The Rapid Growth Of The Old Refinement Fellowship

Elder Tsuen came toward me as though he intended to seize me. Elder Shanshi stopped him.

“Elder Tsuen, please calm down. Kou, was it truly the thief’s corpse?”

“I believe there is no mistake.”

“What proof do you have?”

I took the Vermilion Spirit Sword manual from inside my robe and placed it before the two elders. Elder Tsuen snatched it up and began reading.

“There is no mistake. This is the genuine Vermilion Spirit Sword manual.”

Elder Shanshi took the manual from Elder Tsuen’s hands and examined it. He nodded as he read. He was probably comparing the contents of the manual with his own martial knowledge.

“There is no doubt. Kou, where did you find it?”

“In a small hill near Kukul Forest. There was a cave halfway up the hill, and a skeleton was inside.”

When I reported that, Elder Tsuen glared at me sternly.

“What happened to the Meimei Gong, First Transmission?”

“Strangely enough, the Meimei Gong, First Transmission was not there.”

Elder Tsuen stared at me suspiciously.

“Did you hide it?”

This damned old man. Should I rip out what remained of his thinning hair and scatter it from the summit of Mount Gyorei?

“Elder Tsuen, it makes no sense to claim that Kou hid the Meimei Gong, First Transmission rather than the Vermilion Spirit Sword manual. Kou has already reached the Thirteenth Tier. He has no need for the Meimei Gong, First Transmission.”

Elder Shanshi made a precise observation and cleared away the suspicion. The Meimei Gong, First Transmission was something studied by Taoist practitioners between the First and Fifth Tiers of the Qi Refining Stage. I no longer needed it.

“We wish to examine the corpse, so will you guide us there tomorrow?”

“Understood.”

Elder Shanshi and Elder Tsuen left, saying they would report the matter to Sect Leader Wei. I returned to my room and thought about Youjun’s talisman arts material that I had found in the cave.

Youjun’s legacy had been hidden in two of the three small hills near Kukul Forest. There had to be another legacy hidden in the third hill to the east. I wanted to retrieve it as soon as possible.

The next day, Elder Shanshi, Elder Tsuen, and I headed for the small hill near Kukul Forest. After reaching the hill, we used Lightness Skill to climb to the cave. Surprisingly, Elder Tsuen also climbed with ease using skillful Lightness Skill.

“It is inside here.”

I lit the lantern I had brought and entered. Elder Shanshi and Elder Tsuen followed, then began examining the skeleton lying on the ground.

“It does not appear to possess anything that could reveal its identity. Hm? What is this?”

Elder Shanshi found a small sword buried in the ground and dug it out. It was completely rusted and crumbling, so I could not tell what kind of weapon it had been.

“We will take this back and have Sect Leader Wei examine it.”

The only thing they recovered was the ruined small sword, but Elder Shanshi seemed satisfied. Elder Tsuen searched every corner of the cave. Apparently, he thought the thief might have hidden the Meimei Gong, First Transmission there.

In the end, Elder Tsuen found nothing and gave up. Afterward, we began our return journey to Gyorei Cave.

“We must reward you, Kou. What do you want?”

Elder Shanshi asked.

“Then I would like a new alchemy furnace.”

“Did you not already have an alchemy furnace of your own?”

“I would like one that is slightly larger.”

The alchemy furnace I possessed was small, so I could only make small quantities of anything. I wanted at least a medium-sized alchemy furnace.

“Very well. I will speak with Sect Leader Wei.”

After returning to Gyorei Cave, I headed for the Old Immortal Cave. Haoxuen, Seiran, Yingjie, Xiaotan, Shunlin, Ashin, and Zengu were gathered there, talking.

“Ah, Kou-shixiong.”

Seiran, who noticed me first, called out. Apparently, word had spread that I had recovered the Vermilion Spirit Sword manual stolen during the robbery roughly two hundred years ago. It seemed they had gathered to hear the details directly from me.

I had no choice but to explain everything from the beginning. Naturally, I kept Youjun’s talisman arts material a secret.

“Huh. It is strange that the Meimei Gong, First Transmission was not found.”

Haoxuen said that, and everyone nodded.

“I wonder where that thief came from.”

Shunlin voiced her question.

“The only clue was a ruined small sword, so I do not know. We will have to leave the rest to the elders and the sect leader.”

After that, I talked with the seven of them about various things. Yingjie and Xiaotan had apparently joined the Old Refinement Fellowship. They said they would begin training at the Old Immortal Cave.

“Maybe I should join too.”

Shunlin suddenly said.

“What? Shunlin, did you not become Falin-shijie’s direct disciple?”

“But Falin-shijie is busy and hardly gives me any instruction.”

“Were you not a member of some kind of association? You should train there.”

“The Sweet Flag Society. I had to leave it when I became Falin-shijie’s direct disciple.”

I was sure Meimei and Hongfa belonged to it as well.

“There should be no need to leave simply because you became someone’s direct disciple.”

“It seems Lishi-shijie, who leads the Sweet Flag Society, had been aiming to become Falin-shijie’s direct disciple. We got into an argument, so I had no choice but to leave.”

Hearing that, I became worried about what had happened to Meimei and Hongfa. When I asked, Shunlin said she would bring the two of them to the Old Refinement Fellowship as well if I permitted it. Apparently, Shunlin’s departure from the Sweet Flag Society had left them feeling uncomfortable there.

“You are free to join the Old Refinement Fellowship, but I only provide instruction in the mornings. I also take occasional days off.”

“That is fine. Since you can also practice alchemy, please teach us that as well.”

It seemed the fellowship’s membership was about to increase all at once. However, an association was a group in which members taught one another, so I would not be responsible for instructing everyone personally. It would probably work out somehow.