Chapter 42: Tian Xin Sect

  Looking at Tie Hu embracing himself and crying bitterly, Qing Yan finally knew and felt how helpless and painful his senior brother was before. Tie Hu is really unbearable, alas! Now it's my turn again!

  "Hey, Iron Tiger! Don't cry just yet! I have something to ask you!" Qingyan finally remembered what he was supposed to do, but Iron Tiger's wailing had gotten him a bit flustered.

  No use, Tie Hu didn't stop and continued to wail loudly. Qing Yan furrowed his already furrowed brow again and shouted "Tie Hu! Stop crying!" This time his tone was a bit heavier, but still no use!

  Qing Yan was about to speak again, but he remembered that Qing Xu had said that if Tie Hu cried, his attitude would have to be harder and his tone more severe, otherwise he would cry endlessly. This kid has always been tough on the outside and soft on the inside!

  Qingyan had no choice but to try, making his tone harsher and his face uglier, shouting "Alright! Stop crying! If you cry one more time I'll leave! Is that not enough for you!" As soon as he finished speaking, Tiewu's crying stopped!

  Qingyan let out a breath, and Master Brother's move was indeed effective. Looking at Tiewu's face again, tears were still there, and his eyes were still filled with tears, pitifully staring at himself, but he didn't dare to cry anymore.

  Qingyan's face was stern, with a hint of a master's demeanor. He lightly cleared his throat, a habit he had learned from Mu Xindao. "Speak! What's going on? What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

  Iron Tiger said with great grievance, "It's not me who caused trouble! They forced me into this!"

  Qingyan listened and found it confusing, so he said "What's going on? Who are they? And how did they coerce you?"

  Tie Hu listened and wiped away the tears on his face, choking with sobs, and told the whole story.

  He originally came from Iron Tiger's big disturbance at Congyun Mountain, bringing Qingxu out. At that time, Qingxu promised to accept him as a disciple. The wish of many years was fulfilled, and Iron Tiger was naturally very happy. And Qingxu told him that he would close his door for a period of time to practice, and after he came out, he would formally accept Iron Tiger as his disciple, and then taught Iron Tiger some basic cultivation techniques, letting him practice well and saying that Qingyan would come to see him when he had time. He called him to practice with his heart and not be lazy. Iron Tiger also has a lot of talent for cultivation, and after Qingxu's guidance, he quickly mastered these basic techniques. Qingxu saw that his comprehension was good, and he was very pleased and encouraged him a few times before returning to Congyun Mountain.

  Since Qingxu left, Tiehu has been practicing his skills in this willow forest all day. The heart method passed down by Qingxu is called "Wuliang Gong". It's a skill that can transform one's innate divine power into true energy through cultivation, which suits Tiehu the most. Currently, Qingxu doesn't have the time and conditions to teach him the introductory heart method of Taiqing Dao, so he lets him practice Wuliang Gong first. From outside to inside, using Tiehu's innate conditions as a foundation, external divine power is transformed into true energy, preparing for future cultivation of Taiqing Dao.

  Tie Hu has been diligently practicing for several months, and his innate talent has allowed him to make rapid progress in the cultivation of Wu Liang Gong. He can now convert some of the divine power that he has acquired into true energy. Just a few days ago, however, something big happened at Tie Family Village.

  Three days ago, Tie Hu was practicing in the forest when he heard a commotion from the village, as if something had happened. He worried that his mother might be in trouble and hurriedly ran back home.

  As soon as I returned to the village, I saw a large group of people arguing with the village head and fellow villagers. Seeing my mother in the crowd, I went over to ask what was going on. Iron Tiger's mother said that these people were disciples of the Tianxin Sect, who claimed that their leader had taken a liking to the location of Iron House Village, saying it was a place where spiritual energy gathered, with the auspicious sign of "dragon rising and tiger leaping". They also said that the villagers of Iron House Village were wasting such a good place and should move out so that the Tianxin Sect could establish a branch temple there to spread their teachings of "upholding heaven's heart, down following people's heart". If the villagers were unwilling to move, they would have to join the Tianxin Sect, and from then on, every year's harvest would have to give 70% to the Tianxin Sect as a sign of respect.

