Chapter 101, The Clan Leader’s Reward, Frost Dwelling

Translator: Raznick

 

It was no surprise to Zhou Chun that Zhou Daoyi took the new sect members’ data of Dragonized Sect in Cloud Province very seriously.

 

He skimmed through the documents and, after a moment’s thought, turned to Zhou Chun and said, “These documents are indeed quite valuable. However, we cannot be the ones to hand them over to Green Lotus Monastery.”

 

Noticing Zhou Chun’s puzzled expression, he quickly explained, “Our clan is too small. Whether it’s Green Lotus Monastery or Dragonized Sect, we can’t afford to provoke either of them.

 

“If you were to present this information to Green Lotus Monastery through us, and if word got out, Dragonized Sect might make an example out of us, sending a warning to other clans and smaller sects.

 

“Meanwhile, any rewards our clan would receive from handing over these documents wouldn’t be significant enough for Green Lotus Monastery to start viewing us favorably or offer us special treatment.”

 

Zhou Chun understood the reasoning behind it. The risk didn’t justify the reward, and this information wasn’t substantial enough to change their circumstances.

 

“Which means…” Zhou Chun shifted his gaze toward Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, sensing that the latter likely had a better plan in mind.

 

“Since you’re close with that Liu gal, why don’t you pass these documents along to her? She can then hand them over to the sect,” Zhou Daoyi suggested.

 

“This way, you’ll repay her for this message, and she might even get some reward from the sect. Plus, it could let her master know about your close ties.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded in agreement. “Understood, Clan Leader,” he replied. “I’ll head to Lotus Province in a few days.”

 

Zhou Daoyi wore an expression of pride as he nodded, then instructed Zhou Chun to begin examining the pills in the black-robed old man’s storage bag.

 

To their surprise, even Zhou Daoyi could only identify about half of the pills, with several others being completely unknown to him. He decided it was best to take Zhou Chun back to the Medicine Peak and consult a few alchemists from the Zhou Clan for help.

 

After nearly half a day of searching, they managed to identify all but two of the pills. Among the identified ones were three types of pills meant to enhance the spiritual power cultivation of late Qi Refining cultivators, totaling nearly thirty in number. Clearly, like the first-grade artifacts, these were items intended for public use by the black-robed old man as bribes or rewards for new followers.

 

There were also three types of healing pills. One particularly rare one, named Dragon Blood Restorative Pill, was a highly effective healing pill for even Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was rumored to be made from the extremely scarce Dragon Blood Ginseng and was exceedingly rare. The jade vial contained only a single dose.

 

This was excellent news for Zhou Chun and others waiting to collect their medication ration. Now that they had access to these precious pills, they no longer needed to rush out to buy them for their cultivation practice using spirit coins.

 

“Speaking of which, during my recent excursion, I managed to obtain some blood and remnants from the Blue Flood Dragon. Once I’ve properly sorted through these items, I’ll set aside a portion for your Silver Thunder Python to consume. Consider this a reward for your exhausting journey over the past six months.”

 

Within the Central Palace, Zhou Daoyi suddenly recalled something and turned to Zhou Chun, his tone revealing both surprise and excitement.

 

Zhou Chun hadn’t inquired about the outcome of Zhou Daoyi’s pursuit of the Blue Flood Dragon. He knew that if Zhou Daoyi wished to share such details, he would do so of his own accord. Silence was often the best response when it came to unanswered questions.

 

However, it was evident now that Zhou Daoyi had returned with some gains. Recalling Zhou Daoyi’s past experience in cultivating Sky Cloud Python, Zhou Chun saw an opportunity to address two matters at once. He pulled out the three dragon blood items he had acquired and sought Zhou Daoyi’s guidance on their use.

 

Pausing thoughtfully, Zhou Daoyi advised, “Given that your Silver Thunder Python is nearing superior first-grade, it would be ideal to utilize these items at the moment of its breakthrough.

 

“Upon that occasion,” he continued, “you may feed your python the two samples of dragon blood grass I provided, and then crush the dragon blood stone and soak it in water. This will allow your python to gradually absorb the dragon blood essence during its slumber and ascent.”

 

Zhou Chun heard these words and immediately filed them away in his mind.

 

Two days later, Zhou Daoyi handed over a large chunk of Blue Flood Dragon flesh—weighing around fifteen kilograms—and about thirty grams of its blood to Zhou Chun, instructing him to feed it to the Silver Thunder Python. He also warned Zhou Chun not to let this matter slip out of his lips.

 

Zhou Chun was naturally grateful for this and repeatedly assured him that not a word of it would escape his knowledge. However, what Zhou Chun was unaware of was that the Blue Flood Dragon flesh and blood he had received were none other than the “sale proceeds” from their own Clan Leader!

