Hu Yue Commandery was once the heart of Qingzhou, with the Azure Cloud Palace situated just outside its walls. However, since the palace was destroyed and the great mountain was incessantly split by lightning, Hu Yue Commandery’s standing among the eighteen commanderies of Qingzhou had diminished somewhat. Yet, the main headquarters of the 'Snow Lotus Sect' had now been relocated here.
The Snow Lotus Sect headquarters occupied a vast area in the northern district of Hu Yue Commandery City.
It should be noted that the various stately residences in Hu Yue Commandery City once belonged to the high-ranking figures of the Azure Cloud Palace; now, they were occupied by the Snow Lotus Sect.
“You may all withdraw. Xiao Jun and Guest Elder Hu He, remain.”
“Yes, Master (Sect Leader)!”
In the spacious main hall, the Grand and Second Saintesses of the Snow Lotus Sect, though a flicker of unwillingness crossed their eyes, respectfully withdrew along with the Nine Elders, leaving only Teng Qingshan and Li Jun.
“This Snow Lotus Sect Leader is ruthless; she actually made the other two Saintesses into Elders directly. This way, she has completely severed any future ambition for those two Saintesses. Now, the next Sect Leader of the Snow Lotus Sect is undoubtedly Xiao Jun,” Teng Qingshan glanced at the Snow Lotus Sect Leader. Her delicate face was flushed red, and her pink robe made her appear even more stunning. From her appearance, one would never guess she was over a hundred years old. At this moment, the Sect Leader was smiling warmly at Teng Qingshan.
“Guest Elder Hu He.” The Snow Lotus Sect Leader’s voice was soft. “You certainly kept your depth hidden, reaching the Void Realm and not saying a word.”
“The Sect Leader never asked,” Teng Qingshan smiled.
“If I don’t ask, you won’t tell?” The Snow Lotus Sect Leader couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. “Hu He, my Eldest Martial Brother invited you to join my Heavenly God Palace, even offering you the position of a ‘Heavenly God.’ What a wonderful opportunity! If you become a ‘Heavenly God’ in our Heavenly God Palace, who in the entire Nine Provinces would dare provoke you? If you wish to establish your own sect, you could build one just as I built the ‘Snow Lotus Sect.’”
Teng Qingshan smiled, merely shaking his head.
“Truly a block of wood.”
The Snow Lotus Sect Leader’s expression turned cold as she looked at Li Jun. “Xiao Jun, your man is nothing but a blockhead, a fool.”
Li Jun couldn’t help but let a subtle smile escape.
“The girl is too forward,” the Sect Leader shook her head helplessly and instructed, “Very well, you two as husband and wife may leave now.”
“Yes, Master.” Li Jun bowed deeply.
“Oh, right.” The Snow Lotus Sect Leader fixed a serious gaze upon Li Jun. “Xiao Jun, I have already stated it today: from this day forward, you are the sole Saintess of my Snow Lotus Sect. When I am absent, all matters of the Snow Lotus Sect are to be managed by you. So—Xiao Jun, you must not be lazy.”
“Yes, Master,” Li Jun could only agree.
“Go,” the Sect Leader commanded.
Li Jun then departed with Teng Qingshan. As they left, Teng Qingshan merely offered the Sect Leader a slight nod and a smile in acknowledgment.
“This Hu He is unbearably dull!” The Sect Leader narrowed her beautiful eyes. “However, now that your wife is the future Sect Leader of my Heavenly God Palace’s Snow Lotus Sect, and you are a Guest Elder—even if you don't formally join the Heavenly God Palace, what difference does it truly make?”
...
Teng Qingshan and Li Jun, husband and wife, were leisurely sipping tea and chatting at their residence.
“Qingshan, the Heavenly God Palace really spared no expense. To win you over, they made my Eldest and Second Martial Sisters become Elders immediately,” Li Jun said while nibbling on sunflower seeds.
Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun. “In their eyes, I am a masterless wanderer, so naturally, I’m worth wooing! But Xiao Jun… from now on, you are the acting Sect Leader of the Snow Lotus Sect! You will be much busier.”
“It means I can’t just leave with you, Qing Shan,” Li Jun expressed some distress.
“Things will be resolved quickly,” Teng Qingshan reached out and clasped Li Jun’s hand.
“Mmm,” Li Jun nodded.
“I plan to set off tomorrow morning,” Teng Qingshan grew serious. “According to intelligence… the Heavenly God Palace’s destruction of the Azure Cloud Palace has thrown the entire world into greater chaos. In many provinces across the Nine Provinces, the super-sects are beginning to purge the territories under their control.”
Seeing the outcome of the Azure Cloud Palace’s demise, and with a sense of shared fear (like the fox mourning the death of the rabbit), sects like Hong Tian City and the Snow Eagle Sect, as well as Qinghu Island, were also worried that rebellious sects might emerge within the territories they controlled.
Small sects must not be allowed room to develop!
This was nearly a consensus among the major sects. It was precisely because the Azure Cloud Palace only controlled fifteen of the eighteen commanderies in the past, leaving three completely unattended, and because their governance was lax, that the Snow Lotus Sect was able to cultivate hundreds of thousands of troops from those three commanderies without anyone noticing.
“Now, Hong Tian City has already mobilized to wipe out the minor sects and large bandit gangs in the northeastern You Province!”
“I worry Qinghu Island will do the same!”
This was common sense!
For super-sects, internal stability must precede external engagement! For instance, in Yang Province, Qinghu Island—because the 'Guiyuan Sect' only occupied the land of a single commandery—if the Heavenly God Palace were to invade Yang Province, they might reach an agreement with the Guiyuan Sect, ceding one commandery to them and using them as an internal asset.
The Guiyuan Sect was situated deep within Yang Province.
With the Guiyuan Sect inside and the Heavenly God Palace outside... once they allied, Qinghu Island might truly be unable to defend itself! The best course of action would be to expend some effort to eliminate the Guiyuan Sect first, solidify Yang Province into an iron plate, and unite to face the potential invasion by the ‘Heavenly God Palace.’
“Therefore, I must give Qinghu Island headaches, so that Qinghu Island lacks the energy to deal with the Guiyuan Sect,” Teng Qingshan stated gravely.
If the unification of Qingzhou by the Heavenly God Palace were not an immediate concern, Teng Qingshan would not be in such a hurry to deal with Qinghu Island. Now, however, he felt a sense of urgency.
“Mmm, I understand,” Li Jun nodded.
“Xiao Jun, according to our previous plan... use the Snow Lotus Sect’s intelligence network to gather information on individuals who hold deep, irreconcilable hatred for Qinghu Island,” Teng Qingshan instructed.
On the morning of the sixth day of the twelfth month, Teng Qingshan departed Hu Yue Commandery.
By noon that day, Teng Qingshan arrived at Nanxing Commandery in Yang Province, his white robes making him resemble a dashing young nobleman.
“Master!” The gatekeepers at the Li Residence were exceedingly respectful upon seeing Teng Qingshan.
“In the days I was away, did anyone come here looking for me?” Teng Qingshan inquired.
“Master, a few days ago, a person from Jiangning Commandery came seeking you,” one of the bearded gatekeepers replied respectfully. “He said he had a letter for you, but after waiting for a long time and not seeing you, he left the letter and departed.”
Teng Qingshan’s heart stirred.
Jiangning Commandery? Perhaps it was the Guiyuan Sect.
“Master, six days ago, Young Master Yang Dong returned,” the bearded gatekeeper added. “He stayed at the residence for just one day, then left.”
“A Dong came back?” Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up.
...
Moments later, the steward respectfully presented Teng Qingshan with the letter left by the visitor from Jiangning Commandery.
