her heart.
Who on earth was this holy being, who dared to walk openly below the Seven Peaks Alliance and then climb the mountain to kill?
And what kind of grudge did he have with them?
…
After leaving the Seven Peaks Alliance, Li Qingchu traveled several hundred kilometers before hiding in the mountains to rest and recover his Essence.
Afterward, he applied the Ghost-Celestial Rejuvenation Needles to condition little Yuan Li’s body, while Yuan Qi gathered fruits and water on the mountain.
After resting for a day, they continued their journey.
They did not take the Official Road and encountered no one.
By using the Stormstride Art, Li Qingchu’s pace was very fast.
Only when they arrived at the foot of the Clear Firmament Sect’s mountain did Li Qingchu breathe a sigh of relief.
Gazing at the majestic, undulating mountains ahead, Yuan Qi was filled with confusion.
Why did it feel like they were going further and further away?
In his mind, a martial sect should be near a town to make it convenient to recruit disciples and enslave the commoners.
“Once we are up the mountain, you must not mention the Seven Peaks Alliance to anyone.
Don’t say I went there either.
You are just orphans following refugees whom I brought back.
Do you understand?”
Li Qingchu spoke while walking ahead, carrying Yuan Li.
He wore a large bundle on his back, which he had bought yesterday while passing through a town.
Yuan Qi, following behind, nodded and replied, “I know, Big Brother.
Rest assured, I will not cause you trouble.”
Li Qingchu began to introduce the situation of the Clear Firmament Sect.
Yuan Qi had never heard of the sect’s name.
Hearing that the disciples were all very young made him feel expectant.
In the Seven Peaks Alliance, he had only met adults and was always bullied by them.
He was now very afraid of entering an environment filled with adults.
Listening to the details of the sect, Yuan Qi’s courage grew, and he began to ask questions incessantly.
Li Qingchu was patient and answered them one by one.
From the foot of the mountain to the sect gate was a long distance; they walked for half a day.
Ten days had passed since Li Qingchu killed Lu Taidou.
It was now near dusk.
Li Qingchu looked at the gate of the Clear Firmament Sect.
Though it wasn’t as grand as the Seven Peaks Alliance’s, it felt intimate to him, and his tensed heartstrings finally relaxed.
He saw a child squatting before the gate from afar, playing with pebbles.
It was Li Sifeng.
“Sifeng, are you being lazy again?”
Li Qingchu’s voice carried over, startling Li Sifeng, who quickly stood up and turned around.
At the sight of his face, Li Qingchu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Half a month had passed, yet Li Sifeng’s face was still bruised blue and purple.
Fortunately, there was no swelling.
However, when Li Sifeng smiled, the way several teeth were missing was truly hilarious.
Li Qingchu suppressed his laughter as soon as it started.
‘I can’t laugh.
That’s too mean.
After all, Li Sifeng was injured for the sake of the Clear Firmament Sect.’
“Big Brother!”
Li Sifeng shouted in surprise and then ran down like a gust of wind.
His voice was very loud and startled the disciples within the sect.
Just as he reached Li Qingchu, Yang Jueding, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Xu Ning stepped off the mountain walls and quickly arrived at the gate.
Their lightness skills left Yuan Qi dazed.
“You haven’t been naughty during this time, have you?” Li Qingchu asked with a smile, patting Li Sifeng’s head.
Li Sifeng hugged Li Qingchu’s waist tightly and sobbed, “Big Brother, I was worried to death.
Why were you gone so long?
I thought you didn’t want us anymore…”
More and more disciples ran out from the sect.
When they saw Li Qingchu, they were all very excited.
Li Qingchu also noticed six unfamiliar faces, who should be the Six Scions of the Qin Family.
Two days ago, Li Qingchu had seen six new disciples added to the Sacred Heritage panel.
Unfortunately, their talents were ordinary and they had no special Fate Tokens, so he hadn’t paid much attention or even remembered their faces.
Jiang Zhaoxia quickly landed beside Li Qingchu and inspected him carefully.
