Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 356: Foundation Building and Foundation Building

"Fellow Daoist Duan, how are you?" Lu Yunniang waited for Duan Anle in the side hall for half an hour before the latter finally arrived. It was not because Duan Anle was deliberately neglecting her, but because he had just returned from Chongming Market.

Now that Jin Shilun has taken over the position of the defender of Chongming City, the business of Chongming Tower has changed dramatically due to the growing popularity of Chongming Sect.

Mo'er and Zhou Xinran were simply unable to cope with the situation, so Zhou Xinran, as the disciple in charge of finances, submitted a proposal, asking the sect to send someone to help manage it.

But now, the younger generations of Chongming Sect are almost all devoted to cultivation, and they all have duties, so it is difficult to choose a suitable candidate at the moment. Even Duan Anle, because he was stuck in the bottleneck of cultivation recently, just made some time to take care of it for a while.

The younger generation couldn't pick a suitable candidate, so Duan Anle wanted to send Sun Fu, his uncle, in response to Zhou Xinran's request.

However, the latter had recently been promoted to the position of general affairs steward with great difficulty, and had selected a satisfactory disciple to keep by his side and urgently need to be trained, so he might not be willing to take this job.

His master was a hands-off leader, so Duan Anle needed to discuss this matter with Zhou Yixiu, who was absorbed in farming, before he could make a decision.

Although the latter's cultivation is low, he is an elder of the sect after all, and his position is more respected. His words are more effective than those of Duan Anle, a junior who is acting as a disciple of the Beast Garden to handle sect affairs.

Duan Anle put aside all the things in his mind and greeted Lu Yunniang politely: "Sorry for the long wait, Master Lu. It is Duan's fault. I hope you can forgive me."

Lu Yunniang pretended to be terrified. How could she dare to blame the disciple of Chongming Sect? Their Fangshishan Lu family had judged the situation in time and handed over the clan land to Chongming Sect and moved to Caishishan.

Apart from participating more in the conquests of the Chongming Sect and killing a number of Lu family members including the two heads of the Lu family, Lu Xun and Lu Zhen, all he gained were benefits.

Different from Master Kang who always cherishes the life of every disciple in his sect, for quite a few heads of small families, they are not afraid of some people dying for their masters, but they are afraid of people dying in vain and not getting any spirit stones.

When someone from the Lu family died, Chongming Sect would give them benefits. In the eyes of most Lu family cultivators, this was a fair deal, with no loss. Moreover, Chongming Sect gave more than other families, so this was a profitable deal.

By closely following the footsteps of the Chongming Sect, it is now Lu Yunniang's turn to be the head of the family twenty years later. Today, the Lu family has nearly fifty Qi-cultivating cultivators, both family members and outsiders, and even owns one or two first-grade low-quality spiritual mines. It can be considered a number one force in Pingrong County.

In the past, Lu Yunniang, the female cultivator of unattractive appearance, was the most astute in the entire Lu family. Now that she has become the head of the family, she knows how to cling to the support of the Chongming Sect.

Therefore, she has always been very humble. Normally, even if she sees an outer disciple of Chongming Sect, she will politely call him "fellow Taoist" without putting on airs of a senior at all.

After hearing Duan Anle's words, Lu Yunniang just said earnestly: "No, you are now highly regarded by the seniors of Chongming Sect and are entrusted with important tasks. It is I who am bothering you."

"I wonder why you are here, friend?" Duan Anle replied with a faint smile, not taking Lu Yunniang's flattery to heart at all.

"The fulminate of mercury mine in Xifeng Valley, Hong County is about to open, and they are recruiting some people to serve as guards. I have already found out that the person in charge of this matter is Senior Ji Yunsheng, one of the Four Friends of Hanshan, so..." Lu Yunniang bowed, "I would also like to ask Daoist Brother Duan to write a letter, so that I can go to Xifeng Valley to ask for an audience."

"Kuai En's plan to recruit a son-in-law and collect wages has spread very quickly. Even Lu Yunniang, who is honest and decent, can't stand it." Duan Anle sighed in his heart and continued:
"It is unfortunate that if Fellow Daoist Lu had come ten days ago, Senior Ji Yunsheng would have happened to be a guest at my house, looking for my Third Uncle to have a drink, and Fellow Daoist could have met him in person."

