Zhang Shishi and He Yu were still enthusiastically discussing their personal cultivation plans, not noticing the complex expressions of Yu Jing and Huang He standing aside, or the dejected looks on Shen Chang and Pan Rong's faces, and Qi Xiu's silent and dazed demeanor.
"Sect Leader, Qin Wei Yu said he's hungry," Gu Ji said softly, tugging at Qi Xiu's sleeve. He and Qin Wei Yu were quite close. Qin Wei Yu, who was taciturn and rarely spoke, had mentioned his hunger only to this big brother.
After the grueling effort at the peak's base to clear the Spirit Gathering Formation, his stomach was growling, but he didn't want to bring it up himself. Gu Ji had noticed this and stepped in to help. The two youngsters, innocent and carefree, had no idea about the mixed feelings in their fellow disciples' hearts.
"Oh," Qi Xiu snapped out of his gloomy thoughts. "Today, it's Shen's turn..."
He instinctively began to say Shen Chang's name.
Since Zhan Yuan had gone to the Soldier's Outpost Market, Qi Xiu had arranged for Yu Jing, Huang He, and Shen Chang, who remained at the peak, to take turns cooking.
Today was supposed to be Shen Chang's turn, but seeing Shen's lost expression, Qi Xiu felt a pang of sorrow and couldn't bring himself to assign the task.
"Never mind, I'll show you all the sect leader's cooking skills today."
Gathering his spirits, he playfully tapped Gu Ji's nose and then turned to prepare the meal himself.
Behind the small temple, in one corner beyond the back wall, there was a simple stove made by Zhan Yuan using compacted earth.
Most of the Chu Qin Sect disciples primarily ate vegetarian and preferred light flavors, so the ingredients didn't need to be complicated.
Qi Xiu measured out some rice from the storage, put it into a pot, added a few slices of cut nanju fruit as a side dish, poured in enough water to cover it, and covered the pot, and let it steam until it was ready to eat.
Water was scarce on the mountain, so ingredients were first cleaned by villagers before being transported up. Qi Xiu had never cooked before and was only able to manage this simplest of dishes. Even so, he had to work for quite a while to get the stove fire going properly.
Just as things were settling, he suddenly thought that, no matter what, clearing the Spirit Gathering Formation was of special significance to the Chu Qin Sect. It would be a good idea to add some qi-boosting herbs to the pot as a celebration.
He turned back to the main storehouse to fetch the herbs, only to run into Zhang Shishi, who had come to speak with him.
"Senior Brother, Master," Zhang Shishi said as he followed Qi Xiu into the storage room and gently closed the door. "I've discussed it with He Yu, and we've decided that the spot at the mountain's base will be primarily for him. However, this arrangement might seem a bit unjust."
"Oh? How so?" Qi Xiu asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable watching the clear excitement on Zhang Shishi's face. He had assigned Zhang Shishi the responsibility of passing on techniques and enforcing rules, but it seemed Zhang Shishi was currently overlooking the issue of Shen Chang and others' cultivation prospects.
"Well, He Yu is still an outer disciple," Zhang Shishi replied, not yet catching the edge in Qi Xiu's tone. He was focused on the fact that while the Chu Qin Sect had relocated to South Xinjiang, Qi Xiu hadn't yet formalized the disciples' statuses.
He Yu was still technically an outer disciple, so it seemed inappropriate for an outer disciple to monopolize the only 2nd-grade spiritual land at the base of the mountain.
"About that…" Qi Xiu understood what Zhang Shishi was hinting at and felt even more uncomfortable. The disciples who had come along were mostly those who had been marginalized and mistreated in the old Chu Qin Sect. Now that things were starting to improve, Why was Zhang Shishi bringing up this kind of unequal treatment system again?"
