The Fan family’s affairs were dealt with swiftly.
Although the Myriad Dao Sect’s reinforcements never arrived, they ordered the affiliated sects nearby to handle everything. After all, even if they had come in person, all they would have found was a pile of ruins.
The cultivators from the affiliated sects were exceptionally respectful toward Qu Yougu. When they saw that the Fan family estate had been almost completely leveled, the apprehension in their eyes deepened.
As expected of a Daoist heir.
His divine abilities were truly profound. How else could he have reduced the Fan family to such a state?
A few members of the Fan family had survived, but as soon as they saw the sect’s people arrive, they each gathered up whatever valuables they could and vanished without a trace.
If they left now, the worst that would happen was that they would become rogue cultivators. They could simply change their names and identities in the future.
If they stayed, however, they would be questioned and punished. No one knew what fate awaited them then.
Besides, since they had survived the Fan family’s bloodline forbidden technique, that meant they were not members of the Fan family at all. Why would they risk offending the Myriad Dao Sect for the sake of the Fans?
After appraising and converting all of the Fan family’s assets, shops, spirit fields, and other holdings into their equivalent value, the affiliated sects divided everything into two portions according to Qu Yougu’s instructions. One portion was given to Shu Xin.
Shu Xin’s junior brothers and sisters stared at the goods in shock.
Half of the Fan family’s wealth now belonged to them?
This… this money had come far too quickly.
Shu Xin accepted everything without changing expression and gave Qu Yougu a slight nod. “We’ll be returning to the Inquiry God Sect. If you have some free time after dealing with matters here, Fellow Daoist Qu, you’re welcome to visit our sect.”
“Certainly.” Qu Yougu cupped his hands.
There were still some loose ends to deal with at the Fan family estate, and he also needed to return to the sect to report the truth about the bloodline forbidden technique.
He would also need to organize all the information regarding Shu Xin and the others once he returned.
Only then did Shu Xin bid farewell to Qu Yougu. He sent Xu Guan a message as well before leading his junior brothers and sisters back toward the Inquiry God Sect.
At the same time, Xu Guan, who had received the message, was currently drinking and making merry with a group of people in a second-rate sect.
Since becoming famous, this was the first time Xu Guan had ever been so warmly welcomed.
When his cultivation had still been low and he had not yet reached a hundred years of age, he had already been one or two major realms ahead of his peers. Wherever he went, his former master would proudly parade him around, proving that the Inquiry God Sect had a promising successor. Whether those peers were willing or not, they had all been forced to address him respectfully as Senior, so Xu Guan had never really made any friends.
Even when a few people deliberately approached him, they often found it difficult to calm their emotions after seeing how quickly Xu Guan cultivated and how selflessly his master protected and nurtured him. Before long, they would part ways with him.
After Xu Guan became the youngest cultivator to reach the Immaculate realm, the cultivators he met at the same level looked at him as though their gazes had been dipped in poison.
Everyone knew that advancing from the Grotto-Heaven realm to the Immaculate realm required not only immense cultivation resources, but also a sufficiently steadfast Dao heart and considerable fortune.
Even among the countless prodigies of the Nine Sects and Ten Schools, many were unable to break through to the Immaculate realm. The Grotto-Heaven realm alone had already stopped batch after batch of cultivators in their tracks. Yet Xu Guan, a cultivator from a declining sect, had managed to advance so quickly. His master had even been willing to abandon her own cultivation to elevate him.
How could anyone feel good about such an experience?
Just like Qin Rushan, who had asked himself countless times: Why?
Xu Guan, you’re nothing more than a cultivator from a declining sect. You should have struggled along just like all the other cultivators from declining sects. So why are you able to live so powerfully and so freely? Why has your cultivation not declined after all these years, but instead continued to rise steadily?
Whenever they saw Xu Guan, they felt as though all their years of cultivation had been wasted on a dog.
“Fellow Daoist Xu, why have you stopped?” the sect master asked with a smile, raising his wine cup. “Is the fine wine and food not to your liking? Or have you already grown tired of the musicians and dancers raised by my sect?”
“No, it’s just that my disciples have returned from their travels, so as their master, I should be heading back as well.” Xu Guan smiled faintly. He then sent a voice transmission to Yi Renjie, who was outside sparring with the sect’s disciples, signaling him to finish quickly so they could return to their sect together.
“Speaking of Fellow Daoist Xu’s disciples, they truly are dragons and phoenixes among men,” the sect master said with a smile. “The disciple you brought with you has an excellent temperament and a solid foundation. His future cultivation certainly won’t be limited. For a sect like ours, talents such as your disciple are exactly what we desire most.
