The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

In the Floating Life Continent, in the Emei Mountain region, there is a newly built city—Red Robe City.

"Don't stop me." A craftsman stood outside the gate of the Dafu Temple, trying to get in.

"Go back, the cult leader is really not here," a swordsman in red said to the craftsman.

"Why should these migrant workers get paid more than me? This is unfair. I want to seek justice from the cult leader," the craftsman said.

"The cult leader is on patrol and knows he's not in the courtyard. If you want to seek justice or file a police report, you can go to the police station and find the security guard. If you cause any more trouble, I might have to take action," said the red-clad swordsman.

"Don't lie to me, the pagoda's lamps have been burning brightly these past few nights," the craftsman insisted.

"That's Senior Brother Guan inside. Don't cause any more trouble here. If you try to barge in any further, I'll take you to the police station," said the red-clad swordsman.

Only after hearing this did the craftsman agree to stop.

Red City was built in just three months using refugees, most of whom came from areas outside Mount Emei.

The Red-Clothed Cult, with the motto "Sharing clothes and food, building a common home," recruited refugees and established a new order in the Emei Mountain region of the Qi Kingdom on the Floating Continent.

The State of Qi has now been divided among four states: Wu occupies the northwest region of Qi, Chu occupies the northeast region of Qi, Tang occupies the eastern region of Qi excluding the area around Mount Emei, and Nanzhao occupies the southern region of Qi.

The Qi royal family now lives a precarious existence in the western region of Qi, a place surrounded by mountains on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Qi's chief scholar, Luo Feng, organized the relocation of the capital, saving the Qi royal family from a brutal massacre.

However, the preparations had actually been secretly made before the death of the old emperor, Long Haocheng, under his private instructions.

The Red-Clothed Sect was originally the state religion of the State of Qi, but after the old leader of the Red-Clothed Sect played a game of chess with the old emperor, the Red-Clothed Sect lost its status as the state religion.

Only after repeated pleas from Luo Feng, the chief scholar of the State of Qi, was their incense offering preserved, and the old emperor allowed them to preach in the Emei Mountain area.

However, times have changed.

When the old emperor of Qi died, the states of Wu, Chu, and Tang attacked Qi at the same time. Then, the state of Nanzhao took the opportunity to occupy the southern part of Qi.

Lin Hai, the leader of the Red-Clothed Cult, defected to the Tang Clan of the Tang Kingdom at the very beginning of the war and was spared thanks to the arrangements made by the Tang Clan leader.

Lin Hai ordered his followers to descend the mountain and organize people to build Red City, aiming to establish a new order so that the Qi refugees who came to Mount Emei would have food to eat, clothes to wear, and houses to live in.

The Red City, established by the Red-Clothed Cult, is now taking shape, but it requires a massive amount of resources to maintain.

Most of the migrants lack skills, so someone needs to provide them with jobs to support them.

The Red-Clothed Sect divided the Emei Mountain area into different regions, allowing refugees to freely choose where to live. They then taught them skills such as planting, raising livestock, building, and weaving. Finally, they organized people to collect the resources produced by the refugees and distributed them in a unified manner.

Although the refugees in Red City lived a hard life, they had gained order and hope.

The Red-Clothed Cult is gaining more and more influence in the Emei Mountain area, and the refugees in the Emei Mountain area are willing to join the Red-Clothed Cult and live in Red-Clothed City.

Although the Red City of the Red-Clothed Cult is taking shape, the Red-Clothed Cult is not a monolithic entity.

The Red-Clothed Cult is divided into several factions. One faction, led by the cult leader Lin Hai, wants to establish a stable order so that the displaced people can live and work in peace.

The other faction, however, wanted to use the power of the Red-Clothed Cult to establish a hegemony on the Floating Life Continent.

Although the two factions within the Red-Clothed Cult were at odds, Red-Clothed City continued to grow larger and more prosperous.

The refugees in Red City also began to have their own entertainment activities.

In the square inside Red City, some young refugees were practicing martial arts, while some women watched from the sidelines, occasionally expressing their admiration.

“Look, Senior Brother Guan’s martial arts have improved again,” a young refugee said.

“Yes, Senior Brother Guan’s martial arts are truly amazing. He will definitely become a protector of the Red-Clothed Sect in the future,” another refugee said.

Senior Brother Guan's real name is Guan Chunping. He is the chief disciple of the Red-Clothed Sect, highly skilled in martial arts, and deeply valued by the sect leader.

