Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 368 Entering the House
Time flies, and another year has passed.

It was a slightly bright day, with morning mist lingering around. The winter mountain breeze was a little chilly, so even the birds, who usually get up early, rested in their grass nests.

In the spiritual field, the frost flowers were like silver, and when the cold wind blew, the piles of dry grass made rustling sounds.

Zhou Yixiu was already tired of looking at this beautiful picture in front of him. He gently waved his magic hoe, chiseled open pieces of frozen spiritual soil, and sprinkled handfuls of red flower mud.

After working for only a short while, sweat began to appear on his forehead.

This was a scene that Zhou Yixiu had not seen for several years when he was raising those spiritual plants on Xiaohuan Mountain. It was clear how much pressure this second-level spiritual field in Hong County brought to this spiritual plant elder of Chongming Sect.

"Hey, Master Zhou, why are you out so early today?"

Kang Rongquan was yawning, carrying a hoe, wearing a coarse cloth robe, and a pair of sandals made of red spiritual straw. He looked sleepy.

With this appearance alone, no one would be able to associate him with the title of the first true disciple of the Chongming Sect.

Zhou Yixiu didn't look up. The spiritual hoe dug another shallow pit in the spiritual field, and a handful of red flower mud fell down: "Don't come again? When the frost and dew dissipate, the effectiveness of the second-level Dumei mud fertilizer that the head brother has worked so hard to find will be reduced by at least one cent. Isn't it a pity?"

Kang Rongquan could tell from Zhou Yixiu's dissatisfaction that he was talking about, and he immediately responded, "Ah, nephew, I know this too. Didn't Senior Brother Pei and Senior Brother Duan come to Hong County yesterday? We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we had a drink with them a little late. But Master Zhou, don't worry, I will not delay the work."

"You guys were quite diligent when you were young. The head master spoiled you too much. He didn't want you to go to the battlefield or do chores. He wanted to raise a group of young masters." Zhou Yixiu recalled the scene when all the people in the sect were raising alfalfa in the spiritual fields. He sighed softly and said nothing more.

Kang Rongquan, who was drunk and had messed up his work, didn't dare to say a word and just kept working.

Kang Rongquan's arrival made Zhou Yixiu feel much more relaxed. Everyone knows that as people get older, their muscles and bones are no longer their strength, and the latter certainly has a deep understanding of this.

Zhou Yixiu was born in the 350th year of Qianfeng, which means he is over 90 years old and is almost 100 years old.

Among the Qigong cultivators, this was not related to the word "young". So even though Zhou Yixiu's experience was much better than Kang Rongquan's, after a short while, all the work in the field was taken over by the latter.

Kang Rongquan’s talent as a farming master is truly remarkable. He is only one step away from becoming a top-grade farming master. He just needs to take that final step.

Zhou Yixiu felt a mixture of relief and loneliness in his heart. After a long pause, he returned to the wooden chair by the field.

"Haha, it does feel relaxing after doing some work." Kang Rongquan shook off a sweat, and the tips of his hair were shining.

He took out a pot of spiritual wine and poured a bowl for Zhou Yixiu. After a few breaths, the wine had warmed up before he handed it over respectfully and said softly, "Master Zhou, please try it. I brewed this with the spiritual fruits grown on Xiaohuan Mountain. Although it's not ready for the test, it has some flavor."

"Hmm, there is something to it." Zhou Yixiu took a sip, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face, but he did not drink any more. He only sighed and said, "I am old now. If I eat this bowl, I will probably get drunk and delay my work."

Kang Rongquan did not disdain it at all. He took it and drank it happily. Then he continued, "Senior Brother Duan also said last night that this wine tastes good. He asked me to come up with a recipe and give it a nickname. Maybe we can sell it in Chongming Tower, which will also bring in more income for the sect."

Zhou Yixiu nodded and sighed, "Among you young ones, only Anle is the most serious. When you go back to adjust the prescription, ask my disciple. She wrote to me last time and said that her training of spirit bees in the sect has achieved initial results, and the first batch of spirit honey is of the first-class medium quality. You may add it to the wine to remove the sour taste brought by the fruit."

Kang Rongquan was delighted after hearing this and said, "Is Junior Sister Zhang so capable?"

Zhou Yixiu sighed, "She can't even become an inner sect disciple. If she doesn't think of a way to show her face among the sect's teachers, what future will she have?"

After hearing this, Kang Rongquan said with a smile, "Didn't the Changyun Ma family say some time ago that they wanted to invite Zhang Le to be the eldest grandson's wife? They are a great foundation-building family. Master Zhou, are you going to deny it?"

