As the group entered the hall, they could hear the murmur of conversation among the people inside. The young Taoist who had led Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu to the hall straightened his robe and respectfully announced, "Master and fellow senior brothers, I am Chang Jian. I have been ordered to bring these two young..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a piercing scream suddenly echoed through the solemn hall, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Ghost! Evil ghost! Help!" The voice was shrill and grating, but familiar to Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu.
Startled, Chang Jian looked around nervously, but Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were even more shocked. Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaofan rushed into the hall and shouted, "Uncle Wang! Uncle Wang! Is that you?"
His voice was filled with anxiety and a hint of desperation, and the others couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Behind the crowd, in a corner of the hall, a middle-aged man dressed as a woodcutter sat huddled, shaking violently. From between his fingers, a muffled voice could be heard murmuring, "Ghost, ghost..."
Recognizing the man as Wang, the second oldest of the village, a kind-hearted and jovial woodcutter who often brought wild fruits to the village children, Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu rushed to his side.
Without thinking, Zhang Xiaofan grabbed Wang's shoulder and asked urgently, "Uncle Wang, what happened? Why did everyone in the village die? And what about my parents? How are they?"
Hearing Zhang Xiaofan's questioning, Wang seemed to snap out of his trance and stopped muttering about ghosts. Slowly raising his head, he looked at Zhang Xiaofan and said, "Young man, I have a story to tell you..."
The people in the hall were immediately stunned. Everyone quieted down, even those sitting in chairs couldn't help but stand up and look over.
Only Uncle Wang had red-rimmed eyes, full of fear and confusion. He stared at Zhang Xiaofan for a while, but didn't say a word. He furrowed his brow tightly, seemingly pondering something.
At this moment, someone in Qingyunmen couldn't help but take a step forward to speak, but was quietly pulled back by the person next to them.
Zhang Xiaofan saw that Uncle Wang had no reaction for a long time, just staring at him lifelessly. He became anxious and shouted, "Uncle Wang, what's wrong?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he shouted, Uncle Wang trembled all over, a look of terror on his face. He suddenly rolled and crawled to the side, hugging his head and curling up into a ball, repeatedly wailing, "Ghost, ghost, ghost!"
Sighs filled the hall, and disappointment was evident on the faces of Qingyunmen's people. Those who had stood up just now also sat back down dejectedly. Zhang Xiaofan was about to ask again but was grabbed by Lin Jingyu beside him.
Zhang Xiaofan turned his head in confusion, only to see tears in Lin Jingyu's eyes as he said sorrowfully, "It's no use, he's already gone insane!"
Zhang Xiaofan's mind buzzed, and he froze on the spot, unable to say a word.
Lin Jingyu was one year older than him and had a more meticulous mind. He looked at the people in the hall and saw that they were all wearing Qingyunmen clothes, men and women alike, with most of them carrying weapons, mainly long swords. Among the six people sitting in chairs, three were daoists and three were laymen, especially the one in the middle wearing a dark green daoist robe, with a graceful demeanor and bright, warm eyes - naturally, he was the famous Qingyunmen leader, Dao Xuanzhen.
Lin Jingyu didn't say anything else, pulling Zhang Xiaofan to run over to the six people and kneeling in front of Dao Xuanzhen, continuously kowtowing.
Dao Xuanzhen carefully looked at the two of them, let out a sigh, and said, "Poor children, get up."
But Lin Jingyu didn't get up, looking up at this divine figure, and said mournfully, "Master, we are young and ignorant, suddenly faced with this great change, we really don't know what to do. Your miraculous powers are vast, you can see the past and the future, please make a decision for us!"
Zhang Xiaofan was not as eloquent as him, and his mind was in chaos at the moment, so he also said, "Yes, Divine Grandpa, you must make a decision for us!"
Everyone smiled when they heard it. Although Zhang Xiaofan's words were naive, the gaze of everyone soon fell on Lin Jingyu.
Lin Jingyu was young, but facing Daoxuan Zhenren, a renowned master in the world, he spoke with clear logic and calmness that surpassed ordinary children. Not to mention Zhang Xiaofan, who knew nothing and regarded Daoxuan as a god.
The tragic incident in Caomiao Village was unprecedented in the thousand-year history of Qingyunmen. The news shook Qingyunmen, and Daoxuan Zhenren, upon receiving the report, immediately summoned the leaders of the other six sects to discuss. At this moment, all the other five sect leaders, except for Shuiyue Dashifu, the leader of Xiaozhu Peak, were present.
Those who could be the leaders of the seven sects of Qingyunmen were naturally the top figures in Qingyunmen, and the top figures in the world of cultivation. Everyone present had sharp eyesight, and at this moment, they all thought to themselves: "What a beautiful jade."
Daoxuan Zhenren smiled faintly and said, "I don't know about the past or the future, but since you live at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, Qingyunmen naturally won't turn a blind eye. I just have a few questions I want to ask you, and I hope you can answer them well."
Lin Jingyu nodded and said, "Yes, I will tell you everything I know. Please ask your questions, Zhenren."
Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and asked, "How did you survive this disaster?"
