Last night, after careful consideration, Chen Xiao concluded that when it came to working with an immortal sect, there was already a suitable candidate right before him: Immortal Immortal Master Xi Yunqing.
Xi Yunqing held the rank of a martial uncle within the Chongxuan Sect, which meant he carried a certain degree of authority, his words held weight. Moreover, his current presence here was specifically for recruiting disciples, aligning perfectly with the matter at hand. Of course, these were just the surface-level reasons. There were also more personal considerations.
After spending some time together, Chen Xiao had come to understand Xi Yunqing a little. Despite his cold exterior, he was, in fact, fairly approachable deep down. Even if Chen Xiao's proposal ended up offending him, his temperament was such that he wouldn't retaliate rashly. The odds of success outweighed the risk of failure.
Taking all things into account, Chen Xiao saw no reason not to choose a familiar face like Xi Yunqing to take the first step into the elite world of cultivation sects.
There was only one challenge, he had to earn Xi Yunqing's trust.
Xi Yunqing was a meticulous thinker, with sharp insight and perception. Trying to deceive him with lies or sweet talk would simply not work. Worse yet, once he saw through such tactics, his opinion of Chen Xiao would plummet to rock bottom and likely turn to disdain.
That said, there was an upside to someone like Xi Yunqing: he appreciated honesty. If you spoke sincerely and openly, he'd not only listen, he'd think things through more thoroughly than anyone else. Sometimes, he even offered insights that helped Chen Xiao. That was the reason behind Chen Xiao's move this morning.
As expected, Xi Yunqing wasn't angered by the fact that Chen Xiao had initially kept things from him. Instead, he calmly said, "It is human nature to keep cultivation methods and secret arts to oneself. You need not apologize."
Chen Xiao smiled slightly. "I'm glad you're not offended, Immortal Master."
With that, he gestured forward, inviting Xi Yunqing to continue toward Ah Shou's house. "Now that I've chosen to be open with you, I'm sure you've already deduced the rest. It was through this feng shui technique of mine that I discovered the uniqueness of this mountain terrain. I just didn't expect anyone to actually be living here.
"This area is rich in natural energy, with a perfect balance of yin and yang. It's no surprise the land is fertile. The locals, nourished by the earth's qi, have produced generations of children with strong spiritual roots. The Chang family descendants have lived here for over a hundred years. While the first generation may not have shown obvious signs, their children, born from unions within the village, have become more and more gifted with each generation. Now, among the current generation, those with good spiritual roots make up nearly half."
There was a confident curve to Chen Xiao's lips as he looked ahead. Since they were nearing Ah Shou's home, he lowered his voice. "If Immortal Immortal Master Xi is interested, you could try testing the children here with a tool that detects spiritual roots. I'm sure you'll find many hidden gems."
Xi Yunqing walked beside him, no more than a step away. With his acute senses, he could easily hear Chen Xiao, even when he spoke softly. He turned his head slightly and glanced at him without speaking.
Although the task of leading the selection team had been handed off, the sect mission Xi Yunqing had originally taken on hadn't been dismissed. After Zhao Fang presided over the initial selection, he had passed the spiritual root testing artifact to Xi Yunqing. Technically speaking, Xi Yunqing still had the authority and responsibility to select talented disciples for the sect. It just came down to whether or not he was willing to continue the task.
To be honest, Xi Yunqing found Chen Xiao's analysis quite intriguing. But more than that, he was struck by Chen Xiao's approach.
Clearly, Chen Xiao was interested in the local youths' potential as well. But rather than directly ask for a test, he chose to pique Xi Yunqing's interest instead. Xi Yunqing could tell that Chen Xiao's intention was to nudge him into initiating the spiritual root testing. And yet, he didn't find this small bit of cunning to be unpleasant.
In fact, it reminded him of stories his senior brothers used to tell of being pestered endlessly by their juniors, who would go to great lengths to achieve their goals. Maybe this was what it felt like. Hard to refuse.
Thinking about it now, Xi Yunqing realized that not only had he never experienced anything like that before he hadn't even had such interactions growing up. Looking back, his younger years felt rather dull and full of missed opportunities.
