From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 66 The True Inheritance of Qingxiao
Summer sunlight streamed into a guest courtyard of Qingxiao Gate, while the noisy chirping of cicadas echoed outside. Li Yang was practicing his spear inside, creating gusts of wind that rushed towards the courtyard wall.

Zhao Linglong, dressed in green, walked into the courtyard. She looked at Li Yang and couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, you've been staying at Qingxiao Sect for so long, why don't you go out for a stroll? Qingxiao Sect changes every day now, it's quite interesting."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang did not reply and continued to focus on practicing his shooting, which left Zhao Linglong feeling helpless.

Months after that battle, Li Yang was still reeling from the trauma and even ignored her.

She understood what Li Yang was thinking; even though she had saved him, he was still filled with the feeling of being deceived.

Before this, Li Yang often showed her his martial arts skills and talked about various grand goals. If she were Li Yang, she would also find it difficult to accept this fact, not to mention that Li Yang's pride far exceeded hers.

Zhao Linglong walked to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down, then began to recount the changes that had taken place in Qingxiao Sect during this period.

"I heard that the sect leader has taken on another disciple, and he is extremely talented. At only five years old, he is already hailed as the future number one in the Qingxiao Sect. I wonder if the Qingxiao Sect is just creating hype, or if he is really that amazing."

"I also saw two Qingxiao Sect disciples sparring. I must say, the martial arts of the Qingxiao Sect are different. Their sword control technique makes me want to learn it too."

"Have you heard of Zhu Yan? This woman is a famous scholar from Guzhou, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Her poems and songs are also widely circulated in Zhongtianzhou. Many young men from noble families admire her greatly. Most importantly, the maid beside Zhu Yan is no ordinary person."

Although Li Yang was practicing shooting, his attention had already been drawn to her.

He was actually quite curious about the Qingxiao Sect, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed there for so long.

Zhao Linglong saw through his thoughts, and with a faint smile on her face, she continued to recount her experiences within the Qingxiao Sect.

for a long time.

Zhao Linglong was tired of talking, so she stood up and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Yang Jueding built a martial arts arena halfway up the mountain, where Qingxiao Sect disciples can spar with other martial artists. It's quite interesting. There's a kid named Qin Ye who has already won twenty matches. I heard he's the sect leader's second disciple. If you're itching for a fight, you can give it a try."

Li Yang only stopped practicing shooting after she had been gone for a while.

He slowly raised his head, gazing at the azure sky, and murmured to himself, "Why must your surname be Li..."

He could not forget the scene of Li Qingqiu descending from the sky on an eagle that day, which overturned his understanding and made some of his beliefs begin to waver.

He stayed at Qingxiao Sect not only to recover from his injuries, but also to calm down.

Perhaps he should go out and see what Qingxiao Sect is like now.

……

Zhongtian Prefecture, the Imperial City.

As the imperial city of the Dali Dynasty, its ancient name was Zhenyang. Zhenyang City has been established for a thousand years, experiencing five dynasties. With the passage of time, it has risen and fallen, witnessing the evolution of humankind.

With the establishment of the Great Li Dynasty, the Zhenyang Imperial City once again ushered in its golden age.

Dressed in a dark official robe, Feng Dai stood on the pavilion, gazing at the boundless scenery of the ancient city. With his hands behind his back, he watched the setting sun hang over the city.

Although he has been in the capital for some time, he likes to come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery whenever he has free time.

This four-story pavilion is ornately decorated with a red brick roof, flying eaves like dragon heads, and redwood pillars, exuding grandeur. The street below is bustling with people and carriages, with ordinary people, merchants, and martial arts practitioners coming and going in an endless stream. Every time Feng Dai comes here, he has a feeling of unreality.

No city in Guzhou is as prosperous or as beautiful as Guzhou.

Feng Dai's heart was also suffering. The people here were living in luxury and praised the current emperor for his civil and military achievements, his compassion and love for the people. This was an unprecedented golden age.

He wanted to expose the emperor's crimes, but it was impossible. He also thought that even if the emperor had committed crimes, those crimes seemed insignificant compared to his current achievements.

Just as Feng Dai was feeling confused, he heard footsteps behind him. He knew who it was without even turning around.

Wearing the brocade robes of the Heavenly Guard, Jia Yi strode into the room. He sat down at the table, poured himself a bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

He only felt refreshed after drinking three bowls.

"The palace is becoming increasingly eerie; I'm afraid to go in."

Jia Yi's first words caught Feng Dai's attention. Feng Dai turned to look at him and asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"

Jia Yi waved to him, gesturing for him to come and sit down.

Feng Dai sat down at the table and said, "Isn't His Majesty hosting a banquet for all the martial arts sects in the world? Some of the gang leaders and sect masters have not come out since they entered the palace. Every night, there are always people crying, and it is impossible to tell whether they are men or women. Some people say that it is ghosts crying."

Upon hearing this, Feng Dai frowned and asked in surprise, "But we haven't heard any such rumors in the city. There are even sect leaders who are boasting in the city that they have seen the true face of the Sage. His Majesty has indeed appointed official positions for some sects."

Jia Yi shook his head and said, "That's just the surface. As a member of the Heavenly Guard, I know the situation best. Some of the Heavenly Guards have even helped His Majesty dispose of corpses, which are said to have died in the main hall."

Feng Dai recalled Wu Baoyu's words from the past: if the Demonic Sect was indeed founded by the emperor, then the emperor's martial arts skills must be quite high.

Furthermore, the emperor's pursuit of the elixir of immortality forced him to consider extreme measures.

