Chapter 156: Revitalizing the崆峒 Sect

No longer bearing his former dejected and silent demeanor, Qingyuan was now brimming with vigor and confidence in all his actions. Although Lin Qingli could not fathom why he had transformed into a completely different person in such a short span, she was immensely overjoyed to witness his absolute self-assurance.

Having grown up together on Mount Kongtong since early childhood, she and Qingyuan were childhood sweethearts. Whenever she made a mistake in the past and faced punishment from their master, Qingyuan would always take the blame upon himself, preferring to endure the punishment rather than let her suffer the slightest grievance.

Consequently, from the moment her heart first stirred with romantic feelings, she had regarded Qingyuan as her destined partner. Later, due to unforeseen changes of fate, she left the Kongtong Sect and wandered the pugilistic world for several years in the company of Li Chongyuan. Both in the prime of their youth, they inevitably found their hearts wandering when spending prolonged periods together; yet they always maintained propriety and mutual respect, never once crossing the boundary of decorum.

Although she held a deep fondness for Li Chongyuan in her heart, she had never truly let go of Qingyuan. Now that she had returned to the Kongtong Sect, her old romance with Qingyuan was naturally rekindled. Despite a lingering sense of guilt toward Li Chongyuan, her emotional ties to him had faded and grown distant.

Once his confidence was restored, Qingyuan handled matters with remarkable efficiency. On one hand, he assigned disciples to renovate the various buildings; on the other, he dispatched You Fada to manage the Kongtong Sect's assets and properties. In less than a month, the entire Kongtong Sect took on a completely fresh and thriving appearance.

He also accomplished a monumental feat that even the former Leader Ciji had never managed to achieve: abolishing the distinction between inner-circle direct disciples and outer-circle general disciples. From then on, all disciples belonged to the Kongtong Sect as equals, with no distinctions of status.

When Leader Ciji had first proposed this measure years ago, it met with fierce opposition from the remaining elders and their inner-circle disciples, ultimately leaving the matter unresolved. Now, however, aside from Zhao Shouyi, who was still wandering the world and enjoying a carefree life, all the other elder-uncles had passed away. Their inner-circle disciples had just recently returned to the Kongtong Sect, fearful of making missteps, and thus dared not raise any objections.

As for Qingbai and the others, they belonged directly to Xu Qianfan’s lineage and had always followed Qingyuan’s lead, naturally raising no dissenting voices. Thus, this extremely difficult task was accomplished without a single obstacle. Though the Kongtong Sect had only a few dozen inner-circle disciples, it boasted hundreds of general disciples, all of whom rejoiced and celebrated. This achievement greatly elevated Qingyuan's prestige.

Several months later, You Fada delivered the rents from various fields and properties, as well as business dividends, to the Kongtong Sect. Upon counting, Qingyuan discovered there were several hundred thousand taels of silver—a truly staggering fortune.

Prompted by You Fada’s suggestion, the Kongtong Sect used its immense wealth to acquire land at the foot of the mountain and widely recruit disciples. Within a short time, the Kongtong Sect, which had once fallen to the status of a third-rate sect, grew into a major faction with nearly a thousand disciples, its renown rivaling even the Shaolin and Tianshan Sects.

Since Xu Qianfan of the Kongtong Sect had retreated into seclusion within the pugilistic world, and Zhao Shouyi was entirely untraceable, there was no master-level martial artist left on the mountain besides Lin Qingli. Consequently, these new disciples had to receive their martial arts instruction from her.

However, Lin Qingli was not actually well-versed in the martial arts of the Kongtong Sect. Her true expertise lay in the martial arts of the Tianshan Sect and the mental cultivation methods of the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic. She therefore hastily searched through the study for various martial arts manuals, studying them day and night. Qingyuan, with a smile, told her there was no need to labor herself so intensely.

Now that the sect had financial resources, she did not need to personally handle every trivial matter; they could use heavy rewards to invite renowned masters to teach the disciples. Lin Qingli asked with puzzlement, "While inviting famous masters is indeed a viable path, the Kongtong Sect is not a martial arts academy after all. If the instructors we invite practice different martial arts schools, and the disciples they train learn other factions' techniques, can they still be considered disciples of the Kongtong Sect?"

Qingyuan advised her not to worry, saying that as long as one's fists were hard enough, no one would care about factions or schools. For this reason, Lin Qingli had a bitter argument with him, and the two parted on bad terms.

