Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 249: Governing the Clan
"Two people with three spiritual roots, and seven people with four spiritual roots." Kang Dabao nodded. This situation was much better than he had expected. Finally, two disciples with three spiritual roots came to become his disciples.

You know, in the small families around here, a fairy seedling with three spiritual roots can be regarded as a pillar of the family.

For those families with a small number of people, they may not be able to wait for such a person for half a century.

For the current Chongming Sect, three spiritual roots are not considered a lot. There are only four or five in the sect so far, so Chongming Sect did not make any further considerations and accepted all the three spiritual roots immortal seedlings who came to pay homage to the sect.

Of course, this is also because these two immortal seedlings have clean family backgrounds.

One of them was from the He family in Hong County. He was from a branch of the He family and, in terms of seniority, was a cousin of He Yuanbing.

In the past, He Degong would have found it difficult to make such a decision. But now the He family in Hong County is not as prosperous as before, while the Chongming clan is becoming more prosperous.

Now that He Degong is not here, he can still rely on his elder brother's legacy and send people off when he has the chance to talk to his brothers like Chong Mingzong.

Then after a few years, when this layer of favors becomes even weaker, the He family might not be able to send gifts even if they want to.

The other person was a teacher who had come here by chance to seek immortality after a bumpy journey.

This time, Chongming Sect opened its gates, and the people who came were not only immortal cultivators. Many wealthy and powerful mortals also brought their sons and nephews of the right age to try their luck.

However, the spiritual roots of the nephews and nieces they brought with them had never been tested before, and very few of them were selected.

Compared with the children of small families with more complicated family backgrounds, the heads of Chongming Sect are more inclined to choose disciples from these people.

After all, the fact that it is difficult to raise family members is not only known to the elders of Puzhou Shishan Sect.

The Chongming Sect had never gained momentum in the past, and immortal seedlings were scarce. Even Mo'er, who had five spiritual roots, was cultivating them with great effort.

In this context, the head of the Kang family would naturally be happy to accept some disciples from small Qi-cultivating families like He Yuanbing as his disciples.

Later, when the situation became clearer, even if it was a three-spiritual-root immortal seedling like Mingzhe, Kang Dabao might not be willing to accept him if he had not been bound by Master Ming's affection and could not break free.

On the contrary, for mortals seeking immortality like this teacher who has a clean background and outstanding qualifications, Master Kang would naturally be happy to accept as many as possible.

He was just lucky to have met a kind-hearted person like Mo Ku; if he had met other Chongming disciples, they might not have stopped and wasted time to deal with such a ragged and dirty mortal.

Mo Ku felt that this teacher was truly pitiful and was touched by his sincerity. He also seemed to see a bit of his former self in him.

So he took out the spirit measuring ruler to give it a try. Before this, he had never thought that a rare three spiritual roots would appear.

Even though this teacher is already twenty-five years old, the turbid energy has already sunk into his tendons and veins. His cultivation speed is much more difficult than that of younger immortal seedlings. It can be said that he has almost no hope of building a foundation.

But according to his three spiritual roots, as long as he is willing to work hard in the future, it will not be difficult for him to become a late-stage cultivator in his sixties or seventies. By then, he will be qualified to be a core disciple in a sect like Chongming Sect, so he can be accepted naturally.

As for why the Four Spiritual Root Immortal Seedlings only accepted seven people, it was certainly not because these were the only people who came to seek immortality.

One of the reasons why so few were admitted was that Chongming Sect could not support too many disciples; the second reason was that Chongming Sect had added some more examination items for the four spiritual root immortal seedlings.

"No family members over eight years old will be accepted"

"If any of the family members, sons, fathers or mothers are monks, they will not be accepted."

"Those with bad character will not be accepted"

"Those with a bone age of 12 years or older will not be accepted."

He wrote a great many articles, most of which were designed for the children of small families.

In fact, they are just afraid that these family members will be too attached to the clan. If they succeed in cultivation in the future by relying on the resources provided by the sect, they may sacrifice public interests for personal gain and do things that damage the interests of the sect and support their families.

To be fair, such requirements are a bit harsh for these small families.

After all, he sent his family's immortal seedlings to become his disciple, so he must have wanted to have some relationship with the Chongming Sect.

It is not easy for a small family to run a household. As long as they can get a little taste of lynx skin, life at home may become much better.

But the way Chongming Sect selected the talents really took all their little tricks into consideration. Even a large sect that had been building its foundation for many years would not be so strict.

But the great master Kang also had something to say. After all, the opening of the Chongming Sect's mountain gate this time was different from other major foundation-building sects.

