Chapitre 96: Chapter 96: Farewell
Recently, Shushui Village had been seeing more visitors, mostly relatives from nearby villages who had connections to the villagers here. Occasionally, a traveling peddler would come by, carrying small items like needles and threads to trade. This small, secluded village only experienced such exchanges of information during these visits.
In the afternoon, it was the perfect time for a nap under the shade after lunch. At this moment, Aunt Hu San of the Hu family was quietly gossiping with her sister-in-law inside her house.
"Let me tell you, something strange is going on with those kids who hang around with my nephew," Aunt Hu San whispered.
Her sister-in-law looked puzzled. "What do you mean by strange?"
Aunt Hu San slapped her thigh and said in a low voice, "Listen, that kid from the Lin family—the one who lives near the village entrance? His father is the one who lost his wife and never remarried, you know who I'm talking about?"
As her sister-in-law nodded, Aunt Hu San leaned closer and whispered, "Just a few days ago, that Lin kid cut off Old Liu's hands and feet."
"What?! You mean that unruly Old Liu you told me about before?" Her sister-in-law gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Aunt Hu San nodded. "Yes! That scrawny twelve-year-old boy somehow overpowered Old Liu, who usually bullies everyone around. They say Old Liu didn't even resist when the kid chopped off his limbs. Isn't that bizarre?"
Her sister-in-law glanced outside, lowering her voice, "That's really strange! And your powerful mother-in-law didn't do anything about it?"
Aunt Hu San scoffed, "That old hag spoils her grandson rotten; she wouldn't lift a finger to discipline him."
Her sister-in-law frowned, "That's not good. What if that Lin boy is possessed by some evil spirit and passes it on to your nephew? Maybe I should ask our mother to come and talk some sense into your mother-in-law…"
Similar scenes played out in many homes across the village, as gossip spread among those who loved to chatter. It wasn't just in Shushui Village either; villagers visiting nearby relatives also shared these stories.
Soon, rumors about "the notorious Old Liu getting his limbs chopped off by a twelve-year-old boy" and "children being bewitched and running off to the mountains every day" began to circulate among the neighboring villages. Lin Xiao's name quickly gained some notoriety in the area.
Someone must have remembered when Lin Xiao first recruited sect members in the village because the sect's reputation points had unexpectedly increased. Lin Xiao wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't checked the sect's reputation while looking at his father's and cousin's profiles.
However, Lin Xiao had always been mentally prepared for word to eventually get out. He wasn't too worried, though. The cultivation world was too far removed from their small village. Even if a sect like Shangyang Sect, which had previously recruited in their town, got wind of it, they were unlikely to act. The activities of cultivation sects rarely extended into the mortal realm. Even if news of Lingxian Sect spread to nearby villages, it wouldn't have much impact—unless it escalated to the point of alerting the authorities.
Only if the situation became serious enough to attract the attention of the county or higher officials would Lin Xiao begin to worry about drawing the attention of Shangyang Sect. For now, even with the sect's reputation growing, the members of Lingxian Sect continued their cultivation and daily activities as usual, without much concern.
The information isolation in ancient times was something Lin Xiao had come to experience firsthand. Without Aunt Yang's explanations, he wouldn't have known for the first twelve years of his life what country they were even in. If the county magistrate were replaced, it might take the villagers half a year or more to hear about it. Without the internet, with no cell towers, people traveled on foot, and most had never been farther than the nearest town. News only spread when people had the time to share it with their relatives, and by the time it passed through several mouths, the story was usually distorted beyond recognition.
On this day, it was also the day that Qin Jianghe was set to depart.
He had already informed his family that he would be leaving with his two cousins to seek opportunities outside. His elders, knowing that his cousins were reliable and strong, had no strong objections to the three brothers venturing out together, as they wouldn't be easy targets for troublemakers.
Before dawn, Qin Jianghe bid farewell to his family and walked to the village entrance, where Lin Xiao and the others were waiting to see him off.
He exchanged words of farewell with each of them. Lin Xiao patted his shoulder and handed him twenty teleportation talismans, saying, "Keep these with you. If you run into danger out there, use them right away."
The master talisman remained within the sect.
Qin Jianghe accepted the talismans and solemnly clasped his hands in farewell to everyone. "I promise to find a way to secure financial resources for our sect, so none of the brothers will have to worry about money while cultivating. You all focus on your training here. When I return, if anyone's cultivation level is still lower than mine, I'll dock their wages! And Brother Xiao, you won't be able to stop me!"
"Hahaha, you wish! No way are we letting you dock our wages. Just wait until you come back and find we've outpaced you in cultivation!"
"The sun's rising—better get going, or your cousins from the next village will be waiting too long."
"Take care of yourself out there!"
"May you have swift success!"
And so, in the morning light, amidst the farewells of his fellow sect members, Qin Jianghe set off on his journey out of the village.
As his figure gradually shrank into a tiny black dot in the distance and eventually disappeared from view, the others turned back and headed up the mountain to resume their cultivation.
At this point, the cultivation levels of the Lingxian Sect members had advanced considerably. Aside from the newest members—Lin Daqiu, Lin Lei, and the youngest, Lin Ying, who were still at the first stage of Qi Refinement—the others had all reached at least the second stage.
Sun Yigao had just advanced to the eighth stage of Qi Refinement the day before.
Currently, the cultivation levels in the Lingxian Sect, from highest to lowest, were as follows:
Lin Xiao: Early Foundation Establishment (/)
Liao Pantao (Soul): Equivalent to Qi Refinement Stage 9
Sun Yigao: Qi Refinement Stage 8
Jiang Youfu: Qi Refinement Stage 5
Lin Yun: Qi Refinement Stage 5
Liu Yunan: Qi Refinement Stage 4
Qin Jianghe: Qi Refinement Stage 3
Yang Jinshu: Qi Refinement Stage 3
Liu Shengsheng: Qi Refinement Stage 2
Hu Liang: Qi Refinement Stage 2
Little Luan: Spiritual Awakening Stage 2
Lin Ying: Qi Refinement Stage 1
Lin Lei: Qi Refinement Stage 1
Lin Daqiu: Qi Refinement Stage 1
In just about two months, the sect members had made impressive progress in their cultivation.
When Liao Pantao realized that they had only been cultivating for one or two months, he was deeply shocked.
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