Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 390 Master and Disciple
On the seventh day of the winter month in the 448th year of the Qianfeng reign, the gods will be benevolent and everything will be auspicious without any disasters or taboos.

It was a snowy day. Han Xundao, wearing a colorful silk fur coat and stepping on a top-grade flying sword, walked out of the Chongming Tower and headed towards the Chongming Sect's second-grade lower-grade spiritual field in Hong County.

This flying sword was just given to him by his master Ye Zhengwen after he participated in this year's small competition.

Han Xundao is already 25 years old, and he has reached the sixth level of Qi training. He is considered an outstanding figure among the inner disciples of Chongming Sect. After all, his progress in cultivation is not much different from that of Jiang Qing back then.

Therefore, in order to reward Han Xundao for his excellent performance in the last sect competition, Ye Zhengwen gave him this unused magic weapon that had not been used for many years.

The latter had been in poor health since he was injured in the battle of Xuelin Mountain three years ago, and it was even harder for him to make progress in his cultivation. Therefore, Ye Zhengwen simply took his time off and focused on teaching his disciples while recovering from his injuries.

In addition, as the foundation-building elder, he almost never missed the monthly inner sect lectures and true teachings, which helped to relieve a lot of burden for the increasingly aging Pei Yi.

Speaking of which, Pei Yi, as the son-in-law of the Kuai family, did not rise to prominence just because Kuai En became the disciple of the King of the South.

The Kuang family obviously valued Kuai En very much. Not only did they not reveal any trace of this popular man to anyone in Chongming Sect, but even the few members of the Kuai family were brought to the capital by the clan members to live.

This also completely put an end to the spineless ambitions of some leaders who wanted to make a big fuss about the relationship with the Kuai family.

However, those wandering cultivators' sons-in-law who were recruited by Kuai En with sweet words did not have such good fortune, and none of them could follow him to Gyeonggi Province to enjoy the blessings.

This also means that some of the girls in the Tanggu Kuai family may have to change their husband's family to one that can satisfy them more in the near future.

However, this sudden change is not entirely a bad thing for these independent cultivators.

After all, Kuai En was gone, and they could still live the same as before, doing hard work for Emperor Chongming and living a good life without having to rely on others for a share of their wages.

As for Pei Yi and the Kuai family, it is not impossible for them to follow the Kuai family to the capital.

However, the Kuang family also made it very clear when they told us that we could go, but if we wanted to come back in the future, we didn’t know when we would have to wait.

Pei Yi couldn't let go of his clansmen and Chongming Sect after all. Kuai was indeed a virtuous woman. After listening to her husband's plan, she didn't say a single "no". She just lived her life with the Pei family brother who was still tall and upright in her heart.

However, the couple's efforts over the years were not in vain. Several monks from the Kuai family who went to the capital also found a way to find a doctor for Pei Yi.

The Kuang family seemed to be quite nice to them, because half a year ago, there was even a second-class top-grade alchemist who, at the request of the Kuai family, came from Gyeonggi Province on a flying boat that was used by the Zongzheng Mansion to transport supplies to the Yunjiaozhou court, specifically to take Pei Yi's pulse.

Although the alchemist said after examining the injuries that his methods were ineffective and he still could not prolong Pei Yi's life, the kindness of the Kuai family alone was enough to warm Pei Yi's heart and make him feel that he could live a few more months.

Although Pei Yi still had little progress in building his foundation, he seemed to be making rapid progress in alchemy.

It was as if he had suddenly become enlightened. Pei Yi was just a middle-grade alchemist who was mediocre among the crowd some time ago, but now, just a few years later, he was able to refine first-grade top-grade elixirs.

This speed may not sound unusual at first, but if you think about it carefully, the words "first-class top-grade alchemist" are a level that many alchemists cannot reach even after a lifetime of hard work.

At least in the more than 200 years since the founding of Chongming Sect by Grandmaster Zhang, only in this generation has there been a unique disciple like Pei Yi. Even Uncle Lian, who taught Pei Yi the skill of alchemy, was far less accomplished than Uncle Lian when he left.

Of course, for the Chongming Sect, which already has four masters who have established their foundation, the emergence of another first-class top-grade alchemist can only be regarded as icing on the cake.

But we should not just look at the surface of things. For the Chongming Sect, which has a shallow foundation, it is worth celebrating if any disciple achieves unparalleled achievements in any aspect.

Pei Yi, who had finally made a breakthrough in the art of alchemy, would not sit idle. He hung a sign in the Shangong Hall to accept requests and used his precious time to specially refine pills for Chongming's disciples.

After earning enough good deeds, Pei Yi selected a lot of precious medicinal materials from the sect's warehouse and made tailor-made elixirs for his three disciples.

