From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 110 Xuan Gong and Chu Jing

Autumn has passed and winter has arrived, with snow falling all over the sky.

Standing on the cliff, Li Qingqiu looked down at the magnificent snow scene. This year had passed quickly for him. The development plan he proposed at the beginning of the year had been completed ahead of schedule, which made him feel very good. Today, he specially came here to relax and do nothing but enjoy the snow scene.

Unfortunately, even if he wanted to quit, someone would still come looking for him.

Zhu Yan walked in from behind, wearing a thick white fur robe, with exquisite makeup, her long hair piled on top of her head, her hands placed in front of her, her posture dignified.

"Sect Master, my clansmen have gathered some information about Lord Xuan."

Zhu Yan came to Li Qingqiu's side and said softly.

After hearing Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning mention Xuan Gong, Li Qingqiu became interested in this person and asked Zhu Yan to send someone to investigate Xuan Gong.

Even when she was on Qingxiao Mountain, Zhu Yan could still observe the world; this was the power of the aristocratic clans.

"Tell me."

Li Qingqiu stared at the vast expanse of snow and gave a reply.

Zhu Yan came to his side and said, "Master Xuan is an extremely mysterious person. His real name, origin, and background are unknown. He worked for the emperor long before the emperor ascended the throne. It is said that he secretly eliminated many enemies for the emperor. Most of the martial arts masters raised by the former Crown Prince Zhao Yan were dealt with by him. After Zhao Zhi ascended the throne, he changed his name to Master Xuan and hid in the shadows. Most of the masters of the Imperial Guard were trained by Master Xuan."

"Xuan Gong's martial arts skills are unparalleled in the world. He once single-handedly stormed the three sects of the dynasty. Since then, the three sects have bowed to Zhao Zhi and followed his lead."

"When Zhao Zhi first ascended the throne, the Northern Barbarian army marched south, and our army retreated step by step until the Northern Barbarian general was assassinated, which turned the tide of the war. It is said that the one who made the move was this Xuan Gong."

Hearing Zhu Yan's words, Li Qingqiu couldn't help but think of Chu Jing.

He possesses extraordinary martial arts skills, is quite old, and works in the imperial court...

Even if Chu Jing is not Xuan Gong, he must have a close relationship with Xuan Gong.

Chu Jingke was destined to be a traitor and a rebel.

Thinking about it carefully, back then, Crown Prince Zhao Yan was the one everyone expected to be the next emperor, but Zhao Zhi suddenly rose to power. Could it be that Chu Jing was plotting behind the scenes, with the aim of causing chaos in the court?

It's even possible that the Demonic Sect was founded by Chu Jing?
If that's the case, then Li Qingqiu will have to kill Chu Jing, even if Chu Jing's loyalty is increasing.

He wasn't killing Chu Jing for the sake of justice, but to avenge his master and Lin Chuan. His junior brothers and sisters becoming orphans might also be related to Chu Jing.

"From this perspective, without this Master Xuan, the emperor's position would be unstable. Could the emperor's pursuit of the elixir of immortality be related to this Master Xuan?" Li Qingqiu asked.

Zhu Yan replied, "I don't know, but my clansmen found out that Xuan Gong and the Emperor had argued many times over this elixir of immortality. The Imperial Guards secretly killed several alchemists, which displeased the Emperor."

After hearing this, Li Qingqiu pondered in his heart.

Could it be that Xuan Gong had no direct connection with the emperor's evil deeds and was merely acting on orders?

This is also a possibility. If Xuan Gong really was Chu Jing, the main purpose of his becoming a traitorous minister was to restore the previous dynasty.

If the Great Li Dynasty is annexed by foreign tribes, how can Chu Jing restore the Great Wei Dynasty?

Of course, these are all just speculations, and more factual evidence is needed.

“Have your clansmen investigate the relationship between Xuan Gong and the Demonic Sect,” Li Qingqiu said thoughtfully.

