readytorunbook Chapter 250 Return To Hometown
Chapter 250 Return To Hometown
Chapter 250: Returning to the Old Land
Yin Xun's plan to stir up trouble came to nothing under the joint efforts of Cai Yu and Mia Qin.
This person is quite pitiful. His plan was not realized in life, and it was the same in death.
Even Zhang Chi didn't know that he had destroyed his plan.
Returning to Little Warehouse Mountain, Zhang Chi brought back the news of victory in the war. At first, they couldn't believe it and even suspected that Zhang Chi was deceiving them.
But after Zhang Chi reassured them several times, they finally believed.
Chong Ling cried tears of joy. She never expected that she would be able to return to the Sword Sect's old land alive in her lifetime.
She thought this battle would last a long time, and even if the Water Monster retreated without the alliance's intervention, it would be difficult to regain the territory belonging to the Sword Sect.
Unexpectedly, the war ended overnight.
It had only been a few months since they were forced to flee last time.
"This feels like a dream."
"Who says it isn't?"
After the disciples of the Sword Sect finished crying, they felt a bit numb.
Their feet felt light, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.
Zhang Chi let them be excited, and after they calmed down, he told them some harsh realities.
The Sword Sect is now in ruins, with many problems that need to be solved urgently.
Internal work can be done slowly and will eventually be completed, but external problems are difficult.
Now, the Sword Sect only has a few small fry left. When they go out to travel the rivers and lakes, they no longer have the deterrent power to suppress independent cultivators on the wild paths.
All the cultivators who cannot join the mainstream Dao Sects are either lacking in talent or have poor character.
Major sects regularly recruit disciples in mortal cities within their controlled areas and provide enough time for recruitment.
With multiple recruitment points as the center, it can radiate to all settlements.
In other words, within the jurisdiction of mainstream Dao Sects, everyone has the opportunity to join.
As long as they have sufficient aptitude and a normal character.
The larger the sect, the higher the requirements, just like college admissions, it is also selective.
In the previous Left River League territory, Sword Sect would usually choose first, then the Pill Pavilion and Weapon Pavilion would choose, and it would be screened layer by layer, enough to eliminate eighty percent.
Among these eighty percent, those who have no cultivation talent are fine, but those who have talent but don't meet the standards can't help but feel resentful.
Who would want to be a mortal when they have the aptitude for cultivation?
But their choices are limited. They can only join some small sects or unorthodox paths and compete for the originally scarce resources.
It is precisely because of the difficulty of survival that these people's cultivation levels are not high, but they are cunning and ruthless, often forming factions and occupying a region.
Because their individual strength is not strong, they can only gather strength in numbers.
Zhang Chi's "Independent Cultivator" is exactly this type.
When he was the captain of the law enforcement team, he also went on field missions.
Outside the core area controlled by the Left River League, the city lords are appointed by various sects who have withdrawn.
Usually, they are Foundation Building cultivators who have no hope of advancing.
In the core area of the Immortal Gate, Foundation Building cultivators can only be considered to have a little status. If they become city lords in small places, they are like local emperors.
This is also the way Immortal Gate controls its territory in a scattered manner. Immortal Gate does not directly govern, but the city lords have the obligation to manage their own cities.
After all, Immortal Gate is a place to recruit disciples, and the population in the controlled area is considered to be the people under Immortal Gate's care, the foundation of Immortal Gate.
Not being managed by the sect does not mean they won't be managed.
Usually, the city lords manage themselves, maintaining a balanced development of the population. The city lords can do whatever they want, but they cannot let the population decrease too much.
If there are unresolved problems in the secular areas, they will request support from Immortal Gate.
For Immortal Gate, this means going on field missions.
Zhang Chi has participated in the destruction of a faction before. At that time, the city lord in charge of that area was injured and unable to function properly, so the Independent Cultivator factions under his rule emerged one by one.
There were robberies, looting, causing chaos and unrest.
Then, the Law Enforcement Hall of the Left River League took action. Foundation Building cultivators led the way, and Qi Condensation disciples killed indiscriminately, wiping out all the Independent Cultivators who caused trouble.
Investigating a case requires evidence, but maintaining order only requires an address.
But that was in the past.
The Water Monsters fought a guerrilla war, clearing out the high-end combat power in the core area, and basically did not go to non-core areas.
Those places have thin spiritual energy and little value.
But for the Independent Cultivators in those areas, it means they have lost the hanging blade above their heads.
If they don't take advantage of this time to do as they please, when will they?
Even without Zhang Chi, everyone knows how chaotic the secular areas that originally belonged to the Left River League are now.
And even if Sword Sect returns, they lack sufficient military deterrence.
In the past, one team from Sword Sect could easily wipe out the chaos in a place, but now they can barely put together one team.
They won't be able to handle the chaos when the time comes.
And if there are no strong cultivators accompanying them, those Independent Cultivators will definitely develop greed when they encounter people from Sword Sect.
After listening to Zhang Chi's description, Chong Ling and the others also felt the difficulty of the situation.
If Sword Sect wants to develop, they must recruit a large number of new disciples, but without sufficient military deterrence, many things will become more difficult in the future.
"So, do you have any solutions?"
