12dz Chapter 40 The Storm Is Brewing
Chapter 40 The Storm Is Brewing
What does this mean? It means that the Huang family values the secrets of Qingyun Mountain far more than a single Foundation Establishment Pill.
Conversely, this also shows that they had no idea what the secret was or where it was. They only knew that there was something in the mountains, but they had been searching for it for 130 years without finding it, and were even willing to exchange it for Foundation Establishment Pills.
As Shen Qing walked, he pondered. After returning to his quiet room, he took out paper and pen and began to organize his thoughts on the day's events.
He wrote on the paper: Huang Gongwang, the first ancestor of the Huang family, was an ordinary hunter who suddenly established his foundation 130 years ago. This was the starting point for the rise of the Huang family.
Huang Dehou's willingness to exchange the Foundation Establishment Pill for the secret of Qingyun Mountain indicates that the value of the secret far exceeds that of the Foundation Establishment Pill itself.
The fact that the Huang family searched for 130 years without finding it shows that the secret was extremely well hidden and could not be discovered by ordinary means.
Zhao Yuanlang's fruitless investigation of Qingyun Mountain demonstrates that conventional investigation methods used by cultivators are ineffective.
Shen Qing spent fifty years on Qingyun Mountain without discovering it, which suggests that the secret might not be the mountain itself, but some kind of "thing" within the mountain, and this "thing" cannot be perceived at all times.
Shen Qing put down his pen and looked at the last line of text.
It's not the mountain itself, but something within the mountain, and it's not something you can always perceive.
He suddenly remembered Huang Dehou's words at Zuixianlou: "Qingyun Mountain has produced Foundation Establishment cultivators one after another."
But the truth is, none of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Qingyun Sect achieved their foundation through the secrets hidden in the mountains.
The Taoist priest of Fushan relied on external opportunities, while Mo Wentian relied on his own talent, and so did the earlier predecessors.
What exactly is it that the Huang family is eyeing?
Shen Qing rubbed his temples, putting the question aside for the time being.
The most pressing matter right now is not to unravel the mysteries of Qingyun Mountain, but to complete the plan to dismiss the disciples.
Huang Dehou's visit today shows that the Huang family is starting to panic.
Huang Yuanji, that old bastard, will be back in two months at most. He must settle all the people who need to be settled and hide all the people who need to be hidden before the Huang family patriarch returns.
Shen Qing stood up, opened the window, and looked towards the direction of the martial arts arena.
As the sun sets, the afterglow, like blood, reflects on the figures sweating profusely on the training ground.
Wang Shouzhou was leading a group of outer disciples in stance training, correcting their movements with each punch.
As the senior disciple, Su Shoujing was also teaching several female disciples who were progressing slowly to practice the boxing stance. Among these people, how many were truly devoted to Qingyun Sect? How many were just treating Qingyun Sect as a temporary refuge?
Shen Qing has a system panel where he can view loyalty levels; the number after each disciple's name is actually the most intuitive answer.
However, he hasn't deliberately screened people in the past six months because he needs the spiritual energy contributed by everyone.
Disciples with high loyalty contribute more spiritual energy, while those with low loyalty also contribute basic spiritual energy. With each additional disciple, his cultivation speed increases by one unit.
But now, the screening must begin.
For Shen Qing, dismissing his disciples was not just about protecting them and dealing with the Huang family, but also about purifying his character.
We weed out those who lack loyalty and resolve, leaving only the true core.
The selection process requires a crisis, and Huang Dehou's trip up the mountain was a perfect excuse.
The next morning, after the morning lessons, Shen Qing did not let his disciples disperse.
He stood at the very front, his white robes billowing in the morning breeze, his gaze slowly sweeping over the seventy-three faces on the training ground.
Some were full of energy, some looked exhausted, and some had questions in their eyes. They didn't know why the sect leader had suddenly summoned everyone today.
"I have gathered you here today because there is something I need to tell you."
