vstars Chapter 42 The Wind Rises
Chapter 42 The Wind Rises
The three followed Shen Qing into the quiet room.
"I have called you here today to tell you three things."
Shen Qing finally spoke, "The first thing is that from today onwards, you will no longer be disciples of the Qingyun Sect."
The three of them were startled at the same time, exchanged glances, and wanted to speak but did not know how to start.
Seeing their reaction, Shen Qing waved his hand: "Don't overthink it, let me finish. The Qingyun Sect has now been disbanded, and all disciples have been dismissed. If the three of you still call yourselves Qingyun Sect disciples, what will those with ulterior motives think?"
"Therefore, from this day forward, your only status will be teaching assistants at Qingyun Academy. To the outside world, you are just like Sun Wenyuan and the others, simply instructors hired by the academy to teach children literacy and arithmetic. Internally, you will remain my personal disciples. This matter is for our benefit only."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, and Shen Qing continued:
"The second thing is that the Huang family patriarch will be returning soon. The days to come will be the most difficult time for our Qingyun Sect."
"I need you to do a few things. First: continue to cultivate the Concealing Qi Technique, and never reveal your true cultivation level or aptitude. Second: assist Sun Wenyuan and the others in taking good care of the children. The better the academy, the less attention the outside world will pay to you."
"Finally, after evening classes at school, you must continue to cultivate here as usual. Your cultivation progress cannot be stopped; the more critical the situation, the more you must remain calm."
"As for the third thing."
Shen Qing took out three celadon bottles from his sleeve and handed them to the three people respectively.
"This pill is for you to use when you break through. Zhong Xiu, you have already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, and this pill will help you break through to the fifth level. Xu Ping and Fang Xue, you have each reached the second level of Qi Refining, but your foundation is already solid."
"When you reach the second level of the bottleneck, take this pill, and you should be able to break through in one fell swoop. But remember, the breakthrough must be carried out in a quiet room, using the Qi Concealing Technique to hide your aura. Until I give my approval, your revealed cultivation level will forever remain at the first level of Qi Refining."
The three of them knelt down at the same time to thank Shen Qing for bestowing the pills.
Shen Qing told them to get up, walked back to the prayer mat and sat down, and spoke to the three of them for the first time about the inheritance of the Qingyun Sect.
"You've been in the Qingyun Sect for so long, and I've never told you about the sect's origins. Today, it's time for you to know."
"Two hundred and sixteen years ago, the Taoist Qingyun traveled here and saw that although the spiritual energy of this mountain was thin, the terrain was quite secluded. So he built a hut in the mountain and named it Qingyun."
"The Taoist took in two disciples in his lifetime, Han Yan Zhenren and Qi Chen Zhenren. Due to his limited aptitude, Grandmaster Qi Chen was unable to establish his foundation and passed away when his lifespan was exhausted."
"Master Han Yan succeeded as the second sect leader and took Master Yue Heng as his disciple. Master Yue Heng succeeded as the third sect leader and took two disciples: my master, Daoist Fu Shan, and my uncle, Mo Wentian."
"My master carried the mountain and succeeded as the fourth sect leader, taking me as his disciple. By my generation, we are the fifth generation."
Shen Qing gently tapped her knee with her fingers.
"The three of you, along with Shoucheng, Shouwei, Shouxin, Shouzhuo, and Shoujing, make up the eight of you, who will be the sixth generation disciples of the Qingyun Sect."
"The previous sixty-five people were only nominal disciples. I never formally accepted them into the sect. It's not that I'm biased. In the past, the founder of Qingyun Sect preferred to have fewer but better disciples. He would not accept anyone who was not determined or had good aptitude."
"I'm telling you this today so you understand that the true legacy of the Qingyun Sect now rests on your shoulders. You are the three most talented sixth-generation disciples of the Qingyun Sect."
"Shouhuang is the eldest senior sister, Shouzheng is the second senior brother, and Shourou is the third senior sister. I am passing this legacy on to you. Whether Qingyun Sect can rise again, whether it can leave this mountain, and whether it can make a name for itself in Qinghe, Fenglin County, and the entire Chuzhou depends on you."