"Ah, it's such a bad coincidence, what a pity!" Lu Yunniang's face was full of regret, and then she said, "Daoyou Duan, about this letter."

"Fellow Daoist Lu's news is a little late. After Senior Ji Yunsheng visited my Third Uncle, the two elders went out together. He is no longer in charge of the West Wind Valley. The one in charge of the fulminate of mercury is Uncle Degong, the Patriarch of the He Family."

Duan Anle briefly told Lu Yunniang the news, and the latter immediately understood: "This is not the He family's fulminate of mercury, it is clearly the Chongming Sect's fulminate of mercury!"

"I wonder if Master He is still short of manpower? The Lu family is willing to help." Lu Yunniang continued to ask without saying anything.

"I have many old friends in the He family's uncle's place, so the fulminate of mercury mine is not short of manpower for the time being. However, there is another first-class spiritual lake, Jinlin Lake, in Hong County, which is also short of people to manage. I wonder if Brother Lu is willing to send some people over to help."

After Duan Anle finished speaking, he sighed in his heart.

Xu Liuxian was indeed a generous person. After seizing most of Lang Yi's assets, he returned to Chongming Sect only fertile lands. If it were not necessary, Duan Anle did not want to hand it over to his vassals for temporary management.

However, the Chongming Sect's foundation is too shallow, and it is difficult to send out enough manpower, so it can only benefit the relatively friendly Qi training forces such as the He family and the Lu family.

"Jinlin Lake?" Lu Yunniang had some impression of it. The water vein there was indeed good for a small family like the Lu family. The only thing worth considering was whether Chongming Sect would ask for a high price.

You have to know that the huge Jinlin Lake is not a brainless job like Lu Yunniang had originally planned, which is to provide some people and guard the mines.

If they want to have some output, they must first build formations, sort out water veins, test fish species, drive away evil beasts, hire beast masters, and buy magic tools. However, the current Lu family may not be able to come up with the initial amount of spirit stones.

Not to mention, there is no reason to get this spiritual lake for free. If Chongming Sect asks for too high a price, the Lu family might accept it and after years of hard work, they will still have to bear a lot of debt.

The risk is not small. The Lu family, which has just shown signs of prosperity, may repeat the same mistakes.

Lu Yunniang instinctively wanted to give up, but she was reluctant to do so. A hint of hesitation flashed across her face, and she then asked, "Fellow Daoist Duan, what do you think is the right amount?"

Duan Anle secretly praised in his heart. Even though Lu Yunniang is a woman, she made decisions much faster than Kuai En.

After hearing Lu Yunniang's question, he smiled faintly and made a gesture: "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Lu, our two families have known each other for many years, and everything can be discussed easily."

Lu Yunniang plotted for a while and thought to herself, "The price that Duan Anle offered is not high. It is much more generous than that of his miserly master. He is an honest man. Let's see if we can lower the price a little bit."

Duan Anle was a reserved man. He could tell at a glance that Lu Yunniang had made up her mind and knew that his plan had worked.

He knew that the price he offered was a little low, but because the previous owner of the Jinlin Lake had resisted fiercely when the Four Friends of Hanshan took over from Lang Yi, the lake was in great ruins.

If I want to clean it up and organize it, it will probably take a lot of effort.

Chongming Sect certainly does not have the energy to do this in a short period of time. Instead of letting this water vein continue to be abandoned, it would be better to pay a lower price and rent it out to a more reliable vassal like the Lu family.

After ten or twenty years, when the Lu family has managed this water vein well, then whether to change the price or take it back will all depend on the decision of Chongming Sect, right?

Of course, Duan Anle dared to act in this way because these ideas had been submitted to the head of Kangda for his approval.

"This is a very good thing, but Fellow Daoist Duan also knows that my Lu family is weak and unable to afford it. Can the price be higher?" Lu Yunniang acted hesitant.

"Ha, Fellow Daoist Lu is not honest and is always crying poor. The price I set is definitely not high, the Lu family can afford it!" Duan Anle saw that Lu Yunniang was about to bargain again, so he interrupted her:

"Don't say anything, Brother Lu. There is no rush for this matter. Since you can't make a decision for the time being, just put it aside for now. But at that time, it may be my master who will negotiate the price with you."

"How can this be possible?!"

