After a month or so as the leader of Wuya Peak, Master Qiongju issued his first decree: all outer disciples would be employed, receiving monthly payments of spirit stones. The Wuya Peak Library and the martial arts arena would also be open to outer disciples.
The decree shocked all five peaks. Before Shen Qingmang had even finished grading her papers, the head of the sect sent a message, telling her to go to the Dao Peak to discuss matters.
She went to the cafeteria to eat two buns before riding a cloud to ask for advice at the peak. After all, only when she was full would she have the energy to argue.
So when she stepped into the meeting room, there were already quite a few people sitting in the room, wearing all kinds of Taoist robes, which made her a little dazzled.
The five peaks of the Taichu Sect each wore a different uniform: Wendao Peak wore vermilion, Wuya Peak wore moon-white, Wuwei Peak wore turquoise, Wuyin Peak wore goose-yellow, and Wuxing Peak wore dark black. The predominant color of the people present was vermilion, and Shen Qingmang knew at a glance that the elders of Wendao Peak had the most objections to her.
"Qingmang, come and sit down. I have been very busy recently and haven't had time to visit you. Are you used to being the peak master?" The head of the sect greeted her warmly.
Shen Qingmang sat down below him. Before he could say anything, he heard an old man in red say, "Master, you're worrying too much. I think Master Qiongju is sitting very firmly on the position of Peak Master. He's been in office for just over a month and he's already trying to shake things up."
Shen Qingmang glanced at him and curled the corners of his lips.
Hey, isn't this the old acquaintance Li Su Zhenren? Last time he criticized her apprentice, this time he's directly criticizing her?
"May I ask Elder Lisu, why do you say that Qiongju wants to turn the world upside down?" she asked.
"The library is such a sacred place, how can you allow the outer disciples to trample on it? The outer disciples are supposed to be responsible for cleaning and sweeping, but now you want to pay them wages. This not only encourages their arrogance, but also wastes money. How foolish!"
Shen Qingmang smiled instead of getting angry. "Qiongju misunderstood Elder Lisu before. I thought Elder Lisu was dissatisfied with Qiongju, but I didn't expect you to care about Qiongju so much, even worrying about Wuya Peak's expenses. It's really touching. How about I take you to Wuya Peak to live out your retirement?"
"You!" Li Su was so angry that he was puffing his beard and glaring. Suddenly someone burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect Qiongju to become more talkative after two hundred years of seclusion. He's sharp-tongued and sharp-tongued. I like it."
Shen Qingmang looked over and saw that the person who spoke was a baby-faced boy wearing a green Taoist robe. He looked about the same age as Gu Suihan and was looking at her with his clear deer eyes.
"Yan Xiang, stop butting in." An elder from Wendao Peak scolded him.
This name seems a little familiar. Which cannon fodder character is this... Shen Qingmang thought about it for a while but couldn't remember.
"Okay, today I called Master Qiongju here not to let you quarrel, but I hope Qiongju can explain the intention of issuing the new decree, and the other peaks can also discuss it." The head of the sect said.
The elder who had just scolded his disciple interrupted, "That's right. We have no dissatisfaction with Junior Brother Qiongju, but... changing his ways less than a year after taking office doesn't seem to conform to our Taichu Sect's principle of governing by inaction."
Shen Qingmang bowed to him, then stood up and said, "Master, what you said is very true. 'Governing by doing nothing' is the precept of our Taichu ancestors. I wonder if you have ever heard of the early days of the Taichu sect."
Without hesitation, Li Su Zhenren said, "Our sect was established in ancient times, over two thousand years ago. Our ancestor, the Immortal Lord Taiyi, comprehended the universe in Yongzhou and lived as long as the heavens. His seven disciples were all powerful. They first established the Wuya Sect, which was later followed by the Wuxing, Wuyin, and Wuwei Sects. Today's Qingzhou Heshi Sect was born from the Wuyin Sect..."
