Ever since the last mission experience, Zhang Ping had resolved to stay far away from Bai Ning'er. Unfortunately, the amount of Dao Fate Bai Ning'er offered this time was simply too much, making his heart waver.
Most crucially, Bai Ning'er revealed the name Li Yang, saying that Li Yang would also participate in this mission.
Who was Li Yang?
One of the top ten of the Combat Tournament, a genius known to everyone in the sect!
To ordinary disciples, Li Yang was an expert among experts. With someone so formidable accompanying them, the mission's success rate should be extremely high.
Just like that, Zhang Ping was once again persuaded by Bai Ning'er and agreed to the matter.
However, once he returned to the Spirit Management Hall, he suddenly came to his senses and could not help but slap himself.
"How did I get bewitched again?"
Zhang Ping's wariness toward Bai Ning'er instantly soared to its peak, even surpassing his fear of Chu Jing. He was convinced that this person was absolutely not simple.
The mission had already been accepted, and Zhang Ping found it hard to refuse again. Fortunately, the descent down the mountain would only take place after the New Year, leaving him time to prepare.
He planned to go to the Cultivation Hall to buy some talismans and pills, just in case.
He had to treat every mission as one fraught with danger. Even if the talismans and pills proved useless, he could still keep them for future use.
The end of every year was the liveliest time in Qingxiao Sect. Disciples returned, gathered with friends, and talked about the gains and losses of the past year. Some were joyful, others sorrowful.
Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia had also returned, and even Li Sifeng had come back for once.
Li Sifeng did not return alone. He came with Pei Miao, each of them holding an infant in their arms, instantly drawing Li Dongyue and Li Sijin over.
Li Qingqiu sat in his chair, looking at Li Sifeng, secretly startled.
There really were two children.
He could not help but think of Pei Miao's Fate.
[Twin Dragon Empress: Possesses the fortune of a mother of a nation and will give birth to two Heaven-Destined Emperors. A Fate of extraordinary distinction.]
What exactly were Heaven-Destined Emperors?
This was something Li Qingqiu had long been curious about.
Li Sifeng brought his wife and children before Li Qingqiu and said, "Senior Brother, these are my two children. They were just born, both boys, and have not been named yet. We were hoping you could name them."
Pei Miao followed up, "Yes. An elder brother is like a father. Sifeng was raised by you when he was young, so it is only proper for you to name them."
Li Qingqiu smiled and stood up, taking the two infants, one in each arm.
The babies' small faces were rosy red, their eyes tightly shut, their tiny hands clenched into fists. Their brows and features reminded Li Qingqiu of Li Sifeng and Li Sijin when they were young, instantly stirring affection in his heart for the two little ones.
By personally naming them, he would inevitably add another layer of identity behind them. This was likely Pei Miao's intention as well, but he did not mind.
Li Qingqiu fell into thought. The others also quieted down, waiting for him to choose names.
After a few breaths, Li Qingqiu first raised his right arm and said, "He shall be called Li Shouzheng."
As his words fell, he raised his left arm and continued, "He shall be called Li Shoumin."
"Shouzheng, Shoumin…" Li Sifeng pondered the two names.
The others also reflected on the meaning behind Li Qingqiu's choices.
At that moment, Zhang Yuchun entered the courtyard. Seeing Li Sifeng, he burst into laughter and said, "You brat, you still remember to come back!"
Everyone's train of thought was interrupted, and they resumed chatting among themselves.
Li Qingqiu held the two little ones and sat down, looking at their small faces, finding it quite amusing.
More and more people entered the courtyard—Zhao Zhen, Yuan Li, Ji Ya, Yun Cai, and others—making Lingxiao Courtyard increasingly lively.
Yun Cai came to Li Qingqiu's side and curiously looked at Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin in his arms.
"Sect Master, whose children are they?" Yun Cai squatted down and asked softly.
