Chapter 11

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Unfavorable Start

Time passed quickly, and the Heavenly Sword Sect members had been settled in for three days.

Besides arranging for large quantities of Cold Dew Grass to be delivered in batches, Shen Tang had been busy moving around in her wheelchair, her feet barely touching the ground, with no time to communicate further with Lu Xingzhou. She assigned rooms, delineated halls, arranged equipment, and supervised disciples’ cultivation. A sword sect remnant, on the verge of collapsing, visibly regained some semblance of order under her management within three days.

Lu Xingzhou leisurely refined elixirs, crafted talismans, and cultivated, without leaving his residence.

Strangely, he wasn’t using the Cold Dew Grass Shen Tang had specially procured. The Cold Dew Grass piled up like a mountain in the storeroom, untouched.

Ah Nuo returned from inventorying the storeroom, giggling. “Big Sister Shen Tang’s feedback is very sincere; so much Cold Dew Grass… Not many places cultivate this stuff; she probably bought almost all of it in Xiazhou.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled faintly. “As much effort as she puts in, so much will be her reward.”

Ah Nuo turned and leaned on the window sill, resting her chin in her hands as she watched the sword qi (剑气) soaring from the training ground in the distance, sighing with a tsk-tsk. “Other people’s swords emerge from various peaks; it sounds so inspiring. Here, squeezed onto a training ground, it’s just a small martial arts school, plain and simple.”

“A few remnants, that’s exactly what a small martial arts school is.”

“But some of them are very strong, right?” Ah Nuo hesitated. “These past few days, I’ve seen several individuals with very powerful auras, even Fifth-Grade cultivators. If they surrounded someone, even I might not be able to hold them off.”

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her. Ah Nuo realized her slip of the tongue and closed her mouth.

Lu Xingzhou merely said calmly, “Have you ever considered that if these people are so strong, and Shen Tang appears so weak and broken, why don’t they just capture her and force her to reveal the imperial merchant channels, instead of trying to outmaneuver her?”

Ah Nuo thought about it. “Could it be because she’s stronger?”

“Hmm… We know how to conceal our aura, and others might too; it’s not uncommon. Shen Tang is inconvenienced by her broken leg, otherwise her strength should be considerably above theirs. Even now, she can protect herself. Plus, she has people loyal to her, so those with ill intentions wouldn’t dare to act rashly.”

Lu Xingzhou paused here, then showed a faint smile. “Also, she has one more thing that’s very much like me.”

Ah Nuo: “Huh?”

“Like me, she stands at the forefront, but her true trump card lies with the people around her.”

Ah Nuo puffed out her non-existent chest.

No one would ever think that, in terms of fighting prowess, the child disciple is actually stronger than the Master.

“Master means that white-haired Big Sister is actually stronger than Big Sister Shen Tang?”

“Hmm… She cannot possibly be a mere maidservant. Regardless of what cultivation technique she practices, training someone to the point of a white-haired, blue-eyed mutation cannot be achieved by low-level cultivators. It can only be due to cultivating a certain technique to an extremely profound level. At the very least, during that scene at the Danxia Gang, Qingli was secretly observing, yet even you couldn’t detect her. Therefore, with Shen Tang’s leg broken, Qingli is very likely stronger than her.”

Ah Nuo’s puffed-out chest suddenly deflated.

According to that, that white-haired Big Sister might be stronger than Ah Nuo…

Speaking of which, we both just spoke a few words to Shen Tang and Qingli, so how can Master deduce so much…?

“So, the question is…” Lu Xingzhou smiled faintly. “Now that Qingli isn’t present, Shen Tang alone is enough to contend with the others. If it were Shen Tang plus Qingli, they would suppress the entire scene. Where do those people get the courage to still scheme against her? Plus, Qingli’s appearance is ‘out of place’…”

Ah Nuo became a little smarter. “Master means that Qingli isn’t from the Heavenly Sword Sect, and those people don’t understand Qingli’s true strength at all. That’s why Master felt something was off before.”

Lu Xingzhou was greatly comforted. “You finally grew a brain.”

Ah Nuo pouted, not wanting to talk much.

She knew Master had always tried to teach her to think more, so she could stand on her own in the future. But Ah Nuo didn’t want to stand on her own; that meant leaving Master.

If Ah Nuo left, what would Master do, sitting alone in his wheelchair, all by himself…?

The thought of that scene made her sad.

Anyway, Ah Nuo is still young now, far from graduation. Why think about such distant things?

While the master and disciple were talking, Lu Xingzhou’s newly refined elixirs were ready. He collected the new pills and counted them with those refined over the previous two days, then chuckled. “Enough. Let’s go inspect our territory.”

Ah Nuo happily pushed the wheelchair, speeding outwards. Being cooped up refining elixirs these past few days had really stifled her.

At this moment, inside the main hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect… no, the Shen’s Business Alliance’s council chamber, someone was challenging Shen Tang: “Young Master, you said that coming to Xiazhou would allow us to hire alchemists and establish ourselves through alchemy. We believed you, but less than a day after arriving, the alchemist was poached. Poached or not, you neither apprehended the traitor to assert authority nor hired someone else…”

Another person continued, “Elder Sun said it that day: this is a sign of the Young Master’s lack of administrative ability and slow reaction. Yet you all defended her, saying that since she had new ideas, we should try them out first. And now? What has become of the ‘try-out’?”

The idea Lu Xingzhou had given Shen Tang had indeed convinced many elders and deacons of the Heavenly Sword Sect that day, who felt it was worth trying, suppressing some of the doubts. Over these three days, the Heavenly Sword Sect members worked tirelessly to produce a batch of special sword talismans (剑符), which, when carried long-term, could slowly help purify and expel elixir poison. They had thought they could quickly market them, but reality was harsh.