Lin Jingyu was stunned and replied, "I remember sleeping in my bed at home last night, but when I woke up in the morning, I was lying under a pine tree in the wilderness with Xiaofan. I don't know what happened. Later, Xiaofan woke me up, and we ran back to the village and saw that... that... scene. We were so frightened that we passed out."
Daoxuan Zhenren frowned and looked at Zhang Xiaofan. "You woke him up. How did you get there?"
Zhang Xiaofan thought for a moment and said, "I don't know how I got there. I woke up and saw Jingyu next to me, so I woke him up."
Daoxuan Zhenren and the other sect leaders exchanged a glance, with confusion in their eyes. If a master rescued them, why would they only save these two children? If not, it was hard to explain!
Daoxuan Zhenren pondered for a moment and said, "So you know nothing about last night's events."
Both Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan replied in unison, "No, we don't."
Daoxuan, the true immortal, sighed and called out, "Song Daren."
"I'm here," a Qingyun disciple answered in a loud and sturdy voice. He was tall and dressed like a commoner, standing behind a short and chubby man who seemed to be his master.
Daoxuan said, "You were the first to discover what happened in Caomiao Village. Please tell us what you saw that day."
Song Daren spoke in a deep voice, "Yes. This morning, I and a few fellow disciples were flying back from our errands. As we passed over Caomiao Village, I happened to look down and saw over two hundred dead bodies piled up in the village, a gruesome sight. We immediately went down to investigate and only found these two children unconscious behind the village. We sent one of our junior disciples to take them back first. Later, we found this man hiding in the village's toilet," he pointed to Wang Ershu, who was crouching in the corner. "He was staring blankly, with a dazed expression, and no matter how we asked, he only kept repeating words like 'ghost' and 'evil ghost.'"
Lin Jingyu's body trembled, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Excuse me, have you counted the number of people?"
Song Daren showed sympathy in his eyes and replied, "I found a fellow junior brother who usually trades firewood with your village. He is quite familiar with the villagers' situation. After his identification and our counting, there were two hundred and forty-seven people in forty-two households in Caomiao Village. Except for the three of you, everyone else is dead."
Although they had long had a premonition, Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but black out and almost faint upon hearing Song Daren's clear confirmation.
Daoxuan sighed lightly, flicked his left hand, and a small red bead flew out from his sleeve, rolling over the foreheads and chests of Zhang and Lin, and a refreshing sensation immediately penetrated their bodies. Their previously tense nerves seemed to have relaxed a bit, and they felt exhausted and couldn't help but lie down on the floor and fall asleep.
Daoxuan waved his hand, and the standing disciples bowed before leaving one by one. In the hall, only the six of them remained.
At this moment, the short and chubby man spoke up, "Senior Brother, you have temporarily stabilized them with the 'Mind-Settling Beads', but what will you do when they wake up?"
Dao Xuan True Person pondered for a moment, then turned to the Daoist sitting in the first seat on his left and asked, "Brother Cangsong, what do you think?"
Cangsong Daoist was tall and dignified, the head of the "Dragon Head Peak" line in Qingyun Sect. Among the Qingyun Sect, besides Dao Xuan True Person, his line had the strongest reputation. Cangsong was stern by nature and, besides managing his own disciples, was also in charge of the punishment affairs throughout Qingyun Sect. Although the Qingyun disciples revered Dao Xuan True Person, they were most afraid of this unsmiling Cangsong leader.
Cangsong furrowed his thick eyebrows and after a moment said, "This matter has many doubts, and it may not be possible to investigate thoroughly at this time. But the villagers of Caomiao Village have always been simple and honest, and we cannot ignore these two orphans. I think we should take them in as disciples."
Dao Xuan True Person nodded and said, "That's right. We need to take care of these two children who are alone in the world. However, I have not taken in any disciples for many years, I wonder which brother would like to take them in?"
At this moment, the short and chubby man, the head of the "Big Bamboo Peak" line in Qingyun Sect, Tian Buyi, said, "Senior Brother, in my opinion, it is best not to let these two individuals join the same line. They have similar backgrounds and if they stay together, they will constantly remind each other of the past. This will only breed resentment and may not be good for their future!"
Dao Xuan True Person thought for a moment and said, "Brother Tian's words make sense. These two children are young and have experienced a great upheaval. We need to resolve the resentment in their hearts. It is not appropriate for them to live together. We will need two brothers to take them in." As he spoke, he looked at everyone.
The heads of the other five lines, led by Cangsong and Tian Buyi, all turned their eyes almost simultaneously to Lin Jingyu, reluctant to leave his side. But no one paid any attention to Zhang Xiaofan beside him.
In the path of cultivation, aptitude is extremely important, and there is often talk of a genius who surpasses a hundred years of cultivation. The disciples of Qingyun Sect are well aware of this. When Qingyun Sect was in dire straits, it was only thanks to the brilliant talent of Qingye Founder, who was young but had exceptional talent, that he broke through the ancient scriptures of his predecessors and surpassed the cultivation of previous generations. He made the small Qingyun Sect flourishing and prosperous, and now it is the leader of the right path in the world.
