Chapter 24: Return to the Clear Sky Sect
Sunlight split through the heavens, sweeping across the foothills of the Seven Peaks Town.
Inside an inn, a black-clad woman sat facing an elderly man in a gray robe, her expression filled with impatience.
“You sure move fast. I just arrived, and by the next morning, you’ve already found me.”
The black-clad woman spoke coldly, her words leaving the gray-robed elder rather helpless.
The gray-robed elder looked to be past seventy, his face marked with age spots.
He sighed softly and said, “Miss, don’t act rashly again. With your current martial strength, if you were to confront the Seven Peaks Alliance, you would surely suffer. And I’ve heard that something major has happened there. Anyone who provokes them now will invite a fierce retaliation.”
“What happened?”
The black-clad woman asked, and her thoughts immediately turned to Li Qingqiu.
She was curious what Li Qingqiu’s true purpose had been in going to the Seven Peaks Alliance.
The elder’s expression turned grave.
“Last night, the First Alliance Leader of the Seven Peaks Alliance, Lü Taidou, was slain in his own quarters. It’s said another alliance leader tried to block the killer and was beaten to death on the spot.”
At those words, the black-clad woman’s face changed drastically, her expression filled with shock as sudden realization struck her.
No wonder there had been such a great commotion at the Seven Peaks Alliance last night.
But still...
Lü Taidou was slain?
How could he possibly have done that?
The woman recalled how Li Qingqiu had flicked his finger and sent her sword flying, and she began to think that he truly might possess such power.
But he was so young—how could he be that strong?
Could he be skilled in rejuvenation or disguise techniques?
The more she thought, the more frightened she became.
That was Lü Taidou—one whose very step could shake the martial world of Guzhou.
And to think he had died within the Seven Peaks Alliance itself—this was simply inconceivable.
She looked up at the elder and asked urgently, “Who did it?”
The gray-robed elder shook his head.
“No one knows. They say the killer had three heads and six arms, like a demonic god descending upon the mortal realm—utterly unstoppable. He also took away two children. Perhaps he came there precisely for them.”
The woman couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Three heads and six arms? And you believe that?”
“That’s what the people of the Seven Peaks Alliance said. I’m merely repeating it,” the elder said with a shrug.
After a pause, he added earnestly, “Miss, the Seven Peaks Alliance will soon fall into great turmoil—internal strife for power and external enemies taking advantage of the chaos. Perhaps the matters troubling you will resolve themselves. Why risk your life for nothing?”
The black-clad woman gave a cold smile.
“Now that Lü Taidou is dead, my troubles are gone as well. Don’t worry, I’ll return with you today.”
The gray-robed elder let out a sigh of relief and stroked his beard, nodding.
After a brief hesitation, the woman said, “Can you have someone investigate who killed Lü Taidou? I only wish to know his name.”
“I’ll try my best. But given how dark the night was, finding out who he was won’t be an easy matter.” The elder replied casually, not thinking much of it.
Once more, the image of Li Qingqiu appeared in the woman’s mind, stirring her curiosity.
Who exactly was this man, daring to come openly under the Seven Peaks Alliance’s nose—only to climb their mountain and kill?
What sort of enmity did he have with them?
——
After leaving the Seven Peaks Alliance, Li Qingqiu had traveled several hundred li before hiding in the mountains to rest and restore his vitality.
He then used the Rejuvenating Ghost-Immortal Needle to nurse Yuan Li’s body, while Yuan Qi gathered fruits and water from the mountains.
After resting for a day, they continued their journey—avoiding official roads and meeting no one along the way.
With the help of the Wind Sprint Technique, Li Qingqiu’s speed was fast—though not quite as fast as a carriage, it was not much slower either.
When they finally reached the foot of the Clear Sky Sect’s mountain, Li Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking up at the vast peaks ahead, Yuan Qi felt confused.
Why did it seem they were going farther and farther away from civilization?
In his mind, martial sects should be close to towns—it made recruiting disciples and controlling commoners easier.
“When we go up the mountain, don’t mention anything about the Seven Peaks Alliance. Don’t even say I’ve been there. You’re just two orphaned children among the refugees I picked up on the road—understood?”
Holding Yuan Li in his arms, Li Qingqiu spoke as he led the way.
A large bundle was strapped to his back—purchases from a town they had passed the day before.
Following behind, Yuan Qi nodded quickly.
“I know, big brother. Don’t worry, I won’t cause you trouble.”
As they walked, Li Qingqiu explained the Clear Sky Sect’s situation.
Yuan Qi had never heard of the sect before, and upon learning that most of its disciples were children, he began to look forward to it.
In the Seven Peaks Alliance, he had been surrounded by adults—and constantly bullied.
The thought of a sect full of children made him feel at ease.
As Li Qingqiu described the sect, Yuan Qi’s courage grew, and he began asking endless questions.
Li Qingqiu answered each one patiently.
From the mountain foot to the Clear Sky Sect’s gate was a long journey—it took them half a day on foot.
Ten days had passed since Li Qingqiu slew Lü Taidou.
It was now near dusk.
Looking at the sect gate before him, Li Qingqiu felt a wave of warmth.
Though it lacked the grandeur of the Seven Peaks Alliance, it gave him a sense of belonging, and his long-held tension finally eased.
He saw from afar a small child crouched near the gate playing with stones—it was Li Sifeng.
“Sifeng, slacking off again?”
