With a creak, the wooden gate swung open. The two of them stepped into the courtyard and sat across from each other beneath the veranda.

Long Er clasped his fists once again. “I was rude to call on you so suddenly earlier today. I hope you can forgive me, Master Liu.”

“For you to come so late at night,” Liu Xiaolou said, “Brother Long, you must have something to say. Please, speak plainly.”

“In that case, I’ll be direct. May I ask what plans Master Liu has for the future?”

“Plans?”

“Yes. Have you given any thought to what lies ahead?”

“Well… nothing more than continuing my cultivation. What else could there be?”

“The path of cultivation requires companions, resources, and guidance. Back when you were at Shenwu Mountain, you had no need to worry. But now that you’ve left the Su family, much of what you once relied on may no longer be there. So where will your road lead from here?”

“Then I’ll ask Brother Long for your advice.”

Long Er’s eyes lit up. “It’s actually quite simple. There are two paths before you. The first is to carry on as before. Devoting yourself to cultivation, passing time with a few close friends, talking of the Dao, sharing stories, brewing tea, singing with wine. A carefree life, no doubt. But whenever danger strikes, you’ll have to stake your life to overcome it. If you survive, perhaps you’ll gain a small chance or opportunity. If you don’t… well, that would be the end. In other words, each day would hang by a thread.”

“And the second path?”

“Walking with fellow cultivators means the Way is never lonely. Master Liu was born and raised here…”

Liu Xiaolou almost spoke up to correct him; he hadn’t actually been born here. But the moment slipped by. He opened his mouth, then let it go.

“…Your roots lie in Wulong Mountain, and you’ve already won the respect of its heroes. Later you married into Shenwu Mountain, so you could be counted as the son-in-law of a great family. Seeing you now, it’s clear why people place such confidence in you. Since that’s the case, why not take another step forward? With your reputation, a single call would rally the warriors of Wulong Mountain under your banner. You could restore your old sect or found a new one of your own. Companions would gather, wealth would follow, and your words would carry weight across Jing-Xiang. Even if you never reach the height of the most famous orthodox sects, you could still secure a domain of your own. At that point, not only would the Gengsang Cave and the Zhanglong Sect treat you with deference, even the Su family of Shenwu Mountain might regret their decision. They’d likely take back the divorce and try to mend ties with you.”

Liu Xiaolou couldn’t help showing a reaction. “Oh…”

Long Er smiled. “Two paths. Which will Master Liu choose?”

After a moment’s thought, Liu Xiaolou answered, “The first.”

Long Er immediately clapped his hands in praise. “As expected, Master Liu is no ordinary man. Your heart is truly noble!”

Liu Xiaolou scratched his head. “Brother Long, you flatter me.”

Long Er smiled. “Since that’s the case, Master Liu must be wondering. Without anyone at your side, how could you even begin? But there’s no need to worry. To establish a sect, the first thing you need is momentum. You have to make a powerful impression right from the start…”

Liu Xiaolou blinked in surprise. “?”

Long Er launched into a fervent explanation. “I have a band of brothers who can help with exactly this. On the day you raise your banner, my brothers and I would immediately pledge ourselves under your command. With our support, your sect is bound to flourish, and the heroes of Wulong Mountain will compete to join you. As for the price... ten of my brothers only ask a single spirit stone. Silver works too, though it costs a little more. But I give you my word, once the job is done we’ll step back and never cling to power. So you see, the first path you’ve chosen is actually simple and easy to carry out. The only question is, how many brothers would you like at your side…”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. “Wait... the first path?”

Liu Xiaolou bobbed his head like a pecking chicken. “That’s right. I already said I was choosing the first.”

Long Er’s eyes went wide. “The one where life hangs by a thread?”

“The one where I live free and unbound,” replied Liu Xiaolou.

Long Er grew flustered. “No, Master Liu, with the advantages you hold, with such prestige; how could you possibly choose the first path? Don’t you want to restore your sect? You were the son-in-law of the Su family of Shenwu Mountain! If you take the first path, all of that will just go to waste.”

“I can’t afford to keep people,” Liu Xiaolou said.

“Once a sect is established, it’s not you supporting others; it’s others supporting you! What’s there to fear?”

Liu Xiaolou asked, “In that case, may I ask if Brother Long has founded a sect of his own?”

“But of course!” Long Er said proudly.

Liu Xiaolou was curious. “Then how exactly does Brother Long sustain himself through his sect?”

