Chapter 4: Guzhou, White Emperor Manor
【Fortuitous Fate: Within a certain range, it will seek out a Fortuitous Fate suitable for the development of your Dao Lineage.】
Li Qingqiu looked at the prompt before his eyes and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The words Fortuitous Fate alone sounded like a good thing.
Given the Clear Sky Sect’s current circumstances, developing it further was far too difficult. If he wished to turn it into a true Immortal Cultivation Sect, immense resources would be essential.
However, the benefits brought by Fortuitous Fate might also lead to conflicts. With only seven of them, could they bear such consequences?
Fortuitous Fate—the words sounded auspicious. It shouldn’t be something that would wipe them all out, but even if a single junior brother or sister were to be injured, he would find it hard to bear. They were deep in the mountains, and finding a healer would be extremely difficult.
After thinking it over, Li Qingqiu decided to wait until all the disciples had stepped into the First Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm before activating the Fortuitous Fate. After all, there was no countdown to it—different times would yield different Fates suited to them.
He stopped thinking about it, took up a wooden sword he had carved himself, and continued his sword practice.
This set of sword techniques was left behind by Lin Xunfeng.
It was called Nine Extremes Divine Sword.
The name sounded formidable, but it wasn’t truly part of the Immortal Cultivation path. Though the sword art was intricate, once mastered, it was highly effective in combat.
Of course, the prerequisite was quick reaction—otherwise, the sword moves would easily be broken, much like how traditional martial arts fared against modern fighting techniques in his previous life.
It was worth noting that the Nine Extremes Divine Sword could mobilize Inner Energy. Li Qingqiu was wondering whether it could be replaced with Vital Energy.
Blessed with the Fate Trait of Innate Sword Maniac, Li Qingqiu mastered the sword art after a single practice.
With every repetition, his swordsmanship grew sharper. After merely two days, his sword moves were fierce as the wind.
Watching from a distance, Li Sifeng and Li Sijin gaped in awe, faces filled with admiration.
Jiang Zhaoxia, emerging from the forest, saw this scene. His expression changed slightly before he silently turned back into the woods.
Over the past two days, Li Qingqiu’s comprehension of the sword had deeply shaken him.
He had always thought himself a genius who merely lacked opportunities. Yet Li Qingqiu had effortlessly grasped a sword art on his very first attempt.
Jiang Zhaoxia could confirm that Li Qingqiu had never practiced swordsmanship before.
The reason Li Qingqiu could master the Nine Extremes Divine Sword in one go was that Jiang Zhaoxia himself had laid a solid sword foundation during his childhood in his clan—thus he knew that Li Qingqiu’s talent in the sword far surpassed his own.
Li Qingqiu didn’t know what Jiang Zhaoxia was thinking, but since Jiang Zhaoxia’s loyalty had increased by two points the day before, he wasn’t worried.
The Dao Lineage panel was quite sentient—it could resolve certain doubts, such as matters of loyalty.
The maximum loyalty was 100, and Jiang Zhaoxia’s loyalty had already reached 98—nearly absolute devotion.
Half an incense stick of time later, Zhang Yuchun came excitedly to find Li Qingqiu, telling him about his latest progress.
Li Qingqiu was delighted and decided to add an extra dish to dinner that night to lift everyone’s spirits.
Zhang Yuchun was deeply moved, feeling that his Senior Brother truly valued him.
However, when he arrived at the kitchen to cut meat, something felt wrong.
Why is it that I’m the one cooking again when it’s supposed to be a celebration for me?
…
Summer faded into autumn.
Drizzling rain fell over the Ancient Great Mountain Range where the Clear Sky Sect resided, and mist wreathed the mountains.
It had been three months since Lin Xunfeng’s departure.
Other than Wu Man’er, all the junior brothers and sisters had cultivated Vital Energy, which made Li Qingqiu feel quite content.
Near noon, in the courtyard, Li Qingqiu lay on a long chair, hands folded behind his head, admiring the rain.
A small canopy shielded him from the drizzle, and a plate of fruits and flowers rested on the nearby table—life was pleasantly leisurely.
Since he had led his fellow disciples to cultivate Vital Energy, his prestige had risen to a new height.
Everyone obeyed him without question—even Jiang Zhaoxia, who might argue with words, but whose actions were always obedient.
Li Sifeng, wearing a straw raincoat, ran into the courtyard. His small frame dragged his mud-soaked robe across the ground as he came quickly to Li Qingqiu’s side.
“Senior Brother, someone has come to the mountain gate,” he said, panting. “He said he’s an old friend of Master. You told me before that if anyone asked about Master, I should say I don’t know. I just told him that—but he said he wants to stay here for one night.”
An old friend of Master’s?
Li Qingqiu frowned slightly and slowly stood up. “I’ll go take a look. Don’t run about in the rain—if you fall off the mountain, that would be far too foolish.”
With that, he took up an oiled paper umbrella and walked toward the courtyard gate.
Li Sifeng made a face at his Senior Brother’s back.
Once Li Qingqiu disappeared around the corner, he immediately stretched out his muddy little hand and began eating the fruit from the table.
From the courtyard, a winding path of several dozen meters led to the mountain gate. It sat halfway up the mountain, offering a wide view of the surrounding peaks. Li Qingqiu often stood there to look out.
From afar, he saw a man in a straw raincoat standing before the gate, his back to him. Judging from the man’s build, he did not seem easy to deal with.
Although Li Qingqiu had already stepped into the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, he still remained cautious, for he couldn’t gauge how his realm compared to the martial experts of the Jianghu.
He had thought Lin Xunfeng’s martial arts were mediocre, yet from his Master’s many stories, this world’s martial artists were still powerful—able to leap across roofs, subdue tigers and bears.