If the family member were to join the sect this time, Chongming Sect would not accept even a single gift from a broken spirit. Moreover, the outside world had heard about the generous treatment of Chongming Sect disciples.

A late-stage independent cultivator with inferior means, after running around for a year, could not necessarily save as many spirit stones as a new disciple of the Chongming Sect.

If not for this, the heads of these small families would not have gone through so much trouble to bring their young ones across states and counties to come to Chongming Sect to become disciples.

Although these selected young men from small families have less connection with the family, blood is thicker than water after all, and there is always some relationship between the family and them.

What's more, these heads of families also have their own means. Those who have a long-term vision will know that they should squeeze out some resources from their teeth to send to these disciples.

People are all made of flesh and blood, and if things go on like this, there's no doubt that they will feel some gratitude towards their clan.

These actions are beyond the control of the head of Kangda.

After all, since Chongming Sect has enjoyed the ready-made, fresh immortal seedlings, it should bear the consequences. There is still a fight between the sect and the family to win the hearts of the people.

Kang Dabao put away the list, looked up at Pei Yi and said softly:

“Junior Brother Pei, I have taken great care in the spiritual awakening of these disciples and urged Zhang Le to teach them well, but Zhang Le is still a little short of her level of cultivation.

Junior brothers can also issue some enlightenment tasks in the Good Deeds Hall, and let the disciples who have time at home take them up and help out. Junior brothers don’t have to worry about these good deeds, they can just pay for them from the public treasury.”

"Junior brother, I will obey your orders," said the head of Kangda. Pei Yi agreed, but his thoughts were also opened. He said, "Brother, after hearing what you said, I remembered something I have always wanted to do."

"Junior brother, you can talk as you please."

“Reporting to the head brother, it is all thanks to the great legacy of our master and the good management of the family by our brother that we now have most of the first-level inheritances of various arts in the sect.

Previously, Senior Brother selected a group of disciples to learn hundreds of arts, which was a wise move. Unexpectedly, the Qingyun League rebelled, which disrupted Senior Brother's plan. Now, the disciples who had spent a lot of effort to train have either died in the king's affairs or...
Currently, except for the five arts of alchemy, weapons, farming, spiritual observation, and formations, there are no disciples of high enough rank to teach the other hundred arts.

So I am thinking whether we can hire a group of talented guest cultivators to stay in the sect and guide the disciples to learn various arts. If one or two promising talents emerge, it will certainly increase the foundation of the sect."

Pei Yi expressed his ideas in an orderly manner. Kang Dabao thought about it for a while and was somewhat interested.

It is a common thing in Yunjiaozhou to hire a master who is proficient in all arts for one's own disciples.

Just like the head of Kangda back then, he sent his junior fellow apprentice Yuan Jin to Master Qi to become his apprentice and learn to be an instrument maker.

However, among the independent cultivators in Yunjiao Province, there are only a few who have achieved good accomplishments and have property and businesses like Master Qi.

Most casual cultivators with low attainments in the various arts, even if they open a school to teach disciples, their shallow attainments cannot attract others to become their disciples. After working hard throughout the year, they can only save a few spiritual stones for food.

The situation of Sect Leader Kang Da was similar to that of the following independent cultivators. Before he lowered his head to become a traveling merchant, Kang Dabao also made talismans for a few days.

After working hard for half a year, I didn't earn any spirit stones, but instead earned the words "expenditure not enough to cover income", not to mention earning some food for my two junior brothers.

The independent cultivators that Pei Yi just mentioned wanting to hire to build the foundation were certainly not the group of people mentioned later.

Although it is rare to find a casual cultivator who has a first-level mid-to-low-quality craft, as long as you look for it carefully, you can always find some. The world is not doing well now, and many cultivators who rely on hundreds of arts for a living are not living as well as before.

Just look at Zhou Yixiu as an example. His accomplishments as a farmer are already top-notch among casual Qigong practitioners, but his ability in fighting is very poor.

If Jiang Qing and Kang Rongquan had not found him when Xuanwei City was broken, he would not have become a powerful elder of a foundation-building sect like he is now.

If they walked a few more miles, Zhou Yixiu's entire family would be killed by the robber who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

So it is true that craftsmen will not starve to death due to natural disasters, but if they can find a stable and safe place to practice in peace, and earn some food with their skills, most of these skilled casual practitioners will come.

Once the Chongming Sect's recruitment notice was released, it would not be difficult to hire guest teachers. After all, if they met a generous host, these guest teachers could also get some unimportant classics for reference, which would be a great help to their already somewhat scarce cultivation knowledge.