Chong Ling thought that Zhang Chi should have a solution, but Zhang Chi shook his head and sighed, "I have a solution and can provide assistance, but I hope you can cultivate your own problem-solving abilities."
When Zhang Chi said this, all the disciples, including Chong Ling, felt a bit ashamed.
Long accustomed to having someone like Zhang Chi as an advisor, their brains must have deteriorated.
However, they have gone through a period of tempering and are no longer as fragile as they were when they first fled.
Having been reminded by Zhang Chi, they started using their brains, brainstorming, and came up with many ideas.
The general consensus is to first reclaim the core area, as the core area is crucial and where Spirit Medicine is produced.
The probability of receiving a good foundation in the core area is also higher.
Once they have accumulated enough strength, they can launch a strong attack externally.
This approach may take a long time, but it is more secure.
Zhang Chi did not object. He indeed had better strategies, but they did not fit his character, so he would not propose them proactively.
They will just follow what they said.
Thinking about the many things that need to be dealt with later, Zhang Chi wanted to slack off.
Fortunately, he can reasonably slack off.
Using the excuse of needing to train his junior and senior disciples, he delegated all the work and lazily avoided it himself.
Moving is a big project. The disciples of the Sword Sect have not even settled in here yet, and they will soon have to move again, which makes their emotions quite complicated.
They originally thought they would live here permanently and put in a lot of effort to decorate the place.
Now they have to move again, not because they are particularly reluctant, but because they can't help but feel a bit sentimental.
Zhang Chi doesn't have much to pack. He originally wanted to go to a place where there were no people, but unconsciously, he ended up at Chen Runyu's residence.
It has been a long time since he heard from Chen Runyu. Although he knew she entered the secret realm, the fact that there has been no news for so long inevitably worries him.
They were together when they came here, and now they are both leaving...
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Chi still entered Chen Runyu's room, intending to leave her a message, but he found the room neatly arranged, with a petite figure lying on the bed.
"Uh... what are you doing here?"
The one lying on the bed is Zi Mian. Zhang Chi doesn't usually look for her when there's nothing to do, and he doesn't even think about her. He didn't expect to find Zi Mian at Chen Runyu's place.
"Did you tidy up her room?"
"Yes."
Zi Mian sat up from the bed, nodded, and her gaze towards Zhang Chi carried a hint of resentment.
Zhang Chi bullies her, and she is afraid, but what she fears more is Zhang Chi ignoring her.
Zi Mian is like a child who hasn't grown up. She wants to be noticed, but she is also very proud and won't beg for attention.
She was happiest when she was with Chen Runyu because she didn't have to seek her out. Chen Runyu treated her like a little sister and often talked to her.
At that time, she listened more and spoke less, but she was very happy in her heart.
But later, Chen Runyu got angry with her and they stopped getting along, so Zi Mian started the "chasing wife crematorium."
And now, Jiang Qingyun has left, Chen Runyu has disappeared, and Zhang Chi doesn't pay much attention to her. This makes Zi Mian feel abandoned by everyone.
She hides in the room with Chen Runyu's presence, feeling the darkness growing in her heart.
She feels that she should probably rot silently in a dark corner, but Zhang Chi has opened a door for her.
"Do you miss her?"
Zhang Chi suddenly felt that Zi Mian still had some redeeming qualities.
A person who values emotions cannot be all bad.
She just lacks proper guidance, which has made her a paranoid killer.
Facing Zhang Chi's question, Zi Mian decisively shook her head.
"I don't miss her. Why are you here? And why are you sleeping in someone else's bed?"
What's the difference between your behavior and a pervert?
Zi Mian was rendered speechless by Zhang Chi's words and chose to remain silent.
Zhang Chi didn't come to bully her on purpose. He knew she missed Chen Runyu and comforted her with a sentence.
"She will definitely come back safely."
"..."
Zi Mian didn't say anything. She also knew that it was just Zhang Chi's consolation.
"Alright, you can go now. We are about to return to the Sword Sect. From now on, you can be my personal maid!"
Zhang Chi plans to teach Zi Mian well and make her abandon evil and do good. This can also be considered a good deed.
Believing that under his guidance, Zi Mian will soon become kind.
Just awakened Gu Youyou heard his thoughts and couldn't help but retort, "Where do you get the confidence that you won't corrupt her?"
Zhang Chi ignored Gu Youyou's sarcasm, but Zi Mian was very happy. Although she didn't show it on her face, her eyes became more lively, and she left this place to pack her things with light steps.
With no one else around, Zhang Chi looked at Chen Runyu's room and showed a hint of sadness.
Finally, he found a smart and cute fan who had filled him with goodwill, but she disappeared as soon as she turned around.
Sigh!
This is the cruelty of the Immortal Cultivation World.
Chen Runyu's disappearance is relatively mild. At least there is no news of her death, so it can be assumed that she is still alive.
Many people are like this. Once they part, they don't know when they will meet again. It is possible that a parting is for a lifetime.
Zhang Chi didn't let his emotions overflow. He just took out a small knife and carved a line on the wooden wall.
"Xiao Yu, Senior Brother is waiting for your return at the Sword Sect."
After finishing writing, Zhang Chi went back to pack his things.
Meanwhile, in the secluded secret realm, Chen Runyu suddenly ignited...
(End of this chapter)