  These two conditions, who can agree! The villagers of Tiejiacun have lived here for generations, how can they say move away and move away? Moreover, 70% of the annual harvest is the only grain left after paying taxes to the government, and this village of over 200 people relies on these grains to survive. If you give it to the Tiandemen, won't everyone starve to death?! The villagers then told the Tiandemen that they could offer one-tenth of their harvest as a tribute, but seven-tenths was too much!

  Qingyan heard this and was already furious in his heart. "These people are robbing our land, seizing our food, what kind of people are they? It seems that the villagers of Tiejiacun are also afraid of them." He asked, "What is this Tiān Xīn Jiào doing? They can do such lawless and heaven-defying things, doesn't the government care?"

  Tie Hu looked at Yan with a serious expression and hastily said, "Young Master, you don't know about the Tian Xin Sect? They're extremely formidable! Even the government can't control them. It seems that the Prefect of this place is also a disciple of the Tian Xin Sect, and their influence is enormous. I've heard they have tens of millions of people!"

  Tens of thousands of people! Even the Magistrate is a disciple of the Tianxin Sect! Qingyan somewhat understood, no wonder they dared to be so lawless, saying they would take over someone's land and then taking it, saying they wanted something and then taking it. "The Tianxin Sect! Is this following the will of heaven? It's not even as good as...

  "Be an unintentional teacher then!" Qingyan scolded!

  "Ah, yes! Everyone secretly calls them that, but the Tianxin Sect has colluded with the authorities and formed an alliance with several nearby gangs. These people don't take killing seriously, and recently they even occupied Chaijia Village, which is the largest village in this area, with both wealth and manpower. The village head of Chaijia Village had also argued with the Tianxin Sect back then, but just a few days later, that village head was dead. The people of Chaijia Village were so scared that they didn't dare to make any noise, watching helplessly as the Tianxin Sect's people took over the village! Alas!" Iron Tiger said this much, and his tone also revealed a hint of fear, after all, this was a matter of life and death.

  Qingyan had been furious when Tiehu told him about the evil deeds of the Tianxin Sect. Growing up in Chijin Town, where he was from, such things were unheard of - it was a remote and simple place where even petty thefts were rare. The most shocking thing Qingyan had ever seen was Zheng Laojie leaving a mark on Liu Pangzi's house with his cleaver, which had shocked the entire town at the time.

  But today, what I heard was something that I had never thought of. However, it has already happened, right next to me. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, Tie Hu said it clearly and some things will soon be happening in Tie Hu's village too.

  Qingyan suppressed his anger and asked Tiehu "Has your village agreed to join the Tianxin Sect?"

  "The village head didn't agree that day, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he told the villagers to discuss it and wait for a few days. But the Tianxin Sect wouldn't agree, insisting that the village head give an answer on the spot. The village head was really being forced into a corner, so he had no choice but to agree!" Tie Hu said this much, then paused, looked at Qing Yan, and continued: "I saw the village head was about to agree, so I couldn't help myself and rushed out, punching the leader of the Tianxin Sect and knocking him down. Then I knocked down a few more of their people. Finally, the leader, seeing he couldn't beat me, led his men in retreat, leaving behind a message: 'We'll be back in three days, wait for us!' Master, did I cause trouble?" Tie Hu looked at his master, who was shorter and possibly younger than him, with a timid tone.

  Qingyan also guessed that Tiehu must have made a move, otherwise he wouldn't have hugged him and cried as soon as they met. Looking at his wronged and suffering expression, he knew that the villagers must have been shunning him for the past two days, saying that he had brought disaster to the village. He said, "Tiehu, you did nothing wrong, even if it were me, I would have taken action against them too. As cultivators, we value clarity and inaction, but we also need to have a heart of helping those in trouble. Now that things have come to this point, we can only fight to the end! By the way, what does your village chief think?"