Especially since his first disciple Kang Rongquan is now at the critical moment of preparing to lay the foundation, he needs his master's assistance the most.

Kang Rongquan is also in Hong County planting moon ferns with Zhou Yixiu for the head of Kangda. This is a very important matter and cannot be delayed.

Therefore, the master and disciple could not get together for the time being, and Pei Yi had to ask Han Xundao, who was about to present invitations to the four friends of Hanshan, to bring the elixir over.

However, after receiving Pei Yi's order, the latter made a special trip to Chongming Tower.

A lot of things have happened in the past few years, and Zhou Xinran's resentment towards Zhou Yixiu has long faded a lot.

Especially after the birth of her and Duan Anle's child, Zhou Yixiu spent a large sum of money to ask Yuan Jin to make a protective magic weapon for this little grandson, and it became even more difficult for there to be any rift between the father and daughter.

After Han Xundao took the fur coat that Zhou Xinran had bought for Zhou Yixiu, he did not stop to rest. He was even extravagant enough to use spirit stones to speed up his journey. Only then did he meet Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan, the master and apprentice, in the moon fern field in Hong County as soon as possible.

"Seeing Uncle Zhou and Brother Kang."

"Well, please wait for a moment, junior brother." Kang Rongquan was standing barefoot in the spiritual soil at this time. He didn't react much to Han Xundao's arrival. He even raised his head for a short while and then buried it again.

Zhou Yixiu, who was sitting on a low table nearby, took the fur coat brought by Han Xundao and seemed very enthusiastic:
"Are you here to seek the truth? Come and sit down. I just asked Zhe'er to bring me some good wine when the caravan passed by. It's cold today, so I'll mix it with the spiritual honey that your Senior Sister Zhang sent me, and drink it all warm."

Although Zhou Yixiu's cultivation is not as good as his, he is one of the only few elders in Chongming Sect.

Han Xundao was a bad person who looked down on others. Although he did not respect Zhou Yixiu, an elder with low cultivation level, he did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. He only sat down after paying his respects.

As soon as he sat down on the stool, he began to praise: "Sister Zhang Le's spiritual honey has been in great demand recently. It is said that it has been sold out in Chongming Tower. I never thought that I could get a bargain and have this good fortune."

"Haha," Zhou Yixiu was very happy to hear his disciple being praised, and hurriedly poured warm wine for Han Xundao. However, the latter did not drink first, but said, "Nephew, wait for Senior Brother Kang to drink together."

"Oh," Zhou Yixiu laughed again and said softly, "It's hard for you to wait for him. I've had this little wine table here for three years, but this kid hasn't even sat down for a moment."

"This is... really difficult for you, senior brother." The surprise on Han Xundao's face quickly disappeared, and his smile faded away without another word.

"It's nothing, don't worry about him." After Zhou Yixiu finished speaking, a look of heartache flashed across his eyes, and he took out the "Su Xue Mi" given to him by Zhang Le and poured it into the wine.

As the seal of the celadon wine jar was removed, the aroma filled the nearby trees with its fragrance, which made them sway without wind.

This was the second-grade, low-grade spiritual wine called Zuiyingniang that Mingzhe bought for Zhou Yixiu when he led the caravan to Dingzhou.

Just this one jar would cost nearly 200 spirit stones. It was true that Mingzhe had a good family background and a lot of salary, but it also showed how filial he was to his junior uncle Zhou Yixiu.

You know, this Drunken Shadow Wine is no different from most of the spiritual wines in David's Immortal Dynasty, and it has no benefit in helping people to practice spiritual cultivation.

In other words, these 200 spirit stones could only buy Zhou Yixiu a few times of entertainment. Objectively speaking, this behavior could be considered extravagant.

As the amber-colored spiritual honey was slowly mixed into the clear wine, a whirlpool appeared in the celadon wine jar without anyone prompting, blending the spiritual honey and the wine together.

As the wine poured into the ice jade cup, six-sided frost flowers bloomed on the cup wall. The sweet fragrance that makes you drunk before drinking is like the willow catkins in March, but if you smell it carefully, it hides the sweetness of green apricots after the rain.

Even though Han Xundao had been favored by many teachers and seniors, he rarely enjoyed himself like this, and a bright look appeared in his eyes.

Without Zhou Yixiu's persuasion, he picked up the wine cup and felt as if he was swallowing a cloud of mist when he first drank it, the softness of the honey spreading along his tongue. After drinking it all, his breath smelled like orchid, and between his teeth there remained a glassy crispness similar to that of candied haws.

"Great!" Han Xundao had also seen some of the world, but he was completely impressed by Zhou Yixiu's cocktail-mixing skills.