Chen Xiao was spot on. Once Xi Yunqing began thinking something over, he was thorough often to a fault. Even unrelated emotional reflections would get swept up in the analysis.
When Chen Xiao entered the house, Tong Nuonuo lit up like he'd seen a long-lost relative. Beaming, he waved Chen Xiao over. "Now that you're here, I can finally breathe a little. You have to keep me company today. Let's take a walk around! I've been so cooped up, I'm going stir-crazy."
Of course, Chen Xiao didn't say no. The two of them agreed to stroll around the area together.
Though the wine they'd drunk yesterday had been fruit-based, it still packed a punch. This morning, Du Rong was still feeling groggy, while Ah Shou had already gone out to work. That made Du Rong feel a little defeated, like he'd lost a challenge.
Hearing that Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo were planning to go out exploring, Du Rong came out holding his still-throbbing head and said, "Wait for me—-, I'm coming with you."
Despite his discomfort, Dutiful Uncle Rong stuck to his role and followed his employer to ensure his safety.
Chen Xiao asked Xi Yunqing if he wanted to join them, but he declined outright.
So, in the end, only the three of them walked out of Ah Shou's house.
Tong Nuonuo had the expression of someone who had just come back to life. He sighed dramatically, "This past month or so has been so boring, I don't even know where to begin."
Chen Xiao chuckled. "That's odd. I thought you'd be perfectly content with all those materials for building mechanisms. Don't you usually keep yourself happily occupied for days?"
Tong Nuonuo replied helplessly, "Materials are limited, and I've already used them all up. Out on this training mission with the team, I've had to deploy my mechanisms constantly, they get used up fast, and materials even faster. In real fights, regardless of your strength, everyone has to contribute. Otherwise, when it comes time to divide up the loot, you'll end up getting the short end of the stick."
Du Rong asked curiously, "How many of you were there? And how was the loot split? With a high-tier Golden Core cultivator leading you, plus several others in the same realm, the haul must've been impressive."
Tong Nuonuo patted the box strapped to his back. "This time, there were forty of us. Along the way, while searching for that Blue-Eyed Toad, we passed through the territories of three different savage beasts. We coordinated well and had great harvests, fortunately, no one died."
He sounded a bit indignant as he added, "That Golden Core cultivator leading us promised a 60-40 split back then, and yet..."
"I thought he was a good person. Who would've guessed he didn't care about the spoils of battle at all, he was after our lives from the very start!"
Tong Nuonuo was never the outspoken type. Even when he was upset, he usually just bottled it up and bore the grievance silently. But now that he was among people he trusted, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He launched into a full-blown rant, criticizing Immortal Master Li and the other Golden Core cultivators to no end. After venting, he felt much better and said apologetically to Chen Xiao and Du Rong, "Sorry for dumping all that on you."
Du Rong replied, "No need to be so polite, Immortal Immortal Master Tong. If it were me, I'd have used much harsher words."
By now, they had climbed back up the mountain peak where Chen Xiao and his group had descended earlier. Chen Xiao asked Tong Nuonuo which direction he wanted to head in. Tong Nuonuo said, "You didn't come all this way for nothing. There's a patch of Zhe Ying Grass growing on Wuyanqing's territory that should be nearly mature by now. Alchemists post bounties for it on the Zhishi Hall boards all the time. If we bring it back, it'll fetch a good number of spirit coins."
Only then did Chen Xiao realize Tong Nuonuo was still thinking about the spirit coins he had given him earlier. This was his way of paying him back. Chen Xiao didn't want to flat-out refuse his kind gesture and risk embarrassing the proud, stubborn youth, so he simply smiled and said, "Great! Sounds like we're about to strike it rich."
Letting Tong Nuonuo lead the way wasn't going to work, he had a hard time describing the surroundings, and his sense of direction was questionable at best. Luckily, he knew the general location: somewhere along the road between the village and Wuyanqing's domain. Since it was on the outskirts of the dangerous beast territory and not in the heart of it, Du Rong took the lead, clearing a path ahead. He wasn't about to rely on just Tong Nuonuo, who was practically a magnet for getting lost and useless in emergencies. Chen Xiao walked second, while Tong Nuonuo brought up the rear, following close and keeping his eyes straight ahead, not daring to glance sideways even once.
