In the Wilderness.
Kong Guxi had mostly recovered from his wounds. Draped only in a Taoist robe, he rode the wind to inspect the territory, two disciples following behind him. Looking as far as the eye could see, the land below was densely packed with throngs of figures.
Xuanyue had relocated five hundred thousand people into the Wilderness. The remaining territory in Shanji had seen nearly half its population reduced; all the outlying lands were abandoned, their inhabitants carrying bundles and bags as they migrated into the Wilderness.
The territory of the Wilderness, deserted for a century, had suddenly grown bustling and filled. Several safer gathering settlements were established, preserving many of the sect's disciples. Under his command were over a dozen Qi Refinement cultivators and even more at Embryonic Breathing, all dispersed across various locations.
Calculating the lands in the Wilderness assigned under Xuanyue's name, Kong Guxi felt reasonably fortunate:
"It is quite substantial, enough to sustain our current disciples. It's just that there are no abundant spiritual veins here, making things somewhat difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Fortunately, we can share the benefits of the Li family's spiritual mountains."
The people of the Li family were reasonably generous. Almost all the Wilderness territory that originally belonged to Xuanyue had now been placed under Kong Guxi's management. Though he frequently heard news of Shanji Commandery being attacked and plundered, Kong Guxi had little time to mourn.
"The loyal ones have all moved over. From now on, the Wilderness belongs to our Kong clan. If they want to plunder Shanji Commandery, let them... It was something beyond our power anyway; every extra day it remained in our hands was already a blessing."
Midway through his flight, he noticed from a distance that his clan members were gathered on the mountain, with Li Chengkun standing off to the side holding a spear. The sight made Kong Guxi's eyelids twitch. Hastening over, he landed on the mountain, only to hear Li Chengkun say:
"Sect Master Kong has finally returned. There is an urgent matter to discuss."
Kong Guxi took a glance: his own Kong Qiuyan, Kong Xiaxiang, and even the other pillar of the family, Kong Guli, were waiting at the side. Kong Guxi hurried forward and said, "Please instruct us!"
"I dare not instruct, only confer with you, Sir," Li Chengkun said solemnly. "Earlier, I received word that our Real Person has gone to Ziyan Gate. He dispatched me to inform you that your esteemed sect must retrieve an item."
"What item?"
Hearing this, Kong Guxi felt a pang of fear, dreading that he might name something like Kong Haiying's severed head. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Yet Li Chengkun said, "Real Person Changxi left behind an object beneath the high seat of Xiyue Hall on your sect's main peak. Please send someone to retrieve it."
Kong Guxi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Looking around, he chose the most reliable, Kong Guli, and said, "Brother, please make the trip."
Kong Guli nodded and departed, leaving Kong Guxi and the others at a loss on the mountain. Kong Qiuyan looked at Li Chengkun, then at her sect master, having no heart for anything, and could only lean against the doorframe to wait. Old Kong Yu had not even recovered from his injuries; wanting to ask but not daring to, he paced anxiously around.
Only when dusk settled did an escape light come flying in. Kong Guli hastily landed on the mountain, cradling a stone box in his hands, and said, "There was a secret technique concealing it beneath the seat, quite intricate, which delayed me!"
Kong Guxi had no mind to reply. Opening the jade box, the crowd of Kong clan members leaned in to look, eyes filled with panic. Lying within the jade box was a piece of silk cloth bearing only a single line of characters:
"Circumstances demand expedient measures. Shanji Commandery and the Xuanyue sect gate are left to Real Person Zhaojing to handle."
Having been inscribed by a Real Person, the silk had acquired a jade-like texture, its smooth surface reflecting everyone's eyes. Old Kong Yu read it twice before speaking:
"It is the Old Ancestor's decree."
Seeing that there was no issue with this posthumous order, Li Chengkun then produced a jade box from his own robes, took out a piece of spirit cloth as stiff as stone, and placed it upon the table. The crowd, silent as mutes, craned their necks once more to look:
'I entrust Fellow Daoist Zhaojing to watch over Xuanyue on my behalf. If the situation turns unfavorable, Shanji Commandery may be ceded to another party in exchange for aid.'
The Kong clan fell dead silent.
