Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 111 An Old Friend Seeks Refuge
[Daily Divination, Today's Hexagram: Moderately Auspicious. An old friend returns, like a tiger with wings; undercurrents surge, and danger is brewing... Fortune is average; Suitable for: Embracing new talent and consolidating the foundation; Unsuitable for: Underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly.]

Meng Xihong looked at the divination results, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

An old friend has returned?

As he was pondering, He Wu rushed in from outside, his expression somewhat strange: "Sect Master, a group of about a hundred people has arrived outside the mountain gate. They specifically asked to join you, saying they are your old friends."

Meng Xihong raised an eyebrow. Just as he stood up, he heard a considerable commotion coming from the direction of the mountain gate.

……

In front of the Tianyan Sect's mountain gate, newly initiated disciples were trying their best to maintain order, looking at the group in front of them with great vigilance.

They've seen many people coming to the Tianyan Sect's mountain gate lately. There are farmers in tattered clothes with expectant faces, shrewd merchants looking to make a profit, and even some lone cultivators.

But the hundred or so people in front of me are completely different.

They were all wounded, emaciated, and their martial arts uniforms were tattered. Yet, standing together, they resembled a battle-hardened, unsheathed sword, exuding a fierce and valiant aura that caused the surrounding noisy crowd to unconsciously take a few steps back.

The two men in the lead were a tall man with a menacing scar on his face; one of them was Zhao Tieshan.

The other man was an elderly man over fifty years old, thin with graying temples, but his spine was straight, and his eyes were full of hardship, yet they concealed a sharpness that was not easily detected.

The gatekeeper stepped forward, his hand on the weapon at his waist, and shouted sternly, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Zhao Tieshan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, stepped forward, and called out in a hoarse but loud voice towards the mountain gate: "My old friend Zhao Tieshan! I have brought Fang Henwan, the chief镖头 (head镖师) of Weiyuan镖局 (Weiyuan镖局), and the last 113 members of the镖局 (Weiyuan镖局) to seek refuge with Mr. Meng! I humbly request that you grant me an audience!"

The sound boomed and entered the mountain gate.

Zhao Tieshan? Weiyuan Escort Agency?

This name, which he had almost forgotten deep in his memory, reappeared in this way after three years.

His figure blurred, and he appeared in front of the mountain gate.

When that familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar figure appeared out of nowhere, Zhao Tieshan, this tough man who had struggled in dire straits for three years without shedding a single tear, instantly had tears welling up in his eyes.

The tension that had been building for three years finally eased the moment he saw Meng Xihong.

He exchanged a glance with Fang Henwan, the chief bodyguard beside him. Without the slightest hesitation, the two knelt down on one knee at the same time, their knees hitting the bluestone slab with a dull thud.

"Mr. Meng... Zhao Tieshan has come to seek refuge!" His voice trembled slightly, but he shouted with all his might, "We... have brought the families of the Weiyuan Escort Agency with us!"

Behind him, the more than one hundred bodyguards and their families, regardless of age or gender, all knelt down in silence.

Meng Xihong strode forward, first helping up the elderly Fang Henwan, then pulling Zhao Tieshan up. Looking at their weathered faces, he was filled with emotion.

"Just come."

There were no unnecessary formalities, just these four simple words.

Zhao Tieshan and Fang Henwan understood, and they grinned, but their smiles were more like cries.

Meng Xihong welcomed them into the sect and settled them in a secluded courtyard. Listening to their story, he learned of the blood and fire they had endured over the past three years.

It turned out that Zhao Tieshan had followed instructions and contacted the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) Fang Henwan immediately.

Fang Henwan was also a decisive person. She immediately dismissed most of the peripheral personnel and hid away with only her core brothers and their families.

Before the news of the Yin Sha Sect's destruction could spread, they were subjected to a frenzied pursuit by another force.