“Come to think of it, my sect also has quite a few female disciples of suitable age and cultivation. Some even possess special constitutions compatible with dual cultivation. If Fellow Daoist Xu is willing, our two sects could arrange a happy union.”
With Xu Guan attending banquets and social gatherings over the past several days, and with many sects piecing together quite a few complete cultivation manuals from the jade slips he had given them, their curiosity about the Inquiry God Sect’s foundations had only grown.
If the Inquiry God Sect truly possessed deep foundations and was merely going through a period of decline, then investing in it a little might not be a bad idea.
“Hahaha, I’ve never interfered in my disciples’ romantic affairs. I don’t understand such things myself, so how could I demand anything of them?” Xu Guan replied with a beaming smile as he turned down the offer. “Of course, if they truly take a liking to someone, I wouldn’t object.”
“Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Xu, you’re not yet three hundred years old. In our cultivation world, that makes you a young prodigy.” The sect master looked at Xu Guan and sighed. “You possess the bearing of an immortal. If you were willing, who knows how many female cultivators from various sects would gladly offer themselves to you? Do you have anyone in mind? I’d be happy to arrange a match. Even formidable female cultivators from the Nine Sects and Ten Schools would likely be willing.”
At Xu Guan’s age, most cultivators from other sects were still in the Dao Nascent stage.
Yet he had already been a famous grand cultivator for many years.
On top of that, he was the master of a sect and had limitless prospects ahead of him. Becoming his Dao companion would bring benefits too numerous to calculate in a short time.
“Me?” Ever since becoming a sect master, Xu Guan had rarely found anyone trying to arrange a match for him.
“I don’t have particularly high standards for a female cultivator. She only needs to reach the Immaculate realm within three hundred years, just as I did,” Xu Guan said lazily. “Otherwise, I could only watch my Dao companion grow old day by day as her path to the Dao came to an end. How could I cultivate in peace then? Since we are Dao companions, we should naturally support each other until we achieve the Great Dao.”
Upon hearing this, the sect master fell silent.
Wasn’t Xu Guan asking for the impossible?
No wonder he was still young, yet had no one by his side.
Besides, “Dao companion” was merely a pleasant phrase. Once one died, they could simply find another. Wouldn’t constantly staying with the same person eventually become tiresome?
Ultimately, Xu Guan was simply too young and naïve.
A cultivator’s thoughts changed with time.
Especially when they realized that their lifespans were gradually running out and that they had reached an impasse in their cultivation. Only then would they understand that they had never been the one exception.
Xu Guan took Yi Renjie with him, and before long they had bid farewell to the sect and set out on the road back to the Questioning God Sect.
“Master, we received so many gifts this time. I did the math—if we exchange them for resources, they should be enough to help our junior brothers and sisters break through to the Dao Infant stage,” Yi Renjie said.
Xu Guan naturally would never bother calculating such things, but Yi Renjie had to make plans for his junior brothers and sisters.
In the past, their sect had always been so poor that they had to haggle over every spirit stone. Now, they had finally found a reliable way to make money.
Yi Renjie had even noticed that quite a few cultivators in various sects were practicing the cultivation techniques they had given away.
No wonder his master had deliberately written so many more introductory chapters for those techniques.
Only when enough people practiced them, and those sects recognized the value of the techniques, would they continue begging the Questioning God Sect for more.
Even if all their jade slips containing the techniques were given away one day, it would not matter. By then, the disciples of the Questioning God Sect would already possess enough strength to protect themselves and would no longer need to rely on such methods to make money.
“Mm. You must set aside a share for your eldest senior sister as well,” Xu Guan reminded him. “She may not need it, but she must not be left out.”
“Don’t worry, Master. How could I forget Eldest Senior Sister?” Yi Renjie said with a smile. “They only traveled down the mountain for a year before coming back. I doubt they earned many spirit stones.”
Yi Renjie remembered that whenever his master went out on a mission in the past, even the shortest assignments took three to five months. The longer ones lasted anywhere from a year to two years.
In Yi Renjie’s estimation, his junior brothers and sisters had probably only taken on some minor task. They likely had barely experienced any hardship before crying and begging to return.
Either Eldest Senior Sister had been too strict, or his junior brothers and sisters simply could not endure suffering.
Well, no matter what the reason was, he would have to give them a proper scolding once they returned.
A period of travel and experience should last at least three to five years. How could they have come back so quickly?
By the time Xu Guan and Yi Renjie leisurely returned to the Questioning God Sect, they nearly thought they had come to the wrong place.