The Xiazhou people simply didn’t feel they needed this product. After an entire day of promotion, only a pitiful three to five out of several thousand talismans were sold.

“We do not discriminate against the Young Master’s current leg disability; we still respect you as our leader and hope for your speedy recovery. But the Heavenly Sword Sect is already barely clinging to life. It cannot be led by a sect master with no administrative ability, otherwise, it will perish from this world sooner or later. Can the Young Master understand what we mean?”

Lu Xingzhou and his disciple leisurely passed by outside. Though quite a distance separated them, snippets of voices from inside occasionally reached their ears.

Ah Nuo muttered under her breath, “The rigorous and revitalized atmosphere of this broken sect these past few days is all Big Sister Shen’s doing. She’s been everywhere in her wheelchair; I feel sorry for her. Yet I haven’t seen these people do anything, and they still have the nerve to say her administrative ability is lacking.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled without speaking. He simply chose a spot on the ground and directed Ah Nuo to dig a hole to bury the elixirs he had just refined.

Inside, Shen Tang coldly observed the few people speaking out, a sneer forming in her heart.

Bai Chi’s defection the moment he arrived in Xiazhou confirmed to her that someone internal was causing trouble. The nature of this internal agent wasn’t betrayal but a clear attempt to seize power, to trip her up as the sect master. There were likely many such people, but Shen Tang couldn’t identify each one.

Not capturing Bai Chi earlier, and not successfully recruiting a new alchemist to replace him, had already caused many people to speak out. But were some of these people, who seemed to be defending her, actually trying to make her suffer an even greater humiliation and completely lose face? And conversely, were some of those seemingly criticizing her actually genuinely thinking for the sect’s benefit?

So, these past few days, she had been busy with internal affairs, distributing the responsibilities of making and selling the sword talismans. She wanted to see how they would perform. Whether the sword talismans sold well or not was secondary; their performance was what she wanted to observe to see who was diligent and who was perfunctory.

One could tell what everyone was truly thinking not by what they said, but by what they did.

After these few days of observation, roughly a third of the former high-ranking members of the Sword Sect did not wish for her to be the Sect Master.

This was a bit more than she had originally imagined, but not beyond her understanding.

As she was observing with a cold gaze, someone else said, “Furthermore, Lu Xingzhou is just an alchemist. What kind of good ideas for sect development and establishment could he possibly come up with? It’s laughable that the Young Master actually listened to such a beardless youth. Could it be because he’s handsome…?”

Shen Tang, who had remained cold and unresponsive to all the previous attacks, finally spoke. “Lu Xingzhou merely offered an idea. Whether to adopt it was our collective decision; what does it have to do with him? To blame and resent others for a minor setback—is this Elder Sun’s responsibility as a swordsman?”

Outside, Lu Xingzhou, who was constructing a formation, looked up, his eyes slightly dazed.

Elder Sun sneered, “So you’re defending him now? Fine, since you mention responsibility, with all these messy affairs recently, where is the Young Master’s responsibility as a swordsman?”

Shen Tang said coldly, “You all criticize me for lacking administrative ability, but I believe it is you who lack it, unable to even open up the market for something as simple as sword talismans.”

This time, not just Elder Sun, but the other opponents collectively laughed in exasperation. “Does the Sect Master know what she’s saying? Simple? Does the Sect Master want to try it herself?”

“You don’t believe me?” Shen Tang said calmly. “Then how about we make an agreement? I will personally take charge of this matter. If I fail to open up the market, I will abdicate and yield my position to someone more capable. Conversely, if I succeed, then who among you should abdicate and yield their position?”

At these words, a chilling silence fell over the hall, followed by some individuals’ wild delight.

To say such things in front of all the sect’s high-ranking members meant there was no turning back, no retreat. This woman was young after all; she couldn’t stand being provoked!

Elder Sun immediately said, “If the Sect Master can truly open up the market, then naturally we will abdicate and yield our positions. However, the Sect Master must set a deadline. It won’t be in a year or half a year, will it?”

Shen Tang said calmly, “You used three days. I will also use three days.”

“Once a word is spoken…”

“…a team of four horses cannot overtake it.”

A loyal elder who stood by her side stamped his foot. “Sect Master, you…”

Shen Tang shook her head, stating calmly, “There must eventually be something to gain everyone’s respect. So, let’s see with this one. If it doesn’t work, I myself cannot continue.”

Having said that, she ignored the varying expressions in the hall and pushed her wheelchair to the door.

Just as she was about to push the door open, she suddenly paused.

She felt a faint, elusive warmth emanating from deep within the earth’s meridians, spreading over her calves, over her knees. Her broken leg subtly felt nourished.

Although very faint, with no direct therapeutic use, prolonged exposure to this state should increase her chances of eventual recovery.

This was the special spiritual energy she had felt from the Huo manor before. How was she sensing it here too?

Shen Tang abruptly pushed the door open and saw Lu Xingzhou not far ahead, withdrawing a magical incantation from his hand.

Spiritual energy flowed in the void. Shen Tang could perceive the lines of a formation weaving through the air, permeating the entire manor.

Shen Tang deduced the purpose of this formation: it was used to siphon spiritual energy from the Huo manor. Additionally, it incorporated Lu Xingzhou’s unique alchemy expertise, providing an extra nourishing and warming effect, like soaking in a hot spring.

This formation mastery is very high… Combined with his alchemy, the level of ‘art’ he controls far surpasses his cultivation. Why is this so?

“You paid extra for this spiritual energy when you rented the place,” Lu Xingzhou said, seeing her observing him, his smile very gentle. “This is a deserved service.”

Shen Tang also smiled. “Since that’s the case, shouldn’t you also be responsible for advising us to the very end regarding the idea you proposed?”

– Mochinuna.