Lu Yunniang's pupils dilated and her heart trembled with anxiety. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Han Xundao, who was on duty at the archway today, enter the hall holding a token.

Duan Anle smiled apologetically at Lu Yunniang, took the letter from Han Xundao, and said in a half-reproachful and half-indulgent tone: "Why are you so anxious? Can't you see that I am talking to the distinguished guest?"

"Please forgive me, Brother Lu. This token was sent by the head of my family. I am sorry for being rude." Han Xundao bowed lightly without even turning his head towards Lu Yunniang, which was considered an apology.

The latter was a little uncomfortable staring at the arrogance between the boy's eyebrows, but he figured it out in an instant. "The Chongming Sect is now a big sect, and it's time to produce some noble people. If there are outstanding people born in every generation, how can this be?!"

Although she was unhappy, Lu Yunniang could only smile and reply, "You are too kind, my friend. The letter sent by Sect Leader Kang is of course important."

"Xundao, inform all the elders and fellow disciples who have positions to come to the meeting hall. This is a major event that must be made known to everyone." After reading the letter, Duan Anle's slight unhappiness about Han Xundao's previous impolite behavior was instantly washed away by the surge of joy.

"Fellow Daoist Duan, I am sorry for being disrespectful and presumptuous. May I ask what happy event has happened in your clan?" Lu Yunniang thought for a moment and finally asked.

"You are too polite, fellow Taoist. It is indeed a good thing. The letter from my master said that my master's wife has already established a foundation for Taoism after receiving instruction from the elders of the Fei family!" Duan Anle said frankly without any intention of concealing anything.

"The master's wife has established her foundation!" Han Xundao was obviously not as calm as Duan Anle. As soon as he heard the news, he didn't even bother to greet the two of them and ran out in a hurry to announce it to everyone.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Duan! Your sect's Senior Fei has made further progress and achieved the foundation of Taoism. This is indeed a great joyful event!!" Lu Yunniang immediately bowed and congratulated.

"Congratulations, by the way, what did you want to say before?" Duan Anle showed a curious look.

Lu Yunniang chewed on the words "Elder of the Fei Family" for a while, gritting her teeth and thinking, "I will take it even if I have to pay for it this time! I'm afraid this is not enough. If there is no one who can build a foundation in a few years, I may not even have a chance to talk to Kang Dabao in the future!"

"Nothing much. I think what you said is very fair. The Lu family will take over Jinlin Lake! We will definitely not let you down!"

"Okay, okay. Fellow Daoist Lu's ability to manage the household has been praised by even my master. There is no reason why he cannot do well. Come on, come on, I have already written the spiritual contract. Let's put the seal here. That's it." - Hong County, the edge of the Jackdaw Mountains
Ji Yunsheng looked at Jiang Qing, who was traveling with him, curiously and asked, "What's the good news, Brother Jiang?"

The latter smiled faintly and put away the letter in his hand, then replied: "My eldest sister-in-law has completed her Tao foundation a few days ago. This is what my eldest brother said in the letter."

"But the noble lady of the Fei family?" Ji Yunsheng also knew the style of the head of Kang family. Jiang Qing had many sisters-in-law, so he asked with concern.

After the latter nodded, Ji Yunsheng congratulated him repeatedly: "This is indeed a great event!"

At the same time, he sighed in his heart: "I don't know what kind of benefits the Chongming Sect has given out. After Jiang Qing established his foundation, his family's Kang Dabao seems to have also become a Bingye Daoist foundation.

I heard that this method is quite amazing, unfathomable, even my eldest brother Xu Liuxian said it is unfathomable. Now with the addition of Fei Shuhe, this strength has increased even more.

I heard that Jiang Qing and several other fellow disciples of the same generation are also preparing to build their foundation. What if they all succeed?! Wouldn’t they be envied to death by other families?! "

"Brother Ji, let's go. The giant-toothed mountain monkey you mentioned is quite rare, so we must not let it run away!" Jiang Qing suggested.

"Brother Jiang, you are right. I will lead the way!" Ji Yunsheng also put away his envious mood, put on a serious look, and walked forward with a serious face.

The two men walked to a valley with clear water and lush trees, and they could see groups of ugly black-haired monkeys living freely there.

Most of these monkeys are only at the lower to middle level of the first rank, and only three particularly strong leaders stand out.