Li Qingqiu’s voice startled the boy, who jumped up and turned around.
Seeing his face, Li Qingqiu couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Half a month had passed, yet Li Sifeng’s face was still mottled with bruises—though at least the swelling had gone down.
Still, when he smiled, the few missing teeth made him look utterly comical.
Li Qingqiu quickly suppressed his laughter.
He mustn’t laugh—too unkind.
After all, Li Sifeng was injured for the Clear Sky Sect’s sake.
“Senior Brother!”
Li Sifeng shouted with joy, dashing down like a gust of wind.
His voice was so loud it startled the disciples within the sect.
Just as he reached Li Qingqiu, Yang Jueding, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Xu Ning leapt down the mountain wall, arriving swiftly at the gate—their agility left Yuan Qi stunned.
“You haven’t been misbehaving, have you?” Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, ruffling Li Sifeng’s hair.
Li Sifeng clung tightly to Li Qingqiu’s waist, choking up, “Senior Brother, I missed you so much. You were gone so long—I thought you’d abandoned us…”
More and more disciples poured out of the sect, all overjoyed to see Li Qingqiu.
He even spotted six unfamiliar faces—no doubt the six children from the Qin Family.
Two days ago, Li Qingqiu had seen six new names added to the Dao Lineage panel.
Sadly, all had average aptitude and no special fate traits, so he hadn’t paid them much attention or even remembered their faces.
Jiang Zhaoxia landed beside him, inspecting him carefully.
Seeing no injuries, he finally relaxed.
Li Sijin also threw her arms around Li Qingqiu in delight, while Li Dongyue stood to the side with tearful eyes.
Yang Jueding likewise sighed in relief.
He had been hiding the truth of Li Qingqiu’s journey to the Seven Peaks Alliance and could hardly bear the pressure anymore—thankfully, Li Qingqiu was back.
“Senior Brother, where did you go? Why were you gone so long?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked, his tone full of grievance.
Li Qingqiu smiled.
“Didn’t I tell Yuchun? I went on a mountain patrol, but got delayed by some matters. Oh, right—let me introduce someone. This boy behind me is Yuan Qi, and the one I’m holding is his younger brother, Yuan Li. From now on, they’ll be disciples of the Clear Sky Sect.”
At that, everyone’s attention shifted.
Yang Jueding crouched before Yuan Qi, observing him closely, making the boy rather uneasy.
Xu Ning’s progress had already proven Li Qingqiu’s keen eye, so naturally, everyone—including Yang Jueding—was curious what talent this new child possessed to earn Li Qingqiu’s favor.
Zhang Yuchun frowned slightly, while Wu Man’er simply grinned foolishly without saying a word.
“All right, let’s talk inside. Get some food ready for us.”
Li Qingqiu interrupted their murmurs, urging them on.
The group went up the mountain together, chatting and laughing.
Since most of the disciples were young, once they started talking, they could hardly stop.
“Senior Brother, let me hold the child.”
Li Dongyue came to Li Qingqiu’s side and spoke softly.
He didn’t refuse and handed Yuan Li over to her.
Back in the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun took Yuan Qi to wash up, while Li Dongyue and Li Sijin bathed Yuan Li.
Sitting at the table, Li Qingqiu turned his gaze toward the six children from the Qin Family—four boys and two girls, all around eleven years old.
For the Qin Family to find six children of the same age spoke to their flourishing lineage.
Under the sect master’s gaze, the six children were tense.
Qin Jue had warned them before leaving that once at the Clear Sky Sect, they must behave.
Anyone sent back early would face severe punishment.
“Come, sit down. Introduce yourselves.”
Li Qingqiu smiled gently and beckoned them over.
Seeing his smile, the six children relaxed and began to introduce themselves one by one.
Li Qingqiu chatted with them casually, drawing them closer in comfort.
Three of the Seven Sons of Clear Sky handled the cooking.
Their hands were quick, and soon steaming dishes were placed before Li Qingqiu.
Without waiting for Yuan Qi, Li Qingqiu began eating first.
Yang Jueding sat nearby, wanting to ask questions, but held his tongue with others present.
After a while, Zhang Yuchun, Yuan Qi, and Li Dongyue returned to the courtyard.
The entire Clear Sky Sect gathered together—twenty-four in total.
Far fewer than the Seven Peaks Alliance, yet Li Qingqiu felt deeply content.
He believed that in ten years’ time, these disciples before him would all stand on their own.
Li Dongyue sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand.
“Senior Brother, seeing you return like this reminded me of Master. Back then, when Master brought Sifeng and Sijin back, he looked just like you—holding Sijin in his arms and Sifeng following behind.”
Her words made Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Wu Man’er nod as they reminisced about Lin Xunfeng.
Their curiosity about their ancestral master grew—what kind of heroic figure had Lin Xunfeng truly been?
Yang Jueding said, “Lin Xunfeng did have a righteous heart, but he didn’t do much for the Clear Sky Sect. Since its founding, the sect has never recruited many disciples. I believe today’s Clear Sky Sect has no connection to the old one.”
Li Qingqiu glanced at him, secretly pleased.
In just a few days, Yang Jueding had grown rather perceptive.
Zhang Yuchun followed with, “That’s right. Master abandoned us and left. From now on, the Clear Sky Sect has only one sect master—you. We’re the new Clear Sky Sect. You just use the old name out of sentiment.”