"it is good."

Zhu Yan responded.

Li Qingqiu continued to admire the snow scene, but Zhu Yan did not leave.

"Speak your mind. We've worked together for so long, there's no need to be so formal," Li Qingqiu said again.

Zhu Yan was diligent and meticulous in her work at Tiangong Hall, and she also used her family's resources to gather so much intelligence for Qingxiao Sect. Even Zhang Yuchun often sought her help in his plans and schemes. Li Qingqiu was very satisfied with her, so he didn't mind fulfilling some of her requests.

Of course, most importantly, Zhu Yan's loyalty to him has exceeded 90%.

Strangely enough, although he and Zhu Yan didn't have much interaction in private and their relationship wasn't deep, Zhu Yan's loyalty continued to rise.

Regardless of the reason, an increase in loyalty is a good thing.

Zhu Yan bit her lip lightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "My father wants to ask you for a favor. He wants to arrange for a group of Zhu family members to come to Qingxiao Sect to learn martial arts. Sect Master, please think this through. I cannot have complete control over the family. There will always be struggles within aristocratic families. By bringing this up, I can give you some explanation. Whether you agree or not, please think about it again."

"Then let him send someone. We can't keep letting the Zhu family do things for us for free. There are risks involved in gathering information about Xuan Gong in the court."

Li Qingqiu readily agreed. There were quite a few aristocratic scions within the Qingxiao Sect, and he couldn't possibly stop them. He couldn't keep taking in commoners or orphans forever.

Moreover, aristocratic families also have their advantages. For example, the Qin family and the Zhu family can do a lot of things for the Qingxiao Sect.

Zhu Yan was surprised that Li Qingqiu agreed so readily. She smiled and asked, "How many spots will the Zhu family get?"

"I'll tentatively choose thirty people, and you'll be in charge. I only care about two things: qualifications and character. As long as one of them is outstanding, that's enough."

"Okay, I will definitely be selective."

"Well, you go down."

Zhu Yan raised her hand in a gesture of respect, then turned and left.

Li Qingqiu's thoughts drifted as she continued to ponder the matter of Xuan Gong.

Li Qingqiu was still very envious of Chu Jing's talent and destiny, and had always intended to recruit him.

If Chu Jing is indeed Xuan Gong, and has a direct karmic connection with the Demonic Sect, then Li Qingqiu will definitely kill him; he will never allow a tiger to become a threat. Li Qingqiu gazed at the snow scene for a full hour before leaving. He went to the Yuling Hall to chat with Zhang Yuchun and learned that Chu Jing had not yet returned; the fellow had been down the mountain for over a month.

He told Zhang Yuchun about the information Zhu Yan had obtained, and Zhang Yuchun had the same idea after hearing it.

This Chu Jing is very likely Xuan Gong!
"Judging from his behavior within the Qingxiao Sect, he doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty person," Zhang Yuchun pondered.

Li Qingqiu sat opposite him and said, "Everyone has many facets. He is like that, and so are you and me. We cannot make hasty judgments."

"Too."

Zhang Yuchun thought this made sense; he couldn't just rely on his eyes to make a judgment.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu inquired about Zhang Ping's situation.

"This lad is quite meticulous in his work, but he's a bit timid. Senior brother, you think so highly of him? You recommended him to the Imperial Spirit Hall and have inquired about his situation many times. Why didn't you let me tell him about your attention to him?"

Zhang Yuchun asked curiously, since he couldn't see anything outstanding about Zhang Ping.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "I just find him pleasing to the eye. I have a feeling that he will give Qingxiao Sect a surprise in the future."

The reason I didn't tell Zhang Ping about this was because I was afraid he would overthink it.

If Zhang Ping felt that Li Qingqiu had ill intentions and ran away, that would be terrible.

"In the future? Are there any geniuses like Zhao Zhen, Li Yang, and Ji Ya in the sect now, the kind of geniuses who can rise rapidly if given the opportunity?" Zhang Yuchun asked Li Qingqiu expectantly.