In addition, while it was difficult to find a famous teacher, it was also rare to come across a disciple with exceptional talent and outstanding potential. Lin Jingyu possessed extraordinary talent and excellent roots, making him the obvious choice for the leader of the various branches of the Qingyun Sect.
After a moment of silence, Tian Buyi coughed and said, "Hehe, Senior Brother, you know that our Dazhu Peak has always been lacking in manpower. I will solve this problem for you."
He was about to point at Lin Jingyu when the leader of the Chaoyang Peak, Shang Zhengliang, stood up and blocked his path, saying to Daoxuan Zhenren, "Senior Brother, as soon as I saw this child, I felt a connection with him. Perhaps we have some predestined fate. Why not let him join my branch?"
The Qingyun Sect had a long history, and although the various branches appeared to be friendly, there was always an underlying competitive nature. Seeing that Lin Jingyu had exceptional talent, no one could say for sure that he would not become the next Qingye Patriarch. Moreover, the worst-case scenario would be adding more disciples to the branch, which would not give other branches any opportunities. With Daoxuan Zhenren's reputation in the sect, no one dared to compete with him. However, since Daoxuan himself refused to accept Lin Jingyu, they could not let this opportunity slip away.
As soon as Shang Zhengliang spoke, Tian Buyi interrupted him, saying, "Brother Shang, you already have 200 disciples, all with a predestined connection to you. Your fate is too abundant."
Shang Zhengliang blushed and was about to say something, but Tian Buyi took the opportunity to say, "Brother Tianyun is right. If we are talking about the number of disciples, your branch already has more than 100, while my Dazhu Peak only has seven. It's really not impressive. Why don't we..."
At this point, Cangsong Daoist interrupted him, saying, "Brother Tian, these two children have a very unfortunate background. We should give them the best care and attention, rather than focusing on our own disciple count." He then turned to Daoxuan Zhenren, bowed, and said, "Senior Brother, this child is indeed a good material. Please let me accept him into my branch, and I will teach him with all my heart to help him succeed and to honor the souls of the deceased in Caomiao Village."
Daoxuan Zhenren pondered for a moment, and Tian Buyi, Shang Zhengliang, and the others felt uneasy. After a while, Daoxuan Zhenren finally said, "What Cangsong Junior Brother said makes sense. Let him join your branch."
Cangsong smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
As the crowd watched, they knew that Cangsong rarely smiled, and his smile today indicated great joy, which secretly irritated them. However, as Daoxuan spoke, and Cangsong's Longshou Peak was powerful, they had to swallow their anger.
Daoxuan paused and said, "And what about the other one..."
Shang Zhengliang coughed, closed his eyes; Tianyun looked at the beautiful ceiling of the hall as if he suddenly discovered its beauty; Zeng Shuchang, the head of Fenghui Peak, who was snatched away earlier, simply meditated and seemed to have ignored everything from the beginning.
Only Cangsong, who had won a great victory, looked coldly at everyone, but his eyes were filled with a smile.
Daoxuan was a bit embarrassed, but he was a man of great stature, and he would not say anything about their poor aptitude. He thought for a moment and found a scapegoat.
"Tian junior brother." Daoxuan's smile was amiable at this moment.
Tian Buyi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood up. He was about to speak, but Daoxuan interrupted him and said, "Song Daren, your disciple, was the first to discover the matter in Caomiao Village. It seems that this child has a good connection with your Dazhu Peak. Hehe, why don't you take him as your disciple?"
Tian Buyi was in a hurry, knowing that Zhang Xiaofan's aptitude was average and would only be a burden. He wanted to argue, but Daoxuan wouldn't let him have a chance to speak and said, "Okay, let's leave it at that. Junior brothers should also pay attention to investigating this matter, understood?"
Cangsong and the others stood up together and said, "Understood."
Daoxuan nodded, coughed a few times, and did not look at Tian Buyi's expression. He quickly walked into the back hall. After his figure disappeared from the hall, there was suddenly a burst of laughter from the Jade Clear Hall of Qingyunmen.
Song Darene, a disciple of Da Zhongfeng, had been waiting outside the Yuqing Hall for a long time. Finally, when the senior masters came out, he hurriedly went up to greet them. However, he saw his master, Tian Buyi, holding Zhang Xiaofan in his arms, which made him pause. He asked, "Master, what happened?"
Tian Buyi was furious upon seeing him and snapped, "What 'what'? Are you dumb? Hurry up and take him!"
Song Darene quickly took the still-sleeping Zhang Xiaofan from him. Seeing that his fellow disciples, Shang Zhengliang, Tian Yun, and others, were secretly laughing, Tian Buyi became even more angry. He shouted at Song Darene, "Go! What are you waiting for?"
After that, Tian Buyi ignored everyone else and summoned a red sword with a wave of his hand. He floated onto the sword and disappeared into the sky in a flash.
Song Darene was bewildered for a moment but at least understood that he now had a junior disciple. He looked at Zhang Xiaofan in his arms and couldn't help but ask, "Little junior, what's your name?"
Zhang Xiaofan, however, remained sound asleep, completely unaware of his fate, as he unknowingly took a major turn in his life's journey.