Path of the Sect Leader

Chapter 76: Guarding Nameless Valley

Benefits dangled right in front of them—close enough to taste, yet forever out of reach. The cultivators from the various sects kept their mouths shut, but no one was blind to Zhao Liangde's little games. Getting stuck with this grunt work, watching gates and blocking paths in the middle of nowhere... how high could he really rank in Old Ancestor Wei's eyes?

It didn't take long for the cracks to show. When Zhao Liangde started assigning defenses to a few key chokepoints, the larger groups—those with twenty or thirty members—banded together and pushed back hard. No more nodding along like obedient dogs.

And then there was that Foundation Establishment cultivator, the one with a face full of scarred flesh, grumbling loud enough for everyone to hear, his discontent etched into every scowl.

Zhao Liangde fumed inside, but what could he do? Push too hard, rile up the whole crowd, and if he let any Shan Du Sect stragglers slip through—failing the task Old Ancestor Wei had handed him—the fallout would bury him. He'd spent years honing his read on people, pulling strings with a master's touch. One by one, he dragged the troublemakers into private talks, sweetening the pot with extra rewards, thumping his chest with promises that echoed like thunder. Only then did he coax those prickly bastards into position.

Even so, he cut the Chu Qin Sect some slack—kept his word there. Qi Xiu and his group got parked in the safer rear, watching over a remote, nameless little valley. Not the worst gig, all things considered.

"There's something I've never wrapped my head around." Perched on a low hill overlooking the nameless valley, with only the ten from Chu Qin Sect around, Zhang Shishi finally spoke his mind freely. "What does Old Ancestor Wei even want with Shan Du Sect's territory? He's from the Imperial Beast Sect. Even after a century as a Golden Core sect leader, without racking up kills on those primordial beasts, he can't found his own sect. So why go through all this trouble? What's he really after?"

Qi Xiu had mulled it over himself, but answers eluded him. "Old Ancestor Wei's lifespan is running short, sure, but look at how he's gathered all that dirt on Shan Du Sect—it wasn't overnight. Si Wenguang only cottoned on at the last second, which shows how tightly this was locked down. A man with that kind of patience, plotting every move... he's not the type to leave loose ends. We're just small fry; no point fretting over a Golden Core elder's schemes. Better to focus on our own line—hold it solid. This is the rear, yeah, but slack off and we'll regret it."

Zhang Shishi nodded. Fair point. A mid-Qi Condensation nobody like him, worrying about a Golden Core ancestor's grand plans? Waste of breath. He summoned his spiritual boat, skimmed the valley's edges, mapping the terrain. Back with Qi Xiu, they hashed out defenses.

Neither was exactly a tactical genius. One buried in trade and sect logistics his whole life, the other a shut-in who'd barely stepped outside the gates. They bickered for hours, ideas clashing like blunt swords.

Qi Xiu pushed for bunching everyone at the choke point—dig in and hold.

Too obvious, Zhang Shishi shot back. One solid hit and they'd all go down together.

Spread out instead, he argued. Form a long line—strike the head, the tail swings in; hit the tail, the head responds.

Qi Xiu countered fast: That just begs for getting picked off piece by piece. Rescue wouldn't arrive in time.

Back and forth they went, tossing out one half-baked plan after another. Bai Muhan stood off to the side, lips twitching, barely holding in laughter at their childish squabbles. Raised under her father Bai Xiaosheng's wing, she'd picked up a knack for all sorts of odd knowledge—strategy included. These two combined didn't hold a candle to her.

She couldn't take it anymore. Stepping forward with a graceful curtsy, she chimed in. "Sect Leader Senior Brother, Brother Zhang—you're both off the mark. In skirmishes between low-realm groups like ours, the side that strikes first holds all the cards. Our spells, our innate talents... defenses and reactions just can't keep up at this level. Land the opening blow, and you've already won half the fight. So priority one: scouting. Read the enemy early, seize the initiative. And second..."

Her breakdown of tactics left them both stunned, nodding along like eager disciples. Qi Xiu didn't hesitate—he named Bai Muhan the strategist for this nameless valley defense. Everyone, himself included, would follow her orders.

That was Qi Xiu's strength: he didn't cling to the sect leader's throne like a tyrant. He listened, delegated without ego. Bai Muhan took the reins and ran with them, turning their haphazard setup into something sharp and orderly.

