Path of the Sect Leader

Chapter 132: Looks Like Another Fight

Half a year dragged by before the Vast Assembly Pavilion finally lifted the lockdown.

That Blood Shadow heretic slipped the net clean—never caught. They did manage to slaughter plenty of his accomplices, plus a good number of opportunistic loose cultivators who’d tried looting Black River Market in the chaos. Business in the market cratered anyway. Even after the blockade came down, White Mountain scatter cultivators stayed well clear for the time being. Bai Muhan returned to Black River Market with little Zhan Chou, not yet a year old, and struggled to keep a handful of shops limping along.

“The various White Mountain sects threw a ring around Mount Capital so tight not even wind could sneak through. They locked down every soul in the sect, then hauled them out one by one for inspection—especially the toddlers. Those got checked with extra paranoia. Even our people from Immortal Forest Hollow were treated like criminals, turned inside out and upside down. There’s also a rumor floating that the whole infant-theft business ties back to a Golden Core cultivator named Yu He, someone with extremely close ties to the Wei family. Wei Tong and Wei Xuan are still being held, supposedly to lure this Yu He out.”

The moment the blockade dissolved, the entire Immortal Forest Hollow contingent descended on Black River to pay respects to Yuan Zhan. Yu Deno took the chance to bring Qi Xiu up to speed on the past six months.

“Yu He?”

Qi Xiu’s eyebrow twitched.

Back when he’d accompanied Zhao Liangde to the grand ceremony at Mount Capital, there had indeed been a cultivator named Yu He at the banquet table. Qi Xiu remembered liking the man—polite, composed. Thinking back now, Yu He’s build did bear a passing resemblance to Chu Duo. Apparently the dozen-plus White Mountain Golden Cores had chased the wrong trail so far down the rabbit hole that it worked in Qi Xiu’s—and the Chu family’s—favor.

“Exactly.” Yu Deno, old fox that he was, had already pieced together the bigger picture. “The Beast Taming Sect stood by and did nothing while Wei Tong took heavy damage. The Wei family lost face spectacularly this time. Wei Tong’s lifespan was already running out; now he’s crippled on top of it. The Weis used to be the dragon crushing the local snake. Now the local snakes have an excuse to expose their claws and humiliate them publicly. The real crux is still Yu He. If he really is the one behind the thefts, the Wei family can’t escape guilt by association. If he isn’t… well, they’ve already made enemies of each other. With the Artifact Talisman Alliance breathing down their necks, that kind of bad blood could easily give someone the pretext to wipe the entire Wei clan off the map one day. And if that happens, we—”

Yu Deno stopped short. The implication hung heavy: the Chu Qin Sect would once again be collateral damage, just like Immortal Forest Hollow’s previous masters.

“No.” Qi Xiu raised a hand, cutting him off.

Yu He had zero involvement—Qi Xiu was dead certain of that. Only a few Chu family higher-ups and Qi Xiu himself knew the truth. And even if the Wei family collapsed, the Chu family would pull strings to shield him. No existential threat.

“The Artifact Talisman Alliance just pissed off Vast Assembly’s late-stage Nascent Soul ancestor. They’re too busy covering their own asses to move against the Weis right now. Besides, I met Yu He once. He’s shockingly young. I don’t know his exact background, but his roots run deep. If those White Mountain Golden Cores are foolish enough to press him, they’ll be the ones paying the bill later. Worst case, we hunker down here on Black River Peak. No one’s wiping us out over this.”

“That’s… wonderful!”

Yu Deno’s perpetual worry lines finally eased. He looked almost relieved. Then he added quietly, “I’ll go pay my respects to Yuan Zhan.”

“Go ahead.”

Qi Xiu knew the two had been close despite the age gap. He didn’t stop him.

After Yu Deno left, Pan Rong and Shen Chang returned from the back mountain, eyes red and swollen. They must have just finished their own farewell at the grave. Both dropped to their knees before Qi Xiu.

“Head Senior Brother, please—let us come back to Black River Market. Let us help Sister-in-Law Bai. She’s raising a child alone. It’s too much for her.”

Qi Xiu shut them down immediately.

“Drop it.