  Here is the translation:

  Iron Tiger's spirits lifted as he saw that Rocky didn't blame him like the villagers did, but instead supported him. His voice grew louder and more confident as he said, "You're right, Little Shifu! I was saying that people have bullied us to our doorstep, and we still have to endure it! I chased them away, and the village head and the villagers were all scared out of their wits, saying I'd stirred up big trouble! I told them my master is a deity from Cangyan Mountain, and that the Tianxin Sect can't be more powerful than my master! But they didn't believe me, and insisted that I wait for the Tianxin Sect to come again and apologize properly. They said I should agree to whatever conditions they proposed! I said, when I find my master to help me, we'll definitely chase the Tianxin Sect away again! But the village head just wouldn't listen, and told me to stay put and not cause any more trouble!" Iron Tiger's voice grew louder and angrier as he spoke, until he was almost shouting. "Little Shifu, I'm just not convinced! Why should the Tianxin Sect take our land, our grain? And why are the village head and the others so cowardly, only knowing how to be afraid?! Now that you're here, Little Shifu, Master said I should listen to you. What do you think I should do?" Iron Tiger had been holding in his anger for days, but now it all came pouring out as he spoke with a forceful tone and an air of fearlessness, completely unlike the sniveling expression he'd had earlier.

  Qingyan knew that Tiehu had suffered a lot of grievances, most importantly, he didn't get the understanding and support from the villagers. Although he was only thirteen years old, this year's experiences made him mature a lot, and in the past half year, his cultivation of Taoist magic had achieved some success. Both physically and mentally, he had become more mature. When encountering things, he thought more thoroughly than Tiehu. Upon hearing Tiehu say that the village chief was not good, he said, "This can't be blamed on the village chief's cowardice; he is for the safety of the villagers and can only surrender to the Tianxin Sect! Tiehu! Since we, the Qingcheng Sect, know about this matter, we can't ignore it! Moreover, your master has also said that within a hundred miles of Mount Qingcheng, if there are any natural disasters or man-made calamities, we will help if we can! Although our masters have closed their doors for cultivation, we are also disciples of the Qingcheng Sect. I will take care of this matter and let the Tianxin Sect know who is the true master of Mount Qingcheng!" He was deeply influenced by Zhao Wujin's heroic spirit, which had long been planted in his heart. This speech was made with a heroic tone, full of grandeur and magnanimity, like a true hero, not at all like a thirteen-year-old boy.

  Tie Hu listened and his heart was surging with excitement, looking at Qing Yan's strong and fearless demeanor, he thought to himself "Master Uncle is indeed Master Uncle! He doesn't take Tian Xin Sect seriously at all, just like Master said, when there's something going on, we should listen to Young Master Uncle!" Little did he know that Qing Yu was telling him to listen to Qing Yan's words and not go looking for trouble, but didn't tell them to fight. Suddenly, he heard Tie Hu loudly exclaim "Master Uncle! You're absolutely right! How can we make Tian Xin Sect understand who the true master of Cangyan Mountain is?"

  Listening to his naive question, Qingyan swung his Purple Heart Sword with his right hand and smiled, "You foolish kid, you've already made your move, why are you still asking such questions! Of course, we're going to fight!" He had a relaxed expression, just like the people of Tianxin Sect were as fragile as paper, one slash of the sword and they'd be done for.

  Tie Hu, of course, had no idea how high the sky was or how thick the earth was. Qing Yan was already a god-like figure in his eyes, and although he still didn't know what kind of abilities this little Shifu had, after all, he was Qingxu Shifu's junior brother, so his abilities should be about the same as Shifu's! If he knew that Qingyan had started practicing earlier than him by only a few days, it's unknown whether he would still have such great courage!

  Luckily, Iron Tiger didn't know that he was already burning with rage. Now he couldn't wait to find a few Tianxin Sect members to take out his sword and let them experience the ferocity of the Kuangong Sect. He shouted "Master Uncle! I've been practicing the skills Master taught me but haven't had a chance to use them, today I'll let them see what it's all about!"

  "What's today?" Qingyan was taken aback and asked.

  Tie Hu said "Right! It's today, they said three days later they'll be back! Three days later is today!"

  So urgent! Qingyan calmed himself down a bit, thought for a moment, and said, "Tiehu, the Tianxin Sect people are coming today, why are you still here practicing?"

  Tie Hu scratched his head and said, "Originally I planned to go to Kongdong Mountain to ask Master and you for help, but yesterday I circled the mountain several times without finding them. Thinking that since I couldn't find them, I'd just fight it out with them. This morning, I came here to practice my skills, preparing for an all-out battle this afternoon! Luckily, Uncle Master, you're here!"

