Chapter 5: Preparing for a Rainy Day

Before the gates of the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, a massive camel-ray swooped down, coming to a steady stop at the entrance.

From his perch on the camel-ray’s head, Fang Qingyuan spoke to the people on its back.

"Fellow Daoists, we’ve arrived at the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace. Let’s part ways here. I hope we meet again."

Fang Qingyuan hadn’t dared to return directly to the Turtle Breeding Pool, so he had come to Celestial Gate Mountain instead. This was his sect’s territory; he wouldn’t be afraid even if ten men like Duoluo Cheng came for him.

Hearing Fang Qingyuan, the three Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators came forward to thank him. They all said they owed him a favor and told him to seek them out if he ever needed anything in the future.

’Words are cheap,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. ’If they were truly grateful, giving me a few Spirit Stones right now would mean more than anything.’

After the three Qi Cultivation Cultivators were done, the brother-sister pair from the Qi Yun Sect also came over to thank Fang Qingyuan. It was mainly the senior brother, the one at the Foundation Establishment Stage, who spoke. He said with sincerity:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, please forgive me. I was under my master’s orders to travel with my junior sister. It was not my intention to conceal my cultivation level."

Fang Qingyuan was unconcerned. ’It’s a good thing you hid your cultivation,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have survived today’s ordeal.’

’Are all Qi Yun Sect members this reasonable? A Foundation Establishment Cultivator, explaining himself to me, a mere Qi Refining disciple?’

So, Fang Qingyuan just smiled.

"It’s only natural to be cautious when traveling. But you really need to keep a tighter leash on this junior sister of yours. She should never be allowed to go out alone. If someone tricked and abducted her, she’d probably end up defending the kidnapper."

The moment he finished speaking, the junior sister from the Qi Yun Sect glared at him and opened her mouth to argue, but her senior brother forcefully pulled her away.

As he dragged his junior sister away, the senior brother looked back over his shoulder and said to Fang Qingyuan:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, if you ever come to the Qi Yun Territory, you can look for me at the Sishui Shui Cave on Water Element Peak. I am Xu Taichu."

Watching the pair’s retreating figures, Fang Qingyuan shook his head. ’I just hope that junior sister of yours is still alive the next time we meet,’ he thought.

Only Xiaowu remained on the camel-ray’s back. She sat there in a daze, seemingly lost and unsure of what to do next.

Fang Qingyuan was fairly familiar with the young girl at the Second-Layer of Qi Refining. For the past year, she had been the one to deliver the Spirit Wood to the docks. He just never imagined she would get caught up in something like this.

Seeing that Xiaowu still hadn’t snapped out of her shock, Fang Qingyuan said to Yinbao:

"Watch over this young lady for a bit. I’ll decide what to do with her when I return."

After Yinbao nodded, Fang Qingyuan took out his Magic Sword and flew up toward Celestial Gate Mountain. A major incident had occurred at Black River Square. Since he, a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, had witnessed it, he was obligated to report it to the sect.

After all, Black River Square wasn’t too far from Celestial Gate Mountain, so the events there would surely affect the Beast Taming Sect’s territory.

He just needed to make the report. What happened afterward was none of his business.

In the great hall on Celestial Gate Mountain, Lechuan sat on the main seat, his expression a mixture of worry and frustration. Below him stood five disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The atmosphere in the hall was anything but harmonious. Since Lechuan was unhappy, his disciples naturally couldn’t be happy either.

"In my opinion, Honored Master, you should just refuse that Wei Tong. You already gave the Wei Family a Late-stage Golden Core Spiritual Flood Dragon and one hundred thousand Middle-grade Spirit Stones. Wasn’t that enormous fortune enough? Now that he’s in trouble, he comes running back to you for help. The man is utterly shameless!"

The one who spoke first was Zhao Liangde. He furiously voiced his opinion with a display of righteous indignation. After speaking, however, his beady eyes darted toward Lechuan, and his tune abruptly changed. He continued:

"Of course, Honored Master is a man who values old ties. Even if Wei Tong is shameless, we cannot allow the name of our Beast Taming Sect to be sullied. We were the ones who sent him to White Mountain. Do those White Mountain People really think they can bully the Wei Family? Have they asked for permission from us, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect?"

