Entering the west hall, the person Qi Xiu respected and loved the most was still lying there all alone. Qi Xiu approached, kneeled down, and kowtowed before moving on his knees to the side of Sect Leader Qi and starting to arrange his clothes for the burial.
Normally, a sect leader's funeral was a big event for every sect, but with them having to leave in three days and this territory now belonging to someone else, they had to keep it simple.
Inside the hall, it was just Qi Xiu and his departed master, separated by life and death.
Qi Xiu glanced outside and saw that the group of so-called fellow disciples he'd just harshly rebuked were gathered at the sect hall entrance, gossiping.
Not a single one came over to help.
"Master... your popularity was truly... really bad," Xiu muttered, much like close friends would tease each other. "I wonder if I'll end up like you in the future. That would be too sad…"
This thought suddenly popped into his mind, and he quickly shook his head to dismiss it.
As long as I devote myself wholeheartedly and treat others sincerely, even if I don't achieve much, I think that a hundred years later, people will still remember my hard work, he thought to himself.
As the sky brightened, early riser disciples from the three sects started to carry out their task. Among them were former disciples of the Chu Qin sect who had now joined the three sects.
When they encountered the remaining Chu Qin Sect disciples outside the Sect Hall, disputes broke out again. The three-sect disciples stood aside with folded arms, laughing as they watched the arguments.
It wasn't until the appointed leader of the three sects came out of the Sect Hall that they stopped the commotion.
Seeing this, Qi Xiu decided not to take certain people to South Xinjiang; otherwise, there'd be no peace in the sect later on.
Just then, an old man walked into the hall. He was from the Huangzu Zhan family and had been assigned by the appointed sect leader to help him handle the decseeded Sect Leader Qi affairs.
I didn't expect the first to come would be someone from the three sects...
Qi Xiu sighed.
This old man was experienced in handling funerals. He was efficient and straightforward, discussing with Qi Xiu what items were needed, what tasks to do first and after, and how to schedule everything.
He discusses each matter at a time.
Sect Leader Qi had not prepared any posthumous items, like a coffin for himself. and the three sects were still just arriving in the area. Qi Xiu remembered there were some emergency supplies in the sect's treasury, so he and the old man Zhang made a list.
To put it bluntly, these items were all looted by the three sects from the Chu Qin Sect, and they were merely mundane items. And since the leader of the three sects had agreed to help, he shouldn't make a fuss over such items.
Elder Zhan took the list and went to fetch the items. Just as he stepped out, two young men around twenty years old walked in.
They were among the twenty or so fellow disciples who had always been with Qi Xiu and the others. However, Qi Xiu didn't have much of an impression of them; they were probably the quiet, honest types who stayed in the background.
Since they hadn't sided with Senior Brother Zhang or Senior Sister Qin, Qi Xiu accepted them. He then asked them about their backgrounds and the situation outside.
Both of them were male cultivators. The older one, Zhang Shishi, was 22 years old. Surprisingly, he had the same cultivation qualifications as Qi Xiu: a single Fate Source and a single Soul Root, but unable to find a compatible reference object for his cultivation.
Qi Xiu's Fate Source at least had a name, but Zhang Shishi's situation was worse—his Fate Source was some karma monument from an unknown world, and he couldn't even find out its name.
However, Zhang Shishi was slightly better off than Qi Xiu in that he had an earth-Soul root and found a somewhat useful reference object, which helped him pass the first threshold of cultivation. He is now at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, considered a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
And though Zhang Shishi was an inner disciple, he had joined later, by which time Qi Xiu had already moved out, so they did not know each other.
The younger one, Zhan Yuan, was twenty-one years old with an aptitude of three Soul Root. Like Qi Xiu, he was at the second level of Qi Condensation. Both of these young men were quite introverted and honest, helping Qi Xiu while recounting what had just happened outside.
It was pretty straightforward: Senior Brother Zhang, that ambitious one from the Pavilion of Manuals, seeing that the position of sect leader was out of his reach, had continued to persuade everyone to leave the mountain with him, mysteriously claiming there's a good place to go.
He had mentioned these things to Qi Xiu when everyone was locked inside the room, but Qi Xiu had politely declined.
Now that he had gone down the mountain with about ten people, it's unlikely that they would return in three days.