Li Qingqiu lifted his chin and said with a smile, "Hall Master Li Sifeng's children."
Yun Cai turned to look. This was her first time seeing Li Sifeng.
Although Li Sifeng had not been in the sect for many years, his name was often mentioned.
The Training Hall Hall Master being away year-round was something many people joked about.
Could it be that this Hall Master had returned because he needed something from the Sect Master?
Yun Cai let her thoughts wander, then shifted her gaze back to Li Qingqiu. Seeing the smile on his face as he looked at the children, she felt that such a smile was truly beautiful.
Pei Miao walked to Li Qingqiu's other side and asked softly, "Senior Brother, Sifeng is away fighting year-round. I'm afraid it might affect the children. Could these two children stay in the sect?"
She felt somewhat uneasy. Li Qingqiu's wariness toward aristocratic families was no secret. The Zhu family had been warned multiple times, and she was afraid her request might make Li Qingqiu overthink.
"They were always children of Qingxiao Sect to begin with. If you're willing to let them stay, I naturally won't refuse. But if they get bumped or bruised, don't feel distressed. I'll be the one raising them—Sifeng knows how I am, I'm not that delicate," Li Qingqiu said with a hearty laugh.
Hearing that Li Qingqiu intended to personally raise the two children, Pei Miao was instantly overjoyed and quickly bowed in thanks.
"Go chat with them," Li Qingqiu said casually, sending Pei Miao away.
Yun Cai, who was squatting nearby, heard this and asked curiously, "Sect Master, you're going to raise them personally?"
Li Qingqiu replied offhandedly, "What else would I do? If I leave them to other disciples, I won't feel at ease, and the disciples themselves would feel pressured."
He summoned the Dao Lineage panel and scrolled to the very end. Sure enough, he found the avatars of Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin.
[Name: Li Shouzheng]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: Under 1 year old]
[Loyalty (Sect Master / Sect): 0 / 0 (Maximum 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Excellent]
[Comprehension: Exceptional]
[Fate: Innate Imperial Aura, Sacred Heart of Civil Governance]
[Innate Imperial Aura: Born with the imperial aura of heaven and earth, a Heaven-acknowledged emperor. As his cultivation increases, this imperial aura will form divine abilities, excelling at winning over people's hearts.]
[Sacred Heart of Civil Governance: Possesses unique comprehension in matters of civil governance, with his heart tied to the welfare of the common people.]
…
[Name: Li Shoumin]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: Under 1 year old]
[Loyalty (Sect Master / Sect): 0 / 0 (Maximum 100)]
[Cultivation Aptitude: Exceptional]
[Comprehension: Mediocre]
[Fate: Emperor for the Ages, Ambition to Dominate the World, Tyrant]
[Emperor for the Ages: Aspires to become the greatest emperor and ruler in all of history. He will carry this belief through to the end of his life, possessing extremely strong comprehension of the art of rulership.]
[Ambition to Dominate the World: Everything within his line of sight will fall within the scope of his ambition. As his territory expands, his bearing will continue to grow, eventually forming an overwhelming momentum.]
[Tyrant: The domineering nature rooted deep within him makes him prone to extremism and unwilling to tolerate any opposition.]
…
Good heavens!
Both of them possessed either Exceptional-grade cultivation aptitude or comprehension!
And they even carried special Fates—truly worthy of being Heaven-Destined Emperors!
Li Qingqiu could not help but feel curious. If Li Sifeng failed to conquer the world, how were these two supposed to become emperors?
He did not wish to interfere with their destinies. As long as the two of them did not oppose Qingxiao Sect in the future, that would be enough.
Their Fates clearly had a certain influence on their personalities. Even if Li Qingqiu deliberately guided them, or tried to stop them from becoming emperors, it would likely backfire instead.
But then again, judging from their Fates, how would they get along with each other in the future?
Li Qingqiu felt as though he had discovered something interesting and began to look forward to the future of Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin.