Shen Qing's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly, "I have thought about this matter for a long time, and now it is time for you to know."
The whispering crowd fell silent instantly, and everyone sensed an unusual atmosphere.
Shen Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "My lifespan is indeed running out. Three years ago, I failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, which depleted my qi and blood. In two or three years at most, or a year and a half at least, I will have to go to meet the ancestors of all generations."
Upon hearing this, a commotion arose below.
Some people looked shocked, some had tears in their eyes, and others had mixed feelings.
Shen Qing had mentioned this news vaguely before when classifying disciples, but never so directly as today.
For many disciples, this was the first time they had heard the sect leader admit it personally.
"That is not the point I have to make today."
Shen Qing raised his hand to quell the commotion, and once it subsided, he said, "What I want to tell you is something else entirely. My Qingyun Sect has been targeted by someone for over a hundred years."
Shen Qing pointed down the mountain, "Qinghe Huang Clan. One hundred and thirty years ago, the first ancestor of the Huang Clan was just an ordinary hunter. Suddenly, he successfully established his foundation and founded the Huang Clan. But for some reason, the Huang Clan has been very interested in my Qingyun ever since."
"But all my ancestors and my master, the Daoist Fushan, were Foundation Establishment cultivators, so the Huang family never dared to make any rash moves."
"Last year, my master died in battle in Chuzhou, and the Huang family's patience was exhausted as a result. I have received definite news that Huang Yuanji, the patriarch of the Huang family, a cultivator at the third level of Foundation Establishment, will return to Qinghe from the Chuzhou battlefield in no more than two months."
"I suspect that the first thing he will do upon his return is to seize my Qingyun Mountain."
The commotion in the training ground turned into dead silence, and everyone's expression changed.
They are no longer the novice cultivators they once were; how could they not know what the third level of Foundation Establishment means?
This level of cultivation is like that of a god to most of them, who haven't even broken through to the first level of Qi Refining.
"There were two reasons why I came down the mountain to take you up here."
Shen Qing ignored the expressions of the crowd below and continued, "Firstly, I do want to leave some incense offerings for the Qingyun Sect before I die, but not to stay on this mountain to wait for death, but to leave you all at the foot of the mountain."
"I teach you to read and write, to cultivate the Dao and practice martial arts, not for any other reason than that I hope that if the Qingyun Sect is truly destroyed in the future, you can carry the name 'Qingyun' with you when you leave."
"Wherever you go in the future, take the opportunity to spread the flame of the Qingyun Sect so that its lineage will not be extinguished."
"Secondly, I'm also gambling. I'm gambling that some of you will be truly qualified. I'm gambling that the Qingyun Sect can produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator before it's destroyed."
Shen Qing paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. "Now, the gamble is no longer important. The Huang family patriarch is about to return, and the Huang family's patience with Qingyun has run out. I also cannot break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the short term, so naturally I cannot defend this mountain."
"Therefore, I have decided to disband the Qingyun Sect."
Shen Qing made the decision after careful consideration to frankly admit that Qingyun's crisis stemmed from the Huang family.
He could feign ignorance and weakness when facing Huang Dehou, but when facing this group of disciples, Shen Qing felt that he had to expose the crisis in order to force out people's true feelings and select the truly loyal ones.
As soon as Shen Qing finished speaking, a clamor arose from the audience.
"Sect Leader! We cannot disband!"
Wang Shouzhou stepped forward, his face flushed. "This disciple is not afraid of the Huang family! If they attack, this disciple will fight them to the death!"
"Yes! Fight with all our might!"
"This disciple is not afraid of death!"
The sounds rose and fell.
Shen Qing raised his hand to quiet everyone down before continuing, "Desperate efforts won't solve anything. The methods of a Foundation Establishment cultivator are beyond your imagination. He alone could slaughter the entire Qingyun Mountain."
"However, even though we're disbanding, there's one thing you don't need to worry about."