As he walked into the inner courtyard, Teng Qingshan opened the letter. “A letter from Jiangning Commandery?”
Upon unfolding it.
The letter contained only four characters—‘Huo Liu is complete.’
“It succeeded?” Teng Qingshan let a smile surface.
If an outsider had obtained this letter, reading only those four words, they would have no clue what it meant... After all, no one on the land of the Nine Provinces knew of ‘Huo Liu Iron.’
“The Huo Liu Iron armor is finished. At the rate the Guiyuan Sect crafts armor, over three thousand sets—at the fastest, perhaps only a month, and it should be ready,” Teng Qingshan sighed with relief internally. “With the Huo Liu Iron armor equipped, even if Qinghu Island makes a move, at least their tactic of using sheer numbers will be useless.”
The best counter to overwhelming numbers is an elite strategy!
“I wonder what A Dong wrote to me in the letter he left when he returned.”
Walking through the inner courtyard, Teng Qingshan soon reached his study.
Teng Qingshan had previously instructed his two disciples to handle matters in the Tai'a Mountain Range and report back every two or three months. If he were absent, they were to leave a letter in the study, tucked beneath some papers.
Inside the study.
Teng Qingshan entered and immediately spotted one piece of paper mixed among the numerous sheets on the desk. “It’s here!”
The handwriting was that of Duanmu Continent—‘For Master’s perusal, respectfully written by disciple Yang Dong.’
This letter was written in such a way that an outsider would not recognize it.
“Master, Eldest Martial Brother and I have assembled a bandit gang of over a thousand men in the Tai'a Mountain Range. I named this gang the ‘Fierce Beast Gang.’ Our Fierce Beast Gang is composed of heroes...” Reading the long passages where Yang Dong boasted about himself, Teng Qingshan smiled.
“Yang Dong is quite adept at being a bandit.”
Teng Qingshan chuckled. “To name it the ‘Fierce Beast’... A Shou actually agreed?”
The two martial brothers, Teng Shou and Yang Dong, were perfectly suited to mixing with bandits and ruffians.
...
Teng Qingshan cultivated alone in the Li Residence. Three days after his return.
“Puff!” “Whoosh!”
Teng Qingshan held the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear, practicing his spear techniques one move after another. His spear became lightning, his figure a swimming dragon. Every move contained the profound artistic conception of the ‘Dao,’ as if one could witness a volcanic eruption, the heavens split by an axe, or a sun-like fireball hurtling toward the ground...
The Six-Legged Blade Centipede stared wide-eyed, fixed intently on Teng Qingshan as he practiced.
“Master, Master!” A clear voice drifted from afar.
“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan stopped in surprise.
The Six-Legged Blade Centipede immediately glared with its triangular eyes, visibly angry that Teng Qingshan had stopped his practice, puffing out two thick streams of air from its nostrils in frustration.
“They wouldn't dare interrupt me unless it was important,” Teng Qingshan set down the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear and walked to the courtyard entrance.
Creak—
At the gate stood a pretty maid with two pigtails, her clear eyes looking at Teng Qingshan with a hint of nervousness. “Master, a letter. It’s from the Mistress.”
Teng Qingshan took it in surprise.
“You may go,” Teng Qingshan waved his hand.
The maid glanced at Teng Qingshan a few times, then darted away like a startled rabbit, thinking to herself, Our Master is truly handsome, just as the other sisters said.
Teng Qingshan began to open the letter as he walked back toward the training ground.
“As expected!”
As he unfolded the letter, a stack of papers within brought a smile to Teng Qingshan’s face. The letter read—
“This records the details of nine people. All nine have an irreconcilable, mortal enmity with Qinghu Island. The first person is named Zhang Wei...” The entire page was densely covered in script, twelve pages in total, just to detail the information on these nine individuals. Every person listed held a death feud with Qinghu Island.
“Which one should I help?” Teng Qingshan mused to himself.