As the other Hall Masters arrived one after another, the conversation in the courtyard shifted to matters concerning the various halls. They exchanged compliments about each other's achievements and the talented disciples under their command.
Li Sifeng and Pei Miao listened with great interest.
Upon hearing that several disciples in the sect had already reached the sixth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm, Li Sifeng's expression turned subtle.
During these years spent away from the sect, his cultivation had barely increased. Relying on his fifth-layer Nurturing Essence cultivation and the Emperor Xuan Sword, he rarely encountered trouble. Even when he suffered defeat, it was because his soldiers could not hold the line, forcing him to retreat.
Without exaggeration, Li Sifeng felt that he was invincible on the battlefield, and his mindset naturally shifted as a result.
He had previously guessed that Qingxiao Sect was developing rapidly, but he was still shocked by the sect's current foundation.
If even he felt this way, there was no need to mention Pei Miao.
Jiang Zhaoxia came over and sat beside Li Sifeng. Looking at the crowd, he asked softly, "Do you regret it?"
Li Sifeng froze for a moment, then looked at him and asked, "Regret what? I didn't leave Qingxiao Sect."
"I've already reached the eighth layer of Nurturing Essence."
"Eighth layer… then what about Xu Ning?"
Li Sifeng was startled and asked instinctively.
Jiang Zhaoxia remained silent, stood up, and walked to the other side of the long table to sit down, waiting for the meal to begin.
Inside Li Sifeng's heart, waves surged violently.
Judging from Jiang Zhaoxia's reaction, Xu Ning's cultivation had to be higher than his—by no small margin.
Could it be that Xu Ning had already reached the ninth layer of Nurturing Essence?
Cultivating the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra and stepping into the Nurturing Essence realm—at three layers, one could dominate the martial world; at four layers, be unrivaled under heaven; at five layers, contend against tens of thousands of soldiers. Li Sifeng could not imagine how terrifying the ninth layer of Nurturing Essence would be.
Li Sifeng noticed the three Xiao brothers standing in a corner. Seeing their imposing bearing, he walked over and asked about their cultivation.
After learning that they had already reached the fourth layer of Nurturing Essence, Li Sifeng silently returned to his seat.
An unprecedented sense of crisis arose in his heart.
This year's Spring Festival felt even livelier to Li Qingqiu than in previous years. Li Sifeng had originally planned to stay for only one day before heading back down the mountain, but later changed his mind and decided to remain for a few more days.
His two sons were also completely entrusted to Li Qingqiu.
With Qingxiao Sect having developed to this point, some disciples had already married and started families. Finding someone to feed Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin was not a difficult matter.
On the third day after the New Year, Mo Jiuhong returned.
Li Qingqiu carried Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin as he walked into Lingxiao Courtyard. Seeing him holding two infants, Mo Jiuhong could not help but freeze.
"Judging by your expression, the mission failed?" Li Qingqiu asked casually. He walked over to a bench and sat down, holding one baby in each arm without feeling the slightest bit tired.
Mo Jiuhong's face looked unpleasant as he gritted his teeth and said, "Sect Master, Tianxuan Mountain is indeed not simple. I encountered their sect master, Yan Daozong. This man's martial prowess is extremely high—I was completely no match for him. He did not kill me, but asked me to bring back a message, saying that Tianxuan Mountain has no intention of opposing Qingxiao Sect."
"Tell me in detail how your exchange went," Li Qingqiu said. His expression did not change, and there was a hint of curiosity in his tone, as though he was not angry at all.
Hearing this, Mo Jiuhong secretly let out a breath of relief and began recounting the entire encounter.
The whole process was not intense. Yan Daozong saw through his disguise and forced him to make a move. He launched two consecutive attacks, both of which Yan Daozong evaded. When he executed his third move, the two crossed paths—and in that instant, his arm was broken by Yan Daozong.
Even now, he still could not figure out how his arm had been broken.