"The county magistrate has already promised your destination. From now on, Qingyun Academy will be funded by the county government and continue to operate free of charge."
"The school system will be changed from day school to boarding school, with 26 days of classes per month. To ensure the safety of the academy, the county magistrate will send a squad of yamen runners to guard the mountain. This means that you don't need to worry about the academy anymore."
"As for all of you, the magistrate has promised to arrange a way out for each of you. The county government needs clerks and yamen runners; the Revenue Department will contact businesses, docks, and carriage companies to give priority to Qingyun Sect disciples."
"If any of you wish to return to your hometown to farm or make a living on your own, you only need to register at the county government. In the past six months or so, you have been studying, learning to read and write, practicing Taoism and martial arts. You are no longer the peasants you once were."
"With your skills, it won't be difficult for you to make a living wherever you go."
The commotion below gradually subsided, replaced by silence.
The myriad aspects of human life were revealed one by one. Some people breathed a sigh of relief, since the county magistrate had personally arranged a way out, at least they wouldn't starve to death.
Some looked somber; these disciples did not want to leave this mountain or the Qingyun Sect.
Shen Qing waited a moment, and after they had absorbed the information, he spoke again: "Now, I will arrange for the first group of people to leave Qingyun. Huang An, Huang Ning."
The two Huang family youths were shocked upon hearing this.
Shen Qing looked at them calmly, "You two, pack your things and go back to the Huang family later."
The two brothers' faces instantly turned bright red. Huang An suddenly looked up and opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Qing raised his hand to stop him.
"No need for further words. In the six months since you joined the Qingyun Sect, you have worked diligently and taught earnestly, which I have witnessed. But you are ultimately members of the Huang family, and I do not wish to cause you any trouble regarding the grudges between the Huang family and the Qingyun Sect."
"I do not believe that you are Huang family spies planted in Qingyun Sect. You are just two young people who had no choice in the matter. This is not your fault. Huang family head asked me to take you into the sect, and I agreed."
"Now I'm letting you go back, and he won't say anything. After you go back, don't mention Qingyun. If Patriarch Huang asks, just say that I dismissed my disciples and you were dismissed as well."
Huang An's lips trembled, as if he wanted to explain something, but in the end he said nothing.
Tears streamed down Huang Ning's face. The two looked at each other, then knelt down at the same time, their foreheads slamming heavily against the bluestone ground.
"Disciple...thanks, Sect Master."
Shen Qing nodded, gesturing for them to stand up, and then turned to the other disciples.
"The second thing. In the coming period, I will give you one last lesson. This lesson will not teach you any new techniques or new knowledge."
"This is to reinforce what you've learned over the past six months. After you leave this mountain, no one will teach you like I do. So listen carefully and remember well."
Silence lingered for a long time in the training ground. Then some people began to whisper among themselves, some silently wiped away tears, and some clenched their fists.
"That's all for today. For the next month, everything will proceed as usual. Morning lessons, literacy, and martial arts—nothing will be missed. You may leave now."
The disciples dispersed in twos and threes, but the chatter continued for a long time.
Shen Qing stood there, watching their backs as they walked away, while on the system panel, lines of notifications about the loyalty of his disciples kept flashing.
Some people may have been moved by his words, and their loyalty increased by a few points.
Some people may have just come here to freeload, and when they learned that the sect was going to disband, their loyalty plummeted.
True human nature is laid bare in the face of crisis.
For the next few days, Shen Qing drew spiritual energy precisely at midnight every day, using 70% for Qi cultivation and 30% for martial arts body tempering.
Every morning at dawn, dozens of strands of pure spiritual energy flow slowly along the meridians of the body, converging into the dantian and transforming into spiritual mist.
The spiritual mist in his dantian grew thicker and thicker, with nearly half of it already turning into mist.
Once the spiritual mist completely fills his dantian, he will be able to reach the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining and touch the barrier of the eleventh level.