The room remained silent for a long time, with only the sound of the autumn wind blowing through the pine forest outside the window.
That night, the three returned to their respective rooms. None of them slept well that night, as they felt a sense of responsibility.
The day Zhao Yuanlang's advisor, Xuanji, went up the mountain was a rare good day. The autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp. The trees along the Qingyun Mountain road had already begun to shed their leaves.
At this time, it had been just two days since Shen Qing convened the disciples' meeting.
Xuanji, who had come on orders, led a group of people up the mountain path, followed by several clerks from the county government's household registration office, as well as managers from various industries such as docks, carriage shops, and businesses.
The group carried boxes and booklets in a grand procession, resembling the pomp and circumstance of an official on official business.
When Shen Qing received the news, he was in the quiet room instructing Zhong Xiu and the other two in their cultivation.
Shen Qing then straightened his clothes and led the three to the mountain gate to greet them.
Xuanji still had that lean and capable appearance, dressed in a green robe and carrying a long sword. Upon seeing Shen Qing, he cupped his hands and said, "Sect Leader Shen, the County Magistrate and his colleagues have discussed for more than ten days and finally finalized the resettlement plan. The Magistrate specifically ordered me to deliver it for Sect Leader Shen to review."
Xuanji took out a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to him with both hands.
Shen Qing took it and turned to the first page.
The booklet, written in neat, official script, detailed each disciple's name, age, qualifications, special skills, and corresponding placement.
The county government's military affairs department received five people to serve as captains and yamen runners, the household affairs department received three people to serve as clerks, the wharf and water affairs department received twelve people to serve as water patrollers and water service personnel, the carriage and horse company received eight people, and the rest were all put into major businesses. If any of them voluntarily returned to their hometowns, the county government would give each of them five taels of silver for resettlement.
Each column was followed by the name of the person in charge, and stamped with the bright red seal of the Qinghe County Government.
Shen Qing turned the pages one by one, her fingers tightening slightly.
This booklet was much heavier than he had imagined.
Zhao Yuanlang did not dismiss the matter casually, but made detailed arrangements according to each person's abilities.
Those who practiced martial arts entered the Martial Arts Department and the Dock and Water Management Department; those who were literate entered the Household Affairs Department and the Business Department; and those who were a little older were given the positions of Captain and Water Constable.
For a county magistrate who usually focuses on spiritual practice and rarely concern himself with worldly affairs, achieving this level of dedication is already an extraordinary feat.
"Your Excellency has gone to great lengths."
Shen Qing closed the booklet, bowed respectfully to Xuanji, and said, "On behalf of my disciple, I thank Your Excellency."
Xuanji smiled slightly: "Sect Master Shen, there's no need for such formalities. Since these disciples are from the Qingyun Sect, and my master is a disciple of the Tianshen Sect, it is his duty to settle them properly."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing glanced at Xuanji. This advisor of Zhao Yuanlang was subtly pointing something out to him.
In principle, Qingyun Sect does belong to Tianshen Sect, as the five prefectures and eighteen counties of this continent are all Tianshen Sect's territory.
No one usually took this matter seriously, and Shen Qing was no exception.
Shen Qing pretended not to understand the meaning behind Xuanji's words, exchanged a few casual pleasantries with him, and then changed the subject, leading him up the mountain.
Seeing that Shen Qing did not respond, Xuanji did not take it to heart and changed the subject. He happened to see the wasteland in the back mountain that had been harvested, so he said, "Sect Master Shen, if the academy's expenses are insufficient in the future, you can send someone to find me."
After Shen Qing nodded his thanks, he led him to the tea table in front of the academy.
After three rounds of tea, Xuanji put down his teacup and got down to business.
"Sect Leader Shen, according to the resettlement plan, the two Huang brothers will return to the Huang family on their own out of the seventy-three disciples of Qingyun Sect."
"The remaining seventy-one people will be taken in by various industries. I came up the mountain today with the managers to collect them."
He paused, his gaze falling on Shen Qing. "However, I've heard that Sect Leader Shen plans to leave a few disciples behind to assist the academy's operations. May I ask exactly how many?"