"Haha, I'm glad that my nephew likes it. I have already reported this recipe to the head brother. I think it will be sold in Chongming Building soon, and then the sect will have another income." Zhou Yixiu's face was full of pride. The old cultivator thought to himself: "Even if it is difficult for me to cultivate the spiritual field, it is not in vain that I receive support from the sect!"

Thinking of this, he carefully took back the celadon wine jar and the pot of "Suxue Honey" and put them close to his body.

Speaking of which, although the "Su Xue Rui" cultivated by the old farmer Zhou Yixiu is of a slightly lower grade, it is indeed a spiritual plant that is quite suitable for raising bee colonies.

Even though the honey brewed by the spirit bees picking this flower was not of high quality, it was indeed very sweet. In this respect alone, it was even better than the big locust tree that was regarded differently by many high-ranking officials of the Chongming Sect.

Because of this, Zhang Le earned a lot of spiritual resources both inside and outside the sect by relying on his skill of taming spirit bees.

However, her comprehension of spiritual practice was not good. Even after Zhang Qingran personally taught her for several months, she still did not understand much.

Zhou Yixiu saw this clearly, and knew that his disciple was most likely to be incapable of building a foundation like himself, so he focused all his attention on the latter's marriage.

Because the head of the Kang family always took in money but never gave out, he was never willing to marry off his daughter. In addition, it was difficult to find a suitable family to entrust the daughter to, so Zhou Yixiu gave up the idea of ​​marrying his disciple into a wealthy family.

After turning his attention back to the sect, according to his original intention, he wanted to marry his disciple to Ye Pingshui, who was a disciple of Yuan Jin.

After all, this Ye family man is far inferior to Ye Pinglin and Ye Yaoling in cultivation. So far, he has only made some progress in refining weapons, and even his fighting skills are just average. In this situation, it is almost a fantasy to want to rely on a low-grade "Barbarian Bull Sutra" to build a foundation.

But Zhou Yixiu thought that he and Zhang Yue had both achieved some success in the same arts, and if they were to get married, they would be able to live a happy and comfortable life in the future.

After all, the spiritual land in Hengshan is still nominally managed by the Chongming Sect. With the current vision of Sect Leader Kang, he probably doesn't think highly of the spiritual vein that was only upgraded to the first level last year.

In other words, if Ye Pingshui wants to return home and revive the Ye family with Zhang Yue in the future, there will be a way for him to do so.

Although the life of the young master was not easy, he could still enjoy some glory outside.

Just look at Lu Yunniang back then and you will know that now the Lu family of Caishishan is one of the most powerful forces in Pingrong County besides the two foundation-building sects of Chongming Sect and Qiaogong Fort. Whenever they go out, few people fail to show respect to them.

Lu Yunniang was also famous for her unattractive appearance, even Zhou Yixiu could not match her. But now, with the status of the head of the Lu family, she can find a husband who is a casual cultivator at the peak of Qi training and has the potential to build a foundation.

However, Zhou Yixiu did not expect that Ye Pingshui had been thinking about his fellow sister Zhou Xinran for many years.

Even after the latter married Duan Anle, Ye Pingshui was still sad for a long time in the face of this fait accompli. As a result, the output of magic tools in Chongming Building decreased significantly in the past one or two years.

Under such circumstances, Ye Pingshui naturally looked down upon Zhang Le, a plain-looking junior sister from another family.

This was something that made no sense to blame anyone, and although Zhou Yixiu felt regretful, he had no choice but to put it aside for the time being.

Now he is old, already 98 years old. Even he doesn't know how many more years he can live. Not only is his body in poor health, but even doing some farm work in this cold winter is very difficult.

Otherwise, even if Kang Rongquan was reluctant, it would be difficult to stop him from leaving the fertile spiritual soil in front of him.

Normally, under such circumstances, Zhou Yixiu should have been frugal and spent his remaining years in peace.

However, after Song Hui and Dong Liuer passed away, Zhang Yue was Zhou Yixiu's only remaining disciple. As the so-called master, he was both a teacher and a father, so he had to worry about him.

Even though Zhou Yixiu could not leave anything for Zhang Le in the end, Kang Rongquan and Duan Anle still had to take good care of this junior sister after her death.

Fortunately, the sweet warm wine was able to slightly take away the depression in the old cultivator's heart. Zhou and Han drank for about an hour, and Kang Rongquan, who cast the Qingfeng Mantra, was able to get rid of the sweat and mud and emerge from the spiritual soil.

Han Xundao hurriedly put down the wine cup and took out the elixir that Pei Yi had entrusted to him:
"This is the elixir Uncle Pei asked me to bring for you. He also told me to tell you not to be too hasty in your cultivation. You are still young, so there is no need to rush in building your foundation. It won't hurt to wait a few more years."

