The two groups of people in the small courtyard drew Ji Yuan's attention. He hesitated for a moment before walking directly towards his senior brothers.
He gestured behind him at Xu Qiqi and Jiang He, his gaze questioning what had happened.
Several of them glanced at him but offered no reply, continuing to glare angrily at the young man and woman not far away. The situation was such that had the other party not been so young, they might have already resorted to fisticuffs.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan frowned. Though displeased, he said nothing, merely turning back towards the two behind him.
"What's wrong? Why are you acting like this with my senior brothers?"
As soon as he asked, and before the two in front of him could open their mouths, a displeased snort came from behind him.
Second Senior Brother Liu Haoming pouted and spoke indignantly, "I don't know what pampered young miss and master have come from. What time is it, and yet they won't listen to our kind advice, hogging the main hall and refusing to leave."
He pointed at himself and his fellow disciples, their small footprints still conspicuous even in the dim light.
It seemed some conflict had occurred earlier, and their anger was largely due to the fact that they couldn't defeat two youngsters.
Ji Yuan's mouth twitched. He hadn't seen his senior brothers for days, and the first time they met, they were in conflict with his friends.
After a brief pause, he apologized, "These are my friends, outsiders. If they've inadvertently offended my senior brothers, this junior brother will apologize on their behalf first."
Xu Qiqi's eyes widened, and she was about to speak, but Jiang He grabbed her arm. She could only give up, her face full of indignation.
Her action was naturally noticed by the others. However, since their junior brother had already spoken, they couldn't truly hold a grudge against the two young people.
Thus, the Eldest Senior Brother, Chen Shirong, after a slight nod, said with a stern expression, "Since they are Junior Brother's friends, it is naturally a misunderstanding. However, this is, after all, a place of tranquility, and some matters require more attention."
Ji Yuan nodded repeatedly, assuring that he would be mindful in the future. Only then did the Eldest Senior Brother nod with satisfaction and return to the house with his junior brothers to rest.
In the side courtyard of the Xuan Tian Temple, apart from Ji Yuan and his master, who each occupied a room, the other eight disciples lived in two other rooms.
Seeing his Eldest Senior Brother and the others return to their rooms, Ji Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He then exchanged a look, signaling the two beside him to remain silent for the moment, and walked with them towards the main hall where the divine statue was enshrined.
Upon arriving, he glanced at Zhao Yuansong and the other two sitting on the floor, his brow furrowed. "What's going on? You're staying here until late at night and even got into a conflict with my senior brothers?"
As Ji Yuan spoke, he kicked over several cushions and then sat down opposite them.
Although he was asking for the reason, he already had some guesses about their intentions, likely related to the events of last night and their worries about the mastermind.
As expected, as soon as he sat down, Zhao Yuansong voiced his concerns, which were almost identical to Ji Yuan's thoughts. The only difference was that Zhao Yuansong wished to reside in Xuan Tian Temple for the next few days.
This was something Ji Yuan had not anticipated at all.
"Although Xuan Tian Temple has been in gradual decline for three hundred years, it has produced several great cultivators and the legacy of a Land Immortal," Zhao Yuansong stated without concealment. "Before we left, our elders instructed us that if we encountered a life-threatening crisis, we could stay in the temple and await the arrival of our sect's reinforcements."
He said that their elders had told them that Xuan Tian Temple, despite its decline, was still protected by the ancestral blessings. While these might not directly repel intruders, they could slightly boost one's fortune, possibly helping them avoid a bloody disaster.
Ji Yuan remained noncommittal. He knew better than anyone whether Xuan Tian Temple possessed ancestral blessings.
What truly made him hesitate was Zhao Yuansong's request: he was unsure whether to agree to let the senior and junior siblings stay.
Putting aside the issue of trust, there were simply no vacant rooms in the temple, and the presence of outsiders would also cause considerable inconvenience to his daily cultivation.
"We can meditate in the main hall; there's no need to specially prepare a room," Zhao Yuansong said solemnly, his gaze even carrying a hint of pleading.
Truth be told, if it were just him, he wouldn't be acting this way, having sat there all day only to be met with disdain and then having to beg for a place to meditate.
However, this predicament was his fault, so he had to find a way to ensure the safety of his junior siblings, especially Xu Qiqi and Jiang He, who were not only direct disciples of the sect but also rare spiritual talents for cultivation.
If anything were to happen to them here, their sect elders would surely be furious, and he also couldn't bear to see the young man and woman perish before they could mature.
Ji Yuan sighed. With Zhao Yuansong's earnest plea, he couldn't refuse, as Xuan Tian Temple had once been a part of the Jiu Xuan Sect.
