ragginovel Chapter 1 Qingyun Sect
Chapter 1 Qingyun Sect
Sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, Shen Qing watched as the last spirit stone in his hand turned to dust, knowing that he had failed once again.
He forced back the metallic taste that rose in his throat.
I opened my eyes and saw a mottled bronze mirror in front of me.
The person in the mirror had graying temples and fine lines around their eyes; they didn't look like a cultivator at all.
Although he was only a Qi Refining stage cultivator, given his original lifespan, he shouldn't have aged so quickly.
Shen Qing knew that she was about to die.
He was not originally from this world. He transmigrated here fifty years ago and, with great effort and luck, embarked on the path of cultivation. However, due to his mediocre talent and mixed spiritual roots, he was stuck at the ninth level of Qi Refining and could not make any progress.
I tried everything I could think of: taking pills, ascetic practices, risking my life to gather herbs... but nothing worked.
Three years ago, he forcibly attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, resulting in damage to his meridians and a regression in his cultivation.
Shen Qing gave a wry smile. Among transmigrators, he was one of a kind who had ended up like this.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and someone gently knocked.
"Sect Master, it's time for your meal."
It was the voice of the old servant, Uncle Zhou. Shen Qing responded, got up, and pushed open the door to go out.
There were three people standing outside the door, whom Shen Qing usually called the Three Wastes of Qingyun.
The eldest brother is called Zhao Shitou, seventeen years old. He was an orphan picked up from the roadside five years ago. He has four pseudo-spiritual roots and is at the third level of Qi Refining.
The second child is a girl named Lin Xiaoyue, who is sixteen years old this year. She is the daughter of a poor family in the county town, has a pseudo-spiritual root with three attributes, and is at the third level of Qi Refining.
The third disciple, Chen Gou Dan, is fifteen years old. He is an orphan who lost both his parents and has a useless spiritual root of five attributes. He has barely reached the second level of Qi Refining.
The entire Qingyun Sect consists of five people: the sect leader, disciples, and servants.
These five people occupy an entire hilltop.
Shen Qing's gaze swept over the three disciples, who were wearing faded old Taoist robes. Although their aptitudes were not outstanding, their eyes were filled with sincere respect as they looked at him.
This made Shen Qing feel quite uneasy. Although these three children were just as useless as him, they truly regarded him as their master and truly regarded the Qingyun Sect as their home.
But over the years, he hasn't even been able to produce the lowest-level Qi Gathering Pill.
"Let's go, let's have a meal."
It was called a dining hall, but it was just a drafty wooden hut.
Five people sat down around a broken table, on which sat a bowl of coarse grain porridge, several mixed flour pancakes, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
This is what the food is like at Qingyun Sect nowadays.
Shen Qing picked up the bowl of porridge, about to speak, when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three consecutive sounds, neither hurried nor slow.
Uncle Zhou got up to open the door. Standing outside was a man in fine clothes with a perfectly measured smile on his lips.
Shen Qing put down the bowl, her eyes narrowing slightly.
The visitor was named Huang Wenyuan, an elder of the Huang clan of Qinghe.
"Sect Leader Shen, I apologize for my intrusion in visiting." Huang Wenyuan cupped his hands in greeting, his manners impeccable.
Shen Qing rose and returned the greeting: "Second Master Huang, what brings you here?"
Huang Wenyuan did not answer directly. Instead, he looked around, his gaze lingering for a moment on the dilapidated courtyard and the simple meal, and then sighed softly.
"Sect Leader Shen, Wen Yuan has come here with two matters."
He took out a jade slip from his bosom and handed it over with both hands.
"The first thing is that news from the front lines—that your sect's former sect leader, who is also Sect Leader Shen's master—is about the struggle for supremacy in Chuzhou. My Huang family patriarch has sent it back from the front."
Shen Qing took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.
A moment later, Shen Qing's hand holding the jade slip trembled slightly; his master was dead.
The old man who picked him up from the foot of the mountain, taught him cultivation, and patted him on the shoulder before leaving, saying "Take good care of the house for your master," is dead.
Three years ago, the Heavenly God Sect summoned cultivators from various factions in Chuzhou to participate in the struggle for supremacy.
Even with only one Foundation Establishment cultivator remaining, the Qingyun Sect still went on an expedition, which lasted for a year, after which they disappeared without a trace.
Shen Qing had actually guessed this outcome long ago. In the cultivation world, being summoned by a superior sect was always just another way of saying someone was cannon fodder.