 

After secretly obtaining these benefits, Zhou Chun felt elated inside, and his gratitude toward Zhou Daoyi grew even stronger.

 

After just a few more days, he set out for Lotus Province’s Green Lotus Monastery, intending to hand over the confiscated documents to Liu Shiyun.

 

Lotus Province was located northeast of Mist Province, not too far from Nine Peaks. It wasn’t always called Lotus Province, of course. The province had been renamed after the Green Lotus Monastery had grown in influence and power.

 

Compared to places like Mist Province or Cloud Province, which were part of the Jing Kingdom’s territory, Lotus Province was where Green Lotus Monastery really held its power—its main base. Within this province, there was only one major sect, Green Lotus Monastery, and numerous cultivating clans that had deep ties with it. At least sixty percent of Green Lotus Monastery’s disciples came from Lotus Province.

 

Because of this setup, Zhou Chun became much more cautious after entering Lotus Province. He didn’t want to accidentally offend someone who had a high-ranking cultivator relative at Green Lotus Monastery. And for that very reason, the security in Lotus Province was exceptionally good. While bandit cultivators weren’t completely nonexistent, they were extremely rare.

 

After traveling through Lotus Province for another two or three days, Zhou Chun finally reached the location of Green Lotus Monastery’s estate, the Blue Lotus Range. This mountain range stretched on for a hundred miles and was one of the most famous mountains in all of Jing Kingdom.

 

The entire Blue Lotus Range belonged to Green Lotus Monastery, and every part of the mountain was filled with caves and estates opened up by Green Lotus Monastery cultivators. Outsiders weren’t allowed to enter the mountain on their own unless they were accompanied by a disciple of Green Lotus Monastery.

 

To visit friends or relatives within Green Lotus Monastery, one had to go to several fixed mountain-side locations to submit letters, which would then be delivered by Green Lotus Monastery’s dedicated messaging disciples. However, since the number of disciples assigned by Green Lotus Monastery to handle messages at these designated spots was limited, and the number of outsiders visiting to see their cultivators each day was high, wanting your letter to be prioritized depended on the cultivation.

 

If a visitor were a Violet Palace Stage cultivator, their letter would naturally be delivered first. If they were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, without any higher-level cultivators cutting in line, their message would also be given priority. As for someone like Zhou Chun, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, even if he was visiting Liu Shiyun, an inner sect disciple of Green Lotus Monastery, his letter’s priority would still be lower.

 

Of course, bumping up the priority wasn’t difficult. Money talked, after all.

 

“Three spirit coins can ensure she receives their letter within three days. If you’re willing to pay five, it’ll definitely get there by tomorrow!”

 

Within a Daoist temple at the foot of Blue Lotus Mountain, an elderly Daoist responsible for receiving guests gently stroked his beard with his left hand while gesturing to Zhou Chun with his right. With a bland smile, he quoted the fee for transmitting messages.

 

His manner clearly indicated this was standard procedure.

 

Zhou Chun wasn’t just suspicious—he was certain. If one didn’t pay up, even if there were idle messenger disciples available, they wouldn’t deliver the message promptly. He’d likely have to wait at least a week before anything got done!

 

Despite his disgust at this blatant extortion, Zhou Chun had no choice but to bite the bullet. He promptly took out five spirit coins, handing them to the old Daoist: “Here are five spirit coins, Fellow Daoist.”

 

The old man wasted no time in taking the spirit coins, then grinned with satisfaction: “Haha, rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Your message will reach the intended recipient by tomorrow.”

 

“I’m thankful, Fellow Daoist.” Zhou Chun responded, choosing an inn room outside the temple to stay in. Fortunately, these Daoists had a bit of decency; they did not charge extra for the inn rooms, allowing anyone with space to stay.

 

During his wait, Zhou Chun observed coldly as several individuals hesitated to spend those three or five spirit coins and were rudely turned away by the elderly Daoist or other cultivators handling guest duties, forcing them to seek temporary shelter in the inn rooms instead.

 

It was understandable why they hesitated. Even an ordinary Zhou Clan cultivator only received support amounting to three or five spirit coins monthly. Why should their hard-earned spirit coins be taken so easily? The Green Lotus Monastery assigned these outer sect disciples to run message tasks but did not provide any task rewards!

 

Money was a sensitive topic, and it was in a human’s nature.

 

Even Zhou Chun, who was carrying over a thousand spirit coins in his pocket, felt reluctant when parting with money.

 

But spending money did pay off!

 

Zhou Chun didn’t have to wait long—less than two days, to be precise—before Liu Shiyun arrived to meet him.

 

As soon as they saw each other, Liu Shiyun immediately expressed her apologies with a deep bow: “The regulations of the sect are quite strict, causing Fellow Daoist Zhou to wait so long. I offer my sincere apologies.”

