Chapter 244: Chapter 241: This is Being Steady, Not Cowardly

Actually, Li Ping’s rush to return to the Flying Snow Sect wasn’t because he was trying to cash in on some benefits.

With his current combat strength and wealth, he could have just found a random place to cultivate in seclusion. Staying out of the Flying Snow Sect’s reconstruction would have been far easier.

The reason he had come to the Flying Snow Sect was to offer his services and refine a batch of healing pills for them.

After all, Shi Yutong had promised to let him borrow the Tier Three Spirit Vein to attempt Core Formation, and he hoped to maintain a good relationship with the Flying Snow Sect.

As for fleeing earlier?

It came down to the same principle: Li Ping cultivated for the sake of a long life. No matter the circumstances, his own safety always came first.

With Loose Cultivators attacking the Sect and the situation so chaotic, Li Ping naturally chose to avoid the brunt of the assault.

His friendship with Shi Yutong was not yet deep enough for him to risk his life for her.

"Ahem..."

Just as Li Ping cleared his throat, about to say something, a gaunt, withered old man in a gray-white robe noticed the commotion and flew over.

The moment he saw Li Ping from a distance, his face lit up with delight. "Alchemist Li! It’s wonderful to see you’re alright."

Li Ping looked toward the source of the voice and immediately recognized the man as Mei Hao, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had previously commissioned him to refine pills.

As the Flying Snow Sect’s logistics Steward, Mei Hao had dealt with Li Ping many times over the years, and the two had struck up a decent friendship.

Moreover, after the great battle, the injured cultivators of the Flying Snow Sect were in desperate need of healing pills. Li Ping’s appearance at this moment was a godsend for the sect.

With him refining pills, the Flying Snow Sect could recover its strength much more quickly.

Thus, Mei Hao naturally couldn’t contain his delight.

He said with a smile, "Alchemist Li, please follow me. The Sect Leader is dying to see you."

But as Mei Hao invited Li Ping to follow, the young Foundation Establishment Cultivator interjected with a stubborn look in his eyes. "Senior Brother Mei, he abandoned our Sect and fled when we were in peril. What right does he have to visit us now?"

Hearing the young Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s words, Mei Hao’s face hardened as he snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Before the young cultivator could retort, he continued to berate him. "Alchemist Li is a friend of the Flying Snow Sect! If not for his help, our Sect might have been wiped out entirely! How can you be so disrespectful? Apologize to Alchemist Li at once!"

As the Steward in charge of logistics, he was, of course, aware that Shi Yutong had gathered Spirit Medicines and commissioned Li Ping to refine the Profound Heart Pill.

He knew full well that if Li Ping hadn’t successfully refined the Profound Heart Pill, curing Qianxue Master’s Heart Demon affliction and allowing her to awaken at the critical moment, the Flying Snow Sect would likely be nothing but ruins by now.

They would either be fleeing for their lives or have already perished. They certainly wouldn’t have the luxury of standing around chatting.

’As for Li Ping not helping to defend the Flying Snow Sect and instead taking the opportunity to flee... that seemed perfectly normal to Mei Hao. Li Ping isn’t a cultivator of our Sect, so how could we possibly expect him to risk his life for us?’

He was merely looking out for himself. The fact that he didn’t take advantage of their misfortune could already be considered a mark of high moral character.

After being rebuked by Mei Hao, the young Foundation Establishment Cultivator fell silent.

At the same time, however, he refused to apologize.

Mei Hao was about to speak again, but Li Ping stopped him with a shake of his head. "Fellow Daoist Mei, just take me to see Sect Leader Shi."

He wasn’t so petty as to squabble with a junior.

"Alchemist Li is magnanimous enough not to stoop to your level. You should reflect on your actions!" Mei Hao chided the young Foundation Establishment Cultivator a few more times before smiling and leading Li Ping in flight toward the main hall in the sect’s core.

The two chatted as they flew.

Li Ping learned from him that after the Sect Protection Array had been breached, the Flying Snow Sect had truly faced annihilation. Fortunately, Qianxue Master awoke just in time to resolve the crisis.

As for the Loose Cultivators who failed to escape in time, they were trapped by Qianxue Master’s Magical Treasure and subsequently killed, allowing the sect members to vent their bitter anger.

Of course, after this turmoil, both the Flying Snow Sect and its Main City, Flying Snow City, were severely weakened. It would likely take several centuries for them to recover to their former glory.

"By the way, Alchemist Li, that was Junior Brother Deng. His older brother died in the battle," Mei Hao said, suddenly sighing. "His brother raised him, and they were very close. That’s why his attitude toward you was so poor. I hope you can be the bigger person and not hold it against him."

Li Ping nodded. "I can understand the pain of losing a loved one in battle."

Mei Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

If Li Ping were just an ordinary Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, then offending him wouldn’t be such a big deal.

But he was a High-tier Alchemist who could refine Tier Three pills, and his friendship was very important to the Flying Snow Sect.

’It might sound disrespectful, but if Qianxue Master were to have a relapse, they’d need Li Ping to perform Alchemy and save her again,’ Mei Hao thought to himself.

Soon, the two arrived at the Sect’s main hall, but Shi Yutong wasn’t there. Their trip had been for nothing.

Mei Hao grabbed a nearby Qi Refining disciple and asked where the Sect Leader was. He learned that something had gone wrong at the Medicine Garden guarded by "Senior Aunt Lei." Even worse, something had happened to Senior Aunt Lei herself, so the Sect Leader had gone personally to investigate.

"Something happened to Senior Sister Lei?"

Shocked, Mei Hao didn’t press for more details. He turned to Li Ping and said, "My sincerest apologies, Fellow Daoist Li. It seems the Sect Leader won’t have time to see you right now. Why don’t you return to your residence to cultivate for now? When she is free, she will personally pay you a visit."

