Path of the Sect Leader-Chapter 37: Halls and Pavilions Rise

“Sect Leader Senior Brother, I believe we can finally start on the Fragrant Cattail Pig-Fish breeding,” Zhang Shishi said the moment he stepped into the hall, leaning close.
“Excellent, excellent!” Qi Xiu’s grin threatened to split his face. Zhang Shishi volunteering meant the man had swallowed his pride; nothing could be better.
He spread the prepared map and tapped three circled spots. “Here are the three sites I shortlisted. Help me choose.”
South end: best environment, farthest from the peak.
Mid-river: closest, mediocre conditions.
Far north: worst water quality, but nearest to Wang Family’s caravan stop.
Zhang Shishi pointed at the northernmost mark. “This one’s the weakest and most remote. Why include it?”
Qi Xiu explained his long-term plan: winter was coming, mortal migrants would arrive soon, yet he’d found zero livable land along the entire river. Once the grand array was up, they could squeeze ten-odd households halfway up the peak to grow grain and serve as servants; that would free the disciples from chores. The rest of the migrants would have to bunk at Wang Wan’s stop temporarily.
“If we put the breeding ground up north, it’s close to where the mortals will stay. Come winter, the black fog lifts for about a month; exactly harvest season. Mortals can help with the heavy lifting, and we save a fortune on labor.”
Zhang Shishi’s eyes lit up. He still hated the idea of raising livestock, but mortals doing the dirty work? Perfect. He immediately campaigned for the northern site.
Qi Xiu let himself be “convinced.” “North it is. Rest a few days, then before first frost we plant the Blackheart Lotus seeds.”
Zhang Shishi agreed readily.
Outside, the roar of collapsing earth giants never stopped. Inside the hall, no one could meditate; everyone waited for their new homes.
Gu Ji kept darting in and out like an excited sparrow, delivering live updates.
Puff, puff, puff. First-tier giants ran out of juice and burst into dust. An hour later the two second-tier behemoths followed with ground-shaking booms.
“Sect Leader! Senior Brothers! The houses are done!” Gu Ji burst through the doors shouting.
Everyone stampeded outside.
A brand-new main hall now stood proudly south-facing, completely eclipsing the old rundown temple behind it. One vast audience chamber opened onto a mirror-smooth stone plaza. East and west wings flanked it exactly like the old mountain gate back at Chu Qin Peak, only smaller. Timber was scarce, so walls were stone like the temple, roofs grey tile over wooden beams.
Zhan Yuan, face pale and hollow-eyed from exhaustion, nevertheless puffed up with pride. He led the tour like a general displaying spoils.
“Main audience hall for important guests; the old temple’s gathering-spirit array stays private. East wing: central reception room plus two guest rooms; no more kicking the sect leader out of his own bed when Senior Kan Lin visits. West wing currently storage; later we’ll partition alchemy and forging chambers.”
He gestured grandly. “Roofs and walls are still raw stone. Next batch of supplies I’ll bring paint and glazed tiles; it’ll look proper then. Now, living quarters, this way!”
They followed him around the temple along a neat crushed-stone path, pre-dug tree pits lining both sides, ready for saplings.
In the rear forest, a small elegant wooden pavilion peeked through yellowing leaves.
“Leftover timber,” Zhan Yuan explained. “Soon the maples will turn red. Tea and Go under autumn foliage; quite refined, no?”
Further in, the path forked repeatedly.
“Twenty private courtyards, one for each of us. No more communal cots!”
A cheer exploded. Three months of sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder like salted fish; this news alone was worth all the sweat.
They stopped at a sample courtyard: stone foundation, rammed-earth walls, grey-tiled roof; modest but a palace compared to before. One main house, east and west side rooms forming a tidy square; exactly the outer-disciple dorms they remembered from the old peak.
At the very back stood a larger compound with kitchens, storehouses, and laundry sheds.
“Almost done,” Zhan Yuan said. “Down by the training caves I opened a few hidden grottoes so Junior Brother He and the others can nap without climbing the mountain every night.”
“Perfect!” He Yu beamed. The cave pools were freezing; sleeping there long-term invited chills into the bones.
Qi Xiu chuckled beside him. “Don’t celebrate yet. Someone still has to haul water up the mountain every day.”
He Yu puffed his chest theatrically and bellowed, “Yes, Sect Leader!” then shot a cheeky grin.
Laughter rolled again. With a clear path to Foundation Establishment, Kan Lin’s occasional pointers, and Zhang Shishi quietly shielding him from heavy labor, the fifteen-year-old had blossomed. Gu Ji’s boundless energy was contagious; even the formerly withdrawn He Yu now joked aloud.
Still smiling, Zhan Yuan led the happy parade back down the new stone road toward the freshly built mountain gate.
Under the eternal golden clouds of the grand array, Chu Qin Sect finally looked like a real sect.
And for the first time in decades, it felt like home.