"First off, our sect crumbled because of all the infighting, and that started with unfair treatment. From now on, everyone is on equal footing—no more inner and outer sect nonsense. Everyone's got to follow orders, no exceptions. As for me and Senior Brother Zhang, we'll make sure things stay fair," Qi Xiu said.
He Yu shot a puzzled look at Zhang Shishi, who just gave a slight shake of his head. He Yu frowned and lowered his head, looking a bit gloomy.
Qi Xiu noticed this but knew it wasn't the right time to comfort him, so he continued speaking.
"Secondly, the new Spirit Gathering Formation is up and running, and it's set for disciples with water and earth spiritual souls to cultivate. Zhang Shishi will handle the details. As for those who can't cultivate... well, that includes me, Zhan Yuan, Pan Rong, and Shen Chang. Since Zhan Yuan isn't here, Pan and Shen, if you feel that staying in Chu Qin Sect offers no future for your cultivation path, I'll find a way to get you to Senior Chu Zhuangyuan in Southern Chu City. I'll make sure you get a good spot in the Southern Chu Sect . But if you choose to stay here, I promise you'll be treated fairly, and I won't let you suffer any injustice."
"Take your time to think it over. We can decide when Zhan Yuan gets back,"Qi Xiu said, looking at Pan and Shen with heartfelt sincerity. "You've traveled all the way south with me, and if my personal interests were to cost you your cultivation path, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
Pan Rong and Shen Chang exchanged silent glances after hearing Qi Xiu's straightforward words. Then, they both lowered their heads, staying quiet for a long moment before Shen Chang finally hesitantly muttered, barely above a whisper, "We... we'll think about it."
Qi Xiu understood that bringing this up so quickly might seem harsh. He also knew that offering to send them to the Southern Chu Sect was a bit of a gamble—after all, when Chu Zhuangyuan had mentioned coming to Southern Chu City if they needed anything, it might have just been a casual remark.
But if he delayed this decision, the non-cultivating disciples would be stuck in the sect, constantly comparing themselves to those who could cultivate. The tension between the two groups would only grow, and by the time it needed to be dealt with, it might already be too late.
As long as I've done everything I can, with a clear conscience, that's enough, he thought to himself.
"Thirdly, when Zhan Yuan returns, I'll head north to visit Senior Wang Guan. I have some important business to handle there, and I might be staying for quite a while. While I'm gone, Zhang Shishi will act as the sect leader, and if anything happens to me, he'll officially take over as sect master."
In the Chu Qin Sect, there were no tables or chairs, so everyone sat on the floor. After Qi Xiu finished speaking, he leaned forward slightly and nodded at Zhang Shishi. Zhang Shishi, in turn, placed his hands on the ground and solemnly returned the gesture, saying, "I will do my best to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me by the sect leader." With that, Zhang Shishi's position as the next leader was established.
In Chu Qin Sect, there weren't any tables or chairs—everyone sat on the floor. After Qi Xiu finished speaking, he leaned slightly forward and nodded to Zhang Shishi.
Zhang Shishi, in turn, placed his hands on the ground and solemnly bowed, returning the gesture. "I will do my utmost to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me by the sect leader," he said with a deep voice.
And with that, the leadership transition was set.
After covering these three points, Qi Xiu discussed the disciples' cultivating plans. Even though the distinction between the inner and outer sects was being abolished, He Yu still got half of the cultivation time at spiritual land at the mountain's base for his use, as he had the highest aptitude.
The other three, Gu Ji, Qin Weiyu, and Huang He, who had mixed spiritual souls with water attributes, couldn't compete with him and shared the remaining half time. Additionally, if He Yu didn't have any other duties, he could also cultivate in the Spirit Gathering Formation at the main hall with Zhang Shishi and Yu Jing, who both had earth spiritual souls.
Qi Xiu noticed that Pan Rong and Shen Chang kept their heads down, not saying a word. He understood that they didn't want to discuss whether to stay or leave in front of everyone, so he ended the meeting and returned to the sect leader's quarters.
Closing the door behind him, he couldn't shake the gloom that came with the realization that his cultivation path was hopeless. Not knowing what decision Zhan Yuan would make upon his return only added to his frustration. He stared blankly at the empty walls, racking his brain for a solution, but nothing came to mind.
In the end, he skipped his usual evening meditation—something he never missed—and instead, he just lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over his head, trying to force himself not to think about these troubling issues, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Over the next few days, Qi Xiu finally managed to reorganize the sect's daily tasks. From He Yu, Qin Weiyu, and Gu Ji—the younger ones—to Zhang Shishi and Qi Xiu himself, the senior members, everyone was assigned duties: fetching supplies from the village, cleaning the main hall, maintaining the mountain gate, cooking, standing guard—no one was exempt.