Zhou Yixiu glanced at Kang Rongquan and said in a muffled voice, "It is said that they are a great family that has established a foundation. I am afraid that Ma Wenhan from their family will not survive this winter. How can the head brother be willing to do it? Even if he is willing to do it, I will not allow it.

My disciple is a plain-looking one, how many days can I still live? After I die, she won’t even have the title of an elder’s disciple, and the eldest grandson of the Ma family will probably not even be willing to give her a good face.”

"hey-hey"

Zhou Yixiu spoke directly, and Kang Rongquan was amused. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly turned serious and said in a deep voice, "The moon ferns were not planted well last season, and we almost couldn't even get enough seeds for this season.

This was due to my lack of consideration. I did not remember that I had planted dragon bone orchid in this spiritual field some years ago, and I forgot to drain the soil energy, which resulted in the disharmony of the two energies and the difficulty in balancing yin and yang. This caused the roots of the moon fern to rot, making it difficult for it to grow.

We can't be careless this season. It's a rare opportunity for the head brother to arrange for us to do something, so we must not disappoint him again."

Kang Rongquan also stopped smiling and responded seriously.

"Is Senior Brother Pei feeling better?" Zhou Yixiu's expression became more serious, and Kang Rongquan also showed a trace of worry. After thinking for a while, he said, "The last time I went back to the sect, I went to visit Master, and he seemed to be fine."

Zhou Yixiu said in dissatisfaction: "You are the disciple."

There was some worry in his cloudy eyes. Ever since Pei Yi failed in building his foundation last year, his life span had been shortened and his meridians all over his body had been damaged. If it weren't for Master Kang who shamelessly went to the Fei family to ask a second-level alchemist to come and save him, even if he had saved his life, he would have had a hard time living for a few days.

Even so, the second-level alchemist's assessment of Pei Yi's injuries was not necessarily good.

After all, meridians are easy to maintain but lifespan is hard to replenish. Pei Yi clearly had a bright future, but since he failed at the hurdle of building the foundation, he might even be ahead of Zhou Yixiu.

Kang Rongquan knew that Zhou Yixiu was worried, and he was touched and comforted him, "Master Zhou, don't worry, my master has gotten much better these days. I heard from Senior Brother Pei yesterday that he has already started to make pills.

You don't trust me, so you don't trust Brother Pei either? He is the most filial, even my great-uncle has praised him. Haven't you seen him out playing these days? I heard that he will return to the caravan in a few days to accompany Brother Ming again."

Zhou Yixiu pondered for a while and felt that it made sense. After thinking for a while, he said, "I have planted 17 Muyang grasses in the half-acre field to the west. They will be ripe in a few days. Remember to harvest them. Next time you return to the sect, bring them to Senior Brother Pei for me and tell him to add a little when using fire. It can remove some of the fire poison and is good for his body."

"Hehe, you're using the sect's local products to do yourself a favor, Master Zhou. You're really abusing your power for personal gain."

Kang Rongquan was laughing at this moment, but the next moment he was hit hard by a handful of rotten soil.

"Turn the soil over again. My spiritual soil is piled in the storehouse. Go get it yourself! In the afternoon, mix it with spiritual water and put it in the field to ferment."

Zhou Yixiu was old and had limited energy. After arguing with Kang Rongquan for a while, he felt a little tired. He put away the magic hoe, turned his back and left with his hands behind his back.

The old man was still mumbling in a low voice at the end: "This kid is getting more and more unruly as he grows older. I don't know if I will marry Xinran to him in the future. Forget it, that girl Xinran is still mad at me. I can't make the decision, so I'll just ignore her."

Just at this moment, a little bird flew gently over Zhou Yixiu's head with the mountain breeze. The old man looked up and felt that it looked familiar.

"This seems to be the bird that Sister-in-law Fei always carries with her. What is Sister-in-law doing in Hong County this time?"

————Hong County, the residence of Chongming Zongjiashi

"Disciple Duan Anle/Pei Que, I pay my respects to Master's Wife."

They had never thought that Fei Shuhe would come today. Duan Anle and Pei Que were still hungover from yesterday, so they couldn't help feeling a little rude when they greeted him. As soon as they finished speaking, a look of embarrassment appeared on their faces.

Fei Shuhe had no intention of blaming anyone. He just responded with a smile and waved his hand. Ping'er and Yu'er each brought a beautiful container.