"Those people were masked, but the techniques they used were legitimate and orthodox Xuanmen magic!" Fang Henwan's voice was low and hoarse.
"They somehow learned that our escort agency had transported minerals from the secret realm, so they tried to follow the trail and their methods were extremely ruthless." Fang Henwan and Zhao Tieshan could only lead everyone to hide and flee, struggling to survive in the deep mountains and forests of southern Qingzhou, fighting against pursuers, monsters, and people's hearts, resulting in heavy casualties.

It can be said that their existence, like a stubborn rock, attracted most of the attention of that undercurrent, giving the Meng family, who had just arrived in Yunni Township, the most precious time to develop.

Until recently, the sudden appearance of the "Furnace Classic" caused such a great stir that the forces that were hunting them down gradually shifted their attention.

They were then able to escape, and from the rumors, they vaguely guessed that the sect leader of Tianyan Sect might be the same Mr. Meng who saved Zhao Tieshan back then.

Clinging to their last glimmer of hope, they searched far and wide before finally finding this place.

"Sect Leader Meng," Fang Henwan said solemnly, clasping his hands in greeting. He was already at the ninth level of Qi Refining, yet he adopted an extremely humble posture before Meng Xihong.
"Now you are the leader of your own sect. I am old and have no great skills, but the brothers in the escort agency are all brothers who would entrust their lives to each other."

"If you have any orders, we will have no objections!"

"Alright." Meng Xihong looked at the group of men with resolute eyes in front of him and had already made up his mind.

These people are true veterans, the sharpest blade he needed most!

"From this day forward, my Tianyan Sect will establish an 'External Affairs Hall'!" Meng Xihong's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "It will be responsible for all trade routes and intelligence dealings with the sect, as well as... clearing out those shady troubles!"

His gaze turned to Zhao Tieshan, who was now also at the sixth level of Qi Refining and was commendable for his loyalty and bravery.

"Zhao Tieshan, you are now the head of the Foreign Affairs Hall."

Then, he looked at Fang Henwan, his tone filled with respect: "Chief Escort Fang is experienced and wise, so he will serve as the deputy hall master to assist Tieshan and pave the way for our Tianyan Sect."

Zhao Tieshan and Fang Henwan suddenly looked up, their eyes flashing with astonishing light.

They knew that what Master Meng was giving them was not charity, but a trust and responsibility that would allow them to live with their heads held high!
"Your subordinates obey!" The two knelt on one knee again, this time with their voices filled with the excitement of a new beginning.

"As for you all..." Meng Xihong smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the thirty-odd surviving镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), "My Tianyan Sect offers you two paths to choose from."

"First, you can join my Qi Refining Hall and continue your cultivation of immortality. The sect will provide you with cultivation techniques and elixirs."

"Secondly, you can enter my Body Refining Hall and practice the 'Furnace Scripture'!"

Upon hearing the words "The Furnace Classic," Zhao Tieshan and the others' eyes lit up instantly.

Along their journey, they had heard so many legends about the Tianyan Sect's body refiners being able to "shake the foundation of a mortal" that they were practically tired of hearing them.

For those of them with mediocre spiritual roots and no hope of achieving immortality, this was an incredible temptation!

Without any hesitation, Zhao Tieshan took a step forward. This tough man's voice was choked with emotion: "Sect Master Meng...we people have mixed spiritual roots and have no hope of becoming immortals."

If there truly is a path to heaven for mortals… I, Zhao Tieshan, am willing to be the first to go, a mere foot soldier under the sect leader!

"We are willing to enter the Body Refinement Hall!" The other bodyguards shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the valley.

Meng Xihong nodded in satisfaction.

This is the effect he wanted.

At night, Meng Xihong stood by the window, gazing at the starry sky.

The addition of Weiyuan Escort Agency not only replenished Tianyan Sect with a group of experienced and loyal combat forces, but also laid a solid foundation for the future development of Tianyan Sect.

The Foreign Affairs Hall, a sharp weapon, is already in hand, but the second half of the divination, "The killing intent has appeared," also foreshadows that as the reputation of the Heavenly Evolution Sect grows louder, the real storm is probably not far off.

(End of this chapter)