Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The simple interaction initially stabilized morale. Shen Mo then changed the subject, deciding to start the investigation with the easiest place to begin—the stone lion that had just made a "great contribution".

"Alright, let's get down to business." Shen Mo's expression turned serious. "If we want to survive and revitalize the Qingyun Sect, the first step is to find a source of spiritual energy that you can cultivate with."

"Although the spiritual energy of Qingyun Mountain is thin, the founder must have had his own unique reasons for choosing to establish his sect here."

As he spoke, he strolled towards the outside of the hall, the three of them following closely behind. Upon arriving in the courtyard, Shen Mo's gaze fell upon the moss-covered, dilapidated stone lion.

"Junior Sister Xiao, Junior Brother Tie, you entered the sect earlier, do you know the origin of this stone lion?" Shen Mo asked casually. He needed more information to determine whether the stone lion had any other value besides serving as "proof".

The original owner was recruited (or rather, abducted) into the sect by Mo Yuan two years ago. His aptitude was average, barely breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining. However, when his dead master ran away, for some unknown reason, he directly appointed the third person to join the sect, the original owner Shen Mo, as the new sect leader, instead of Shi Tie or Su Xiao who joined earlier (a scapegoat?).

Su Xiao and Shi Tie exchanged a glance. Shi Tie spoke first, his tone tinged with reminiscence: "I remember... Master, oh, the former sect leader, mentioned it once when he was drunk."

"They say this stone lion was carved by our Qingyun Sect's founding patriarch from a 'spiritual' stone dug out of the back mountain when he established the sect. They say it can... can protect the sect's fortune?"

He spoke somewhat uncertainly, clearly indicating that Mo Yuan was rambling in his drunken state and not taking it seriously.

Su Xiao added, "Sect Leader, I've vaguely heard this story before. But it's been so long; the stone lion has just been sitting here, exposed to the wind and sun, and nothing miraculous has happened. Over time, everyone just treats it as an ordinary decoration."

She paused, then said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "A couple of years ago, it was very windy and rainy, and its left ear fell off. I... I secretly tried to glue it back on, but it didn't stick, and now I don't know where it rolled off to."

Shen Mo: "..."

Using glue to stick the stone lion's ears together? This junior sister is quite something.

He approached the stone lion and reached out to touch its cold, rough surface, marked by the passage of time.

The system screen automatically displayed a brief message, which was still 【A dilapidated stone lion (ancient, once nourished by the power of low-level incense offerings, with a weak connection to the sect's fortune)】. The following line 【Temporary causal attachment: Demon-slaying sword energy (weak)】 had faded to almost invisible.

"Carved by the patriarch himself...a stone with a spirit..." Shen Mo murmured to himself, his mind racing. The system's appraisal and his junior brothers and sisters' accounts matched up, indicating that this stone lion might indeed be quite old.

"System, could you scan this stone lion in more detail, especially its interior or its connection to the earth's veins?"

[Deep scanning requires spiritual energy and close contact. The current host's spiritual energy is weak, limiting the scanning range and accuracy. Would you like to attempt it?]

"Try it!" Shen Mo said without hesitation. He had to use every possible means at this point.

He pressed his palms firmly against the stone lion's back, concentrating his mind. A slight dizziness washed over him, as if his mental energy was being slowly drained away. A moment later, the information on the screen updated:

[Scan complete. The internal structure of the stone lion is ordinary, and no abnormal space or energy core was found. However, at the point where its base contacts the ground, there are extremely faint, unnatural traces of residual energy, suggesting that some kind of simple rune that once guided or gathered energy may have existed, but it has been completely erased.]

The stone lion's material has been confirmed as "Azure Vein Stone," a stone with a very slight affinity for spiritual energy, commonly found in low-level magical artifact prototypes or sect boundary markers.

Rune traces! Although they've faded, it proves that something might have really happened here! And the material of this stone itself also has some significance!

Shen Mo's spirits lifted. He squatted down and carefully examined the base of the stone lion, even ignoring the dirt and grime, brushing away the thick layer of soil and moss with his hands.

Su Xiao and Shi Tie looked at each other, puzzled as to why their sect leader was so concerned about a broken stone lion.

Sure enough, deep in the gap where the base meets the ground, Shen Mo touched some engravings that had been almost worn away by time! Although the original appearance was completely obscured, the unnatural sense of regularity was definitely not naturally formed.

"Sect Leader, what have you discovered?" Su Xiao asked curiously.

Shen Mo stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face: "It seems that what our ancestor left behind is more than we imagined. This stone lion may not be just an ornament."

His words were half true and half false, mainly to boost morale, but he did find a clue—there might have been a simple spirit-gathering or early warning array node here.

If it's here, what about other places in the sect?

"Junior Brother Tie, Junior Sister Xiao, A-Yuan," Shen Mo instructed the three, "starting today, we must thoroughly inspect every inch of Qingyun Mountain!"

"Especially those places that look a bit old, have markings, or feel different! Our ancestors may have left us treasures, but we just haven't discovered them yet!"

He needed to give his disciples a clear and hopeful goal. Finding "treasure" was surely more motivating than facing the despair of being "over a thousand spirit stones in debt," wasn't it?

"Looking for treasure?" Shi Tie's eyes lit up. Simple-minded, he immediately believed him. "Alright! Sect Leader, I'm strong enough to turn the whole place upside down!"

Although Su Xiao found it a bit far-fetched, seeing the sect leader's certainty piqued her interest: "Xiao'er understands! I will pay attention to ancient records and unusual details!"

Even Ah Yuan whispered, "I...I can also help take a closer look..."

"Alright!" Shen Mo nodded in satisfaction. "However, before that, we need to solve another more pressing problem."

He paused, noticing the sudden tension on the three men's faces, and slowly said, "We need to get some food first. We'll need the energy to search for treasure when we're full."

One sentence brought the three of them back to the cold reality. Yes, they hadn't eaten for several meals.

Shi Tie rubbed his rumbling stomach, a troubled look on his honest face: "Sect Leader, the granary... has been empty for a long time. The wild fruits that can be eaten in the back mountain have also been almost all picked by A Yuan these past few days."

An atmosphere of despair seemed to be spreading once again.

Shen Mo smiled, a smile that belonged to the transmigrator Shen Mo, a smile with a touch of roguishness and confidence.

"Who says food has to come from your own home?"

He cast his gaze down the mountain, as if piercing through the forest to see the market town called "Moss".

"Come on, let's go back to the hall first. Junior Sister Xiao, please gather up everything we have that we can currently present, no matter how broken or old it is."

"Junior Brother Tie, go see if there are any intact burlap sacks left. Ah Yuan, go look for... um, any empty boxes or wooden cases that look rather old."

Although the three did not understand why, seeing that their sect leader looked confident, they still did as instructed.

Shen Mo watched their retreating figures, his mind racing. The prerequisite for the system's newbie gift pack was finding a source of spiritual energy, which was a distant solution that couldn't address his immediate needs.

To survive and buy time, we must secure our first round of start-up capital.

Going to the market is the only option.

But going empty-handed is definitely not an option. He has to use the limited resources at his disposal to package some "value" into something.

In his past life, he was a top-notch planner, and his specialty was... packaging.

The Qingyun Sect's ancestors were once wealthy? Hmm, that's a good premise. The stone lion left by the founder is somewhat mystical? Hmm, that's a story worth telling.

As for what to sell...

His gaze fell on a pile of broken magical artifacts and blank talismans left behind by the former sect leader, Mo Yuan, in the corner of the main hall, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Perhaps it's time to let this world of cultivation see what "brand packaging" and "concept hype" really mean.