Fei Shuhe said softly, "I just came back from Tengwen Mansion. I passed by here and thought that Junior Brother Zhou and Rongquan might be having a hard time in Hong County, so I came down to deliver some supplies. I didn't expect you two brothers to be here too. This is a batch of small jade pieces I bought from Wanbao Commercial Bank. They are not worth much, but they are still usable. I bought them for you Yuancong disciples to play with. You can choose first."

Duan Anle and Pei Que knew the generous nature of their master's wife, and knew that if they declined at this time, the latter would be unhappy, so they did not refuse. They bowed their heads in thanks and went forward to make their choices.

Both of them had studied "Jianquan Shenglun" and their knowledge was not bad, but they still underestimated Fei Shuhe's work.

There were at least thirty or forty first-grade jades neatly stacked, most of which were top-grade. In other words, it would take three or four years of annual salary for these true disciples to earn any one of them.

Pei Que couldn't help but feel a little surprised, and thought to himself: "How much dowry did Master's Wife bring?!"

After the two juniors bowed their heads and thanked them again, the second Zhou Shan heard the news and hurried out to greet them, saying that she was guilty.

Fei Shuhe was also very enthusiastic towards his brother's wife, whom he had only met a few times. After just a few words, the young woman's worries disappeared and she became much friendlier.

"Oh, sister-in-law is here? I wonder if the head brother is here too?"

Zhou Yixiu put down his hoe. He was an honest man who was content with farming. It was rare for him to have such close contact with Fei Shuhe, a lady from a wealthy family, so he looked a little confused.

"Uncle, you have worked hard. My husband will be here soon. You brothers miss each other every day when you don't see each other. It's really enviable."

Fei Shuhe is always smiling but still dignified. She is friendly but also makes people feel a layer of boundary between them, which is a great skill.

Duan Anle was a reserved person. As soon as his master's wife finished speaking, he knew that he was not here to deliver provisions to Zhou and Kang, but was probably here to wait for his master.

Zhou Shan was afraid that Zhou Yixiu's rustic clothes would disturb the noble, so she smiled at Fei Shuhe with some apology. She was about to take the old monk down to change into formal robes, but she saw Zhou Yixiu stopped her and asked Fei Shuhe softly:
"But Governor Zhu of Baisha County is urging troops to come again?"

Fei Shuhe obviously didn't expect Zhou Yixiu to guess so clearly. His astonishment only flashed across his face before he smiled and said, "Yuan Buwen got ruthless. Even the fake Sima and my Sixth Mother-in-law couldn't stop him. The alchemist of the Zheng family almost died in the battle, so the situation became more tense."

Fei Shuhe said it easily, but everyone in the hall suddenly changed color when they heard it. Zhou Yixiu's face was immediately filled with worry, and he hurriedly asked, "What about the second and third brothers?"

Zhou Yixiu's worries were not without reason. Just last month, news came from Baisha County that Yuan and Jiang each killed a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator on the battlefield, which was the time when they were most likely to be hated.

"Don't worry, nothing's wrong. If there really was something wrong, why wouldn't I tell you?"

Seeing that Fei Shuhe's expression was natural when he spoke and did not seem to be pretending, the people in the hall finally felt relieved.

As they were talking, the head of the Kang family strode in, smiled at Fei Shuhe first, and then glanced at Duan and Pei who were not supposed to be here, and then said softly: "It's a good thing that you are all here, let's talk about something."

Zhou Shanshi politely left, and after she left, Zhou Yixiu lifted the silent ban, and Kang Dabao spoke in turn:
"Last time, we collected too much of the essence and blood of the black-eyed white ape. After a year of selling it in Chongming Xiaolou, we haven't even recovered 11% of the original cost. After you return to the caravan this time, you and nephew Ming should pay more attention to it and see if you can find a big customer to sell it together. The longer this thing is stored, the cheaper it will be."

"Disciple understands," Pei Que immediately accepted the order.

"Junior Brother Zhou, is it possible that we can harvest a better harvest of moon ferns this season?" When talking about this, the tone of Master Kang became much more serious.

"I will live up to my brother's trust." Zhou Yi replied with a serious expression.

"Don't talk nonsense, just tell me whether it's possible or not?" Kang Dabao knocked on the table beside him. Zhou Yixiu suddenly changed his expression to solemn, and answered resolutely and firmly: "It will definitely be better than this season's harvest!"

"Well, thank you for your hard work, Junior Brother. This matter cannot be delayed."

