Chapter 3 Washing Face Ancient Sect (Part 1)

Chapter Three: Washing Face Ancient Sect (Part One) "Three days from now, after you pay homage to the master, you will become the chief disciple of the Washing Face Ancient Sect," the Grand Elder said coldly, obviously dissatisfied. Li Qiye sat there, not surprised by the outcome. He smiled calmly and said, "Since I am the chief disciple, don’t I need a couple of weapons for self-defense?" The other elder found Li Qiye's composure a bit strange. Although he was only thirteen years old, he was steady and poised, like a ruler. This aura did not seem to be feigned, but someone like him, a mere mortal, could not possibly possess such great ambition. The elder glanced at Li Qiye and shook his head, saying, "Although you are now the chief disciple, I can give you a couple of ordinary weapons. But if you want treasures, that would be a fool's dream. If you want powerful artifacts or celestial emperor techniques, you must earn enough merit for the Washing Face Ancient Sect. This is the sect's rule." Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle. His goal was certainly not some celestial emperor techniques or legendary ancient arts. His gaze fell on a charred wooden stick next to the incense burner and said, "Alright, then I want that wooden stick." "That wooden stick?" The other elders were taken aback at Li Qiye's request. The stick beside the incense burner was used to poke ashes when burning paper money during ancestor worship. It had always been there, and nobody was interested in it. The elders thought Li Qiye was trying to use his status as chief disciple to ask for some treasures or imperial techniques. They did not expect him to ask for a wooden stick, which was beyond their expectations! Li Qiye leisurely said, "Since I am the chief disciple, my identity and status in the Washing Face Ancient Sect carry weight and represent excellence and longevity. This wooden stick comes from this grand hall, which is the ancestral hall of our Washing Face Ancient Sect and holds great significance. Moreover, this stick is remarkable as it represents the authority of our sect, making it quite suitable for my identity as the chief disciple..." Li Qiye began to speak endlessly, pouring forth a lot of philosophical reasoning, while the elders looked at him as if he were a fool. At that moment, they could only think that only someone like the Three Ghosts Master would resonate with a fool like Li Qiye! "Fine, this wooden stick is granted to you," the Grand Elder impatiently interrupted Li Qiye. To him, it was just a fire stick, nothing significant. He was too lazy to listen to Li Qiye's endless foolish talk! "Thank you, Elder, for granting me the stick," Li Qiye said, seizing the opportunity. He tucked it into his waist. To the elders, this action seemed little different from that of a fool. "Huairen, take him to his residence!" Finally, one elder impatiently instructed his disciple to send Li Qiye away. For the six elders, today's events were frustrating. A waste had become the chief disciple of the Washing Face Ancient Sect. Although their sect was not as powerful as it once was, it was still unacceptable for a fool to be the chief disciple! Li Qiye was taken to a solitary peak by a disciple of the Washing Face Ancient Sect. This peak was not small, with over ten acres of land on its summit, where there was a small courtyard. Looking at the small courtyard, it seemed somewhat dilapidated, overgrown with weeds and vines. Despite being in a relatively remote location within the Washing Face Ancient Sect, it was still within the sect's territory. Upon opening the small courtyard, the disciple said to Li Qiye, "Junior Brother, no, Senior Brother will live here from now on." The disciple quickly adjusted his address. In terms of entry time, Li Qiye could not compare to him, but now he was the chief disciple, so by seniority, regardless of age, all third-generation disciples had to call Li Qiye 'Senior Brother.' Li Qiye glanced at the quick-witted disciple, looked around the environment, and did not pick at it. He nodded and said, "Lonely Mountain, this is also a good place." "Coincidentally, this mountain is called Lonely Peak," the disciple said with a smile. At this point, the disciple looked at Li Qiye a few more times, then chuckled and said, "Senior Brother will move into the main peak later." In fact, according to the rules of the Washing Face Ancient Sect, as the chief disciple, he was certainly qualified to live in the main peak. The sect had many main peaks, and the chief disciple could choose any of them to reside in. However, now that all the major peaks had been occupied, the six elders were very dissatisfied with Li Qiye, who had muddled his way to the position of chief disciple, and naturally would not allow him to reside in the main peak. Living in the main peak certainly had many advantages, one of the greatest being that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth there was much denser than in the branches or secondary peaks. "Living here is fine," Li Qiye said calmly. He did not pick at such matters, remaining as calm as a still pond. "I have brought the items you need, Senior