Guan Chunping was practicing martial arts in the square at this moment. His figure was elusive and his punches were powerful and fierce, which made people admire him.

After Guan Chunping finished practicing his martial arts, he went to rest. A young refugee came up to him and handed him a cup of water.

"Sir, you've worked hard," the young refugee said.

“It’s not hard work. For the Red-Clothed Sect and for our homeland, it’s all worth it, no matter how hard or tiring it is,” Guan Chunping said.

"Sir, I heard that the leader has gone out on an inspection tour," the young refugee said.

"Yes, the leader went on this inspection tour to see how the refugees outside Red Robe City are living, and he brought a lot of food to various villages and counties," Guan Chunping said.

The leader has been away on inspection for more than ten days, and it is unknown when he will return.

"The cult leader is such a good person. If it weren't for him, we would have starved to death long ago," the young refugee said.

“Yes, our leader is merciful. We must work hard to make the Red-Clothed Sect stronger and stronger,” Guan Chunping said.

After Guan Chunping finished speaking, he turned and left the square, heading towards the Great Buddha Temple.

The Great Buddha Temple was the first place built by the Red-Clothed Sect, and the nine-story pagoda inside was the first building ordered to be constructed by Lin Hai.

During this time, Guan Chunping would stay there every night, even though the time tunnel had closed after Ye Xuehan and Nan Tian left.

But Guan Chunping was still unwilling to give up.

"Senior Brother Guan, has the leader not returned yet?" The one who asked was the second senior brother of the Red-Clothed Sect.

"The cult leader has not yet returned," Guan Chunping said.

"Senior Brother Guan, you've been guarding this place every day. Has there been any movement in the space-time tunnel? Has it been completely closed? I wonder if the sect leader has made any progress?"

As he spoke, the second senior brother looked at the time tunnel in front of him.

The time tunnel was completely dark and silent.

"There's no movement, so it must be completely shut down," Guan Chunping said.

"Senior Brother Guan, do you think the sect leader and the others might be in some danger?" the second senior brother suddenly asked.

"No, the sect leader is highly skilled and has Tang Clan swordsmen protecting him in secret. He will be fine," Guan Chunping said.

"Senior Brother, do you think the Tang Dynasty will be the ruler of the world?" the Second Senior Brother asked.

"Don't overthink it. The leader must have his reasons for asking us to join the Tang Clan."

"Yes, I believe in the leader." The second senior brother nodded.

The two chatted for a while longer before going their separate ways.

Guan Chunping stood in front of the nine-story pagoda, looking up at the dark time tunnel, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.

He believed in the Red-Clothed Cult Leader's strength, but the world is vast and full of wonders; who knew what dangers he might encounter?

Guan Chunping sighed and turned to leave the nine-story pagoda.

Within the Red-Clothed Cult, although most people are diligently cultivating, there are also some with ulterior motives.

These people secretly colluded, wanting to overthrow Lin Hai and take control of the Red-Clothed Sect themselves.

Although Lin Hai knew of their existence, he had not taken any action to eliminate them.

He knew that although these people harbored ill intentions, they also possessed considerable strength, and if he acted rashly, it might cause internal strife within the Red-Clothed Sect.

What Lin Hai wanted was stability and the strength of the Red-Clothed Sect, not a temporary victory.

Therefore, he had been secretly observing these people, waiting for the right opportunity.

At that moment, Lin Hai was chatting with some refugees in a village outside Red Robe City.

"Master Lin, you are such a kind person. If it weren't for you, we would have starved to death long ago," an old refugee said gratefully.

"Grandpa, you flatter me. This is what I should do," Lin Hai said with a smile.

“Master Lin, you must be careful on your inspection tour this time. There are many bad people outside,” another refugee said.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Lin Hai said.

After chatting with the villagers for a while, Lin Hai left the village and continued his patrol to the next location.

He knew that although the Red-Clothed Cult was becoming increasingly powerful, it also had many hidden dangers.

He must be careful to ensure the stability and development of the Red-Clothed Cult.

Meanwhile, a major event was taking place in Red City.

Some treacherous Red-Clothed Cult members launched a rebellion while Lin Hai was on an inspection tour.

They secretly contacted some people, preparing to overthrow Lin Hai and take control of the Red-Clothed Cult in one fell swoop.

However, their plan was leaked beforehand.

Guan Chunping had these people arrested and imprisoned ahead of time.