The heart blood of this second-level giant tooth mountain monkey can be used as medicine. It is one of the main ingredients required for the second-level beauty pill and is sold at a high price. Ji Yunsheng actually found three at once. He was really lucky!
"There are at least 100 to 200 first-level demon monkeys, one middle-grade second-level one, and two low-grade second-level ones." Jiang Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. They were not easy to catch. No wonder Ji Yunsheng wanted to invite him to eat this piece of fat meat together.

The latter is no soft character.

Xu Liuxian was the first to know about Lang Yi's death, so the four brothers acted quickly and were the first to seize Heling Mountain. However, other families were also eyeing the other fertile lands under Lang Yi's name.

The money that Chongming Sect talked about was all earned by Xu Liuxian in order to repay favors by fighting with those foundation-building forces! Sect Leader Kang smiled faintly. He was so obsessed with the benefits that he didn't know how many lives he had stained!
Don't be fooled by Ji Yunsheng's big belly and kind face. His methods are the most ruthless among the four friends of Hanshan. During the turbulent days in Hong County, three foundation-building cultivators died on the spot at his hands!
He even broke into a small foundation-building clan with poor defense and few people alone, and in front of everyone in the clan, he used thunder magic to blast the body of the clan leader into charcoal.

However, although Ji Yunsheng is the vanguard in every battle, his luck is actually good.

Hanshan's four friends had gone through so many fierce battles, but he was the only one who had not been injured until now. Otherwise, he would not have gone far away and brought Jiang Qing to hunt the giant-toothed mountain monkey.

"Brother Jiang, I'll give you that second-level mid-quality giant-toothed mountain monkey."

"Brother Ji, don't worry, just leave it to me. It can't escape!" Jiang Qing clenched the sword-grinding stone tightly in his hand, picked up a low-grade spiritual flying sword for transition, and rushed out.

Master Jiang Sanye of the Chongming Sect took in so many homeless storage bags, and he was still able to take out one or two spiritual weapons of good quality.

The two giant tusks of the giant-toothed mountain monkey are excellent materials for refining flying swords! If Ji Yunsheng took them away, how could Jiang Qing, who is so proud of himself, have the nerve to ask for them back? !

"Brother Jiang, you are still so brave!" Ji Yunsheng praised. His personality was quite similar to Jiang Qing's, so he was not angry even though the latter had snatched his prey away. He formed the Wuji Seal with his hands, and in an instant, wind and thunder came from above the forest, startling the originally quiet and peaceful valley into a commotion.

"We need to fight quickly and decisively. Brother Jiang has just established his foundation. Even if his swordsmanship is superb and he is not afraid of the mountain monkey leader, it will be difficult for him to win quickly. I need to quickly deal with these two and go to help him!"

As soon as Ji Yunsheng had the idea, he clenched his hands and waved them, and a bunch of thunder came down from the clouds with a rumble.

How could an ordinary first-level mountain monkey withstand such a fierce thunder method? The howling and wailing made the pupils of the two low-grade giant-toothed mountain monkeys in front of Ji Yunsheng turn red. Their four huge teeth, as wide as palms, glowed, and their black hairs were as hard as steel needles. They pounced towards Ji Yunsheng!

"Come on!" Ji Yunsheng laughed wildly, his big belly trembled, he silently chanted the formula, and shouted in a low voice: "Command!"

Two golden lightning spears appeared in his hands, and then he quickly rushed towards the two evil beasts.

"Zizila" the thunder energy turned into fire, burning the already charred fur of the two giant mountain monkeys, making the color even darker.

Ji Yunsheng had just shown a smug look on his face when he saw that the two badly injured beasts did not retreat but advanced instead. The spiritual light on their four huge white teeth became even brighter and they continued to attack Ji Yunsheng's vital points.

At the same time, the monkeys who had not yet died under the lightning were concerned about their leader, and a large group of them gathered around him!
"What a beast!" Ji Yunsheng cursed angrily, thinking that this beast was really unruly. He didn't know that he might as well just wait for his death and get some satisfaction!

He shouted again, and the ten golden rings on his ten fingers suddenly lit up at the same time. The dazzling golden light hurt the eyes of all the monkeys in the field.

"Swish, swish, swish", ten lightning sickles entered the monkey group and harvested them indiscriminately. Broken limbs and arms fell to the ground and merged into a stream of blood, dyeing the originally clear spiritual stream pink.

