From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 149 The Name of Qingxiao, The First Magical Artifact

The summer heat has finally passed, and the weather has turned cool.

Heishi County is located on the edge of the Taikun Mountains.

The town was bustling with traffic, and the streets were lined with vendors and shops, creating a lively atmosphere with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys.

There was a noodle shop on the street, with the stove set up outside and the shop set up with a simple tent. Under the tarpaulin, there were three tables, one of which was occupied by an old man and a young boy.

Both men were dressed as江湖人士 (jianghu figures). The old man had gray hair but was hale and hearty. He carried a broadsword on his back and his eyes were covered by a dark old cloth.

The boy sitting next to him looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with dark skin, a gray turban wrapped around his head, and a knife also on his back.

The boy listlessly propped his chin up, waiting for the shopkeeper to bring the food.

"Xiao Nan, I've found you an inn to stay at today. I have some business to attend to alone," the blindfolded old man said, his voice hoarse and weathered.

The boy called Xiao Nan was named Ye Nan. Hearing his master's words, he frowned and asked, "Master, what are you going to do, you old blind man? Don't get lost."

The blindfolded old man, upon hearing this, was not angry and replied, "Have you forgotten what I said the day I accepted you as my disciple?"

Ye Nan's expression changed slightly, and he replied, "You told me to focus on practicing martial arts and not to interfere in your affairs."

His tone changed as he recalled the past.

The blindfolded old man took out a money bag from his bosom, placed it on the table, and then pushed it in front of Ye Nan.

Ye Nan frowned even more and asked, "Master, what exactly are you planning to do? Do you have enemies in Black Stone County?"

He became a disciple last year and followed his master southward, traversing thousands of miles. In just one year, his martial arts skills improved rapidly, and he was no longer the timid boy he once was.

If his master had a grudge, he was willing to help his master, even at the cost of his own life.

The blindfolded old man replied, "I have no grudge against you, I was just asked to do this. Don't ask any more questions. Taking you along will only be a burden to me. You think your martial arts skills are already quite good, but when you encounter a martial arts master who cultivates internal skills, you are nothing. After I leave, spend your time on internal strength. Remember, internal strength is the most important thing. External skills are just techniques."

Ye Nan opened his mouth, but was unable to refute it, because he had witnessed his master's display of internal energy, which was indeed very frightening.

"Your noodles are here!"

The noodle shop owner came up with two steaming bowls of noodles, smiling broadly.

After thanking him, Ye Nan began to help her master get chopsticks.

After the noodle shop owner had gone far away, the blindfolded old man said, "If I do not return within a month, you should leave on your own and find a place to settle down."

Ye Nan, who was just about to pick up his chopsticks, widened his eyes upon hearing this and exclaimed urgently, "Master, what nonsense are you talking about?"

His voice was quite loud, drawing the attention of passersby on the nearby street.

The blindfolded old man calmly said, "When you're in the martial world, you're not in control of your own destiny. Xiao Nan, one day you'll understand."

The noodle shop owner couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Esteemed guests, are you in trouble? If someone is bullying you and leaving you with nowhere to turn, you can seek help from Qingxiao Sect. Perhaps they can help you."

Ye Nan turned to look at him and asked, "How much money would it take to get them to help?"

Ye Nan had long heard of the Qingxiao Sect. Although he came from the north, he had great respect and longing for the sect. His parents and sister were killed by the Demonic Sect, leaving him destitute and alone. When he heard the news that Li Qingqiu had killed the emperor, he wept with joy. He would never forget the feelings he had on that day.

However, despite his respect, he felt that the Qingxiao Sect would not be so magnanimous as to avenge anyone.

The noodle shop owner chuckled and said, "If you are high-ranking officials or nobles, then you will certainly have to pay money. But if you are just ordinary people with no one to rely on, Qingxiao Sect will not charge you any money."

Upon hearing this, Ye Nan, who hadn't paid much attention before, widened his eyes and asked, "Really? What is Qingxiao Sect trying to gain by doing this? The gratitude of the people? But this will make countless enemies."

"Yes, it will make enemies. Right now, everyone outside is condemning Sect Leader Li for killing the emperor, which is an evil deed. With the arrival of chaos, the deaths of countless people will be blamed on Sect Leader Li. It's absurd. Back when the emperor was alive, Guzhou was frequently plagued by famine and even rebellions. At that time, no one stood up."

The noodle shop owner became indignant when the matter was brought up.

An old man carrying candied hawthorns passed by the noodle shop. Hearing his words, he chimed in, "That's right. Those people are too wicked. When they're enjoying their good fortune, they don't care about our lives. When they encounter trouble, they want us common people to obey their will and become their weapons. Anyway, in my opinion, Master Li is definitely the number one hero in the world, unmatched by anyone."

His loud voice drew the attention of the visitors, who stopped to praise him.

Ye Nan hadn't expected Qingxiao Sect to have such a high reputation here. Just casually mentioning rumors in the martial arts world was enough to attract so many people to support them.

He had never seen a martial arts sect so popular among the people, which shocked him.

The blindfolded old man didn't speak and began to eat his noodles.

Seeing this, Ye Nan could only lower his head and eat his noodles. However, more and more people gathered, all talking about the good deeds done by Qingxiao Sect.

Medical treatment, disaster relief, and eliminating bandits and robbers, etc.

Similarly, Qingxiaomen charged very little money to poor families; a basket of steamed buns could cure a ten-year-old illness.