Although Shen Qing had guessed it, he never dared to think about it.
Huang Wenyuan waited quietly for a while before speaking gently, "Sect Leader Shen, please accept my condolences. Your sect's former sect leader fought for Chuzhou and was a hero. Although my Huang family patriarch was fortunate enough to survive, he still held the former sect leader in high esteem."
He paused, then changed the subject.
"The second thing is about Qingyun Mountain."
Shen Qing raised her head, her heart filled with vigilance, knowing that the real show was about to begin.
Huang Wenyuan's tone remained gentle: "Sect Master Shen also knows that our county is located in a remote area with scarce spiritual veins. The spiritual energy of the entire Qingyun Mountain is barely enough to support a Foundation Establishment sect. Qingyun Sect has monopolized it for so many years, so it's inevitable that there will be some discussion among the people."
"The other day, the county magistrate was chatting with my brother and mentioned that Qingyun Mountain is such a large mountain, but only a few people live there now, which is a bit of a waste. The magistrate's idea is that if more cultivators could be brought in to develop it together, it would be a good thing for the cultivation industry in the county."
He put it tactfully, but his meaning was clear.
The magistrate of Qinghe County, a Foundation Establishment stage expert who was in charge of cultivation affairs in the county, had objections to the fact that the Qingyun Sect, which had no Foundation Establishment cultivators, still wanted to monopolize Qingyun Mountain.
A sect leader at the eighth level of Qi Refining, along with three useless disciples, occupied an entire mountain.
Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.
Huang Wenyuan observed Shen Qing's expression and smiled, "My Huang family has been operating in the county for a century and has some connections with the county magistrate. My elder brother's idea is that rather than putting the county magistrate in a difficult position, why don't our two families sit down and talk?"
"The Qingyun Sect naturally still holds the majority of the territory on Qingyun Mountain. My Huang family only wishes to build a separate courtyard at the foot of the mountain for our clan members to cultivate in. The mountain and the area below will not interfere with each other, and we will develop together. This way, we will have satisfied the county magistrate. What does Sect Leader Shen think?"
Huang Wenyuan's words are impeccable.
There was not a trace of threat in his words.
The only suggestions were "harmony brings wealth" and hints of "the county magistrate's dissatisfaction."
But Shen Qing understood.
The Huang family is like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, first opening a villa at the foot of the mountain, and then slowly infiltrating upwards.
Once the Huang family's influence has taken root in Qingyun Mountain, it's only a matter of time before they are swallowed up.
However, if they refused, the dissatisfaction of the Qinghe County Magistrate would be a ready-made excuse.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator who governs a county can easily cause trouble for the Qingyun Sect by casually displaying his "dissatisfaction".
The real power struggles in the cultivation world are not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and leveraging one's influence to suppress others.
"I understand what you mean, Second Master."
Shen Qing remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "This matter concerns the foundation of our sect. Please allow me a few days to consider it. Moreover, as you know, Second Master, although my master has passed away in Chuzhou, my uncle is still traveling abroad. It would be best to wait until my uncle returns before discussing this matter. What is your opinion, Second Master?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Wenyuan's smile froze for a moment, then he nodded with a smile: "Of course, of course. My elder brother said that this matter is not urgent, Sect Master Shen can take his time to consider it and give an answer within half a month."
"As for Master Shen's uncle, Mr. Mo, he has been away from Qinghe for more than twenty years. The county magistrate may not know this. Wen Yuan will explain it to him in detail when he returns. I hope Master Shen will not blame the Huang family for this matter."
After speaking, Huang Wenyuan stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and took his leave.
As he walked to the door, he turned back to look at the three disciples standing in the courtyard, their faces filled with unease.
"Sect Leader Shen, my elder brother has another message for me to convey."
"The Huang family and Qingyun Sect have lived in this county for many years and are practically neighbors. If Qingyun Sect has any difficulties, please feel free to ask. Having more friends means having more options, doesn't it?"
After saying that, he smiled slightly, turned around and left.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Zhao Shitou clenched his fists: "Sect Master, what does he mean by this?"
Lin Xiaoyue bit her lip: "The Huang family is going to..."
Shen Qing raised her hand to stop them.
"No need for further words," he said calmly. "I know what I'm doing."
He turned and walked towards the sect's ancestral hall, leaving his three disciples looking at each other in bewilderment.