Shen Qingmang interrupted him: "Elder Li Su is very knowledgeable. I would like to ask you a question. Did the Taichu Sect have inner and outer sects at that time?"
Li Su Zhenren's face froze. "No."
"The Taichu sect is now divided into four factions. Was this formed naturally or by human intervention?"
"The Wuyin Sect was founded by the Wuyin Immortal Monarch, and the Wuxing Sect is..."
"If our Taichu ancestral precept of 'ruling by doing nothing' meant doing nothing, then the current Taichu sect should only consist of our Wuya sect. How did it develop into four flourishing sects with thousands of cultivators?"
"This..." Master Li Su looked at the Sect Leader, who was just watching with a smile on his face, showing no intention of speaking.
The elder who had spoken earlier spoke up: "Junior Brother Qiongju, what do you think the meaning of 'Wuwei' is?"
Shen Qingmang thought to himself that this ancestral precept was nonsense. A smile appeared on his face, and he said slowly, "My nephew is dull, but I believe that 'wuwei' means not to act recklessly, but to follow the flow of things. Taiyi Immortal Monarch imitated the heavens and the earth, but the heavens and the earth are not eternal and unchanging. The four seasons change every year, and all things have different forms. We cultivators should follow the flow of nature and adapt when necessary."
The headmaster asked kindly, "Does Qingmang think now is the time for change?"
"Indeed. No one from the Taichu sect has ascended to the Celestial Realm in hundreds of years. I, the disciple, believe that if no reform is made, there will be endless harm."
"Where do you think the problem lies?"
"Disciple, I think the problem lies in class stratification." After Shen Qingmang finished speaking, he saw everyone's bewildered faces and changed his approach: "The barriers between the inner and outer sects of the Taichu Sect are now strict. There are fewer inner sect members, but more outer sect members. However, the outer sect is busy with mundane affairs and cannot access the core skills. Hundreds of years ago, there were outer sect members who taught themselves to build foundations and became inner sect disciples, but now there are none. The number of inner sect members is small, and the competition is low, so there is not much motivation to advance. In recent years, countless have fallen. Only by giving outer sect members more room for advancement, allowing them to have opportunities to learn, and making the inner sect feel a sense of crisis and realize that they are not irreplaceable, can we encourage the younger generation to practice diligently. In this way, the development of our Taichu Sect will flourish in the long run."
After she finished speaking, everyone looked thoughtful. Even Li Su, who had been wanting to argue, stopped talking, stroked his beard, and looked at the leader.
Sect Leader Yun Xuzhou laughed heartily. "Excellent! Qing Mang's actions embody the spirit of a sage. We await good news from Wuya Peak."
The only other woman present, the head of Wuyin Peak, dressed in a goose-yellow Taoist robe, spoke up, "Junior Sister Qiongju's intentions are good, but... Yingshao is worried that the outer disciples will all flock to Wuya Peak when they hear there's a monthly stipend, leaving us with no one to use. Why not just open the library to them and forget about the monthly stipend?"
Shen Qingmang didn't expect the beauty to actually start her story by complaining about poverty, so he covered his lips and smiled. The head of the sect said, "It's better not to save on the monthly salary. With spirit stones, the outer sect can buy books and practice, which is a good thing. The cost will be borne by Wendao Peak."
"Thank you, Master!"
"Thank you, Master!"
Everyone had no more objections and dispersed one after another. Several Taoists in red looked at Shen Qingmang with satisfaction, which made her very embarrassed. She felt like she was back to the scene of being stared at by a bunch of uncles and aunts at her relatives' house during the New Year.
However, there was a look that seemed particularly meaningful. It was Yan Xiang who said that she was sharp-tongued. Judging from the color of his clothes, he should be the master of Wuwei Peak.
The people at Wuwei Peak are all Dharma practitioners, and their combat power is comparable to that of Wuxing Peak. Qiongju should not have offended him before, right?
Shen Qingmang felt a little unsure.
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