Muhan specifically told me—if you two brought this up, I wasn’t allowed to agree. First, she wants to handle things herself. Second, she’s a widow now; it wouldn’t look proper for you to be there. Business is dead quiet anyway. She’s got the Bai and Qin mortals helping, plus Minniang and Senior Bai. They’ll manage.”

The two exchanged a glance. Knowing it was Bai Muhan’s own decision, they swallowed their insistence.

With everything settled, Qi Xiu led the group to Yuan Zhan’s grave for one last farewell, then returned to Immortal Forest Hollow. Only Wei Minniang and Bai Xiaosheng stayed behind to keep Bai Muhan company a while longer.

By the time they got back, Chu Duo had already vanished—most likely slipped away to the Southern Chu Sect.

Not long after, the Wei family affair wrapped up in spectacular fashion.

“Head Senior Brother, you called it perfectly.”

Yu Deno was practically bouncing as he recounted the news. “Yu He really showed up at Mount Capital—accompanied by his master, a Nascent Soul elder from the Beast Taming Sect! Right in front of the Great Zhou Academy delegation, that elder swore Yu He had been in secluded cultivation at the sect’s main mountain the entire time. Then he tore into the White Mountain cultivators for slandering his beloved disciple’s reputation and slapped every single one of those dozen-plus Golden Cores across the face!”

Yu Deno mimed the motion with relish, swiping his palm through the air again and again like he was the one delivering the blows.

“They ate crow in front of witnesses, turned Mount Capital upside down one last time, found not a single stolen infant, and slunk away with their tails between their legs. The Wei family came out smelling like roses—back on top!”

Qi Xiu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Heh. The Weis have some sharp people. I’d bet good spirit stones they deliberately steered suspicion toward Yu He, let the White Mountain sects ram their heads into a brick wall, and cleared their own name in the process.”

Yu Deno’s eyes widened as the realization hit.

“So that’s why! Yu He only appeared at the Wei family once, yet those Golden Cores immediately latched onto him. The Weis played them like a zither—beautiful move!”

“Mm.”

Qi Xiu gave a small nod.

Just then Shen Chang hurried in with word: Wei family emissaries had arrived.

“Heh. Fast.” Qi Xiu smiled wryly at Yu Deno. “And I’d wager this isn’t over. If the Weis swallow this humiliation quietly, they’ll never hold their heads up in the White Mountains again.”

Neither dared delay. They hurried out to greet the guest.

It was the same matchmaker who’d officiated Qi Xiu’s wedding—familiar face, no need for formalities. The man got straight to the point.

“We lost face this time. No way we’re letting that stand. We can’t afford to offend a dozen Golden Cores head-on, but killing a chicken to scare the monkeys? That’s necessary. We’ll be acting soon. Target’s the same as before. You’ll see the full picture when it happens. I’m just giving you advance warning—keep everyone inside the sect. Stay alert.”

Qi Xiu sighed inwardly and could only agree.

Once the Wei envoy left, Yu Deno’s face crumpled again.

“Head Senior Brother really is prophetic… From the sound of it, we’re about to get dragged into another fight?”

Qi Xiu exhaled heavily.

“Can’t be helped. The Weis need to win one decisive battle to restore their prestige and cow the small fry. If they wait any longer, the vultures will start circling for real. And since Immortal Forest Hollow was a gift from the Weis, we’re tied to them—we’ll have to stand with them in the coming scrap.”

He glanced at Yu Deno.

The old man was pushing seventy now, looking every year of it—eyebrows and beard snow-white, body frailer than ever. He’d suffered a grave injury in his youth; his lifespan had always been shorter than the average Qi Refining cultivator.

Qi Xiu felt a pang of reluctance.

“This time you stay behind and hold down the fort. You’re getting on in years. When you joined the Chu Qin Sect back then, I never intended to drag you into life-and-death fights. These past years have already been hard enough on you.”

The words hit Yu Deno hard. Two lines of cloudy tears rolled down his cheeks. He thanked Qi Xiu profusely, bowed deeply, and shuffled out.

Qi Xiu let out another long sigh.

The sect was full of old men and children—nothing easy about it.

All he could do was grit his teeth and raise this next generation, no matter the cost.