Yu Denuo and He Yu had the fastest sword flight, highest cultivation too—she posted them up front, rotating patrols, eyes on the Shan Du Sect direction. Open sentries, drawing any attention.

Gu Ji, quickest on foot and sharp as a blade, slipped into the woods behind them. Hidden lookout.

The remaining seven hunkered down on the reverse slope of the hill flanking the valley, tucked inside the cover of a Pseudo Four Symbols Illusion Array.

The spot Bai Muhan picked overlooked the whole valley clear as day. Anyone coming from the Shan Du mountains? The hill blocked their line of sight—hard to spot the ambush. Qi Xiu couldn't praise her enough. "Lady Bai, with insight like yours, why keep it under wraps? Shishi and I wasted all that time flapping our gums—made fools of ourselves in front of you."

"You never asked," she thought, biting back the retort. Up close, this Sect Leader Qi came off soft, almost yielding. Hard to picture him standing up for her father like he had. Needle hidden in cotton—that fit him perfectly.

Next, she drilled the seven in small-scale battle formations. Zhang Shishi's heavy shield and iron will made him the anchor up front, slow but unbreakable. The rest slotted in behind. Qin Weiyu and Huang He, with their water-affinity Spiritual Roots, took the rear—lobbing protective talismans and healing when needed.

Qin Weiyu was still propping up that big Chu Qin banner like a fool. Bai Muhan held back a chuckle, just told him to lower it. No need advertising who they were to the world.

Yu Denuo and He Yu reported back in shifts: the place was dead quiet. Not a cultivator in sight, let alone mortals. Good news.

Deep in the rear like this, any Shan Du Sect escapees would be half-dead just reaching here—after breaching Zhao Liangde's front line first. Spent arrows, no real threat left. And with allied groups close by, backup would come quick. Easy duty, all told. Way better odds than those greedy fools Zhao Liangde suckered into guarding the dangerous passes—cannon fodder, most of them.

Days blurred into patrols and drills. The Chu Qin group honed their combined assault array to a fine edge. Not a single Shan Du Sect shadow crossed their path. Tension eased; it started feeling like a paid vacation, just showing face.

Qi Xiu sensed the slack creeping in. Accidents waited for complacency. Time to rally them.

He gathered everyone and laid it out plain. "Once this wraps up, Zhao Liangde promised us a slice of fertile land—rice paddies, fish ponds, the works. Wang Juan's lifespan is winding down; can't keep borrowing space from him forever. Stay sharp, folks. Get through this, and better days are coming for Chu Qin."

It lit a fire under them. New territory on the horizon? Per sect rules, marry after thirty. Pan Rong, Shen Chang—they were pushing twenty-five, twenty-six. No real shot at the great dao anyway. With Zhang Shishi living the dream, wives on both arms, the others started dreaming too: settle down, start families, roots in real soil. Black River Peak was barren death; a proper homeland meant their bloodlines could finally thrive.

Zhang Shishi sighed, though. "Senior Wang Juan's the best we've got around Black River—kindest Foundation Establishment elder to Chu Qin, bar none. Shame the heavens cut him short. Makes you think."

Qi Xiu's mood darkened too. Wang Juan, pushing a hundred ninety, rarely showed these days. That old rascal, always hustling for the younger generation, cracking jokes to lighten the load... thinking of him stirred a quiet ache.

"Come on, you two." Bai Muhan broke in, new to Black River and not quite grasping their bond with the old man. "He's Foundation Establishment—two centuries already doubles what we Qi Condensation folks get. What's there to complain about?"

Expansion news hit her like gold, though. Marriage to Zhan Yuan loomed; they'd face the same worries for their kids someday. Plus, her father Bai Xiaosheng had kin back in White Mountain, getting pushed around since he got stuck in Black River Market. She'd been plotting to relocate them to Chu Qin land. Now it fell in her lap—how could she not grin?

Still... watching these days, something nagged at her. "Zhao Liangde doesn't seem to carry as much weight with Old Ancestor Wei as the rumors say. Can we trust his promises?"

Qi Xiu shrugged. "Senior Zhao's greedy, sure, but eight years dealing with him? He delivers. Man's word is iron. Without Old Ancestor Wei's backing, how's he kept his swagger all this time? Assigning him border watch feels off, yeah, but that's above our pay grade. Maybe the old ancestor trusts no one else for it."

"Hope he keeps his word, then..."

Bai Muhan gazed into the distance, mind drifting to life after the wedding with Zhan Yuan.