  Qingyan nodded, so that's how it was. Looking up at the sky, it was already past noon. The people from Tiān Xīn Jiào were almost here too. He said "Time is almost up, let's go!"

  Tie Hu responded with a grunt, took down his clothes from the tree and put them on. Qing Yan looked at his big head and asked, "Tie Hu, how old are you this year?"

  "I'm a tiger sign and I'm 15 this year!"

  Qingyan said with a smile, "Two years older than me, really a young master!" And then asked, "Tiehu, this place for practicing martial arts is not bad, how did you find it?"

  Tie Hu smiled and said, "Do you still need to look for it? I pulled out all the trees that used to grow here, didn't I clear up space?"

  Qingyan looked at him with a matter-of-fact expression, sighed, and naturally felt sorry for the unfortunate willow tree. Looking around, there were at least 40 or 50 years of tree age, and it was destroyed by Tiehu just like that. What a pity! He couldn't help but teach him, "In the future, you can't do this again. Trees also have spirituality and life. As cultivators, we must have a heart of benevolence and righteousness! Otherwise, what's the difference between us and the Tianxin Sect?" His tone was quite severe.

  Tie Hu listened to Qing Yan's tone and hastily said "I know! I won't dare again! Young Master, don't be angry!"

  Qingyan saw his face turn a bit pale, with tears welling up in his eyes again. He felt that his tone was too heavy and feared that he would cry again, so he said "Alright! I get it! Tiehu, I'm really curious, why do you like crying so much?"

  Tie Hu blushed and rubbed his face, saying "I don't know either, my mother said I definitely didn't cry or shed tears in my past life, so this life is making up for the tears of my past life! Little Shifu, you mustn't laugh at me!"

  Qingyan found what he said interesting and was about to smile, but upon hearing him, she quickly restrained her smile, feeling the muscles on her face aching. She had to put on a serious expression and say "How could Master uncle make fun of you! However, you are too fond of crying, do you know that? Why did your master only accept you as his apprentice now?"

  Tie Hu wasn't a fool either, and immediately came to his senses, saying "Was it because of my crying?"

  Qing Yan's face had a look that said "you're still quite clever", and he said "it's not too late for you to understand now, but from now on, you'd better be careful!"

  Tie Hu nodded hastily, saying "I know! I know!" He thought to himself, "Luckily, Little Shifu reminded me. From now on, I must be careful not to cry carelessly. If Master gets angry and doesn't let me be his apprentice, it would be terrible!"

  Qingyan and Tietou walked and talked, and as they approached the edge of the forest, Qingyan's expression suddenly changed, and he asked Tietou, "Tietou, how many people are there in your village?"

  Tie Hu didn't notice Qing Yan's change and said, "Not many, just over 200 people, Little Shifu, why are you asking this?"

  "Over 200 people! Only over 200 people!"

  Tie Hu listened to Qing Yan's inexplicable words and said, "Yes! More than 200 people!"

  Qingyan's expression turned slightly solemn, and his previous ease was gone. He took a few steps, covering dozens of meters in just a few strides. Ti Hu saw Qingyan's figure flash by and arrive at the edge of the forest, and he couldn't help but feel shocked and delighted, thinking to himself "Little Shifu is indeed formidable! Just like Shifu, they're both divine!" He quickly ran over to Qingyan's side, still saying "Little Shifu, how did you walk so fast?" Only after speaking did he notice that Qingyan's expression was somewhat off.

  Qingyan gazed out at Tie Jiazhuang beyond the forest, a bitter smile on his face. As Tie Hu ran up to him, he said, "Tie Hu, what's today? Isn't it the day of the big market?"

  Tie Hu was at a loss for words when asked, and replied blankly, "What's going on? Nothing! Little Shifu, what did you see?" As he spoke, he also looked outside, then his eyes widened in shock, filled with alarm. He turned to look at the little Shifu beside him, whom he had always regarded as a god-like figure, and saw that his expression was not much better than his own!

  Seeing the situation in front of him clearly, Tie Hu exclaimed "My mother! It can't be like this!"

  "My goodness! This is also too ridiculous!"