The sect gate, which had once stood on a completely barren mountain, now had a massive stone stele erected beside it.
Even the road leading down the mountain had been paved with slabs of golden jade.
Golden-jade paving stones were extremely valuable in the mortal world, but in the cultivation world, they were merely somewhat upscale decorative materials. Still, paving such a long road with them was a considerable expense for a sect like the Questioning God Sect.
“Master, why do I feel that the spiritual energy around our sect has become much denser?” Yi Renjie asked, wondering if his senses were mistaken.
But when he stepped into the territory of the Questioning God Sect, he genuinely felt the fluctuations of spiritual energy.
He was stunned.
Their Questioning God Sect actually had spiritual energy now?
“You’re not mistaken.” Xu Guan’s expression turned solemn. “We’re still quite a distance from the sect. If we can sense spiritual energy from this far away, then someone must have set up a spirit-gathering array that cost a great many spirit stones.”
“That’s such a waste.” Having grown up enduring poverty alongside Xu Guan, Yi Renjie immediately began calculating every expense. “Aside from nourishing the wildflowers and weeds on the mountain, all this spiritual energy serves no purpose. Even if they earned some spirit stones from their missions outside, they shouldn’t be spending them like this.”
Xu Guan had already swept the area with his divine sense, and he fell silent.
After a long while, Xu Guan looked at Yi Renjie and patted him on the shoulder.
“Take out the spirit stones I had hidden away before as well. After making a calculation, I believe your eldest senior sister and the others must have earned quite a lot.”
The expenses involved in renovating the entire Questioning God Sect were almost greater than what they had earned.
As Xu Guan and Yi Renjie continued up the mountain, they became even more bewildered by the sights along the way.
“They’ve actually started planting spiritual flowers and herbs on the mountain?”
“Wait. Why are there several spirit-beast cubs running around?”
“This is a defensive formation? Junior Sister Cao really shouldn’t have wasted money setting up one here.”
“…Wasn’t our residence perfectly fine? Why did they renovate it?”
“Master, look! They even opened up spiritual fields. What, are they planning to hire mortals and rogue cultivators to work the land?”
…
“Master, did Eldest Senior Sister and the others earn a little too much?” Yi Renjie was beginning to panic. “You can’t make this much from ordinary missions. They didn’t resort to robbing and plundering hundreds of cultivators, did they?”
Back when Xu Guan left the sect to take on missions, Yi Renjie was responsible for looking after the cultivation and daily lives of his junior brothers and sisters. The spirit stones Xu Guan sent back were all spent by him, so he knew the prices of goods in the outside world like the back of his hand.
Yi Renjie had not never considered properly renovating the sect. But after calculating the cost, he had decided that the money was better spent where it was truly needed.
But now, it felt as though Eldest Senior Sister had led his junior brothers and sisters in robbing at least several hundred cultivators. Otherwise, there was no way they could have earned this much money!
“It’s fine. With your master here, no one will be able to find us if they come looking at our gate. At worst, we’ll have Shu Xin and the others hide for a while and wait a few years before going down the mountain again.” Xu Guan had already begun to suspect that Shu Xin and the others had offended too many people outside and returned to the sect to hide from trouble.
“Master, Second Senior Brother, you’re finally back!”
“Why did you take so long?”
“Master, Second Senior Brother, we even had new robes made for you, and we brought back lots of local specialties!”
Several disciples had already come down the mountain to welcome their master and second senior brother.
Hehe, Eldest Senior Sister had said that returning home in glory was the only way to make a journey worthwhile.
They had earned so many spirit stones. If they did not show off to their master and senior brother, wouldn’t their entire trip have been for nothing?
Seeing the astonished expressions on their master’s and senior brother’s faces filled them with satisfaction.
Their efforts had not been wasted. After all their scheming and planning along the way, they had finally renovated the entire sect until it actually looked like one.
They had not felt much after going out, except for one thing: their sect was truly too poor.
“Master, don’t worry. You worked so hard to raise us before. Now that we have money, leave the future of the sect to us,” Yuan Dawei said, thumping his chest. “We’re not short of spirit stones anymore.”
“You’ve earned a few spirit stones and already have your tails in the air? What a waste.” Yi Renjie did not hold back at all. He smacked Yuan Dawei on the head.
He was considerably more polite with the two junior sisters.
“Second Senior Brother, we really earned a lot of spirit stones this time,” Cao Ru and Li Qinghe hurriedly explained. “We haven’t even spent a third of what we earned. Eldest Senior Sister said that she had already set aside enough spirit stones for all of us to cultivate to the Dao Infant stage. These were merely necessary expenses. Otherwise, when we make friends outside in the future, it would be embarrassing if we couldn’t invite them to visit our sect.”