 

It was clear she was aware of how irresponsible the disciples had been.

 

Zhou Chun, of course, didn’t intend to take his frustration out on her. He shook his head with a smile and said: “If it’s part of the rules, how can I blame Fellow Daoist Liu for that?”

 

“Thank you for understanding, Fellow Daoist Zhou,” she replied modestly.

 

Liu Shiyun’s eyes relaxed as she invited Zhou Chun, “My father has already prepared simple tea and food at home. I respectfully invite Fellow Daoist Zhou to come to my residence for a discussion.”

 

“Thank you,” Zhou Chun replied with a light smile.

 

Then, under Liu Shiyun’s guidance, he flew with her on the flying artifact into the Blue Lotus Range.

 

Liu Shiyun had her own master and was currently cultivating on a Spiritual Mountain within the Blue Lotus Range, not among the bustling areas of cultivators at Green Lotus Monastery. Thus, Zhou Chun couldn’t enter the main estate of this great sect, Jing Kingdom’s Green Lotus Monastery.

 

As they flew alongside the protective array that surrounded Liu Shiyun’s estate, Zhou Chun and Liu Shiyun circumnavigated nearly three hundred meters, flying fifty miles before entering the Blue Lotus Range unimpeded by arrays.

 

From an altitude of two or three hundred meters, Zhou Chun looked down and saw endless mountain ranges below. Herds of demon beasts hunted and played together, while some glimmering magical fruits and herbs were clearly visible, guarded by these creatures.

 

The scene before him did not resemble the cultivation realm of a major sect’s manor, but rather seemed like some primitive, untouched wilderness.

 

“Those demon beasts within the Blue Lotus Range, they’re actually bred deliberately by the sect, mainly to train the skills of their outer sect disciples.

 

“They keep records of all the herbs and strange fruits in the mountains, so you shouldn’t pick them without permission.

 

“Every month, there are specific people sent to check on these things,” Liu Shiyun, who was leading the way, seemed to sense his confusion and quietly explained.

 

Actually, Zhou Chun already knew this; after all, he had once been part of the Three Absolute Sect, where their own manor was also like this—just not on such a grand scale as the Green Lotus Monastery.

 

But he didn’t elaborate further. Instead, with a curious expression, he pointed to a nearby area shrouded in white mist and light: “Are those places with the array mist and spiritual aura concealments the independent meditation caves of your sect’s elite disciples?”

 

“Yes,” she replied. “According to our sect’s rules, any elite disciple may choose an uninhabited spot in the mountains to build their own meditation cave for cultivation.”

 

Liu Shiyun nodded slightly, her envious expression as she replied. The independent cave she spoke of was far from the makeshift stone rooms that a rogue cultivator would carve out in the mountains. But rather, it was a genuine cultivate retreat equipped with a Purification Array and protective arrays. Taking the caves Zhou Chun had seen as an example, when selecting a site, they would choose locations along the various tributaries or nodes of the Blue Lotus Range’s spiritual vein, places where the qi was significantly denser than elsewhere. Then, they would invite array masters from the sect to set up top-tier protective arrays and Purification Arrays, transforming it into a completely private cultivating domain. These retreats could even be passed down through generations of disciples, enduring for hundreds or thousands of years! Some legacies had lasted so long that even if a generation lacked outstanding individuals to inherit them, the Green Lotus Monastery would select exceptional disciples to take over, ensuring the legacy continued.

 

So, over the years, there were now still a hundred or more independent cultivation caves operating within the Blue Lotus Range.

 

Zhou Chun flew with Liu Shiyun for twenty miles through the Blue Lotus Range before reaching her master’s cultivation retreat.

 

The retreat, known as the Frost Dwelling, had been established some five or six hundred years ago by Liu Shiyun’s great-great-great grandmaster and had since been passed down through three generations of cultivators.

 

The dwelling centered around a single Spiritual Peak and encompassed three secondary peaks, several valleys, gullies, and forests. It was roughly two-fifths the size of the Nine Peaks.

 

Reclusive as it was, the Frost Dwelling housed Liu Shiyun’s master, her disciples, and their cultivating relatives.

 

Considering its immense size, the retreat currently accommodated fewer than thirty cultivators!

 

Yet, thanks to the more efficient Purification Array in place, maintaining the retreat’s operations required a minimum of just five cultivators.

 

Moreover, with a Violet Palace Stage cultivator stationed there, even if multiple Violet Palace Stage cultivators were to attack, the retreat’s protective mountain array could withstand the assault for an extended period—plenty long enough for reinforcements from the Green Lotus Monastery to arrive.

 

It could be said that this estate was like a cultivating clan’s residence!