Shanji Commandery meant as much to the Kong clan as Lake Wangyue did to the Li family. Losing all of Shanji Commandery was equivalent to the Li family losing the sixteen prefectures and the two mountains, left with nothing but Pingya Isle.
Yet for the Kong clan, once Shanji Commandery was lost, they could never return to their sect gate. All they could do was guard the Wilderness as a shield for others. Even though so many people had been migrated and the Kong clan had had some foreboding, seeing it laid out so plainly before them still left them distraught.
Kong Guxi was equally stunned.
In all honesty, after the battle on the river, Kong Guxi had already realized the disparity in Xuanyue's manpower. Thus, this sect master's thoughts ran contrary to almost everyone else in the Kong clan; he had long viewed Shanji Commandery as belonging to someone else.
Therefore, no matter how fiercely battles raged in Shanji Commandery or how it was plundered, while the Kong clan wept and wailed, Kong Guxi gritted his teeth and felt little heartache, devoting all his attention to their former dependency and now new territory—the Wilderness.
Yet from Changxi's posthumous decree, he heard another place mentioned:
The sect gate!
If their own sect gate had become a bargaining chip to trade away, what would become of Kong Haiying and Kong Tingyun, who could neither be moved nor disturbed on the mountain? No matter how immense the hardships, so long as there was a sliver of hope, Kong Guxi could endure. But without those two, what would the Kong clan amount to?!
After merely a single breath, Kong Guxi fell to his knees with a thud. He was the first to cry out:
"Xuanyue reverently obeys the Real Person's command!"
Dusk had already deepened into dark. Bolstered by magical power, this cry echoed through the mountains along the night wind. From Kong Guli to Kong Yu, and down to the disciples throughout the mountains, everyone turned the words over in their minds:
'Reverently obey the Real Person's command—which Real Person?'
'Shanji and Xuanyue as they are now... If there is no Shanji and no Xuanyue sect gate, is it still Xuanyue?'
Yet their bodies moved faster than their thoughts. Collapsing to their knees like harvested wheat, they cried out in unison:
"Xuanyue reverently obeys the Real Person's command!"
Li Chengkun was about to help him up, but Kong Guxi continued bowing:
"The Real Person relocated the people for our Xuanyue, leaving us a place of refuge. All of Xuanyue is immensely grateful! We have no way to repay this..."
Despondent and amid muffled sobs, the crowd echoed his words like yes-men. Only then did Kong Guxi rise, saying gratefully:
"Thank you for troubling yourself to make this trip, Sir. If there is news from Shanji, please instruct us as soon as possible. We will swiftly relocate the remaining dozens of people so as not to delay matters or cause any misunderstandings."
Li Chengkun looked at him with mixed feelings, nodded, and rode the wind away. The moment he left, Kong Qiuyan collapsed to sit upon the ground. The young man Kong Xiaxiang stood up with reddened eyes, visibly agitated. Striding toward the hall doors, he shoved them open with a violent bang.
Kong Guxi, who had kept his back bent the whole time, suddenly erupted. Taking a stride forward, he seized Xiaxiang's robe, jerking Kong Xiaxiang's face around. Like a raging lion, the sect master bellowed:
"What do you mean by that... What do you mean by that?! Speak! What... do you mean?!"
The shout crashed like thunder, shaking the hall so fiercely that every magical lamp went out, plunging the space into utter darkness where nothing could be seen. Meeting Kong Guxi's blazing, piercing gaze, the stifled ferocity in Kong Xiaxiang's eyes instantly melted away. Gritting his teeth, he said:
"Reporting to the Sect Master, this junior is going to deliver the orders."
Only then did Kong Guxi release his grip, his voice hoarse:
"You are in no condition to go out right now. Stay on this peak. Go nowhere. We will speak again in three to five days."
The eldest, Kong Guli, watched from start to finish without uttering a word. Only Kong Yu went outside while wiping away tears. Given to self-pity by nature, the old man flew alone into the night and vanished from sight.
After nearly a quarter of an hour, Kong Guxi walked step by step out of the hall. The magical lamps outside had also gone out, and he looked up.
He found there was no moon tonight. The wind rustled bleakly through the forest, and the entire mountain peak was steeped in black. His sect's disciples stood on both sides, their faces swallowed by the night, pitch-black and indistinct, looking as if every one of them was trembling.
Chapter 742