In a single breath, Zhao Liangde had argued both sides of the issue without offering any concrete suggestion. The other disciples then began voicing their own opinions, creating a chaotic din that only served to frustrate Lechuan further.

Lechuan waved his hand to silence them.

"We still have to help the Wei Family this time," he said decisively. "I know Wei Tong. While he isn’t a man of principles, stealing infants is a line he would never dare to cross. The White Mountain People are framing him, and our Southern Border Beast Taming Sect must speak up for him."

Seeing that Lechuan had made his decision, Zhao Liangde said resentfully:

"That Wei Tong does nothing but cause trouble for us. If we bail him out this time, he’ll just come running to us the next time he has a problem. Honored Master, this can’t go on."

Lechuan sighed and said helplessly:

"We just have to endure it. Wei Tong is over four hundred and thirty years old and has been stuck at the Mid-stage Golden Core, unable to break through. He also suffered a severe injury from a battle in his youth. Barring any accidents, he doesn’t have more than a decade or so to live."

Hearing this, Zhao Liangde couldn’t help but ask the question on his mind:

"Then why didn’t you wait a few more years before taking Celestial Gate Mountain, Honored Master? By then, Wei Tong would have died of old age, the three-generation sect leader protection agreement would have expired, and we wouldn’t have had to pay such a steep price."

After Zhao Liangde asked, Lechuan hesitated for a moment, looked at the disciples, and finally spoke.

"Forget it. You aren’t outsiders. I’ll tell you the truth today so you can prepare yourselves. My appointment as the Director here was an arrangement made by one of my Martial Uncles.

"In thirty years, the next Pioneering War will begin. As for the targets for expansion, besides the Chaotic Star Islands in the Outer Sea, Fengshui City, and the South Sea Little Demon Abyss, this Southern Border Endless Forest is also one of the candidates.

"That Martial Uncle sent me and Zhao E Lian here to lay the groundwork. If this region is chosen, we’ll have a head start over the other factions in our sect. That is why we can’t let this business with Wei Tong drag on any longer.

"Originally, our Martial Uncle favored Zhao E Lian, believing his fierce personality and worldly demeanor would be enough to keep things under control. However, the previous Director risked his life to travel to Zongshan and report Zhao E Lian, and as a result, I ended up with the position."

Lechuan paused after speaking, giving his disciples a moment to digest the information.

In this Land Realm, a Pioneering War was launched every hundred years, and nearly every sect was required to contribute manpower.

These wars were led by the Great Zhou Academy, with the eight major super-sects voting on the direction of expansion. Once a decision was made, the entire Cultivation Realm would mobilize its strength to sweep away all obstacles.

For tens of thousands of years, this system had allowed habitable lands to expand, populations to grow, and the foundation of the entire Cultivation Realm to deepen.

After a moment, Zhao Liangde asked dryly,

"But that doesn’t mean we have to keep indulging Wei Tong. We gave him the Spiritual Flood Dragon and the Spirit Stones; we’ve more than done our part. After we help him this time, he should be the one indebted to us."

Lechuan shot him a glance and said:

"Do you think I could have afforded to give away a Late-stage Golden Core Spiritual Flood Dragon without my Martial Uncle’s approval? The truth is, Wei Tong and my Martial Uncle have a history. It was my Martial Uncle who acquired this land from Wei Tong’s father years ago. Out of respect for him, I can’t just stand by and do nothing."

At these words, all the disciples fell silent. It was clear that in the foreseeable future, they would be unable to shake off the Wei Family.

Just then, a disciple at the door announced:

"Inner Sect Disciple Fang Qingyuan requests an audience. He says he just returned from Black River Square, which he personally witnessed being consumed by fire and deafening battle cries, and he rushed back to report."

Lechuan’s brow furrowed. After a few moments of thought, he said:

"Let him in."