Shen Qing's cultivation was approaching the peak of the tenth level at a visible speed, and time was passing day by day.
On the training ground, the training intensity for outer disciples was greater than usual.
Every day at dawn, Wang Shouzhou would lead his fellow disciples in stance training and boxing practice, while Shen Qing would stand on the sidelines and watch silently.
These disciples have been in Qingyun for more than half a year and are about to leave the mountain, but Shen Qing felt that he had not wronged them by bringing them up the mountain.
Although he did have bad intentions and only intended to use them as a substitute, at least they did not leave Qingyun Sect empty-handed.
More than ten days later.
In the early morning, the training ground was completely silent.
All seventy-three disciples were present, standing even more neatly than usual. Everyone knew that this conversation would determine their fate.
The Huang brothers, who were supposed to leave earlier, did not set off and asked Uncle Zhou if they could stay a few more days.
Zhou Bo asked Shen Qing about it, and Shen Qing didn't rush to send the two of them down the mountain. He let them stay for one last time, which was also a way to fulfill the bond between master and disciple that had lasted for half a year.
Shen Qing stood at the very front, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
Wang Shouzhou stood on the far right of the first row, his back straight and his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Su Shoujing stood in the second row, next to Zhong Xiu.
The girl remained standing on the edge, her expression indifferent.
Xu Ping and Fang Xue stood in the third row, while Zhao Shoucheng, Lin Shouwei, and Chen Shouxin, the three senior disciples, stood together. Their expressions were the calmest among all the disciples.
What's meant to happen will happen. The three of them had been prepared for the worst ever since they started following Shen Qing five years ago.
"The reason I have summoned you today is for the last time."
Shen Qing's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "I said before that the Qingyun Sect would be disbanded, and today I officially begin to fulfill that promise."
No one spoke; even their breathing became slightly softer.
"However, before disbanding, there is one thing that needs to be decided: if Qingyun Academy continues to operate, it will be converted to a boarding school."
"Forty students need someone to pick them up and drop them off, someone to take care of their daily lives, and someone to maintain order. The county government will send yamen runners to the mountain to guard them, but the yamen runners are outsiders."
"Therefore, the academy needs to retain three to five disciples to assist in its operation. The disciples who remain will receive a monthly stipend from the county government, which will cover their room and board. If the academy expands its enrollment in the future, the disciples who remain will have priority to become instructors at the academy."
He paused. "Now, I ask you, is there anyone who wishes to stay?"
There was a moment of silence on the training ground. Then Wang Shouzhou was the first to step forward.
"This disciple wishes to stay!"
Su Shoujing was the second to step forward. "This disciple wishes to stay!"
Zhao Shoucheng, Lin Shouwei, and Chen Shouxin stepped forward simultaneously. "This disciple wishes to stay!"
Zhong Xiu stepped forward. "This disciple wishes to stay."
Xu Shouzhen and Fang Shourou followed closely behind. "This disciple wishes to stay!"
Then came the second and third batches, including the earliest disciples who followed Shen Qing, and the later Class C disciples who came up the mountain.
Some were mediocre, others were destitute. Hands were raised, and one by one, they stepped forward. In a short time, more than thirty disciples had stepped forward.
Huang An and Huang Ning also stepped forward. Their expressions were complex, showing shame and struggle, but they ultimately took a step forward.
Looking at the dense crowd in front of her, and the raised hands, Shen Qing felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.
On the system panel, the loyalty numbers of these people who stepped forward fluctuated slightly.
Wang Shouzhou's loyalty is 100%.
Zhao Shoucheng's loyalty is 98%.
Lin Shouwei's loyalty level is 98.
Chen Shouxin's loyalty level is 98%.
[Jong-soo's loyalty level: 93]
Su Shoujing's loyalty is 96.
Xu Ping's loyalty level is 92.
Fang Xue's loyalty is 90%.
Others who volunteered to step forward had a loyalty level of only 70 to 80%.