He made sure that the workload was fairly distributed among everyone. In the end, everything was balanced out "Balancing a Bowl of Water."
Once the chores were sorted out, Qi Xiu gathered everyone to help patch up the hole in the main hall, roughly turning it into a proper doorway. Above the entrance, he inscribed the two words: "Chu Qin" on the stone wall. Although there was still no door, making it look a bit like a missing front tooth from afar, it was a significant improvement over the previous state and started to resemble a proper entrance.
Zhan Yuan returned seven days later. Pan Rong and Shen Chang, still undecided, immediately sought him out to discuss whether they should stay or leave. Upon learning from them that the spiritual land at the sect was unsuitable for his cultivation, Zhan Yuan didn't hesitate long before deciding to stay.
This brought great relief to Qi Xiu.
Seeing Zhan Yuan choose not to leave, Pan and Shen still couldn't make up their minds. They found a secluded spot to quietly discuss their options further.
"...So that's the situation. Senior Wang does have a great reputation—not just among the Qi Yun Sect and the Southern chu cultivators, but even the White Mountain cultivators speak highly of him," Zhan Yuan reported to Qi Xiu, recounting his experiences over the past seven days in the sect leader's chamber.
The Soldier's Outpost Market was a place under the Qi Yun Sect's control, and compared to the Southern Sect, it's a much stricter environment. The cultivators there were disciplined and well-behaved.
"So... you think he's trustworthy?" Qi Xiu asked, eyes narrowing with a serious expression.
"Well... yeah, I think so," Zhan Yuan replied, sensing the weight of Qi Xiu's question. Though he did not fully understand the situation, he could tell it was something important. After thinking it over, he gave a firm answer. Unlike Pan and Shen, Qi Xiu had always valued him more, and since he decided to stay, he couldn't afford to appear indecisive.
"Hmm..." Qi Xiu closed his eyes and thought deeply for a long while. Finally, he made up his mind and suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing in them. "Pick out some suitable gifts from the treasury, following the customs of South Xinjiang. I'll set out tomorrow to visit Wang Guan at the Soldier's Outpost Market."
Zhan Yuan cupped his hands and nodded respectfully, then turned to head to the treasury room to select gifts. During these seven days, he had been hanging out at Soldier's Outpost Market, not only to gather information on Wang Guan but also to deeply understand the market for cultivation items.
He now had a clearer idea of the general prices of various cultivation items and was confident that he wouldn't make the mistake of paying double the price for the Black Wind Banner again.
Now, he had a pretty clear idea of the going rates for different items and was confident he wouldn't make the mistake of paying double for the Black Wind Banner again.
Senior Brother Sect Leader has really taken on the aura of a leader these past few days, Zhan Yuan thought to himself as he walked into the treasury.
…..
Just as Zhan Yuan left the sect leader's quarters, Pan Rong and Shen Chang arrived, requesting to see Qi Xiu.
"Come in," Qi Xiu said as he observed them walking in. Both of them looked calm and composed, unlike the past few days when they seemed unsettled. Looked like they had finally made a decision.
"Senior Brother Sect Leader."
"Senior Brother Sect Leader."
The two greeted him respectfully first, then exchanged a glance before speaking in unison, "After much consideration, we still wish to stay in the sect. We are of little use, but we hope Senior Brother Sect Leader will take us in." They both knelt and performed a deep bow.
"Good, good!" Qi Xiu was overjoyed and quickly went to help them up.
He had been observing quietly over the past few days. While he found it hard to gauge Shen Chang's intentions, he knew that Pan Rong had put in significant effort into opening the spirit gathering array, but since he couldn't cultivate himself, it seemed likely he might leave.
To his surprise, both of them wanted to stay. This not only saved Qi Xiu a lot of trouble but also spared the sect from further loss, making him extremely happy.
"I'm deeply moved by your choice. To see you, like me and Zhan Yuan, giving up on pursuing the Great Dao and focusing on helping the sect, I… I…" Qi Xiu's voice choked with emotion, and his eyes reddened. Since coming to South Xinjiang,he had been more emotionally fluctuating than ever before, deeply touched by the dedication of his disciples.
"Sect Leader!" Pan Rong's eyes were filled with tears. "After discussing with Shen Chang for several days, and seeing how you and us share the hardships and support each other as fellow disciples, we really couldn't bear to leave. Just now, Senior Brother Zhan Yuan also advised us that the Chu Family cultivators in the east don't think highly of our Chu Qin Sect. If we go there and face the same situation as before, we might as well stay and work together with you and our fellow brothers to build up our new Chu Qin Sect!" He emphasized the word "new" with great intensity, and Shen Chang nodded in agreement beside him.
"Good… good… I'm very gratified you think this way. Truly, I'm very gratified!" Qi Xiu murmured.