Chapter 594
In the medicine garden, large patches of land lay barren, the spiritual herbs sparse and lacking vitality, even tinged with a sickly yellow.
Qian Zhenren stood in the fields with his disciples, his gaze somewhat vacant.
Tongming Shangren had fallen silent.
The current plight of the Jiushan Sect was truly beyond his expectations.
Once back in the guest room, Tongming Shangren stared out the window for a long while before letting out a soft sigh.
His disciples exchanged glances, understanding what their master was lamenting, and one of them said, "At least we went to Taishang Dao..."
This time, Tongming Shangren did not scold them; he merely nodded gently and remarked, "The foundation of Jiushan Sect is still too shallow. To have endured this long under the pressure from Haori Mountain is no small feat."
"Then Master, what should we do...?"
After a moment of thought, Tongming Shangren replied, "I’ll send a message to the sect and see what Xuan De has to say."
...
"Wuyi, what does Zheng Fa think?"
Pang Shishu hurried in, accompanied by Xiao Yuying and Qian Zhenren.
"The market is closed, and the spiritual herbs in the medicine garden have been harvested early. Are we trying to feign poverty?" Pang Shishu frowned, his eyes filled with concern. "Doesn't that make Taishang Dao look down on us Jiushan?"
Zhang Shijie shook her head and explained, "It's not about pretending to be poor; it's that the junior brother doesn't trust Taishang Dao."
"Huh?"
"If Tongming Shangren comes here and finds that Jiushan Sect is actually thriving and hasn't been affected at all... we might save face, but it would expose the ineffectiveness of Haori Mountain's tactics."
Pang Shishu suddenly understood. "You mean, you're worried that someone from Taishang Dao might leak information to Haori Mountain?"
Zhang Shijie nodded. "After all, Haori Mountain is stronger than Jiushan Sect. If one plan fails, they might come up with another, and we would be hard-pressed to deal with it. It's better to show some weakness."
"The junior brother says that Jiushan Sect is now more renowned than substantial, and we shouldn't appear too high-profile."
"What's with this talk of building high walls, stockpiling grain, and delaying our rise to power? Sounds a bit odd."
Xiao Yuying nodded in agreement, then sighed after a moment, "Many understand this principle, but there are too few cultivators who can let go of fame and fortune. The more talented and powerful they are, the more they care about their reputation."
Zhang Shijie smiled. "The junior brother always thinks differently from others."
Pang Shishu pondered for a long time before gently nodding, suddenly saying, "How about... I go have a drink with Tongming Shangren?"
"Huh?"
"Maybe shed a few tears?"
"…"
"I'm quite good at shameless living!"
...
"Zhang Zhenren, Ming De has said that most of the elixirs from Taishang Dao are willing to be sold to Jiushan Sect, and the spiritual materials can be discussed as well."
Zhang Shijie perked up, only to hear Tongming Shangren continue:
"However, the trade route between Taishang Dao and your sect has been blocked by Chongxuan Sect, making it very difficult for cultivators below the Yuanying stage to come over. Therefore, the elixirs from Taishang Dao are hard to transport to Jiushan Sect."
Of course, Chongxuan Sect couldn't stop all cultivators, but having a Huashen cultivator transport goods was simply too costly.
This was indeed a major headache.
"If your sect could provide support at the border of Taishang Dao, that would be ideal."
Zhang Shijie frowned; this was not an easy task.
Currently, the area controlled by Chongxuan Sect was filled with not only its disciples but also many rogue cultivators from Haori Mountain, a chaotic mix that made things even more dangerous.
Sensing Zhang Shijie's dilemma, Tongming Shangren added, "Of course, given Jiushan Sect's current situation... Xuan De can understand. I will come to the Hundred Immortals Alliance every six months, and I will bring some elixirs and spiritual materials to trade with Jiushan Sect."
"I have heard of Jiushan Sect's agricultural techniques; they are quite impressive."
Upon hearing this, a smile immediately spread across Zhang Shijie's face.
"That would be the best."
Zhang Shijie knew well that Taishang Dao and Haori Mountain were at odds, and their cooperation with Jiushan Sect was not entirely altruistic; both sides were merely trading without anyone gaining an upper hand.
But as the junior brother said—so long as Taishang Dao showed some goodwill, Jiushan Sect was willing to negotiate.
"Another matter is that it would be best for Taishang Dao and Jiushan Sect to exchange information more frequently in the future."
Zhang Shijie was even more pleased to hear this. "If we could share some intelligence, that would be even better. But I wonder, what does Taishang Dao need from Jiushan Sect?"
Like Zheng Fa, she was more cautious than trusting towards Taishang Dao. Now that Taishang Dao was frequently showing goodwill, it felt a bit excessive, even if it was meant to annoy Haori Mountain.