They had earned that much?
Judging by their appearance, they certainly did not look as though they had returned to the sect after being hunted down.
“How many missions did you take this time?” Xu Guan asked curiously.
He had taken missions before as well, but he had never earned this much.
“Just one. We escorted the Hu family to the Myriad Dao Sect. They paid us one thousand spirit stones,” Qi Feiyang replied.
Xu Guan and Yi Renjie exclaimed in unison, “The same Hu family where the Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator was active?”
“Hey, Master, you’ve heard about it too?” Yuan Dawei said with a grin. “That’s right, the Hu family.”
When Xu Guan and Yi Renjie went to the banquet, they had naturally heard about the incident as well. They had even heard that the Daoist heir of the Myriad Dao Sect had been involved.
“Then your mission certainly broadened your horizons,” Xu Guan said, rather pleased. “Whether it was the Myriad Dao Sect or the Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator, it’s rare to encounter people like that out in the world. Being able to witness such an incident counts as making this trip worthwhile.”
The conflict between the Myriad Dao Sect and the Spirit-Possessing Demon Sect was something ordinary cultivators would die for getting involved in.
It seemed Shu Xin really was experienced and cautious. She had taken her junior brothers and sisters along without getting too deeply involved in the matter. Otherwise, there was no way all her disciples could have returned in one piece.
“Exactly. Master, you have no idea how powerful that Myriad-Bone Spirit-Devouring Vine was. No matter how much we cut it, it just wouldn’t stop growing back. And that Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator was so hard to kill! Senior Sister chased him all the way to the Fan family. The Fan family even used a forbidden bloodline art. The members of the Fan family standing in front of us suddenly turned into dried corpses. It was terrifying…”
Xu Guan and Yi Renjie listened, completely bewildered.
“Wait, Dawei. Start from the beginning and tell us properly. What exactly did you encounter on this trip down the mountain?” Xu Guan hurriedly asked.
“All right, Master.” Yuan Dawei’s face lit up with excitement. “I guarantee I’ll tell you every detail without leaving out a single word.”
He had been waiting here specifically for his master to ask!
When Xu Guan and Yi Renjie officially returned to the sect, they found that their original residence had been completely transformed.
Carved beams and painted rafters made it look like a celestial paradise.
Shu Xin had even found cultivators to carve an artificial waterfall into the mountain behind the sect, giving the place even more of an immortal’s abode.
Yi Renjie was still silently wallowing in disappointment. The look he gave his master was filled with resentment.
The Hu family and the Fan family. Senior Sister personally teaching them how to guard against fraud.
The battle between the Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator and the Daoist heir. Even the palm strike from a Great Ascension cultivator of the Myriad Dao Sect, who had flown across ten thousand miles to reach them.
Every one of these events sounded like something one could hear only in a storyteller’s tale.
Yet his junior brothers and sisters had experienced all of them firsthand.
An adventure like this was something an ordinary person might not encounter even once in a hundred years, let alone one.
And he had actually missed such an incredible opportunity?
Xu Guan pretended not to notice his eldest disciple Yi Renjie’s gaze. Affecting an air of calm, he said, “The cultivation world is full of extraordinary people. As long as you live long enough and your cultivation improves, you’ll encounter these things sooner or later. I made a name for myself at a young age and faced countless assassination attempts. What’s there to be surprised about?”
To be honest, though, even he had not encountered such things very often.
There were many cultivators in the cultivation world, but the world itself was vast. To get caught up in so many incidents within a single year was difficult even under normal circumstances.
“Master, the world below the mountain is truly terrifying. Back when you were raising us, you went down the mountain every day to face things like this. It really wasn’t easy for you,” Cao Ru said sincerely.
A trace of embarrassment crossed Xu Guan’s face. “It was actually all right. Your master was alone, after all, and my strength was passable. Protecting myself was never a problem.”
He knew his disciples well. Among ordinary cultivators, these few disciples of his were outstanding. But when compared with the entire cultivation world, they were merely somewhat more capable young people.
If they had truly been caught up in an incident like this, they would have died countless times over.
The fact that they had encountered so many dangers and still returned safely was absolutely thanks to Shu Xin.
He had heard that those with extraordinary talent were often envied by the heavens. When Xu Guan was young, he had indeed faced quite a few attempts on his life, but never to this extent.
All he could say was that Shu Xin’s fortune was even more astonishing than he had imagined.
It seemed he had taken on an extraordinary disciple.
