There's a saying: sharing hardship is easy, sharing prosperity is hard.
There's another saying: the predecessors plant the trees, the later generations enjoy the shade.
In this world, there are too many brothers who have faced life and death together only to become enemies in the end because of power and wealth. Gu Qingfeng had seen such things, and had personally experienced them. Back when he buried the Chixiao Sect, perhaps it was to avoid implicating others, but part of the reason was also this.
Even if brothers could share prosperity, who could guarantee that the next generation wouldn't covet glory, splendor, wealth, and honor?
What should be done then?
If punished, how to explain it to the brothers?
If indulged, how to explain it to others?
Gu Qingfeng hardly needed to think to know that after quelling the chaos, Da Fuzi, wanting to disband the Red Gang, had probably long foreseen this point. After the Calamity, choosing to retreat into seclusion was also because he didn't want to see the Red Gang stray further and further from the path of Non-Contention.
After hearing Old Sen say so much, Gu Qingfeng had a general understanding of the Red Gang. Having a grasp of the situation in his heart would make things much easier to handle later.
The two chatted a while longer. Though it was called chatting, it was more Gu Qingfeng asking and Old Sen answering.
Gu Qingfeng invited him to sit several times, but Old Sen explicitly stated he dared not, saying that since he had condensed the Chi-Shang Seal Token, he represented the Monarch.
Regarding this, Gu Qingfeng felt nothing but helplessness.
"Chiyan Young Master, there is one matter I don't know if I should ask or not?"
"What is it?"
"That girl, Ye Ye, has been without parents since childhood. Coupled with her own strange bloodline, she has suffered from the torment of her bloodline for many years. The only fortunate thing is that the Ouyang family has always doted on her very much. I've watched her grow up and am very fond of her too... which has also fostered a somewhat willful temperament in the girl..." Gu Qingfeng knew about Ouyang Ye's bloodline matter, and also knew the little girl had no blood relation to the Ouyang family.
The only thing that puzzled him was why Old Sen would suddenly mention the little girl.
"If the little girl has offended you in any way, Young Master, I hope you won't take it to heart."
"Offended?"
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, rather uncomprehending, and laughed. "Ouyang Ye hasn't offended me. What do you mean by asking this?"
After speaking, he suddenly remembered the incident at Yipin Villa, shook his head, and smiled. "You mean that matter at Yipin Villa, right? It was I who offended her. But I didn't have any other meaning; I was just a bit curious at the time, so I didn't think too much about it. Tell the girl later not to take it to heart. I'll apologize to her another day."
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Young Master."
Seeing that the sky was already getting late, Gu Qingfeng stood up to leave. As he was leaving, Old Sen opened his mouth several times, only to hesitate and hold back. Watching Gu Qingfeng about to depart, he could no longer restrain himself, but just as he opened his mouth, Gu Qingfeng's voice already came.
"I've said, you need not ask about news of the Chixiao Monarch. As for who I am, you also need not know. Regarding the Red Gang's affairs, don't involve yourself anymore in the future. You've already died a few times, fought and killed your whole life. Live a more peaceful life from now on."
"As for the so-called Deficit Head, take off that hat. There's no need to wear it. You don't owe the Chixiao Sect anything; rather, the Chixiao Sect owes you. If you have any needs, you can come find me at Yunxia Sect. If I'm not there, look for Huode first."
In the garden.
Old Sen stood there dumbfounded, his expression quite complex, as if he couldn't understand why this Chiyan Young Master would say such words to him.
What did he mean by not involving himself in the Red Gang's affairs?
And telling him to take off the Deficit Head hat?
What did it mean?
Alive, a Chixiao person; dead, a Chixiao ghost.
How could the blood oath alliance sworn back then be forgotten?
But when he chased after him, Gu Qingfeng's figure had long since vanished without a trace.
...
What Da Fuzi pursued was perhaps the two words: Non-Contention.
However.
Gu Qingfeng was different. What he pursued was freedom.
He was born liking an unconstrained, carefree, and free life. Back then, founding the Chixiao Sect wasn't his original intention; he was more or less forced onto that position by a large group of brothers. So, when he left, he buried the Chixiao Sect, not wanting to implicate those brothers, nor wanting them to end up in conflict over messy matters.
As for the current so-called Red Gang, strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with him anymore.
Some sought glory and splendor, some sought wealth and honor, some sought immortality and the Dao—everyone pursued different things and chose different lives.
He had no interest in knowing, nor did he bother to trouble himself with such idle concerns.
Returning to Yunxia Sect, he rested for a night. The next morning, as the sun first rose, Gu Qingfeng boarded the four-horse carriage and left. He was going to Liuren Mountain to visit Old Man Shi Tong, who had once offered him enlightening guidance.
Liuren Mountain was located in the Liuli Great Region.
The Liuli Great Region was one of the many Great Regions in the frontier of the Great Northwest, and also one of the four Great Regions ruled by the Nine-Hua Alliance.
The Great Northwest was a chaotic frontier zone.
At the end of the Ancient Era, not only was it a mixed bag of good and bad, but it also gathered all sorts of demons, ghosts, and monsters. Even before the Immortal Court had fallen, the Great Northwest was very chaotic. In the two hundred years after the Immortal Court's fall, the Great Northwest was thrown into such chaos that rivers of blood flowed.
Although after the Calamity, the Immortal Court had been reestablished, in just a hundred short years, the Immortal Court's glory had not yet spread to cover this place.
So, the Great Northwest was still a chaotic situation of warlords carving out territories and heroes contending for supremacy.
Some long-established major powers had survived the Calamity disaster and still ruled over several Great Regions today.
Some major powers had been damaged during the Calamity, and their territories had already been carved up.
Of course, during the Calamity, there were also newly risen powers.
For example, the Nine-Hua Alliance was one of the newly risen major powers in the Great Northwest.
Among the various sects, gangs, and families of the four Great Regions, some had long since pledged allegiance to the Nine-Hua Alliance, but more had not. However, almost everyone in the four Great Regions knew that once the hundred-year period arrived, the Nine-Hua Alliance would inevitably take action.
Because of this, many sects were very worried.
Especially the Yanyang Great Region.
This was a Great Region with relatively scarce resources. It had been notoriously barren since the end of the Ancient Era. After the Calamity, although all things revived, the situation in the Yanyang Great Region had also improved somewhat, with abundant spiritual energy and quite a few spiritual veins.
However, everything fears comparison.
If not compared with the adjacent Great Regions, the Yanyang Great Region was still passable. But once compared with other Great Regions, the Yanyang Great Region seemed somewhat awkward. Not to mention other Great Regions in the Great Northwest, even the other three surrounding Great Regions could leave the Yanyang Great Region in the dust.
If resources weren't too abundant, having a major sect would be fine; lacking a major sect, having a prominent figure could make do.
But it had none!
The other three Great Regions, to resist the Nine-Hua Alliance, at least had some ancient major sects step forward to back them up, or failing that, a few virtuous and prestigious old seniors.
What about the Yanyang Great Region?
It had nothing.
No major sects, no prominent figures.
To say it out loud, the Yanyang Great Region was, after all, the hometown of the Chixiao Monarch who had shaken both Immortals and Demons. Logically speaking, even if not prosperous, it should still be a Great Region famous throughout the world and revered by all.
Indeed.
This was indeed the hometown Great Region of the Chixiao Monarch.
However, sadly, within the world, almost no one acknowledged this matter. Not only did no one acknowledge it, but even when mentioning the Yanyang Great Region, many people would scornfully sneer a few words.