That evening, while Lin Qingli was still brooding in her room, a heavily intoxicated Qingyuan burst in. Seeing his state, Lin Qingli hurriedly stepped forward to support him. Qingyuan chuckled with a charming, drunken air and said, "Junior Sister, only today do I finally have the face to face you!"

Lin Qingli asked, "Senior Brother, what is wrong with you? I am your Junior Sister; you can see me whenever you wish." Qingyuan shook his head. "No, no, no. In the past, you helped me. Without you, I would have long since perished as a ghost under Lao Xin's sword. Therefore, you are my benefactor."

Half-exasperated and half-amused, Lin Qingli said, "You are truly drunk. Between you and me, what talk is there of benefactors and the like?" Qingyuan raised his voice. "I have loved you for a long time—loved you since we were children. But I am a man; I cannot rely forever on a woman's protection. Now that I have accomplished a great undertaking, I finally have the dignity to tell you: I want to marry you!"

With that, he lunged forward and embraced Lin Qingli. Startled, Lin Qingli wanted to struggle; her martial arts far surpassed Qingyuan's, and she needed only to stretch out her arms to send him flying back. Yet, a sudden, inexplicable tremor stirred in her heart, and a wave of warmth surged through her chest. Enveloped entirely in a deep sense of affection, her body grew limp and powerless, robbing her of the strength to resist.

Seeing Qingyuan lean in to kiss her, she blushed, pressed her lips together, and met him halfway. Then, yielding completely, she allowed Qingyuan to sweep her into his arms and carry her into the inner room, where the chamber instantly blossomed with boundless vernal splendor.

Three days later, the Kongtong Sect released news that the Leader, Qingyuan, and his Junior Sister, Lin Qingli, would be wed in a grand ceremony on an auspicious day. Now famous throughout the martial arts world, large and small sects did not dare to be remiss and successively dispatched delegates bearing wedding gifts. When the news reached the Tianshan Sect,

Leader Dunan consulted with the other leaders and decided to send gifts as well. Only Miaowushui, head of the Lingxu Pavilion, wore an expression of utter disdain. "This girl is truly cold-hearted! Back then, Li Chongyuan shared a deep and profound affection with her, and I even thought they were a match made in heaven. Who would have thought that Li Chongyuan would plunge off a cliff and die just to save her?

As for her, she needn't observe chastity for Li Chongyuan, but surely she could not wait impatiently to marry someone else barely two years later! Whoever wishes to deliver gifts to such a person may go, but I certainly will not. I fear I would not be able to stop myself from spitting right in her face."

Master Wuxin stated that as a Buddhist monk, it was improper for him to meddle in such grand wedding celebrations; Yang Wuji possessed a naturally upright and fiery temperament, and since weddings attracted all sorts of questionable characters where one never knew who might be encountered or what might be said, Dunan feared he would stir up trouble and refused to let him go; Wen Wuhai claimed he was currently engrossed in the study of the Book of Changes and the Eight Trigrams, making it inappropriate to be distracted, and thus could not go either; Zi Wuzhuo had always been taciturn and disliked joining lively and bustling occasions, so he too made an excuse to decline. Just as Dunan was troubled,

Ji Wuce stepped forward and said, "Since everyone is reluctant to go, I might as well make the trip and take the opportunity to observe the state of the world." Dunan was overjoyed. Ji Wuce was eloquent, remarkably quick-witted, and well-versed in all forms of etiquette, making him the ideal candidate. Dunan ordered attendants to fetch ten thousand-year-old snow ginsengs and ten mountain-peak snow lotuses, symbolizing perfection and completeness. These were carefully packed in brocade boxes and handed over to Ji Wuce.

After concluding their discussion, the group dispersed. As Ji Wuce walked along the path back to the Xuanji Courtyard, he suddenly heard the sounds of sparring echoing from a mountain hollow, accompanied by the laughter of a man and a woman. Intrigued, he walked around a bend to take a look, only to discover that it was Zilan accompanying Li Chongzhong in practicing martial arts and helping him loosen his joints.

Ever since his hand and foot tendons were severed that year, Li Chongyuan had finally recovered thanks to Miaowushui’s meticulous treatment, and his daily movements were no longer hindered. However, his martial arts were far inferior to what they used to be. Though his internal energy remained unharmed and as robust as ever, his movements were invariably a step slower than others due to the damage to his meridians, making it entirely impossible for him to engage in combat. Thinking of this, Ji Wuce could not help but sigh. (To be continued...)