Kang Rongquan listened carefully, thanked him, and then took out a storage bag from his waist and handed it to Han Xundao, saying, "Thank you for coming here, Junior Brother. I understand. I heard that Master has been refining pills frequently these days, and I think the Muyang grass I brought back last time has been used up.

I collected two more bunches, and this time I'll have to ask Junior Brother to bring them back to Master on his way back. His injuries haven't healed yet, and I'm afraid that the fire poison he accumulated when he didn't use this herb to make pills is too heavy, and it will harm his body again."

"It's my duty. I don't want to accept your thanks." Han Xundao bowed and didn't stay any longer. He was also on a mission to deliver a letter, so he couldn't delay any longer.

After he left, this spiritual land became quiet again.

Kang Rongquan still did not drink, but only picked up the jade pot to fill it for Zhou Yixiu. The latter did not rush to drink, but tasted the wine and food, and sighed softly: "This taste is far from what Shilun cooked."

Kang Rongquan responded in a low voice, "Junior Brother Jin just received an errand from the Good Deeds Hall and is on his way to Jin County. It is said that a powerful evil cultivator has appeared there, and the newly appointed Jin County Lieutenant, who had been building his foundation for several years, still let him escape. That's why he came to my uncle's place and asked us to send someone to help him."

"Look, you've obviously had a lot of contact with Shi Lun over the years, so why don't you go back to the sect to see Senior Brother Pei?"

Zhou Yixiu hit the low table hard with his fist, and the wine in the ice jade cup spilled out. He didn't feel any pity at all, but just stared at Kang Rongquan's face, as if he wanted to force the latter to tell him the truth.

This time, Zhou Yixiu was disappointed. Kang Rongquan also felt that the former's gaze was burning, but he endured the burning pain in his heart, looked indifferent, and said nothing.

Zhou Yixiu became even angrier when he saw this. He pointed his finger and cursed, "You! You are such a scoundrel! Don't you know that although Senior Brother Pei is heartbroken because of Junior Nephew Pei's death in battle, how could he possibly blame you?! Master and disciple, father and son, master and disciple, father and son! What are you afraid of?!"

Kang Rongquan simply buried his head deeper. The scene was so quiet that Zhou Yixiu could hear the earthworms he had just bought curling up in the spiritual soil.

The old cultivator's eyes were filled with anger, and he was about to scold again, but Kang Rongquan, with his head lowered, spoke in a hoarse voice, "It is precisely because the master does not blame me that I dare not return to the sect."

As soon as Zhou Yixiu heard this, the curse he was about to say could only be swallowed back. He could not see Kang Rongquan's expression at this moment, but he still felt sorry for this kid.

After being stunned for a long while, Zhou Yixiu slowly sat back on the cross stool. He picked up the wine glass very slowly, just like an ordinary old farmer without spiritual power.

As soon as Zhou Yixiu took another sip of the mellow and sweet dew, he could hardly feel the slightest bit of satisfaction. He chewed the remaining half cup of wine for a while before swallowing it. When the old cultivator spoke again, his tone was much lower:

"When I went back to see Wawa three months ago, I sat at the same table with Senior Brother Pei. He showed a lot of concern for you in his words, and he guessed that you were thinking about this,"

Kang Rongquan raised his head quietly and nodded, a trace of panic appeared on his face. It was exactly the same expression as when he led Jin Shilun and others to skip the scripture class, but was stopped by Jiang Qing halfway.

"He never blamed you, he just asked me to tell you at the right time," the old monk paused and poured himself a glass of wine. After drinking it, a self-mockery appeared on his face.

"I don't know if today is the right time, but I've been enduring your sullen face since March. I've drunk too much today, and I can't stand it any longer."

Kang Rongquan was shocked by the gentle words and raised his head higher, enough for Zhou Yixiu to see the tears on his face. The latter took a deep breath and turned his head to pour and drink again.

Oddly enough, the big gulp of hot wine made Zhou Yixiu's face turn red at this moment.

He did not look at Kang Rongquan's expression again, but just said: "He only asked me to tell you at the right time. If you really feel guilty and can't let go, then practice well and do what Pei Que should do, and that's all!"

His clenched fists tightened and loosened, tightened and loosened again, Kang Rongquan himself did not know when he had raised his head. He closed his eyes, but the shutters were difficult to close, so he could only let the water slowly seep into his clothes.

At this time, the jade pot in Zhou Yixiu's hand was empty, but he had not finished speaking.

The old cultivator stood up, but not to look for wine. He just came to Kang Rongquan's side and whispered:
"Brother Pei also told you not to just worry about farming. When you are free, you should find a time to come back and help your brother Changsheng clean the alchemy furnace."

"Wrong. Wrong."

(End of this chapter)