Recently, he has been doing some things and increasingly feels that he doesn't have enough manpower.

If the Sword Sect weren't outside his jurisdiction, he would have gone there to demand the person back.

He knew his senior brother's intention in founding the Sword Sect, so he restrained his thoughts and never crossed the line.

The Sword Sect is meant to protect the Qingxiao Sect, not to be used as a tool for the Qingxiao Sect to seize profits.

“That kind of genius is hard to come by. Otherwise, I’ll lend you Ji Ya for a while. He can follow you and broaden your horizons,” Li Qingqiu asked with a smile.

"Is that alright?" Zhang Yuchun's eyes lit up as he pressed for an answer.

Unlike Jiang Zhaoxia, who sought to have disciples who surpassed Li Qingqiu's, he viewed his disciples as simply Qingxiao Sect members, nothing special. He was more concerned with the interests of the Qingxiao Sect.

"Of course, I'll have Ji Ya come to you tomorrow."

"That's wonderful. This kid has already reached the fourth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. His cultivation speed is truly incredible. I feel that he will reach the fifth level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm in at most half a year. At that time, even if he is still young, he can play a key role."

"After all, he is my disciple; how could his cultivation speed be slow?"

"Hehe, what about Yuan Li? So many years have passed and he still hasn't reached the second level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm. If you gave him the same treatment, even the worst disciple with mediocre talent would have reached the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm."

"So, you're just a mortal with limited vision. Have you ever considered that the less capable he is, the more extraordinary his talent seems?"

"What does this mean?"

"Just wait and see. One day, Yuan Li will become the greatest pride of Qingxiao Sect, and no one will be more dazzling than him."

"Senior brother, do you really have such high hopes for him?"

"You'll know later."

Li Qingqiu stood up, finished speaking, and turned to leave.

Zhang Yuchun sat in his chair deep in thought. He felt it was necessary to cultivate a good relationship with Yuan Li, especially since Yuan Li was currently experiencing setbacks. If he frequently encouraged Yuan Li, it would be like providing timely help.

His senior brother rarely spoke with such certainty, and he couldn't miss the opportunity.

That's right, he felt that his senior brother deliberately revealed Yuan Li's qualifications to him in order to make him take the initiative to curry favor with Yuan Li.

He was filled with gratitude for this.

As Qingxiao Sect grew larger, it was no longer a small sect where its disciples could make decisions at will. Winning people's hearts was very important, especially for Zhang Yuchun, who was in the position of the head of Yuling Hall and needed to win people's hearts even more.

……

The news of the assassination of the governor of Guzhou and the uprising in the prefecture quickly reached Qingxiao Gate, sparking widespread discussion among disciples and pilgrims.

As the year drew near, seven of the nine provinces of the land rebelled against the emperor. They gathered their forces, preparing to converge before the Zhenyang Imperial City and force the emperor to abdicate.

Li Sifeng, who had been down the mountain for half a year, finally returned.

The seven true disciples who followed him were all safe and sound, which relieved Zhang Yuchun. True disciples at the third level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm were treasures, and he would be heartbroken if he lost even one of them.

Li Sifeng waited for Li Qingqiu to return in Lingxiao Courtyard, and waited until evening.

Li Qingqiu brought Xu Ning to the hospital. Today, he had a sparring session with Xu Ning, which greatly benefited her, but she also suffered some setbacks.

"Senior Brother, come quickly, I need to report on the Pei family's affairs!"

Li Sifeng waved to Li Qingqiu. Upon seeing this, Xu Ning turned and went back into the house, not staying to interrupt their conversation.

Li Qingqiu sat down and first asked Li Sifeng to pour him a bowl of wine. He drank it all in one gulp before letting Li Sifeng speak.

　Thank you Autumn Breeze_Sigh for the 500 Qidian Coins!
　　Fourth update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)