"We must win quickly!" Ji Yunsheng did not have a proud look on his face this time. He knew that there were still too many monkeys in the group. The two second-level ones in front of him must be killed first. Otherwise, things might go wrong!

However, he underestimated the ferocity of these two beasts.

Ji Yunsheng's lightning spear flew out of his hand again, but this time one of the two beasts stepped forward and took it all! One spear pierced through its internal organs, burning them all; another spear pierced into its head, causing the beast's flesh and blood to fly everywhere, and it died on the spot! Only a pair of white fangs remained.

"Oh no! This beast!" After Ji Yunsheng exclaimed, he saw the giant mountain monkey, who was protected by his companions and not injured, running quickly in front of him.

"Bang" Ji Yunsheng was blown away by two huge teeth along with a gust of foul-smelling wind. If he hadn't been protected by his robes, his whole body would have been broken into several pieces.

"Tsk, I missed it by one step!" Ji Yunsheng had indeed never encountered a second-level monster that would sacrifice its life for its companions, so he suffered a great loss due to his carelessness.

The giant-toothed mountain monkey with a charred chest would not miss such a great opportunity to beat the enemy when he was down, and rushed over with a group of demon monkeys.

Even though he was seriously injured, Ji Yunsheng did not show any fear on his face. He just sighed in his heart: "It's troublesome. It's impossible to win quickly."

He formed the Tai Chi seal again, lightning flashed between his ten fingers, and a lightning net was stretched across his body, killing all the first-level demon monkeys that were trying to take advantage of him. The second-level inferior giant-toothed mountain monkey immediately became furious and rushed forward again.

"I'm afraid my plan will fail this time! Oh, call Brother Jiang and come back next time!"

Just as Ji Yunsheng was thinking this, he heard the monkeys on the other side of the battlefield screaming in fear. Then, a sharp sword light appeared in the air, and a large amount of blood rushed up into the sky.

Ji Yunsheng saw the ferocious second-level lower-grade giant-toothed mountain monkey in front of him shed tears, turned his back and walked away. The monkeys responded and followed him. How could they not know what happened? !

"Clang" several sword energies came across, and the giant monkey walking with its back turned was naturally the primary target of the owner of the sword light.

The sword light struck, and the hard skin opened up naturally, blood and fat dripped down, revealing the internal organs and marrow. The beast screamed miserably, but the sword light did not understand it and cut it into several pieces easily.

The monkeys were leaderless and scattered like black dots.

Jiang Qing had no time to chase after it. The flying sword fell from mid-air onto the body of a second-grade, low-grade giant-toothed mountain monkey. The giant teeth were removed and the heart was cut out, then all were put back into Jiang Qing's hands.

"Brother Ji, are you okay?!" Jiang Qing asked with concern after washing his hands.

"Brother Jiang, your swordsmanship has improved again." Ji Yunsheng's eyes were filled with astonishment. With Jiang Qing's performance today, not to mention him, even Xu Liuxian, the leader of the Four Friends of Hanshan, might not dare to claim victory.

But how old is Xu Liuxian? How long has Jiang Qing been practicing? !
"Brother, you are too kind. I just got some luck." Jiang Qing would not tell Ji Yunsheng about the sword-grinding stone in his arms. He only handed all the spiritual materials of the two low-grade giant-toothed demon monkeys to Ji Yunsheng.

"Brother Jiang, this..." Ji Yunsheng's face showed some embarrassment. He didn't contribute much this time and felt ashamed to take it.

"Brother, this is too polite. Please keep it!" Jiang Qing was a generous person. After all, if it weren't for Ji Yunsheng, he wouldn't have been able to get the material of the second-grade mid-quality giant-toothed mountain monkey.

"Then I will be ashamed to accept it, in the future..."

Ji Yunsheng and Jiang Qing were filled with joy and returned to their accommodation. The latter then received another token, and his face became even happier.

"What's the good news, Brother Jiang?!"

"Haha, it's really a happy event. My Senior Brother Ye came out of retreat yesterday and has already established his foundation!"

Ji Yunsheng was surprised, and this time he couldn't even say congratulations for a long time. He was surprised in his heart: "How did this person become another one?!"

(End of this chapter)