Tongming Shangren's eyes also held some confusion.
"The sect leader said that a message from the upper immortals in the sect mentioned that..."
"Huh?"
"Leiyin Temple has crossed the border."
Leiyin Temple?
What does this have to do with Leiyin Temple?
But seeing Tongming Shangren's expression, it was clear he was just as clueless. Zhang Shijie quietly noted this matter for future reference.
...
"Leiyin Temple?"
Zheng Fa sat in the cave of Shenhuo Mountain, looking at the information sent by Zhang Shijie through the Tongjian, puzzled.
Doing business with Tianhe Sect was certainly good, but with Chongxuan Sect blocking the way, it was quite troublesome.
What truly concerned Zheng Fa was the intelligence sharing with Tianhe Sect.
Currently, Jiushan Sect and Haori Mountain were at odds, yet their understanding of Haori Mountain was far too limited—they didn't even know how many Dao Fruit cultivators Haori Mountain had.
He hadn't expected that Taishang Dao's assistance to Jiushan Sect was not for the sake of Haori Mountain, but because of Leiyin Temple?
Zheng Fa felt the relationships involved were intricate and complex, so he simply stored the Zao Hua Yu Tie in his dantian and walked out of the cave.
"Li Shixiong!"
"Shixiong!"
"Greetings, Li Shixiong!"
On the mountain path, many disciples of Chongxuan Sect greeted him, their expressions filled with admiration and respect.
In the distance, a group of Jindan disciples marched toward him, and others dared not approach, blocking the mountain path tightly.
Zheng Fa recognized these individuals—disciples of several Huashen elders, known for their domineering personalities, now wielding considerable influence within Chongxuan Sect.
He merely glanced at them, not paying much attention, and continued walking toward the mountain peak.
Instead, the Jindan disciples frowned at Zheng Fa, their expressions wary yet somewhat resentful.
As they watched Zheng Fa draw closer, they kept their pace steady, as if they didn't see him, their faces growing darker. But after a glance at the mountain peak, they surprisingly swallowed their anger and made way for Zheng Fa to pass.
However, once Zheng Fa had walked by, one of them let out a soft snort.
The other disciples, on the other hand, whispered in surprise, seemingly pleased.
Feeling the gazes of these individuals behind him, Zheng Fa pondered:
The division between the two factions of Chongxuan Sect was becoming increasingly apparent.
Of course, this was also because Shi Nandang simply didn't care about these disciples and did not impose any restrictions.
"Shixiong!"
"Ye Shimei."
"Are you going to the mountain peak to listen to the teachings of the master again?" Ye Shimei asked, a hint of envy in her tone.
Zheng Fa nodded slightly, and then Ye Shimei continued, "Shixiong, did you know that many disciples in the sect hold you in high regard...?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa used his spiritual sense to glance back, knowing her words were true.
In the past, during the rivalry between the old and new disciples, the original disciples of Chongxuan Sect were naturally at a disadvantage—after all, even their own grand elder had knelt.
Only in recent days had "Li Hao" risen dramatically, gaining Shi Nandang's favor, and his status within the sect had become increasingly special, providing a boost of confidence to these disciples.
Even the disciples of the original Huashen elders had to temper their demeanor in front of him.
It was only natural that the original disciples of Chongxuan Sect would feel a greater sense of admiration.
Zheng Fa didn't care much about these matters; he was merely being friendly with Ye Shimei to gather some intelligence about Chongxuan Sect and Haori Mountain.
As for the other disciples of Chongxuan Sect, their cultivation levels were too low to warrant his attention.
"Shixiong..."
Ye Shimei suddenly spoke hesitantly.
"Huh?"
"You asked me to gather more information about the sect, and I’ve used your name to attract quite a few disciples."
"…"
Zheng Fa looked at this opportunistic junior sister, surprised by her initiative.
"This is the list!"
Ye Shimei handed him a jade tube, and as Zheng Fa opened it, he couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.
Inside the jade tube were the names of over fifty disciples, mostly foundation-building disciples, along with three Jindan and about ten Qi refining disciples.
Next to each name, not only was their cultivation level noted, but also their master, close associates, and specialties.
"Shixiong, these disciples all admire your reputation and sincerely wish to join!" Ye Shimei hurriedly said, "I haven't paid attention to anyone I didn't trust!"
Zheng Fa looked at her with a complex expression, and after a moment, he asked, "What did the master say?"
"Shixiong?" Ye Shimei's eyes widened, stammering, "How did you know?"
So fast...
Li Hao's rise to fame in Chongxuan Sect was too rapid, as if someone was deliberately spreading his reputation.
It was worth noting that Zheng Fa had been very low-key in Chongxuan Sect, hardly speaking to anyone.
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