Qingxiao Sect does not intentionally pander to the poor. Even if aristocratic or humble families encounter injustice, they will help them. However, they will accept money offered by aristocratic or humble families.

As Ye Nan listened to these stories, it was as if he were listening to a storyteller. He developed many fantasies about the Qingxiao Sect and even wanted to join it.

……

The moon was bright and the stars were few. Inside Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, Zhu Yan, Li Dongyue, and Zhang Yu sat around a table. Zhu Yan was recounting the intelligence that the Zhu family had gathered.

“The new ruler of Yuzhou, Jiang Yu, has already colluded with the Lingtian Sect, allowing them to move south. Those refugees from before were orchestrated by their people,” Zhu Yan said with a grave expression.

Zhang Yu clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Yuzhou? That's really far. This lord has just pacified one province, yet he's already extending his reach so far. What are they planning to do?"

Zhu Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "He received information that the Qingxiao Sect was hiding a Qilin. He wanted the Qilin's blood, but he was also wary of the Qingxiao Sect's power, so he resorted to this desperate measure."

Zhang Yuchun squinted and said, "I'm afraid it's not just him."

With its immortal powers and auspicious omens, Qingxiao Sect is seen by the powerful and wealthy as a piece of meat that they crave.

"Can the Zhu family confirm that it is him?" Li Qingqiu looked at Zhu Yan and suddenly asked.

Zhu Yan thought for a moment and nodded in response.

Li Qingqiu then said, "Then let's think about who to send to take Jiang Yu's head."

“If he is innocent, then someone from the Zhu family must pay with their life.”

Everyone was stunned, not expecting him to say such a thing.

Zhu Yan's expression changed slightly. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Sect Leader, should I go back and ask again? After all, I also communicate with my family through letters."

Li Qingqiu did not suspect the Zhu family, but he did not want to go through too much trouble, so he gave Zhu Yan a warning.

It's impossible for the powerful families gathered in Qingxiao Sect to be completely without selfish motives, so Li Qingqiu must take a firm stance on this intelligence to prevent anyone from taking advantage of Qingxiao Sect.

Li Qingqiu nodded slightly and then said, "You must give this advice to the aristocratic families and officials who pass on intelligence to you: if you sincerely help Qingxiao Sect, Qingxiao Sect will not forget the friendship. If you use Qingxiao Sect as a weapon, this weapon will hurt your hands and your life."

Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Zhu Yan immediately agreed.

Zhang Yu clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking that Li Qingqiu was really ruthless and showed no mercy. But then he thought that with Li Qingqiu's abilities, he could indeed be so domineering, which could reduce unnecessary trouble for Qingxiao Sect.

Afterwards, Li Qingqiu asked Zhu Yan to continue with other information.

Just then, a notification suddenly popped up in front of Li Qingqiu's eyes:
[Given that this is the first time a disciple of Qingxiao Sect has successfully forged a magical artifact, thus advancing the sect's development, you have received an inheritance reward.]

Ok?
Magic weapon?

Who is so amazing?
Although Li Qingqiu had arranged for a group of disciples to study the art of magical artifacts, they had not made any progress. He had not thought about this matter before, but tonight someone gave him a surprise.

That's the advantage of having a large group; surprises are more likely to happen.

A smile played on his lips as his thoughts drifted to the magical artifact.

Zhu Yan noticed his smile and felt a chill run down her spine. Did the sect leader want to kill them all again?
Half an hour later, seeing that it was getting late, Li Qingqiu told them to go back and rest.

As soon as Zhu Yan and Zhang Yu stepped out of Lingxiao Courtyard, Yuan Qi quickly entered the courtyard.

"Sect Master, someone has infiltrated the sect with unclear motives. He was acting suspiciously and even tried to escape after being discovered. He has already been captured by the disciples. What do you think we should do?" Yuan Qi came up to Li Qingqiu and said quickly.

Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue had not yet returned to their rooms when they heard this, and they stopped in their tracks.

Li Qingqiu asked, "What does the other person look like?"

"He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, was blind, and was carrying a knife on his back."

“That doesn’t seem like a good person. Bring him here, I’ll interrogate him myself.”

Li Qingqiu said with a smile that he was in a good mood and could show Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue the Soul-Binding Spell so that they could also master the technique and make things easier for them in the future.

"Yes!"

After Yuan Qi finished speaking, he turned and left.

Zhang Yuchun asked with a smile, "Is this such a small matter that you, Senior Brother, are personally interrogating me? Wouldn't it be better to hand it over to the Enforcement Hall?"

Li Qingqiu stretched and said, "Before knowing his purpose, we may not be able to judge it as a trivial matter."

After listening, Zhang Yuchun thought it made sense, so he sat down and started talking about his disciples. Li Dongyue also chose to sit down.

After one stick of incense.

Yuan Qi and Xiao Wuming escorted an old man into the courtyard.

This old man was none other than Ye Nan's master, the blindfolded old man.

At this moment, the old man with his eyes covered had lost his knife, and the cloth covering his eyes was also gone, revealing his sunken eyelids, which was quite frightening. Blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth, indicating that he had clearly suffered.

Li Qingqiu looked at him and, judging from his physique and internal energy, he must also be a master of martial arts.

Such masters are rare.

　Thank you to readers 20220707193036513 for the 100 Qidian Coins donation, Qin Kenier for the 100 Qidian Coins donation, and Bei Zhi for the 100 Qidian Coins donation to Li Qingqiu!
　　Third update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)