A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 70: Chapter 67: Outsider Cultivators

Zhou Chao and the others left, and Lotus Peak suddenly quieted down.

In the layers of courtyards and pavilions, only Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng were left. That lotus spirit vein gently swayed, its flickering spiritual light exceptionally captivating.

Jiang Qingfeng couldn’t help but ask, ”Junior Brother, did you notice anything strange about Zhou Chao?”

Lu Qian shook his head, ”There’s nothing wrong with Zhou Chao, but there’s something off with his family. When he first asked for my help, I specifically asked him if he could manage his family’s affairs. At the time, he was full of confidence, but now it seems that was not the case at all.”

Jiang Qingfeng was taken aback and suddenly remembered, ”That’s right, today when Zhou Chao came to meet us at the foot of the mountain, he was accompanied by many disciples, looking quite grand, yet there wasn’t a single elder from his family present!”

”Senior Sister, you’re as attentive as ever.” Lu Qian smiled approvingly, ”His father is the Patriarch, but he’s seriously ill, and entrusted Zhou Chao to handle things as the Young Master. With a formidable enemy ahead, which of the branch elders in his family would want to take on such a hot potato? Zhou Chao, being an honest man willing to take the lead and try his hardest, that naturally is the best scenario.”

”When he can bring benefits to everyone, there’s peace, but when his decisions harm the interests of various branches, there will be many objections. Now that he’s handed over this spirit vein to me, the fractures within his family’s branches are likely to have been just exposed.”

Jiang Qingfeng thought for a moment, ”But at least he recruited two Foundation Establishment Feather Scholars, how can the other branches dare to act rashly?”

Lu Qian sneered, ”They may not dare to act openly, but who knows if they’ve started conspiring in private? For all we know, Zhou Chao’s every move could be reported back to the branch elders, with no secrets remaining.”

Jiang Qingfeng was startled, realizing, ”Is that why you’re acting so cold? Could it be that among those Late-Stage Qi Cultivators around Zhou Chao, there are also traitors?”

”It’s hard to say, but for now, we must be cautious.” Lu Qian looked at the Spirit Vein Lotus and sighed, ”The leasing agreement is with Zhou Chao. If Zhou Chao is dethroned, then the agreement becomes an empty talk.”

Jiang Qingfeng felt her earlier joy dissolve instantly, ”Being dethroned is impossible, right? No matter what, he has the power of two Foundation Establishment, enough to deter small threats.”

Lu Qian replied slowly, ”Those two Foundation Establishments are Honored Guest Elders of the Zhou Family, obeying the orders of Patriarch Zhou. But don’t forget, Zhou Chao is only temporarily acting on behalf of the Patriarch, once his father passes away, and if the elders oppose his succession...”

Jiang Qingfeng took a sharp breath, while Lu Qian smiled reassuringly, ”Don’t worry, Senior Sister. Since this spirit vein is in my hands, I will naturally find a way to secure it. We’ll discuss the specifics after I meet Zhou Chao tonight. Oh, I just gave him a Communication Talisman, I will contact him later.”

Seeing Lu Qian so confident, Jiang Qingfeng felt reassured. After all this time, no matter the circumstances, Lu Qian always had a way to turn things around. As long as Lu Qian was present, she felt at ease.

For the moment, the two didn’t think too much about it, and first toured the courtyards around the spirit vein, familiarizing themselves with the area. Then they ascended on a Flying Ship, circling the mountain to get a sense of the overall architectural layout.

Overall, the layout of Lotus Peak was not much different from the Yuqing Mountain Main Peak, just a bit more crude and cluttered. Essentially, it was a stone path leading from the foot to the top of the mountain, linking together clusters of houses, large and small pavilions, squares, and the Council Hall. Behind the Council Hall were several small courtyards surrounding the spirit vein.

In the courtyard where the Spirit Vein Lotus was located, there were five bedrooms, now more than sufficient for Lu Qian and his companions to use comfortably, basking in the dense spiritual energy. Lu Qian asked Jiang Qingfeng to tidy up, while he himself returned to Spirit Snake Peak to bring back Master Xuan Ji and Baitao.

Jiang Qingfeng made a round and found the rooms had already been cleaned, with no shortage of tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets, except that there were no towels, bedding, cooking pots, bowls, or other everyday items. Although cultivators, after Qi Cultivation, naturally cleanse their bodies with spiritual energy and can sleep under the stars in desolate mountains without concern, still, looking at the bare bed boards, Jiang Qingfeng always felt it didn’t feel like a home.

So she went out, took to a Flying Spiritual Artifact, wanting to see where nearby she could purchase these items.

Buying these mundane items shouldn’t require another trip to Meihua Square hundreds of miles away, should it? As she thought this, her gaze traveled down the mountain, when she suddenly noticed mid-mountain, there was another cluster of houses, about fifty or sixty of them, just as two Escape Lights flew into this housing area.

Cultivators? Didn’t this place get handed over to our Yunshan Sect?

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Qingfeng had a moment of realization. The leasing agreement clearly stated that the area within ten miles of the spirit vein was leased to the Yunshan Sect. These ten miles essentially encompassed the upper half of Lotus Peak, and the lower half naturally still belonged to the Zhou Family, so having cultivators reside here wasn’t strange.

She glanced a few times, curious, but without further thought, she was about to leave. But suddenly another Escape Light rose from the houses, heading straight for Jiang Qingfeng.

From a distance, a man shouted, ”Is that a Fellow Daoist from Yunshan Sect? Please wait, I have a matter to discuss.”

How does he know my identity? Jiang Qingfeng stopped her artifact, and the Escape Light approached to reveal a cultured young Daoist, a Mid-Stage Qi Cultivator.

At twilight, the orange-yellow sunlight bathed Jiang Qingfeng, her cloud-like hair being gilded, looking captivatingly radiant. The Daoist, not intending to intercept such a Fairy, found himself momentarily entranced, unable to speak for a long time.

”Fellow Daoist?” Jiang Qingfeng frowned slightly, ”May I ask what urgent matter you have? And how did you know I’m a disciple of the Yunshan Sect?”

”Oh? Oh! Yes, yes.” The Daoist snapped back to reality, his cheeks flushing red as he nervously saluted, ”This, this Fairy, my surname is Zheng, given name Duan. I am a cultivator residing on Lotus Peak, entrusted by fellow cultivators living here, hoping to meet with the Yunshan Sect Leader.”

Zheng Duan? Jiang Qingfeng realized, aside from Zhou Family cultivators, there were over forty foreign cultivators, and this person must be one of them. Upon further reflection, with him residing here and being entrusted by other cultivators living here, could it be that the Zhou Family’s foreign cultivators all reside under Lotus Peak?

With this thought, she immediately sensed the matter’s importance and quickly returned the salute, ”Greetings Fellow Daoist Zheng, my name is Jiang Qingfeng, and our Sect Leader is currently not present. If you have anything, I can convey it on your behalf.”

Zheng Duan nodded repeatedly and said a few words, indeed confirming the previous suspicion. Most of the Zhou Family’s cultivators resided on the main peak, while the foreign cultivators who sought refuge were all arranged along the midsection of Lotus Peak.

”As for why I guessed you’re a Fairy of Yunshan Sect, it was because just last night, the top of Lotus Peak was bustling with chaos, as two waves of cultivators arrived one after the other. Out of curiosity, we asked, and learned that henceforth, the ten miles surrounding the spirit vein atop this mountain would be managed by the Yunshan Sect.”