For the first time, Xu Guan felt that advancing to the Great Ascension realm as soon as possible was a heavy responsibility.
Otherwise, if Shu Xin went down the mountain a few more times, this mere Boundless Purity cultivator would probably be unable to protect his disciple.
He suddenly understood why his own master had worn such a complicated expression whenever he watched Xu Guan cultivate.
Sigh. Having a disciple who was too outstanding also put far too much pressure on the master.
“By the way, Master, Qu Yougu, the Daoist heir of the Myriad Dao Sect, sent word a few days ago. He wants to visit the sect and pay his respects to you and Senior Sister,” Yuan Dawei added, dropping another bombshell. “Master, you need to be prepared.”
The Myriad Dao Sect?
Xu Guan sighed.
First the Longevity Dao Sect, and now the Myriad Dao Sect.
He felt that he had charged too few spirit stones when he accepted Shu Xin as his disciple.
He was clearly still so young, yet he already felt as though he were growing white hairs.
“So be it. I truly haven’t gone into seclusion in many years.” Xu Guan was very helpless. “After meeting this Daoist heir, I’ll enter seclusion.”
The pressure was simply too great.
As her master, he couldn’t possibly be inferior to his own disciple.
Shu Xin was currently cultivating in the back mountains.
Now that she had money, she had specifically carved out a cave dwelling for herself. She had arranged it much as she had in the past. It was barely suitable for living in.
Situ Jian’s reply finally arrived as well.
“Hmm? He wants to come and see me personally?” Shu Xin looked at the letter that the sword spirit had brought back, somewhat puzzled. “Didn’t I already give him the formula?”
He’s a disciple of the Nine Sons of Longevity now, so he has much more freedom than before. Besides, with the Lin family fallen, there’s nothing left to restrain him. Coming to see you is perfectly aboveboard.
The sword spirit was unusually sheepish. It had merely developed a slight rebellious streak after being sent out by Shu Xin again and again to deliver letters, and had deliberately wanted to see Shu Xin make a fool of herself.
After all, Qu Yougu would soon be visiting the Questioning God Sect to pay Shu Xin a visit as well.
It really couldn’t understand Shu Xin. Her personality was nothing special, yet she somehow attracted an astonishing number of admirers.
There was no need to mention the past few years. Even before entering the Longevity Dao Sect, when she had been wandering from place to place with Situ Jian and hiding from pursuers, there had always been people expressing their affection for her.
Cultivators generally admired the strong.
When a young, powerful, intelligent female cultivator appeared before you, rescued you, and helped you, there was simply no resisting her. Men and women alike threw themselves at her like moths to a flame. Countless people had wanted to wander the world alongside Shu Xin.
During those years, Shu Xin had to change her name and appearance every time she went somewhere new. She had always assumed it was because she had too many enemies.
The sword spirit could only say that those cultivators were all shallow.
They could see only that Shu Xin was powerful, highly cultivated, and witty. They couldn’t see how dark-hearted she was—or how much trouble she attracted.
“Come to think of it, Jingzhi may have some problems with his body after absorbing the Lin family ancestor’s cultivation,” Shu Xin said after a moment. She tapped the sword spirit’s blade again. “The cultivation technique you gave him back then wasn’t discovered by anyone from the Longevity Dao Sect, was it?”
It won’t be. Unless someone takes possession of his body.
The sword spirit replied, “Heaven-Stealing Transposition has already succeeded, so he is no longer an ordinary mortal. This technique was lost long ago. Even the Earth Immortals of the Longevity Dao Sect can’t see through it. You can rest easy.”
“That’s good.” Shu Xin finally relaxed. “It’s been a long time since I last saw him, too. After years of planning, I can finally relax for a little while.”
They were no longer people hunted by enemies from every corner, nor did they have to conceal their identities within the Longevity Dao Sect while desperately building up their strength.
Now, she had moved to a place where she enjoyed far more freedom, while he had gained status within the Longevity Dao Sect and taken another step toward his goal.
Everything was developing in a positive direction.
【What will you do if Qu Yougu and Situ Jian happen to run into each other?】 The sword spirit still couldn’t resist sneaking in a bit of gossip. It was practically dying to see that scene.
“What would I do? I’d introduce them to each other, of course.” Shu Xin answered indifferently. “One is the Daoist heir of the Myriad Dao Sect, and the other is the disciple of one of the Nine Sons of Longevity. Now that they’re both in the Grotto-Heaven Realm, they can naturally interact as equals.”
【Ohhh.】 The sword spirit suppressed its schadenfreude, though it still felt a little sympathy for the two of them.
Poor things.
