The oil lamp flickered, filling the small, windowless room with the fragrance of sandalwood. In the center of the room was a small table with an incense burner, an oil lamp, and two scrolls of scriptures, one titled "Yellow Court" and the other "Eternal Spring."
Behind the table sat a man in a red Taoist robe, cross-legged. His eyes closed in meditation, and he was numuring softly: "My fate has been determined by heaven, and my companions will accompany me on my journey. We will encounter each other in leisure and amusement, and recite the 'Yellow Court' together. The decree says: promptly, promptly, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances..."
His ten fingers were interlocked in front of him, forming a cage-like shape that concealed something. He occasionally blew air into the cage while continuing to recite the scripture in a low voice.
The sound of his chanting was calm and soothing, and the rising wisps of smoke from the incense burner gave a sense of tranquil devotion.
At that moment, a sudden knocking on the door broke the silence.
The man slightly frowned and looked aside. "What is it?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Master, Lord Qin wishes to see you," came the voice of a servant from outside.
"Oh? Welcome him in." The man replied, then, with a silent sigh, recited a few more lines of the scripture to finish his meditation. He then released his hands and stood up.
He was not tall and fairly slender, making his Taoist robe appear slack on him. His look had a hint of sorrow in it, and though he was still looking appealing, it's obvious that he's getting older.
A Finger Monkey with black and white fur perched on his shoulder—the same one he had just been holding in his hand. After the man had let go of his hands, the creature had climbed up his robe.
Mimicking the man, it faced the door, its head bobbing around with lively curiosity.
The door opened. However, it was not the lord mentioned by the servant who entered first, but two young servants in light-green robes. They were carrying a heavy wooden chest together. The chest exuded an ancient aura, clearly not an ordinary worldly object. It was also sealed with two crossed talismans.
As soon as the man in the red Daoist robe put his eyes on it, his face changed instantly. He was shocked. His shock only lasted a second before he regained his composure. However, the trace of sadness on his face grew.
After the two servants bowed to him and left, an old man walked through the door and cupped his hands in greeting. "Master Qi, it has been a while. Please forgive me for not visiting you much often," he said, his voice strong and full of energy.
The man in the Daoist robe hurriedly returned the greeting. "Lord Qin, you're too kind. My humble abode is remote, and it must be tiring for a man of your age to travel back and forth. I am the one who should be apologizing."
"Not at all, not at all…"
They exchanged a few more polite words before sitting down across the small table.
The man in the red Daoist robe was surnamed Qi, with the given name Xiu. He was an orphan who had been abandoned on a side of a road as an infant and later adopted by a family named Qi.
At the age of three, he had been discovered to possess a single Soul Root and a single Fate Source, an extreme grade constitution for cultivation immortality. The Qi family happened to be related to the Chu Qin Sect's Sect Leader, so they had sent him to the Leader, who personally taught him the Daoist techniques and nurtured him with great care.
However, despite several years of cultivation, Qi Xiu made no progress in his cultivation realm. The sect leader sought advice from various sources and eventually found out that Qi Xiu's Fate Source was unprecedented and unmatched in the world, without any comparable counterparts. Thus, his hopes of comprehending the great Dao were dashed.
Fortunately, the sect leader had grown fond of him during the years of teaching, and out of affection, he continued to take care of Qi Xiu. As Qi Xiu grew older, he became a trusted confidant of the Sect Leader and had been sent to a remote location to carry out some secretive tasks on the Sect Leader's behalf.
Now, at the age of twenty-nine, he was still at the second stage of Qi Condensation, the lowest level in the cultivation world. He had also switched to cultivating the Eternal Spring Technique, which focused on prolonging life rather than pursuing higher realms.
Qi Xiu looked at the old man and smiled. "The last time we met was five years ago. Lord Qin, you still look as vigorous as ever—"
"Please!" Before he could finish, the old man raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop. "Enough of these pleasantries. Let's get to the point!"
His tone suddenly became stern, as if he had changed into a different person compared to the polite and courteous manner he had been when he had first entered.
Qi Xiu did not expect the other party to change his face so quickly and found himself at a loss for words. The smile on his face hadn't even faded yet. He felt very awkward.
The old man's surname was Qin, and his given name was Ye. Though his hair and beard were all white and his face filled with wrinkles, his eyes were gleaming and penetrating. He sat upright with a straight back. You wouldn't think he was ninety years of age. There was this aura of dignity and authority around him that came naturally from his long-held position.
However, Qi Xiu sensed a trace of anger in his voice, as if something had greatly upset him, but he quickly understood the reason behind it.
The matter was long and complex, but in short — the Chu Qin Sect , though a Daoist sect, the laws in this cultivation land they were located on were set by the Da Zhou Academy, a Confucian Sect.
Da Zhou Academy, a more traditional sect among the Confucian cultivation sects, had established a set of laws known as Clans' Rules and Regulations within the cultivation land they discovered and opened up.
These rules, detailed and comprehensive, governed everything from cultivators to mortals according to Confucian morals and ideals of restoring ancient ways and rituals.
They covered almost every aspect of life that all intelligent beings could come into contact with.
One of the laws — aimed at preventing unnecessary and brutal wars between mortal powers — stated that mortal nobles could only rule over territories that commensurate with their noble titles. And as vassals of cultivators, mortals' noble titles were linked to the strength of the sect or cultivator protecting them, and they were completely forbidden from attacking or annexing each other.