Brother," the disciple said, being experienced and thoughtful. He handed Li Qiye the necessities of life and said, "If Senior Brother needs anything, you can find me in the outer hall." "What is your name?" As the disciple was about to leave, Li Qiye stopped him and casually asked. The disciple was taken aback. To be honest, he did not have much faith in Li Qiye. With Li Qiye's aptitude, he did not qualify to enter the Washing Face Ancient Sect, let alone become its chief disciple. During the time in the grand hall, Li Qiye's performance seemed somewhat foolish, but his current composure made the disciple curious: was Li Qiye really foolish or did he have a plan? "I am called Nan Huairen, an outer hall envoy," the disciple finally regained his composure and answered Li Qiye. "I am Li Qiye," Li Qiye simply nodded. After countless years of rise and fall, few knew his true origins and name. After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye did not idle either. He tidied up the small courtyard and cleaned up around Lonely Peak. After his efforts, this long-abandoned peak finally had a bit of liveliness. Li Qiye worked systematically; if there had been outsiders present, they would hardly believe he was just a thirteen-year-old boy. He acted with a maturity that was completely inconsistent with his age and appearance. After a hard day's work, as night approached, Li Qiye was both tired and hungry. He sat down in front of the door. After catching his breath for a while, he picked up the fire stick tucked in his waist. Looking at the charred wooden stick that had been used to poke paper money, distant and dusty memories surfaced in his mind, and he could not help but smile bitterly. It is said that the celestial emperor carries the heavenly mandate and can live forever. But today, where are the invincible beings like the Mingren Celestial Emperor and the Sun-Eating Celestial Emperor? Coming back to his senses, Li Qiye slowly scraped the ash from the fire stick, finally revealing its true nature. It was a wooden stick over three feet long, dark green in color. Although this stick had been treated as a fire stick for countless years, it had not been damaged in the slightest. However, apart from that, the stick had no other magical properties. Li Qiye gently stroked the stick and murmured, "Snake Stick!" With a light sigh, memories floated back to him. Holding this stick again today brought about a different feeling. In those years, before the Mingren Celestial Emperor carried the heavenly mandate, he had served as a guide for the Mingren Celestial Emperor and had once trained a group of potential youngsters. In order to teach these youngsters a lesson, he had specially brought this Snake Stick back from the Ghost Forest. Later, these youngsters, known far and wide, were mercilessly beaten by this Snake Stick! After training these youngsters, he casually left this Snake Stick in the Washing Face Ancient Sect, not expecting it to remain in the ancestral hall. Holding the Snake Stick, Li Qiye fell into a long silence. After countless lifetimes of effort, he had finally reclaimed his body; his soul had escaped from the shackles of the shadowy crow. Yet, how many people had already passed away? His family, his former friends, the Medicine God, Blood Seal Celestial Emperor, Mingren Celestial Emperor... even the Black Dragon King, who had lived for three lifetimes, had ultimately departed! In the distant past, in that wild era, he was just an ordinary thirteen-year-old shepherd boy, yet in search of a lost sheep, he fell into the Xianmo Cave, where his soul was trapped in the eternal shadowy crow body, lifetime after lifetime! Initially terrified and uncertain, he had no power over himself, turning into a shadowy crow, forced to endlessly fly between heaven and earth according to the route of the Xianmo Cave. He had entered burial grounds, crossed old lands, and traversed the Nine Realms... In every lifetime, he was forced back to the Xianmo Cave once. Although he became a shadowy crow, each lifetime spent entering and exiting this mysterious and perilous burial ground, which even the great sages feared, allowed him to uncover countless secrets. After enduring countless hardships, he solidified his resolve. Later, unwilling to remain a puppet shadowy crow for eternity, he devised a grand plan to sever the route imposed on his soul by the Xianmo Cave. To escape from the shadowy crow, to reclaim his body, he worked tirelessly, guiding one promising young person after another onto the path of cultivation, even leading them onto the path of invincibility, carrying the heavenly mandate! Although today, he finally fulfilled his wish to reclaim his body and return to being human, how many people had departed? In the end, Li Qiye could only let out a soft sigh, but soon, he took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly. In this life, no matter what, he must reach the peak, unmatched by anyone, and one day, he will reign over the Xianmo Cave! New books need everyone's support, please cast your precious vote. Xiao Sheng is a new writer on Qidian, and there are many areas where he is inexperienced. 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