“Why, isn’t that what I’m doing right now? My sect is called the Heavenly Dragon Sect. I have over a hundred disciples. However many you need, I can send them to you at once!”

Liu Xiaolou was speechless and waved his hand to refuse. After all his persuasion, Long Er still hadn’t swayed him in the slightest. At last, Long Er rose reluctantly. “If Master Liu ever wishes to restore…”

“Sanxuan Sect.”

“Yes, if you ever wish to restore the Sanxuan Sect, come find me at Qingjiang Port. The Heavenly Dragon Sect will answer any request!”

“Ah, all right, all right. Qingjiang Port to the north? Not too far…”

After seeing Long Er off, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t help but shake his head. Truly, fame brings trouble, just as a fattened pig draws knives. Ever since he came down from the mountain, all sorts of strange characters had come calling. Someone even thought to take advantage of him like this!

Just thinking about the grand scene of Sanxuan Sect’s great recruitment, with hundreds of disciples climbing the mountain to bow to a new master, he couldn’t help but sigh. If it were real, it would be pretty impressive. But to actually put on a show like that would burn through a sea of silver, and as for spending spirit stones, that was absolutely out of the question.

Over the next few days, everyone he needed to meet had come and gone. Those who had only wanted a glimpse of the divorce document had gotten their fill as well. Gradually, Qianzhu Ridge quieted down again, and Liu Xiaolou was finally able to settle his mind and focus on cultivation.

The Foot Lesser Yang Meridian has forty-four acupoints. During his time in a coma, he had already broken through twelve of them in one go. Now he was working hard on the thirteenth, called Benshen.

After returning the gifts from Jiang Feihu and Zhang Shihua, he still had fifty spirit stones left. He wasn’t sure if it would be enough to open up the rest of the Foot Lesser Yang Meridian, but in any case, he would just keep cultivating step by step.

With the combined boost of the Yin-Yang Scripture and the True Mysteries Scripture, his progress was clearly faster than before. In the past, it usually took him a whole month to open a single acupoint. Now he could manage it in a little over half a month. Around the middle ten days of the third month, Liu Xiaolou had already opened both the Benshen and Yangbai acupoints, his cultivation moving along smoothly.

One day, a fine misty rain began to fall again over Wulong Mountain. Liu Xiaolou was on the terrace, working on the fifteenth acupoint, Toulinqi. The wind bells above his head began to sway.

Ding-dong… ding-dong…

Liu Xiaolou awoke from his cultivation state and glanced down the mountain path, just in time to see Fang Bu’ai from Half-Pine Plateau rushing up. “Senior Liu, Senior Dai sent someone with a message. He asks that you head to Wuzifeng (Five Sons Peak) at once. It looks like something’s going on over there.”

“Who delivered the message? What’s the situation?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

“It was Li Busan,” Fang Bu’ai replied, “disciple of Dragon Mountain Wanderer. He said Senior Dai is calling people together. Li Busan has already gone on to Dragon Horse Falls to find Senior Tan.”

Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment. Most likely, it was another dispute over the ownership of Five Sons Peak. He strapped on the Three Mystery Sword and set off. Dai Wanderer had always looked out for the Sanxuan Sect. Setting aside questions of right or wrong, when trouble came, he was duty-bound to help.

On the way down, he noticed Fang Bu’ai following behind him with an eager look. He said, “Head back. If this turns into a fight, it has nothing to do with you. Your cultivation isn’t ready yet. If spells start flying, I’d hate for you to get caught in the crossfire.”

But Fang Bu’ai followed with firm resolve. “If it concerns Qianzhu Ridge, then it concerns me. My cultivation may not be high, but I do have real combat experience. Back at Zhuoshui, I even cut down a fourth-layer cultivator with my sword!”

If he was that determined, then so be it. Liu Xiaolou didn’t try to stop him again. Together they hurried to Five Sons Peak, where a large crowd had already gathered.

Dai Wanderer, the Bull-Horse-Deer Brothers, and Zuo Gaofeng were squared off against Jiang Feihu and Zhang Shihua. The two sides were at a standoff, everyone talking over each other in a loud, jumbled mess.

Off to the side, Dragon Mountain Wanderer was trying to calm everyone down, pushing people apart before some stray spit could fly and really set things off. He spotted Liu Xiaolou and immediately shouted, "Xiaolou's here! Everyone just back off and let's hear what he has to say!"