Taking the Chu Qin Sect as an example, the founding ancestor of Chu Qin Sect had been a Golden Core cultivator. He had been able to grant a noble title to the lord of mortals under his command, and the title he could confer was a viscount, which corresponds to the status of a Golden Core cultivator.
After the passing of the founding ancestor, Chu Qin Sect no longer had any Golden Core cultivators. The second-generation sect leader was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so the original viscount title was downgraded by one rank to a baron, and the territory size was greatly reduced.
Now, in the third generation, Chu Qin Sect didn't even have a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. The highest level of cultivation is that of the current sect leader, who was at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage.
Qin Ye, being a direct mortal descendant of the Chu Qin Sect's founding Golden Core ancestor, had now lost even the title of Baron. He was left with a title equivalent to that of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, known as "Lordly Official." This title was barely considered noble, and the territory of the sect had shrunk even further.
Additionally, even mortal families within his territory that have late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, and were part of the Chu Qin Sect, had started to disobey orders and act against the sect secretly.
And just like noble mortals, the Clans' Rules and Regulations stipulated that cultivation sects couldn't attack or take over one another. However, there was one serious difference from mortals. This rule only applied to sects that had no more than three generations of leaders or fewer..
Once three generations of sect leaders had passed, this rule no longer held, and the sects plunged into fierce competition for survival.
The current third-generation sect leader of the Chu Qin Sect was surnamed Qi. For the Qin Clan, the founder of the sect, he was actually an outsider. Though he promised that the position of the fourth-generation sect leader would be returned to the direct descendants of the Qin Clan when he had taken over the sect, specifically the Qin Ye branch.
Now, Sect Leader Qi was seventy-four years old.
According to the average lifespan of one hundred to one hundred and twenty years for Qi Condensation cultivators; his time was running out.
Qin Ye's branch only has one cultivator who was at mid-stage of Qi Condensation and was around ten years old. Though his aptitude was excellent, it's not certain that they could compete with the several Qi Condensation late-stage cultivators of the concubine branches when the time came.
How could this not make Qin Ye anxious?
Moreover, in the past ten years, Sect Leader Qi had been secretly sending resources to Qi Xiu through Qin Ye without telling him what they were used for, which had made Qin Ye wild with imagination and anger.
Qi Xiu had already made up his mind and no longer pretended to be polite. "Since Steward Qin wants to talk about serious matters, then let's talk about serious matters!" he said coldly and took out a white talisman, mumbled a spell, and shook it. The talisman spontaneously combusted, transforming into a cluster of light specks that gradually expanded into a colorless barrier, enveloping the small study. "Now, our words can't be heard outside this soundproof cover. Speak your mind."
Qin Ye snorted. "In that case, I won't be polite either. You've been here for more than ten years, and your Sect Leader Qi, who treats you like a son, has been sending things to you," he said loudly and pointed at the wooden box. "All these years, no one knows what's inside it. Today, you have to give me an explanation!"
Qi Xiu glanced at the wooden box on the floor and calmly replied, "I can't say what's in this box. It's useless for you to ask. I can only say that these things are all used for the sect and are related to the survival of our sect. I've never taken a single thing from it."
He paused for a moment, playfully teasing the [Finger Monkey] on his shoulder and watching it play with his fingers. "Look at this Finger Monkey. It's my cultivation companion. It's not even a 1st-grade spirit beast. It's just a mortal creature with a little intelligence."
He turned his head and looked around. "Look at this empty place. I've been here for more than ten years. I've never left this place. Now that I'm almost thirty, my cultivation hasn't progressed a bit. I haven't even dared to marry a wife. Tell me, Lord Qin, where are these benefits you think I've gained?"
Qin Ye was silent. He didn't know how to refute Qi Xiu's words. He had observed his character over the years; he knew very well that he wasn't a corrupt person.
Besides, from his tone, it's clear that he would never tell him the truth about this matter.
Though he was a lord and old enough to be Qi Xiu's grandfather, he was just a mortal and there was a huge difference between cultivators and mortals. His attitude earlier towards Qi Xiu was already overstepping boundaries, and he didn't want to press him too hard.
He could only change the topic and force himself to say sternly, "Humph! I don't understand your cultivation matters. "But I've lived for so many years, and I'm not an ignorant person. Currently, there are suspicious movements among the families in my territory that are protected by late-stage Qi cultivators. Rumors are spreading that once Sect Leader Qi passes away, the Chu Qin Sect will be swallowed by several nearby sects. Even my Qin Clan might not be able to retain its noble status. This isn't just baseless gossip. What do you have to say about this?"
Qi Xiu sneered. "According to the Clans' Rules and Regulations, after cultivators are allowed to establish their own sects, they will be protected within three generations of sect leader. After that, their survival will be up to fate and depend on their own abilities. This goes for the Chu Qin Sect and all the others too.
"Cultivators strive against the heavens for immortality, and it's not a peaceful path. Conflicts are bound to happen. Your Qin Clan has enjoyed wealth and nobility for generations, all thanks to the favor of our founding ancestor. How can you not be satisfied?
"Although the situation is dangerous now, Sect Master Qi is at the peak of Qi Condensation, just one step away from Foundation Establishment. If he succeeds, he'll gain another hundred years of life, and those who covet our sect will naturally back down.
"Moreover, Ancestor Chu of the Qi Yun Sect is still alive. With his Nascent Soul cultivation and the fact that our founding ancestor was his direct disciple, a mere word from him would discourage anyone from targeting us!"