With Inner Energy in play, perhaps they were as formidable as the martial heroes in the novels from his previous life.
Perhaps Lin Xunfeng had been strong as well—he had simply never shown it to his disciples.
Without true strength, how could Lin Xunfeng have traveled the world and rescued orphans along the way?
Though Li Qingqiu hadn’t descended the mountain in sixteen years, he still had childhood memories.
When he was an infant, the world had been in turmoil. He remembered being in Lin Xunfeng’s arms amid battle—his sight covered, but his ears filled with hoofbeats and shouts of war. It must have been a battlefield.
The man in the straw raincoat heard footsteps behind him and turned around. He saw a handsome young man in plain clothes walking up with an oiled paper umbrella, and a smile spread across his face.
Before Li Qingqiu could speak, the man asked first, “Are you Li Qingqiu, or Zhang Yuchun?”
Hearing his and Zhang Yuchun’s names spoken, Li Qingqiu’s wariness lessened.
This proved that the man truly knew his Master—perhaps even closely.
“Junior is Li Qingqiu. May I ask how Senior should be addressed, and what relationship you have with my Master?” Li Qingqiu stopped and saluted, keeping a seven-step distance.
The man’s appearance was rugged, his bearing that of a wandering hero. Aside from a bundle on his back, a long flute hung at his waist. His laughter was bold and hearty, giving off an air of generosity.
“My name is Jiang Kuotian. I’ve been your Master’s sworn brother for sixteen years. When you were little, I even held you in my arms!”
Upon hearing Li Qingqiu’s name, the man—Jiang Kuotian—looked at him with even gentler eyes.
Li Qingqiu did remember this name.
Sixteen years ago, when his Master had fled with him, they had met Jiang Kuotian, who escorted the pair safely to the foot of the Clear Sky Sect’s mountain.
“So it’s Uncle Jiang. Master often spoke of you!” Li Qingqiu said warmly.
“Oh? So your Master actually acknowledged me as his brother in private?”
“Of course. He mentioned you often—said that in all the Jianghu, there were few he truly admired, and you were one of them. In many ways, he took you as his example.”
Li Qingqiu spoke smoothly, though in truth, Lin Xunfeng had never once mentioned Jiang Kuotian.
Jiang Kuotian laughed heartily.
The more he looked at Li Qingqiu, the more he liked him, and his resentment toward Lin Xunfeng quietly faded.
After chatting for a while, Li Qingqiu invited him into the courtyard.
Li Sifeng, seeing them approach, hurriedly grabbed two fruits and ran off to his room.
Li Qingqiu, long used to such antics, pretended not to notice and instead invited Jiang Kuotian to sit beneath a tree, pouring him a bowl of water.
As Jiang Kuotian drank, his eyes swept across the Clear Sky Sect.
It was still as rundown as ever. Lin Xunfeng clearly hadn’t put any effort into developing it.
Setting the bowl down, Jiang Kuotian looked at Li Qingqiu and said directly, “I already know about your Master. A month ago, I met him at the prefectural capital of Guzhou. He said he was going to seek immortality and asked me to look after you all. Come with me to the White Emperor Manor. The White Emperor Manor is one of the Seven Great Sects of Guzhou’s Jianghu, renowned across the land—it’s far better than staying here in the mountains.”
White Emperor Manor!
Li Qingqiu had indeed heard Lin Xunfeng mention that sect before. It was one of the few Jianghu factions with ties to the imperial court—its lord’s brother held high office there.
Joining White Emperor Manor would indeed be a good opportunity for Li Qingqiu and the others.
Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu had already activated his Dao Lineage panel. He needed to be the Sect Master to continue choosing Fate Traits and obtaining inheritance rewards.
If he went to White Emperor Manor, he’d be nothing more than a servant—far less free, with no promising future.
Feigning hesitation, Li Qingqiu finally made his decision and said, “Uncle Jiang, I appreciate your kind offer, but my junior brothers and sisters and I wish to stay away from the strife of the Jianghu. Though life on the mountain is hard, it’s peaceful and free. We will not go down.”
Jiang Kuotian looked at him in surprise.
Lin Xunfeng had told him that his eldest disciple, Li Qingqiu, had long yearned to roam the world with a sword. He’d hoped that after joining White Emperor Manor, Li Qingqiu could one day be free to pursue that dream.
He hadn’t expected Li Qingqiu to make such a choice.
Pity welled in Jiang Kuotian’s heart.
Is this child giving up his dream for the sake of his junior brothers and sisters?
“If you’re worried about them, there’s no need. White Emperor Manor would care for them well—you could go wherever you wished afterward,” Jiang Kuotian said earnestly.
Just as Li Qingqiu was about to reply, he heard noises from the nearby room—those little ones were eavesdropping behind the door.
He changed his mind at once and said seriously, “Uncle Jiang, I prefer to hold my own destiny in my hands. My junior brothers and sisters—I’ll take care of them myself. That way, I can rest easy.”
His words weren’t loud, almost soft—as if afraid to be overheard—but he knew his junior siblings could hear.
Jiang Kuotian thought of the infighting within White Emperor Manor and realized Li Qingqiu’s decision might not be a bad one.
After some thought, Jiang Kuotian took the bundle off his back and set it on the table. When he opened it, clothes, manuals, concealed weapons, and several odd trinkets tumbled out.
He picked up one of the manuals and said, “Your Master asked me to look after you, so I can’t just stand by. This manual cost me no small effort to obtain. Practice it in secret—don’t pass it around.”
Li Qingqiu didn’t look at the manual in his hand.
Instead, his gaze fixed on a small knife within the bundle—its blade shaped like a willow leaf, rusted all over, as if it had been buried underground for a thousand years.
From that knife, he could faintly sense the aura of Heaven and Earth’s spiritual energy.