My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

Qin Xiu smiled and said, "Although you are not the leader yet, you have been confirmed as the next leader, so you are qualified to step onto these stone steps."

Qi Yu collected his thoughts, pondered for a moment, and then stepped onto the stone steps.

He felt nothing at first, but from the second step onwards, his steps gradually became heavy, as if some weight was pressing down on him.

At this point, Qi Yu finally understood why ordinary people couldn't make it.

Now if you throw a walnut, it will be crushed instantly.

There was a breeze around, but Qi Yu's hair just wouldn't flutter.

What is a dangerous place for ordinary people is no challenge for Qi Yu.

His current physical strength is comparable to that of a grandmaster.

After climbing the stone steps, Qi Yu arrived at the main gate of the Changsheng Temple.

Two young Taoist priests, around seventeen or eighteen years old, bowed to Qi Yu and then led him into the Changsheng Temple.

Following the two young Taoist priests, Qi Yu arrived at the main hall of the Changsheng Temple.

The main hall still enshrines the statues of the Three Pure Ones, and the sect leader sits at the table below the statues, smiling as he looks at Qi Yu.

Qi Yu approached the leader and knelt down.

"Your unfilial disciple Qi Yu pays respects to your teacher!"

The coach stepped forward and reached out to help Qi Yu up.

"You don't need to say anything, your teacher understands." The head instructor's kind voice echoed.

Qi Yu lowered his head, not daring to meet the leader's gaze.

The sect leader was about to go into seclusion and wanted to hand over the Daoist sect to me. He even went so far as to travel to Jiangzhou City to teach me.

However, his mission to the seven kingdoms was undoubtedly a perilous one, with only nine chances of survival. If he returned alive, all would be well; if he did not, he would be letting down the leader of the sect, which would be extremely unfilial.

After helping Qi Yu up, the instructor returned to the table and waved his hand.

In the next instant, a group of Taoist priests walked in, with the two in front carrying trays.

On one tray was a golden-blue hair bun, and on the other tray was a drawn sword. The sword was dark, flat and long, without a blade or tip, and looked more like a ruler. The scabbard was placed next to it.

"Qi Yu, kneel down!"

The smile on the headmaster's face disappeared, and he became calm and solemn.

Qi Yu was taken aback, but still knelt down.

He would not kneel before the emperor, nor even before heaven and earth, but he knelt willingly before the leader of the sect.

The leader walked up behind Qi Yu, and two Taoist priests carrying trays also came up from the left and right, standing behind the leader.

The instructor bowed forward, then lifted Qi Yu's long, loose hair, untied the hair ribbon, and picked up a comb from the tray to gather Qi Yu's hair up.

Qi Yu's hand trembled in his sleeve. Even if he was stupid now, he knew what the leader wanted to do. He was somewhat resistant, and it was not impossible for him to resist.

But this will inevitably lead to disappointment or even sadness.

Qi Yu was torn; he didn't want to become a Taoist priest, nor did he want to become a religious leader!

While Qi Yu was struggling with his decision, the sect leader had already put the golden-blue Taoist topknot on Qi Yu. Then, the sect leader took out a hairpin that looked like a withered vine from his own topknot and put it on Qi Yu to secure the topknot.

Qi Yu's original carefree and arrogant temperament had largely dissipated by now.

At this moment, Qi Yu, with his golden-blue Taoist-style topknot, looked even more spirited and composed. Combined with his handsome appearance, he was undeniably quite dashing. Even Li Ming's devilishly handsome face might not be able to compare to Qi Yu now.

The leader approached Qi Yu, looked at Qi Yu's current state of mind, and nodded in satisfaction.

You're a lazy bum, but I won't let you be a lazy bum!

The instructor turned around, grabbed the hilt of the long, slender sword without a blade with one hand, and with a flick of his wrist, held the sword horizontally in front of his chest.

"This sword is named Zhanqiu. It was the sword that Dao Ancestor carried when he was young and traveling the world. It is small and without a sharp edge, only for defense and not for offense. Today I give it to you!"

As he spoke, the instructor Zhan Qiujian handed the sword to Qi Yu.

Qi Yu looked at the jet-black longsword in front of him, his expression somewhat complicated. If he accepted it, he might truly become the next leader.

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Chapter 170 Gratitude

Looking at the jet-black longsword in front of him, his expression was somewhat complicated. If he accepted it, he might truly become the next leader.

But if I don't accept, the head coach will be disappointed. He has such high hopes for me, and I don't want to let him down!

Qi Yu looked up and saw the leader's kind eyes. Qi Yu's heart skipped a beat.

He had seen that look before, back when he was just a little kid sitting on his grandfather's lap, and that's how his grandfather looked at him.