...

After a hasty farewell to Li Ping, Mei Hao departed in a rush.

’Who is that Senior Sister Lei?’

Li Ping wondered silently as he made his way back to his hall.

From Mei Hao’s words and actions, he could sense that this Senior Sister Lei, and the Medicine Garden she guarded, must be very important to the Flying Snow Sect and to Shi Yutong.

After all, Shi Yutong had dropped everything to check on "Senior Sister Lei’s" situation when the Sect was in shambles and desperately needed leadership for the rebuilding efforts.

However, the matter had nothing to do with him. After pondering it for a while without coming to any conclusions, he put it out of his mind.

Returning to his hall, Li Ping used a simple magic to clean the interior before sitting down cross-legged to resume his cultivation.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi in his hall was also at Tier Three, so he could achieve the same cultivation effect without needing to use the Jade of the Spiritual Eye.

「Several days passed.」

Shi Yutong didn’t come to visit him. Instead, Ji Shu Xuan arrived.

"Uncle Li, it’s so good to see you’re okay!" The stooped little old man’s face was filled with joy upon seeing Li Ping was unharmed.

Li Ping smiled, nodded, and motioned for him to sit down and talk.

Truth be told, when the Flying Snow Sect’s Protection Array had shattered, he had been somewhat worried about Ji Shu Xuan and his family.

Seeing Ji Shu Xuan looking his usual self, it was clear that his family had fared well.

And sure enough, as they chatted about the recent chaos in the Sect, Ji Shu Xuan’s eyes were filled with relief.

He said with lingering fear, "I was living with Sister Yun and my two eldest sons in the outer region of the Sect. When the array broke, hordes of blood-crazed Loose Cultivators poured in. I immediately thought of your usual cautious ways, Uncle Li. So, instead of retreating to the Sect’s core like everyone else, my family and I fell back to a Low-Tier Medicine Garden on the outskirts."

"After successfully linking up with the cultivators stationed there, not only did we avoid any real danger, but we even killed a few Loose Cultivators who tried to plunder the Medicine Garden. We were even credited with meritorious service. On the other hand, the people who fled to the Sect’s core for protection suffered disastrous casualties. Many of their families are now in mourning."

Li Ping nodded slightly. He agreed that Ji Shu Xuan had made the right choice.

The Sect’s core area contained important structures like the secret vault and was where most of the Flying Snow Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators were concentrated.

In their panic, the first instinct of the Low-tier Cultivators was to flock toward the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, seeking their protection.

If they had been facing an enemy bent on annihilating the Sect, that would have been the right choice.

A Low-tier Cultivator acting alone would easily be caught and killed by an enemy High-tier Cultivator.

But they failed to understand that these Loose Cultivators hadn’t come to wipe out the Flying Snow Sect; they were simply there to loot.

Naturally, to get their hands on more treasures, the main force of Loose Cultivators charged straight for the heart of the Flying Snow Sect. As a result, the Low-tier Cultivators desperately seeking shelter ran right into the spearhead of the attack, and many died at their hands.

Ji Shu Xuan, on the other hand, led his family to hide in a worthless Low-Tier Medicine Garden, where they only had to face a few Qi Refining Loose Cultivators.

Relying on the Medicine Garden’s defensive array, they handled the threat with ease.

Of course, the absolute safest option was to do as Li Ping did and leave the Flying Snow Sect’s grounds entirely, staying out of the conflict altogether.

However, Ji Shu Xuan’s third son was a disciple of the Flying Snow Sect, making them quasi-members of the sect. They had a responsibility to defend their home and couldn’t just flee without a second thought like Li Ping.

They couldn’t just dust off their hands and walk away.

Having enjoyed the benefits the Sect provided, they naturally had to bear the corresponding responsibilities.

’But this kid said I was "laying low"?’

Li Ping shot Ji Shu Xuan a look and said blandly, "Shu Xuan, you did the right thing. Only the living have the right to talk about the future. But there is one thing I must correct: I’m not just ’laying low’... I’m being prudent. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand!" Ji Shu Xuan apologized profusely. "It was my slip of the tongue. Please forgive me, Uncle Li. You are prudent!"

Li Ping nodded in satisfaction. "Mm-hmm."

Not long after Ji Shu Xuan left, Mei Hao paid him a personal visit.

He brought a batch of Spirit Medicines and asked Li Ping to help refine them into pills.

Seeing that Mei Hao didn’t look well, Li Ping asked a few casual questions and learned what had happened.

It turned out that "Senior Sister Lei" was the teacher who had taught Shi Yutong how to read and practice Qi Refining when she was a child. Before the attack, she had been tasked with guarding a specific Spiritual Object.

But during the chaos, not only was the Spiritual Object lost, but she herself had also perished.

Her death had left Shi Yutong devastated. She had barely left her quarters for days, which was why she hadn’t come to visit Li Ping.

Li Ping finally understood.

After telling Li Ping all this, Mei Hao departed in a hurry.

Evidently, as the logistics Steward, he was incredibly busy with the Sect’s reconstruction efforts.

Li Ping paid it no mind, continuing to practice both Alchemy and his own cultivation.

Several more months passed in the blink of an eye, and the end of the year approached.

With just a few dozen days left before the new year, Shi Yutong finally emerged from her grief and came to visit him in his hall.

Having not seen her for nearly half a year, Li Ping noted that Shi Yutong looked much more haggard, but also more mature.

Seeing Li Ping, she managed a faint, forced smile. "Brother Li, my deepest apologies. Things have been incredibly busy, and on top of that... some difficult things have happened. I’m sorry for being so neglectful."

Li Ping微微点头.

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