"Today, the Heavenly Guard has been merged into the Imperial Guard. It seems things won't be peaceful from now on. You don't know, the Imperial Guard was established after His Majesty ascended the throne. It is not under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries but is directly under His Majesty. The Heavenly Guard was created by the Emperor Gaozu. Although it declined during the reign of the previous emperor, it still has historical foundation. That's why we often clash with the Imperial Guard. Now, we've been reduced to being subordinate to our rival. How can life be easy for us?"

Jia Yi sighed, and poured himself another bowl of wine. Feng Dai asked, "Your Heavenly Guardians are all experts, and your top-tier experts are former martial arts champions and unparalleled masters. Even if you are under the supervision of the Martial Arts Restriction Bureau, what can they do to you?"

Jia Yi glared and said, "The guys in the Forbidden Martial Arts Division are no less skilled than us. It's really strange. I don't know where His Majesty gathered so many experts. These guys usually wear masks and like to operate at night. Even in the capital, very few people know about their existence."

"The head of the Martial Arts Prohibition Division is called Master Xuan. His martial arts skills are unfathomable. No matter how strong a master is, he can easily kill them. Several years ago, I personally witnessed the number one martial artist in Nan Chu Prefecture twenty years ago being killed by him in three moves. His movements are like a ghost, and his palm power is domineering and unparalleled."

He couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what happened.

"How does this Master Xuan compare to Sect Leader Li?" Feng Dai asked curiously.

Jia Yi thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say, because neither of these two has shown their full strength in front of me. But in my opinion, perhaps the only person in this world who can rival Master Xuan is the Qingxiao Sect Master."

He recalled how he felt when facing Li Qingqiu, and felt a chill run down his spine. He really didn't want to experience the torment of the Soul-Binding Curse again.

Feng Dai frowned, his eyes filled with worry.

The world has just been at peace, is the emperor about to cause trouble again?

We must write to Sect Leader Li and urge him to prepare early. If the Emperor's target is the martial arts masters of the world, Qingxiao Sect will certainly not escape his grasp.

Recently, he heard about the Qingxiao Sect's impressive achievements in the capital city, and he worried that Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning would come under the emperor's nose.

Jia Yi, unaware of his thoughts, continued to pour out his grievances. Outside Zhongtian, he, as a guardian of the heavens, enjoyed boundless prestige, but within the imperial palace, he felt as if he were walking on thin ice, utterly devoid of any status.

……

The sun was shining brightly, and the mountain breeze was slightly cool.

Li Qingqiu led Yuan Li and Zhao Zhen down the mountain, and they happened to pass by the martial arts arena built by Yang Jueding.

Yang Jueding and Xu Ning had been down the mountain for ten days, and they brought five disciples with them, taking this opportunity to train them.

Li Qingqiu was quite at ease with them. Yang Jueding was a seasoned veteran, and Xu Ning had seen bloodshed before; they should be safe in Guzhou.

As Li Qingqiu walked out of the woods along the mountain path, he saw dozens of people gathered around the martial arts arena. In addition to Qingxiao Sect disciples, there were also pilgrims, craftsmen, and martial arts practitioners watching the spectacle and cheering from time to time.

A group of disciples patrols the mountain every day, and for the time being, no one is causing trouble on the mountain.

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and looked at the martial arts arena. At that moment, two women were fighting. One was Liu Yan, Li Dongyue's disciple, and the other was a woman dressed in black who looked familiar to him.

He quickly recognized the woman in black; it was the same woman who had led him to the Seven Mountains Alliance that day.
Although Liu Yan was only at the first level of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, she was no match for Chai Yunshang. Chai Yunshang did not embarrass her. The two seemed to be sparring, but in reality, Chai Yunshang was feeding her moves and helping her comprehend her martial arts.

Li Qingqiu did not stop, while Zhao Zhen and Yuan Li were not interested in the sparring on stage.

As they walked down the mountain path, upon seeing their disciple, they immediately turned around and bowed to Li Qingqiu with clasped hands.

Chai Yunshang noticed the actions of the Qingxiao Sect disciples below the stage, and her gaze followed them, her pupils dilating.

It's him!

Chai Yunshang could not forget the young man from several years ago who went up the mountain alone, killed Lü Taidou under the cover of night, and then left triumphantly.

Although she didn't know the young man's name, she couldn't forget his face.

"He's a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect? No, he's of very high status."

Chai Yunshang thought silently, but she didn't stop. She withdrew her gaze and focused on the exchange.

Below the stage, Gu Dubao noticed her gaze and turned to look. He saw the backs of Li Qingqiu and the other two.

"With two boys by his side, could he be the leader of the Qingxiao Sect?"

Gu Dubao thought to himself with curiosity. He had been at Qingxiao Sect for some time and they had paid for temporary accommodation. Although he had never met the sect leader, he had heard about Li Qingqiu from the disciples.

After Li Qingqiu and the other two disappeared into the forest leading down the mountain, Gu Dubao decided to follow them.

He wanted to find an opportunity to plead with Li Qingqiu to see if the secret manual he possessed could persuade Li Qingqiu to accept Chai Yunshang as his disciple.

After walking downhill for about two miles, Gu Dubao suddenly saw Li Qingqiu holding two children and stopped.

"Li'er, Zhen'er, today your teacher will teach you how to deal with bad guys, how about it?"

Li Qingqiu's voice suddenly rang out, startling Gu Dubao, who was hiding behind a tree. He instinctively wanted to step forward and explain.

"It turns out that besides Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning, Qingxiao Sect has other experts. It seems that our intelligence was correct. The sect leader of Qingxiao Sect may have received the true teachings of the former Qingxiao Master."

A cold laugh rang out, echoing through the mountains and forests.

Gu Dubao immediately shrank back, his heart filled with astonishment. Who on earth dared to ambush the Qingxiao Sect Master?
(End of this chapter)