After confirming he was uninjured, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Sijin also hugged Li Qingchu, very happy.
Li Dongyue stood nearby with tears in her eyes.
Yang Jueding also relaxed.
He had hidden the fact that Li Qingchu had gone to the Seven Peaks Alliance and was about to buckle under the pressure.
“Senior Brother, where did you go?
Why were you gone so long?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked in a resentful tone.
Li Qingchu smiled and said, “Didn’t I tell Yuchun that I was patrolling the mountains?
I was delayed by other matters on the way.
By the way, let me introduce you.
The boy behind me is named Yuan Qi, and the one in my arms is his brother, Yuan Li.
From now on, they are also disciples of the Clear Firmament Sect.”
As soon as he said this, everyone’s attention shifted.
Yang Jueding approached Yuan Qi and observed him closely, making him feel quite uncomfortable.
Xu Ning’s growth had proven Li Qingchu’s eye for talent.
Not just Yang Jueding, but the other disciples were also curious what kind of talent Yuan Qi had to attract Li Qingchu.
Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingchu with his brow furrowed.
Wu Man’er just kept giggling, saying nothing.
“Alright, let’s talk after we go inside.
Prepare some food for us.”
Li Qingchu interrupted their discussions and urged them.
The group went up the mountain chatting and laughing.
Because the disciples were all young and energetic, once they started talking, they couldn’t stop.
“Senior Brother, let me hold the child.”
Li Dongyue came to Li Qingchu’s side and spoke softly.
Li Qingchu did not refuse and handed Yuan Li to her.
After returning to the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun took Yuan Qi to bathe, while Li Dongyue and Li Sijin took Yuan Li to bathe.
Li Qingchu sat at the table and looked at the Six Scions of the Qin Family standing together.
There were four boys and two girls, all eleven years old.
To find six children of similar age proved that the Qin family was indeed prosperous.
Facing the sect leader’s gaze, the six were all nervous.
Before coming, Qin Jue had warned them that they must be obedient at the Clear Firmament Sect, and anyone sent back early would be severely punished.
“Come and sit.
Introduce yourselves to me.”
Li Qingchu revealed a gentle smile and waved at the six Qin disciples.
Seeing his smile, they also relaxed and came over one by one to introduce themselves.
Li Qingchu chatted with them casually to build rapport.
Three of the original seven disciples did the cooking.
They were fast, and the food was soon heated and brought before Li Qingchu.
Li Qingchu didn’t wait for Yuan Qi and began to eat on his own.
Yang Jueding sat to one side, desperately wanting to ask questions, but since others were present, he could only endure.
After a while, Zhang Yuchun, Yuan Qi, and Li Dongyue also came to the courtyard.
Everyone from the Clear Firmament Sect gathered together, twenty-four people in total.
Though far from the grandeur of the Seven Peaks Alliance, it made Li Qingchu feel satisfied.
He believed that in ten years, these disciples would all be able to stand on their own.
Li Dongyue sat on the other side of Li Qingchu, resting her cheek on her hand, and remarked, “Senior Brother, the way you looked when you returned reminded me of Master.
Years ago, when Master brought Sifeng and Sijin back, he was just like you, holding Sijin in his arms with Sifeng following behind.”
These words caused Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Wu Man’er to nod.
They began to reminisce about Lin Xunfeng.
This made the newer disciples even more curious about Lin Xunfeng.
What kind of hero was that grandmaster?
Yang Jueding spoke up, “Lin Xunfeng was indeed chivalrous, but his help to the Clear Firmament Sect was not great.
Since its founding, the sect has never recruited disciples on a large scale.
So, I feel the current Clear Firmament Sect has no relation to the past.”
Li Qingchu glanced at him and was secretly satisfied.
After a few days, Yang Jueding had become quite sensible.
Zhang Yuchun followed by saying, “Exactly.
Master abandoned us and left.
From now on, the Clear Firmament Sect has only one leader.
We are the New Clear Firmament Sect; it’s just that Senior Brother is nostalgic and uses the old name.”