In contrast, Senior Sister Qin had tried to rally everyone against Qi Xiu to force him out of the sect leader position. But besides a few female cultivators, no one supported her.
Most of the remaining cultivators were not even from the Qin family, so why force Qi Xiu out? To hand over the sect leader position to someone surnamed Qin? Non-Qin cultivators generally have a negative impression of Qin family cultivators.
To them, it would be better for Qi Xiu to remain as the sect leader.
These Qin family cultivators—none of them is normal! Qi Xiu sighed.
Whether it was Elder Qin, Qin Si Yuan, or Senior Sister Qin, they all did crazy, extreme things when they got impulsive. Elder Qin was usually pretty annoying, but who would have imagined he'd dare risk the lives of so many fellow disciples and just shut down the mountain protection formation, letting the enemy up the mountain?
It's a good thing that these three sects were Daoist and didn't really go for killing, or else it could have been a massacre.
Qin Si Yuan usually looked sweet and gentle, but he didn't hesitate a second about giving up being the sect leader for... a woman.
And Senior Sister Qin, normally so kind and considerate, especially towards Qi Xiu, had always looked out for him. But the wild, brazen behavior she displayed in the Sect Hall earlier... it was hard to believe a cultivator would do something so degrading and self-respect-damaging.
Old Man Zhan soon returned with the supplies, and with the help of Zhang Shishi and Zhan Yuan, the four of them worked together to prepare Sect Leader Qin's body for burial. They planned to keep watch on the body tonight and bury him the next day.
Since there was still time, Qi Xiu sent Zhan Yuan to Chu Qin Town to find someone to notify Qin Ye, the mortal lord of the Qin family, about their move to South Xinjiang.
Qi Xiu figured the Qin family might not cooperate, but as long as the message was delivered, he would have done his duty to the Chu family.
Zhang Shishi and Old Man Zhan stayed with Qi Xiu to help him keep vigil through the night.
Qi Xiu found these two reliable and honest, doing whatever they were told. In a way, they were like him, except that he often traveled outside and had more experience.
As night fell, another fellow disciple came to pay respects and stayed with them to keep watch.
Over time, cultivators from the three sects, both familiar and unfamiliar, came one after another for condolences.
Since the victor had been decided, they made sure to put on the show properly.
Still...it was like a cat crying for a mouse.
Late into the night, Senior Sister Qin arrived, holding a child as usual, followed by several female cultivators. After completing the incense offering and kowtowing rituals, she brought up the matter of the sect leader with Qi Xiu.
Watching her ramble on, Qi Xiu desperately resisted the urge to roll his eyes and forced himself to give some perfunctory responses.
"How about this, just like the former sect leader, make an oath," she said. "Promise to pass on the sect leader position to a Qin family cultivator in the future."
Realizing that Qi Xiu wouldn't never agree to step down as sect leader, she suggested this compromise.
Qi Xiu thought for a moment, then replied: "I can only promise that if someone from the Qin family meets the standards for succession in the future, I will prioritize passing the sect leader position to him."
Senior Sister Qin kept nagging for a while longer, but seeing that Qi Xiu was firm on this point, she had no choice but to reluctantly leave.
Early the next morning, four more fellow disciples came to join them. Old Man Zhan organized everything, Qi Xiu led the ceremony, and with help from cultivators of the three sects, they solemnly buried Sect Leader Qi.
By noon, Zhan Yuan returned and informed Qi Xiu that Lord Qin Ye had also passed away.
"Almost at the same time as the former sect leader," Zhan Yuan reported. "Lord Qin Ye went on a long trip last month. He said he was delivering something for the sect. He came back all tired and sick and didn't make it past the day before yesterday.'"
Qi Xiu felt a pang in his heart. Isn't that the day he brought me the wooden chest from master? And now he's gone almost at the same time as Master...this is really...
He didn't know what to say, so just sighed.
"The Qin family over there is in chaos right now," Zhan Yuan added. "The mortal lord appointed by the three sects is taking over the territory, and a few collateral branches are causing trouble. The current head of the main branch is a sixteen-year-old boy named Qin Ji. He said he understands and will discuss it with his family."
"Ah, forget it. The message is delivered; that's what matters. We'll see how the Chu family wants to handle it." Qi Xiu sighed again.