Chapter 717: Seeing Situ Jingyu Again

At the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch, inside the underground lava hall, Situ Jingyu sat bored on the main seat, listening to several Foundation Establishment Cultivators bickering below.

These Foundation Establishment Cultivators were her junior brothers. They all looked quite old, but when their arguments got heated, they still wanted to take it outside and settle who was right or wrong with their fists.

At this moment, Situ Jingyu was dressed in a fiery red robe embroidered with a Nine-headed Fire Phoenix, giving her an exceptionally domineering air. Combined with her height of over seven feet tall, her mere presence was imposing without any need for anger.

Situ Jingyu had now taken over from the old Sect Leader. As the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch’s only Golden Core Cultivator in nearly a hundred years, who else could take the position if not her?

But compared to the sect’s situation a century ago, the financial state of the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch had been worsening year by year. Now, the junior brothers arguing before her were all fighting over the stipends for their respective mountain peaks.

“Lao He, our peak has one more Immortal Seedling with a Top-grade Fire Spirit Root this year. An extra ten Middle-grade Spirit Stones annually isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

“It’s not, but the books are empty!”

A white-haired old cultivator glared at another, looking like he wanted to go over and punch him a couple of times. But before he could make a move, another old cultivator pulled him back.

“Brother He, ten new Flaming Fire Toad cubs have been added to the sect’s breeding pool. This is a great opportunity to make money from money. I’d like to request a few hundred more Low-grade Spirit Stones for their Servant Spirit medicinal meals. I beg you to make an exception, Brother He.”

“That’s a good thing, but the books are empty!”

Lao He stuck to the same line, wearing an expression that said, ‘I’d love to help, but there’s just no money.’ This declaration successfully enraged the cultivators who had just spoken.

“Enough with the nonsense! Brothers, let’s get him together! Beat him up!”

“Yeah, he’s asking for a beating! You punk, did you take kickbacks from the sect’s Spirit Stones?”

Amid the rising fury, just as the crowd was about to take their frustrations out on Lao He, the accountant, Situ Jingyu finally spoke up.

“Alright, that’s enough. Give it a rest. Aren’t you tired of arguing all day? There really isn’t much money in the sect’s accounts. I’ve used up the Spirit Stones for my Body Refining. How about this: I’ve decided to cut back on my training sessions and save those Spirit Stones for the sect. That’s final.”

Seeing Situ Jingyu speak, the cultivators below fell silent for a moment before rushing to voice their opinions.

“No! No matter how difficult things get for the sect, there’s no reason to cut off your cultivation resources, Sect Leader! If your cultivation level falls, this branch will be in danger.”

“Senior Sister, your cultivation resources have already been reduced significantly. How can we reduce them even more? If we have to, let’s just capture and sell off some more of the beasts from the first six layers of the Fire Cave. We’ll get through these next few years first.”

Listening to her junior brothers all trying to persuade her at once, Situ Jingyu grew impatient.

“Body Refining already consumes a vast amount, and our sect isn’t exactly profitable. Besides, my cultivation has been stuck at the Third-Layer Golden Core for ages. There’s no point in gathering more resources for me to keep trying to break through. I’ll save these Spirit Stones for you all. Whoever among you shows some promise and achieves Core Formation soon can have this Sect Leader position. Then I can go out and look for my own opportunities.”

“If it really comes to it, I’ll go join Yue’e Ancestor’s pioneering war in Awakening Lion Valley. I can earn some merit and resources there. It’s better than just sitting here and squandering what little we have.”

This idea from Situ Jingyu met with even stronger opposition from everyone.

“Absolutely not! The pioneering war in Awakening Lion Valley is far too dangerous. Several Golden Core Cultivators die there every year! As a Body Refining Cultivator, you’d definitely be put on the front lines to tank the damage. If anything were to happen to you, the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch would truly be demoted and delisted!”

This was unacceptable, and that was unacceptable. Situ Jingyu felt her frustration mounting. Ever since she became the leader of the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch, she hadn’t had a single comfortable day. It was better back when she was just the senior sister who didn’t have to worry about anything.

With her master around, she never had to worry about these things. But after his death, this heavy burden fell onto her shoulders. Even though her Body Refining had made her physique incredibly tough, she still felt the strain of carrying it all.

‘If Fang Qingyuan were here, he could probably solve a situation like this with ease, couldn’t he?’

At that moment, Situ Jingyu couldn’t help but think of Fang Qingyuan. Back then, her cultivation was clearly so much stronger than his, yet she could never act like a proper senior sister in front of him. Instead, she always felt a sense of being protected. Thinking back on it now, she wondered if it had all been her imagination.

Just as she was thinking of Fang Qingyuan, a disciple came to the entrance to report, holding a formal calling card.

“Reporting to the Ancestor and all Martial Uncles, someone has delivered a calling card at the entrance to the Earth Cave. He claims to be the Qingyuan Sect Master and says he is an old acquaintance of the Ancestor. He has come for a visit today. This is his card, please take a look, Ancestor.”

Situ Jingyu’s heart trembled. She used her power to retrieve the card from a distance. A stream of divine sense traveled through the air and entered her mind:

“Senior Sister Situ, it’s been many years. I hope you’ve been well. Your junior brother, Fang Qingyuan, was passing by and decided to pay a visit. Oh, right, Nanli has grown up now, so I thought I’d bring her to see her mother. I’d like to ask for your help in arranging that, Senior Sister. —Qingyuan.”

Without realizing it, Situ Jingyu had already stood up. She strode out of the great hall, unleashed her Divine Techniques, and began to fly swiftly toward the uppermost level of the Earth Cave.

“Hey, Sect Leader? Wait for us!”

Inside the great hall, the few white-haired old cultivators exchanged glances. Then, a shout was heard, “Senior Sister is gone! Get him!”

…….

Fang Qingyuan stood at the place that had been his first stop all those years ago. He looked at the familiar scene, vaguely recalling that this was the very spot where he had upgraded his Fire Spirit Root to top-grade.