They searched for quite a while. The sun had already climbed high into the sky before they finally spotted the Zhe Ying Grass in a sunny, sloped hollow.
The grass looked delicate and charming, with slender leaves that shimmered yellow-green and tiny golden specks glinting in the sunlight. Seeing it in person gave Chen Xiao a sudden sense of reality so this was spirit grass! Beautiful and even a little magical. If this had existed in his previous life, it would've been a hit among young women just one little plant in a palm-sized pot on a table would've been enough to admire for hours.
Tong Nuonuo's eyes lit up. He crouched down next to the patch and said excitedly, "This is it! Let's dig!"
Chen Xiao didn't hesitate either, he wasn't the sentimental type to spare a pretty plant. Du Rong unwound the cloth from around his waist and laid it out flat. The Zhe Ying Grass had to be dug up with roots intact and left to rest for a bit before being packed up.
As Du Rong carefully used a wooden tool to pry the roots loose, he muttered, "With so much Zhe Ying Grass growing around here, how is Ah Shou still so poor?"
Tong Nuonuo explained, "This kind of spirit grass is useless in the village. No one knows how to make pills. I asked Ah Shou about it, and he said the villagers think it's not even as good as wild vegetables."
Du Rong sighed. "It's a pity this place is so far from Hanshan City. If it were closer, the village wouldn't be this impoverished."
He spoke from experience. Just that morning, when he'd gone to wash up, Ah Shou's house didn't even have basic tooth powder or green salt only willow twigs to chew and use for scraping between teeth. That counted as brushing.
Chen Xiao looked thoughtful. "So… do the villagers want to change their circumstances? Or are they content with a poor but peaceful life like this?"
Tong Nuonuo gave a little laugh. "If they had a way out, they would've left long ago to live near Hanshan City. But they're afraid the City Lord still bears a grudge against the Chang family. If they show their faces, they'll be arrested and executed."
Du Rong nodded. "Ah Shou said it's not just the young men, even the teenagers in the village long for the outside world."
Tong Nuonuo added, "I once heard that years ago, some of the villagers who had cultivation skills wanted to escape this confinement. They gathered a group of over ten people and tried to cross the mountains to find another path for the village. But they'd been away from the cultivation world for too long and forgot how dangerous the mountains really are. Not a single one of those young people made it back alive."
If an Immortal Sect came to recruit disciples, there probably wouldn't be much resistance, Chen Xiao thought silently.
They harvested most of the Zhe Ying Grass, leaving some behind to continue growing. After being left to dry, the grass looked a little wilted, its tender yellow-green leaves drooping slightly, but the golden specks on it still shimmered with vibrant energy. Du Rong pointed at the specks and said, "See those gold dots? They're condensed specks of metal-attribute spiritual energy. Pills refined from this grass are especially effective at replenishing metal-element true essence."
By the time the sun started to set in the west, the three of them were hurrying back to the village. Night had completely fallen by the time they arrived. Ah Shou had saved dinner for them, and after eating, Chen Xiao returned to the villager's home where he was staying.
To his surprise, Xi Yunqing wasn't in his own room. He was waiting for Chen Xiao instead.
"Immortal Immortal Master Xi? It's so late, what's the matter?" Chen Xiao asked, a bit confused.
Xi Yunqing didn't explain much. He simply said, "Get some rest early. Tomorrow, we've got something to do."
The next morning, before Chen Xiao had even gotten out of bed, he heard a commotion outside it sounded like the whole village was out and about. When he stepped out to ask what was going on, he learned that Xi Yunqing had spoken to the village chief the previous day and declared that today he would be testing everyone's spiritual root aptitude!
Chen Xiao was left speechless.
Xi Yunqing still did everything in his grand, larger-than-life way not just testing the eligible youths, but even including all the adults!