Another thing is that the title of a sect's guest official always has the word "guest official" on it. When you say it, it not only increases your status, but also serves as an additional layer of security.

Finally, if a sect leader is accepted as a disciple, and if this disciple has good fortune in the future, as the master of the martial arts, I will always get some credit. Who knows, the life of this guest cultivator will undergo earth-shaking changes because of this.

In the past, Kang Dabao always worried that Emperor Chongming only had a few of his own, and was afraid that if he invited a capable guest official, someone would usurp the throne and take over the emperor's position.

Therefore, in the past, Sect Leader Kang had always been very cautious about recruiting independent cultivators.

But now is different from the past. Chongming Sect now has two people who have established their foundation in Bingye, and there are dozens of disciples who are all proficient in magic. So there is no need to worry about a few Qi training guests joining the sect and causing any trouble.

Under this circumstance, Pei Yi's proposal is naturally worthy of Kang Dabao's serious consideration.

Not long after, I saw Master Kang nodded slowly and agreed:

"Then Junior Brother, go ahead and do it. In addition to testing their skills, you should also carefully identify the mentalities and conduct of these casual cultivators. If there is any deficiency, then no matter how high their attainments are, we cannot employ them! There is no rush for this matter. Junior Brother, just take your time. It is better to have nothing than to have something of poor quality."

Pei Yi responded seriously and stepped back to sit.

The head of Kangda sighed in his heart. Pei Yi is now doing things in an organized manner and his appearance is not low either. He is becoming more and more like a qualified successor.

Can.
When Kang Dabao thought of this, he picked up the cold tea beside him and drank it all in one gulp, dispelling some of his messy thoughts.

The matter of hiring independent cultivators as guest officials was a sudden idea even for Pei Yi, and it was certainly not on the list of items that Sect Leader Kang was supposed to discuss.

Now that this matter has been discussed, Kang Dabao will talk about what he is most concerned about. He scanned the crowd twice and suddenly asked suspiciously, "Why isn't Junior Brother Niu here?"

"This," the foreign affairs steward Chu Huer was panicked and looked embarrassed.

At this time, Pei Yi also looked over and frowned, saying, "Junior Brother Chu, is there something we cannot listen to?"

"Reporting to the head brother, Junior Brother Niu Kuang took a few extra pieces of Areca flower when he was entertaining guests just now, and he felt dizzy from the fragrance. He is now taking wine to dissipate the fragrance." Chu Huer was forced by Pei Yi's words and eyes, but he did not dare to hide it and told everything.

As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Qing frowned, Ye Zhengwen looked normal, but Yuan Jin and Zhou Yixiu looked unhappy.

"Alas!" Pei Yi, a modest gentleman, was so angry that he cursed and stepped out again: "Master, Niu Kuang has refused to change despite repeated admonitions. He is no longer qualified to be the guardian of Chongming Town. I beg you to dismiss him immediately to rectify the sect's morals and see what happens next!"

"Well, then let's do as Junior Brother Pei says." The head of Kangda Sect readily agreed to Pei Yi's request. It was not to suppress the disciples of Shandugang, but Niu Kuang's behavior was indeed excessive.

In fact, ever since Jiang Qing and himself had established their foundations, the slightest bit of sectarianism in Kang Dabao's heart had long since disappeared.

It has only been a short time since he achieved the Jade Foundation, and he still does not know what magical powers it has, but during this period of time, he has figured out two benefits.

One is that after building the foundation, the spiritual energy in the body is like a long stream flowing into the sea, endless.

Relying on the unique art of "Chang Xi Jue", although Master Kang has just established his foundation, he estimates that in terms of sufficient spiritual power, he is probably able to compete with some cultivators who have been in the middle stage of foundation building for many years.

The second is that the jade-colored foundation-building period increases the lifespan by one decade compared to the ordinary foundation-building period, so one can live for three hundred years.

In terms of this advantage alone, Kang Dabao is not much worse than those fake elixir makers who have gone through untold hardships to make the fake elixir.

With the support of these two benefits, even if Pei Yi has built his foundation normally, he is about the same age as the head of Kangda, and there is a difference of sixty years in lifespan. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for him to take over the latter's job.

Therefore, what the head of Kangda did was entirely out of public interest.

If the sect rules were to be strictly followed, it would not be as simple as dismissing Niu Kuang.

Taking langhua tablets is a favorite pastime for many monks, but it is of no benefit to cultivation. For monks who lack self-control, it is normal for them to lose all their energy and die after taking langhua tablets.