"Shishi," After a long silence, he finally found the right words to respond, speaking earnestly and with heartfelt concern. "You and I were both once subjected to cold shoulders and mistreatment. Though we were technically inner disciples, we were treated like outer disciples. You know how hard life is for outer disciples. Now that it's just the few of us down here in South Xinjiang, we must stay united and move forward together. Besides, this Spirit Gathering Formation doesn't benefit Pan Rong, Shen Chang, or Zhan Yuan at all. Bringing up the difference between inner and outer disciples now would only hurt them. As someone responsible for teaching and enforcing the rules, you must consider every disciple's future."
"Ah… I hadn't thought of that."
Zhang Shishi was taken aback by Qi Xiu's words, realizing the displeasure in his eyes. He immediately took a sharp breath, slapped himself on the cheek. "Shishi has been selfish, only focusing on my and He Yu's cultivation, completely forgetting about the other disciples," he said. "I'm truly sorry for not living up to your trust in assigning me the duty of passing on techniques and enforcing the rules. Please, punish me!"
He wobbled on his knees, ready to kneel and admit his mistake.
Qi Xiu quickly helped him up, preventing him from kneeling. "There's no need to go that far;" he said with a serious tone. "Cultivation is about improving oneself, and the stronger we are, the stronger our sect will be. That's understandable. But while everyone in the sect might think this way, you and I cannot. Come with me..."
Qi Xiu took Zhang Shishi's hand and led him into the sect leader's inner chamber. He pulled out the small box containing the Foundation Establishment Pill and a will from a hidden compartment under the bricks. Handing the will to Zhang Shish. "Read it yourself," he said.
"A will? Master, you—!?" Zhang Shishi gasped as he saw the word on the envelope, shocked.
"Don't speak. Just read it."
"Yes." Zhang Shishi opened the letter and read carefully: "If anything happens to me, the position of Sect Leader will pass to Zhang Shishi..."
Seeing this, he finally understood Qi Xiu's deep concern. Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn't hold back any longer and fell to his knees with a thud. "Sect Leader, I'm ashamed of myself for failing to live up to your trust and expectations!"
Qi Xiu also knelt down beside him, wrapping his arms around Zhang Shishi's shoulders."Shishi," he spoke gently. "You know as well as I do how I came into this position of Sect Leader. Honestly, apart from my age and experience, I don't have much qualification for this role. But since I led you all to this harsh land, I have to consider every disciple and the future of our sect. While cultivation can elevate our sect, if we aren't united and supportive of each other, what difference is there from the old Chu Qin Sect? It's likely that the old Qin family's issues with outsiders taking their foundation will repeat! If that's the case, I might as well hand over the Sect Leader position to a passing Foundation Establishment cultivator. There would probably be many willing to take it, and the sect's days might be easier. But would that still be Chu Qin Sect? So, you too must have the same awareness as I do, thinking of the sect and everyone, to live up to my expectations!"
Hearing this heartfelt advice, Zhang Shishi finally understood. "I will not disappoint you, Master!"
The two locked eyes, and their mutual understanding and feelings were clear without needing words.
*Knock, knock.*
"Sect Leader, the food is ready. It's time for the meal," Gu Ji's voice came from outside the door.
The two men then got up, tidied themselves a bit, and stepped out of the inner room.
Within the Spirit Gathering Formation in the center of the main hall, the disciples had already set up the food and utensils in front of them. They were sitting in a circle, each with a different expression, waiting for him to come.
"Heh, looks like everyone's starving."
Qi Xiu walked over to his main seat, picked up his chopsticks, and symbolically took a small bite. Only then did the other disciples begin to dig into their meal.
Unexpectedly, Qi Xiu had used too little water, so the rice turned out somewhat undercooked. Seeing the disciples drinking tea to help with the meal, he felt quite embarrassed. After enduring this awkward meal, he exchanged a glance with Zhang Shishi and decided it was time to speak.
He cleared his throat and looked around at everyone. "Now that the Gathering Spirit Formation has been completed, our sect has established its footing here on Black River Peak," he said. "Once Zhan Yuan returns, I'll start working on setting up the Mountain Protection Formation. Before that, there are a few things I want to clarify and discuss clearly."