Moreover, over the years, the Jiu Xuan Sect had likely provided covert protection to Xuan Tian Temple. Otherwise, how could a declining sect that had produced a Land Immortal have remained peaceful for so long?
"What are your plans next?" he asked after a moment of contemplation.
Hearing this, Zhao Yuansong shook his head and gave a wry smile. "I have already crushed the jade pendant given to me by the sect. Within these few days, elders will arrive in Qianyu City via the spirit birds raised by our sect, traveling at the fastest possible speed."
Even though the Jiu Xuan Sect was several counties away, traveling by dedicated spirit birds could drastically shorten the distance.
According to Zhao Yuansong's estimate, it would take about two to three days for the elders of the Jiu Xuan Sect to arrive in Qianyu City. At that point, they would no longer need to worry about the hidden mastermind.
Instead, it would be the other party who would be constantly anxious, as any elder appointed by the Jiu Xuan Sect must possess at least peak third-realm cultivation.
"You should come back to the Jiu Xuan Sect with us then," Zhao Yuansong said softly after a moment's hesitation. "There are some things I shouldn't say, but if you dislike hearing them, just consider me overwhelmed by pressure and speaking nonsense here."
Ji Yuan remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
Seeing this, the others present knew the upcoming topic was serious and immediately straightened their backs, adjusting their postures.
After a period of contemplation, Zhao Yuansong finally spoke, "Actually, when we embarked on this journey, our sect elders mentioned that if Xuan Tian Temple was willing, they could return to the Jiu Xuan Sect carrying the token, just as they did hundreds of years ago, and be considered a lineage within the sect."
Ji Yuan's heart was immediately shaken by these words. The Jiu Xuan Sect's attitude was tantamount to willingly handing over one-tenth of its authority.
Of course, whether this authority could be held would depend on Xuan Tian Temple's own strength and backing.
But regardless, this was essentially a promise: as long as a disciple of sufficient strength emerged from their lineage, this authority could be completely legitimized.
"The return of the former Peak Master Token will naturally bring back some fortune, but it will ultimately be imperfect. Only when the original legacy returns can it be truly flawless," Zhao Yuansong said, his eyes fixed on Ji Yuan. "And for the Jiu Xuan Sect to expand beyond a single county, it must gather the fortune of the ten lineages that existed at its founding."
The young Daoist slapped his forehead. He now realized he had underestimated things earlier, not having calculated how important their lineage's fortune was to the current Jiu Xuan Sect.
The reason they hadn't mentioned this matter at the beginning was to ensure that at least the token could be brought back. Even with some imperfections, it would be sufficient for the time being.
Once the Peak Master Token, embodying a lineage's fortune, was retrieved, they could then find a way to recover the separated legacy.
This way, at least they wouldn't end up with nothing in the end.
"I believe with your talent, in a decade or two, you will surely become a third-realm expert, and then you can legitimately become an elder within the sect, even with prospects of becoming a Peak Master," Zhao Yuansong said earnestly, as if these were not mere compliments but a highly probable future.
His junior and senior disciples' expressions immediately changed. They seemed surprised by their senior brother's high praise for the young Daoist before them.
After all, in the Jiu Xuan Sect, one needed at least third-realm cultivation to become an elder, peak third-realm for a lineage elder, and to become a Peak Master, one had to form a Golden Core and become a great cultivator.
Such individuals were not easily forged; talent, opportunity, and heavenly treasures were all indispensable, and saying they were one in ten thousand would be an understatement.
The number of cultivators in a county alone was in the hundreds of thousands, yet the number of those who could form a Golden Core and become a great cultivator capable of overseeing a region was often only around a dozen.
"No one can say for sure what the future holds," Ji Yuan replied, shaking his head. He did not become conceited due to Zhao Yuansong's words.
His state of mind remained calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion. Instead, Zhao Yuansong's words seemed to have deepened it further.
After a long silence, Ji Yuan finally spoke, "The token will definitely be handed over to the Jiu Xuan Sect; you can rest assured about that. As for whether the Xuan Tian lineage will return, I cannot make any promises."
In his heart, Xuan Tian Temple was indeed important, but if his master agreed, even merging with the Jiu Xuan Sect would not be an unacceptable outcome.
At most, it would be like practicing in a different location while retaining the name of Xuan Tian Temple. As long as the people remained the same, it wouldn't matter where they were.
However, if his master did not agree and was unwilling to relocate, then even if he missed out on a tremendous opportunity and lost the backing of a renowned sect, he would have no regrets.
After all, in terms of fortune, he was already terrifyingly prosperous.