He liked his grandfather very much because his grandfather would play with him, and even when he went to play chess, he would take him with him.

He saw his grandfather's shadow in the coach!

Qi Yu's throat felt dry, his Adam's apple bobbed, and after swallowing, he shakily stretched out his hands.

The instructor placed the Zhanqiu Sword in Qi Yu's palms, then released his grip on the hilt, leaving Qi Yu holding the sword completely.

"From this day forward, Qi Yu is the sole successor of our Taoism. All members of Taoism must wholeheartedly assist Qi Yu!"

A group of Taoist disciples around them bowed and paid their respects.

This ceremony was for Qi Yu, thus confirming Qi Yu's status as the successor of Taoism.

Any force that wants to take action against Qi Yu is essentially declaring war on Taoism.

……

Qi Yu, holding the Zhanqiu Sword, emerged from the Changsheng Temple, and all the Taoist disciples along the way bowed to him.

The Taoist bun on Qi Yu's head and the withered tree branch are the traditional Taoist bun.

That withered tree branch has quite a history.

That was worn by the Taoist patriarch back then. At that time, there was no Taoist hairpin. Taoists used only a hairpin or a branch to fix their hairstyle.

The purple jade pendant that Qi Yu wore on his waist was a token of inheritance for the Taoist leader, and only his direct disciples could wear it.

Finally, there was the long sword in Qi Yu's hand. The hilt was jet black, engraved with some mysterious and complex patterns. The scabbard was entirely black, but it was engraved with some gold patterns, making it look noble and grand.

Taoist disciples all recognize this sword because they have seen it before.

This sword is named Zhanqiu. It has no blade or tip and is only for defense, not offense.

Taoism advocates non-action and naturalness, so when the Taoist patriarch forged this sword, his purpose was not to kill, but only for self-defense.

Therefore, this sword was deliberately left unsharpened.

This sword holds special significance!

Like the Heavenly Sword used by the Dao Ancestor, it is a magical artifact with some kind of symbolism.

The Heavenly Sword is the sword of the leader of the sect, and is wielded by each successive leader of the sect.

The handover of leadership is, in fact, the handover of the Heavenly Sword!

However, since Qi Yu is not the leader yet, it would be inappropriate to give him the Heavenly Dao Sword. Therefore, this Zhanqiu Sword, the sword used by the Dao Ancestor when he was young, was given to him instead.

Qi Yu walked down the stone steps, then turned around and glanced at the stone steps and the magnificent pavilion complex of Changsheng Temple.

Looking at the Zhanqiu Sword in his hand, Qi Yu's thoughts were somewhat complicated.

Let's take it one step at a time!

Thinking so much now is just creating trouble for yourself.

Having gathered his scattered thoughts, Qi Yu headed towards the capital.

……

At dawn the next day, Li Muchen, accompanied by his officials, saw Qi Yu off at the south gate of the capital.

Qi Yu's mission to the seven kingdoms represents the Dayun Dynasty, and his task is to bring back Qin Shuhuai, the Marquis of Guanyong.

Qi Yu looked at the densely packed crowd and felt it was all very exaggerated.

This makes me feel like I'm getting married!

After bowing, Qi Yu mounted his horse and headed south.

The First Nation, the Great Wei Dynasty!

Qi Yu rode his horse along the official road for over twenty li, and he could still see people coming to visit him along the road, which left him speechless.

Why does this celebrity look so familiar?

After speeding for thirty miles, we entered a forest and finally the surroundings became quiet.

Winter has just passed, and the trees are sprouting new buds.

Under a large, thick tree, two figures stood on decaying fallen leaves.

Qi Yu slightly lifted the reins, and the horse gradually slowed down.

Upon approaching, Qi Yu dismounted and bowed to Li Qiushui and Qin Xiyao.

"Princess, Miss Qin, what's going on here...?"

Qin Xiyao looked at Qi Yu with complicated emotions, then slightly lifted her skirt and knelt down.

"Young Master Qi's great kindness will never be forgotten by Xi Yao!"

Qi Yu could have avoided this risky mission; if he had gone, he would most likely have died.

After leaving the Great Yun Dynasty, many forces wanted Qi Yu dead.

In the Great Yun Dynasty, with the sect leader protecting them, other forces dared not openly take action.

Once outside the Dayun Dynasty, Qi Yu would have to face assassination attempts from those forces all by himself.

In order to save his father, Qi Yu boldly agreed to go on a diplomatic mission to seven states. He had no way to repay the favor, so this was the only way he could express his feelings.

Seeing Qin Xiyao kneel down, Qi Yu hurriedly stepped forward and helped her up.

What... what's going on here?!