Chapter 216: The Autumn Harvest Season

Liu Yunan and the others hadn't expected the situation to turn out this way. After a moment of hesitation, they decided to seek advice from Elder Liao.

When Liao Pantou heard their account, he simply said, "Go down and tell him to return home. When our sect starts recruiting disciples, he can come back and try his luck. And remember to maintain a dignified demeanor—just like our sect master advised, you need to project the aura of an immortal in the eyes of mortals. Understand?"

The three nodded and quickly rushed out.

After some discussion, they decided that Liu Yunan would be the one to deliver the message.

Dressed in the sect's uniform, Liu Yunan used the technique to walk in the air and descended from the Ask Heart Path.

Ma Laoye, who had been bowing fervently and was close to fainting, looked up and saw a figure, ethereal and graceful, descending from the sky—just as the rumors had described. Before he could say anything, the youthful immortal told him that their sect would be recruiting disciples in the future and that he should return home and wait for the announcement. When the time came, he could come back for the assessment.

Hearing this, Ma Laoye didn't press further. He obediently bowed deeply to Liu Yunan and then left the foot of North Mountain with his servant.

However, instead of leaving Shushui Village, he went to the village head's house. He was determined to buy a plot of land in the village! He was going to live here, and no one could stop him!

Meanwhile, Liu Yunan, relieved that the man had finally left, discreetly exhaled. Remembering Elder Liao's advice to "maintain composure," he turned and headed back to the sect without acknowledging the villagers and tourists who seemed eager to speak with him.

The villagers who had watched him grow up were a bit disappointed that they didn't get a chance to talk to him.

Over time, the people of Shushui Village had gradually adjusted from the initial shock of realizing that the children they had watched grow up had become immortals. As their initial fear faded, it was replaced by a sense of familiarity and pride. The once-distant divide between "immortal" and "mortal" was bridged by the bond of having grown up together.

——

Time flew by, and soon it was autumn.

The fields surrounding Shushui Village were draped in golden hues. The villagers were busy harvesting—this was the most bountiful season of the year, but also the busiest. After gathering their crops, they still had to dry them and pay their taxes. Once that was done, they would search for wild vegetables and fruits to make various preserved foods that would last through the winter.

One day, a letter from the capital arrived along with the official tax documents from the court, landing on Prefect Tong's desk in Liaojufu.

Tong Shuzheng quickly scanned the letter, then paused in thought. This document was the court's response to the report sent earlier by Anqun County's magistrate, Wen Keming.

The response left Tong Shuzheng somewhat uncertain of the court's stance. The document instructed the local officials to neither provoke nor seek connections with the newly emerged sect, as the court had its own plans. There was no mention of the rewards Wen Keming had hoped for, but that was none of Tong Shuzheng's concern.

Tong Shuzheng hesitated, holding the communication talisman in his hand. He felt conflicted. Continuously leaking internal court information went against his duties as an official. Yet, he also deeply wanted to do what he could to assist Immortal Lin's sect.

He couldn't be sure if this sect was keeping a low profile because they were still developing or if they were actually quite powerful and just wanted peace and quiet. In either case, his ability to help was limited. Perhaps the immortal didn't need his meager assistance at all.

But what if they did?

On the other hand, he worried that his actions might backfire. Just because Immortal Lin had helped repair the ancient Chuan Dam didn't guarantee that the entire sect shared his benevolent nature. If his information ended up aiding a sect with malicious intent, he would be a traitor to the people.

Caught in these thoughts, Tong Shuzheng stared at the talisman. Finally, gritting his teeth, he decided to send the message to Liu Yunan. He still believed that a sect led by someone with Immortal Lin's character couldn't be harmful to mortals.

He reassured himself, "Just this one last time. If I can't fully trust this sect afterward, this will be the final time."

Liu Yunan, receiving the message, was unaware of Tong Shuzheng's inner turmoil. After reading it, he shared the information with everyone during their morning gathering in the cultivation room.

Most of the group didn't think much of it, but a few fell into deep thought. Before anyone could voice their opinions, Mo Yuanjiao spoke up:

"Yunan, everyone, I'm planning to return home for a visit."

The others were taken aback and turned to look at him.

"Are you feeling homesick?" someone asked.

Mo Yuanjiao grinned and replied, "Not exactly. My father doesn't believe that I've joined a sect and advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining in just over half a year. I want to go back and show him for myself, haha. Plus, while I'm there, I can gather some intel on the court's activities. That way, you won't have to wait for a month or more for news to trickle down from the capital through the prefecture."

Indeed, Mo Yuanjiao had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining over the past six months.

When Tong Shuzheng had relayed information to them the second time, Mo Yuanjiao had felt uneasy. He had been taught from a young age that relying solely on external sources for intelligence was dangerous. The best approach was to have your own channels and abilities to gather information.

And who in the entire sect was better suited for this task than him, the son of a general from the capital?

No one, of course!

Now that his senior brother, the sect leader, was in seclusion, it was only right for him, as a junior, to step up and shoulder some responsibilities. Look at his other brothers: Yunan managing the sect's affairs, Jianghe paving the way for the sect's growth, Youfu perfecting his culinary skills for the benefit of the sect, and Tietou diligently patrolling the area…

How could he lag behind them?

Mo Yuanjiao was determined to become one of the pillars of Lingxian Sect!