Under the strict supervision of Master Kang, the disciples raised by the Chongming Sect did not dare to touch any of these things.

However, most of the disciples of Shandugang were independent practitioners, and some of them had been undisciplined for a long time, so they developed bad habits such as drinking spiritual wine and taking betel flowers.

If it weren't for the fact that Niu Kuang had worked very hard in the battle of Xiaowu Mountain, given his repeated delays in important matters, Sect Leader Kang would probably have given him some spirit stones and kicked him out.

"Third brother, after the meeting, send Yuan Bing to guard Chongming City. His term of office is tentatively set at two years. We will discuss his stay or departure after the term is completed." Kang Dabao thought for a while before speaking to Jiang Qingyan.

Jiang Qing stood up to receive the order, but the head of Kang had not yet finished his words: "After the report arrives, the following things must be done. Third brother, please remember them."

"First, the Lord of Chongming City, Kang Dahou, has just passed away. As the guardian of Chongming City, he needs to examine the character and ability of the successor to the city lord. If someone is not capable of taking on the responsibility, he can be exempted from responsibility on the spot and someone else can be selected to take the position."

Kang Dahou died before Kang Dabao came out of seclusion. Unfortunately, the latter had indulged in sensual pleasures over the years and had lost a lot of health. After a serious illness, he could not be saved even with the use of magical medicine.

It is really sad to say that if Kang Dahou could hold on for another ten days or so, he would be able to see the first true foundation-building cultivator in the history of the Chongming Kang family.

The new city lord used the eldest member of the Kang family, Kang Dahou's grandson. When Yuan Jin was in charge of the clan, the task of testing the new city lord was originally given to Niu Kuang.

Niu Kuang praised him to bits in his reply, but after seeing his recent performance, Sect Leader Kang was a little worried.

Mortals are the foundation of cultivators. After years of irregularly collecting refugees, Chongming City now has more than 150,000 mortals under its jurisdiction.

This number has increased significantly compared to when Master Kang first took over, but the number of children of appropriate age available for Chongming Sect to test their spirits has not increased significantly over the years.

Kang Dabao knew that the problem was that he did not care enough about the affairs of ordinary people.

For many years, due to lack of manpower, there was not even a disciple to guard such a crucial place as Chongming Sect.

This has caused Kang Dahou, the current head of the clan, to have a rather corrupt style, and his superiors have set an example for his subordinates, and the children of the Chongming Kang family have followed suit under the banner of glorifying the family.

The wealthy families in the city were not willing to lag behind. If a family did not have a dozen pretty maids to serve them, how could they claim to be relatives of the immortals?
A large number of women of childbearing age were kept in the courtyard, and these wealthy families were not able to feed them well, so they could not give birth to many children.

If this trend is not stopped, the policy formulated by Master Kang over the years to recruit refugees will really become a convenience for these parasites to enjoy themselves!
"Secondly, we must issue an order immediately after Yuan Bing arrives at Chongming City: No one except those who have reached the level of bone refining warriors or above may take concubines. Those who violate this order will be expelled from Chongming. If warriors who have reached the level of bone refining, blood refining, or marrow refining want to take concubines, we must also set an upper limit, and the specific number will be determined by the City Lord's Mansion.

"Concubines cannot be taken privately, but must be registered. City clerks must register the number of children born to concubines every year. The 100 families with the fewest children will be fined grain, fines, and additional taxes."

Sect Leader Kang paused at this point, a hint of hatred showing on his face: "The master has already become a true cultivator at the foundation building stage, and he has only bitten off a piece of delicious meat! Those bastards are enjoying all the benefits."

Kang Dabao suppressed his anger and raised his voice:
"Third, all the mortals under your jurisdiction must be registered equally. No one except Emperor Wuzong may own slaves, and the number of slaves cannot exceed ten households. Those who violate this rule will be sent to the two mines in Tanggu County to mine! Set up towns, villages, bao, and jia, and evaluate the number of new mortals at each level every year. Those with more will be rewarded, and those with less will be punished!

But we must not rush for quick success. If a woman of childbearing age dies during childbirth, the head of the baojia system must be held accountable. If there are any black-hearted clerks who disregard human lives, they will also be sent to Tanggu County to mine!"

"Fourth, there is no such thing as fourth. After Yuan Bing takes office, he must check and fill in the gaps in the points I mentioned and do them carefully. Don't just read from the book!"

Seeing that Jiang Qing had memorized everything, Kang Dabao started to discuss the third matter with his fellow apprentices: "The Chongming Caravan."

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(End of this chapter)