Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

Originally, she had planned to go down the mountain to check on her family's fields, but as soon as she descended, she saw the county magistrate dressed in a green official robe along with a group of constables.

Upon hearing this, the three people in the sect hall immediately headed out.

They used a concealment technique as they made their way down the mountain.

Sure enough, they saw a group of constables and a man in a green official robe, surrounded by villagers, hesitating at the entrance to the Path of Reflection.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment. If they didn't show themselves and let the villagers and officials speculate wildly, it could lead to trouble. They might misinterpret this place as a site of demonic activity and call in cultivators from Shangyang Sect or even the military, which would be a huge problem.

After a moment of consideration, Lin Xiao decided to drop his concealment technique and walked out from the Path of Reflection.

The villagers and officials were stunned to see a tall, handsome young man in a white robe tinged with blue calmly using the Cloud Step technique to descend from the ethereal mountain path, eventually landing on the ground.

Lin Xiao's gaze swept over the crowd at the base of the mountain, and he spoke in a calm, detached tone:

"What business do you have with Lingxian Sect?"

The county magistrate, Wen Keming, immediately lowered his gaze reverently. He raised his hands in a deep bow toward Lin Xiao and spoke with a slightly trembling voice:

"I am Wen Keming, the county magistrate. Upon hearing unusual rumors from the city yesterday, I became concerned and came to investigate. I had no idea that immortals were cultivating here. Please forgive us for the disturbance, Immortal."

The constables and servants behind him quickly followed suit, bowing deeply to Lin Xiao.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Shushui Village were utterly bewildered.

If they weren't mistaken, wasn't this person who looked like an immortal the second son of Lin Dayou?

They hadn't seen much of him lately, and now he had become so ethereal and otherworldly!

The villagers, who had watched Lin Xiao grow up from a boy who used to play in the mud and chase after cats, were plunged into deep self-doubt.

Although many of them had joked during idle chats that the second son of the Lin family had gained immortal fortune, seeing it with their own eyes left them more shocked than anyone else.

Lin Xiao, listening to the magistrate's formalities, felt uncomfortable, but to maintain the image of an immortal and prevent any misunderstandings about demonic activity, his expression remained unchanged.

He spoke in a calm and steady voice:

"This place is the sacred ground of Lingxian Sect. The path you see is the Path of Reflection, the trial all disciples must pass. There are no demons or evil spirits here. You should disperse and avoid disturbing the villagers."

With that, he turned and walked back up the mountain, leaving the crowd staring in awe at his retreating figure.

It wasn't until Lin Xiao had completely disappeared from sight that the villagers and officials snapped out of their daze.

The villagers began whispering among themselves in hushed tones.

As for Magistrate Wen, he immediately returned to his carriage.

"Hurry, back to the county seat!"

He needed to write a report and send it to the imperial court!

A sect of immortals had established itself in his jurisdiction!

Who knows, maybe this report would earn him recognition from the emperor himself.

Thus, Wen Keming's carriage, having spent only a short time in Shushui Village, hastily departed.

As the villagers watched the magistrate's carriage leave, their quiet murmurs turned into loud discussions.

"Has the second son of the Lin family really become an immortal?"

"Of course! Didn't you see? He was walking down from the sky!"

"Hey! Don't call him that! You should address him as Immortal Lin! If you offend an immortal, don't drag me into it!"

"Who would've thought that when Immortal Lin said he was recruiting disciples to cultivate, he really meant it! If I had known, I would have encouraged my son to spend more time with him. Maybe he'd be an immortal now too!"

"If that's the case, then has Jiang's youngest, Qin's son, and Hu's eldest all become immortals as well?"

"Oh my! I'm neighbors with an immortal!"

"Did you hear what Immortal Lin said? The Path of Reflection is a trial for disciples. Do you think if my child passes through it, they could become an immortal too?"

…

By the time Magistrate Wen rushed back to the county office in Anqun County, he didn't even stop to wash his face. He immediately ran to his study to draft a report.

Usually, he was meticulous about his appearance.

But now, he didn't have time for such concerns. His mind was focused on one thing.

This time, he might be able to ride the wave of Lingxian Sect's rise and soar to new heights!

In his excitement, Wen Keming's thoughts flowed rapidly, and he quickly penned a brilliant and flowery report.

He then sealed it and summoned his trusted aide to deliver it to the courier station.

He emphasized repeatedly that it must be sent via the urgent document channel.

As per the usual process, the report would first be sent to his superior at Liaoju Prefecture.

Wen Keming thought for a moment, then quickly wrote another letter, instructing his aide to prepare a lavish gift and deliver the letter to the prefect. He urged his aide to ride through the night before the city gates closed.

He hoped that the prefect would expedite his report, and in return, he promised to share some of the credit.

With that done, Wen Keming finally returned to his room, feeling content, and began to bathe and change his clothes.

In his mind, he was already imagining his rise to power and contemplating how he should make more frequent trips to Shushui Village.

He needed to build a relationship with the immortals—perhaps they would take a liking to him and offer him additional support.

However, what Wen Keming didn't know was that the next day, when his aide delivered the gifts to Liaoju Prefecture, Prefect Tong Shuzheng quickly read through his letter and then ordered the gifts to be returned.

Tong Shuzheng told the aide that he would handle the matter impartially and that Wen Keming should refrain from attempting to bribe him again.

After the aide left, Tong Shuzheng instructed his subordinates to intercept Wen Keming's report when it arrived at the prefecture and place it in the slowest possible processing queue.

This meant that instead of reaching the capital in about two weeks via the urgent channel, Wen Keming's report would now take at least two months to get there.

To ensure this, Tong Shuzheng even paid out of his own pocket to make sure the officials at the courier station delayed the report as much as possible.

Once everything was arranged, Tong Shuzheng returned to his study and, after a moment of thought, retrieved the positioning communication talisman that Lin Xiao had given him.