The eyes of the head of the Kang family seemed to brighten up a little. After receiving Zhou Yixiu's affirmative reply, he felt relieved and said, "Before I came here, I received an urgent message from the governor Zhu, saying that Yuan Buwen went crazy again yesterday. Not only did he hurt the Sixth Grandma, he also killed eleven foundation-building cultivators in a row. So the uncle ordered me to dispatch troops to help. This time, I only sent the second and third brothers to support the situation, but it was difficult to cope with it. We can't shirk responsibility."

Although his words were more ferocious than what Fei Shuhe said, no one was nervous. After all, if something happened to Yuan and Jiang, the head of Kang would never look like this.

However, rushing to Baisha County for assistance is a tough task.

The governor Zhu Tong was beaten badly there by the native tribes of southern Jing headed by the Yuan family and the reinforcements from the Liangyi Sect. Even the Fei family suffered losses there, which shows how urgent the situation was.

In fact, if they wanted to talk, they could. As long as Kang Dabao was willing to hand over Yuan Xiyue, Yuan Buwen might start to slack off. As long as this top-notch alchemist who could rival the golden elixir was gone, Zhu Tong's pressure would suddenly drop.

But neither the Earl of Nan'an nor the Governor Zhu would agree to this resolution. It was not because they felt sorry for the head of Kangda, but because it concerned the reputation of the Earl of Nan'an.

It’s not that Yuan Xiyue cannot be given away, but she cannot be given away as a condition for peace.

Even if she was to be sent home, it should be after Yuan Buwen was suppressed by the state army and could never rise again, before allowing Yuan Xiyue to return home.

"Then what are you doing in Hong County, Master?" Duan Anle, who had been silent all this time, asked.

Kang Dabao replied calmly: "Ask the four friends of Hanshan if they are willing to go to the war. As long as they are still living in Yunjiaozhou, as long as they are reluctant to give up these jars and pots that they have just swallowed, they will be recruited by the state court sooner or later.

There is no way to avoid it. The Yue family and Tie Liuyun have also encountered trouble. The Dingzhou cultivators they recruited last time turned against them in front of the battle formation. Yue Jing did not have time to leave and was slightly injured. Even the Yue family had several foundation-building cultivators die in the battle formation. If it weren't for the Puzhou Shishan Sect supporting them, I think their situation would not be much better than that of Baisha County."

"Did the uncle allow Master to form a new team?!" Duan Anle guessed it immediately and exclaimed.

"You can put it this way. My Lord has allowed me to gather soldiers from the 17 counties in the state, recruit volunteers, and train troops. It would be best if all the troops can be assembled within two months. But in the future, as long as Governor Zhu does not leave, Jingnan Prefecture will definitely be headed by him." The head of the Kang family could not hide his fatigue in his words.

"Master, this time you are not a general, but a commander?" Pei Que understood the meaning and said immediately.

"Don't talk nonsense about generals and commanders." Kang Dabao looked displeased and warned.

Fei Shuhe had just heard the news, and her beautiful eyes changed immediately. However, the change in the state court's attitude towards Kang Dabao, the head of Chongming, was reasonable.

After all, if we only count the Chongming Sect itself, there are already four true cultivators who have established their foundation. If we count the concubines of Sect Leader Kang, there will be seven people in total.

Although there is not even a late-stage cultivator among them, except for Kang and Jiang, they are all only at the Qingye Daoji level, but there are few mediocre people among them.

Needless to say, Kang and Jiang had so many heads of their peers that they could string them together. Yuan Jin had just established his foundation when he killed a number of cultivators of the same level on the battlefield in Baisha County.

Fei Shuhe comes from a family of scholars, and no one knows what cards she has; regardless of whether Yuan Xiyue's identity is embarrassing or not, she has been nurtured by the head of Kangda over the years and her cultivation has improved a lot. She is not far from breaking through to the late stage of foundation building.

Even though Ye Zhengwen and Zhang Qingran were not as good at fighting, they were not pushovers.

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the Chongming Sect is already considered a major sect in Yunjiaozhou. If the Black Shoe Taoist is added to the mix, it will be even more formidable. In Kuang Liuting's eyes, its importance is probably even incomparable to that of the Yunwei Zheng Family.

Fei Shuhe had just thought of this when she heard Kang Dabao calling her.

"Madam, please come with me to Heling Mountain later, so that you can support me."

"Well, of course I should." Fei Shuhe was not afraid of the upcoming war. After she responded, she felt a sweet feeling in her heart, "Is my fat husband finally going to be able to enter my house?!"

(End of this chapter)