Time flashed by, and the people of the Tianxing Sword Sect had already been stationed for three days.

In these three days, besides having people send large amounts of Hansoul Grass in batches, Shen Tang was so busy that her wheelchair didn’t touch the ground, with no time to interact with Lu Xingzhou again. Allocating housing, dividing halls, arranging instruments, urging disciples to practice — a seemingly falling apart Sword Sect remnant visibly restored some semblance of order under her management within three days.

Lu Xingzhou leisurely refined pills, made talismans, and cultivated, his feet never leaving the house.

What was strange was that the Hansoul Grass he used for refining pills was not the large amount Shen Tang had specially obtained. The Hansoul Grass was piled up like a mountain in the warehouse, completely untouched.

A Nuo returned from inventorying the warehouse and said happily, “Sister Shen Tang’s feedback is very sincere ah, so much Hansoul Grass… There weren’t many places that planted this stuff originally, this is probably buying up almost all of Summer State’s.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly, “The more effort she puts in, the more she will get in return.”

A Nuo turned her head to lean on the window, propping her chin as she looked at the sight of sword energy soaring into the sky on the distant square, like a martial arts demonstration, and sighed with admiration, “Other people’s sword energy comes from various peaks, the sound alone is enough to make people yearn. Squeezing into the martial arts field here is exactly like a small martial arts hall.”

“Some remnants may not just be a small martial arts hall.”

“But there are some very strong ones among them, right?” A Nuo said hesitantly, “These past few days I’ve seen several people, their auras are very powerful, some are even fifth grade. If they surround me and attack, even I might not be able to withstand it.”

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her, and A Nuo realized her slip of the tongue, closing her mouth and not speaking.

Lu Xingzhou, however, only said lightly, “Have you not thought, these people are so strong, yet Shen Tang looks weak and broken, why don’t these people directly capture her and force her to reveal the imperial merchant channels, instead wanting to gamble with her?”

A Nuo thought for a bit, “Could it be because she’s stronger?”

“Um… We know how to conceal our aura, others naturally can too, it’s not a rare thing. Shen Tang is inconvenienced because of her broken leg, otherwise her strength should surpass others by quite a lot. Even now she can protect herself. Adding to that, there are still people loyal to her, those with ulterior motives naturally don’t dare to act rashly.”

Lu Xingzhou paused here, then showed a trace of a smile again, “Additionally, she still has one point in common with me.”

A Nuo: “Ah?”

“She is the same as me, standing on the surface, but in reality, the true trump card is the people around her.”

A Nuo puffed out her non-existent chest.

No one would fundamentally think that, solely in terms of fighting ability, a disciple’s child is actually more capable in a fight than the master.

“Master means, that white-haired sister is actually more powerful than Sister Shen Tang?”

“Um… It’s fundamentally impossible for her to be a maidservant. No matter what kind of cultivation method, one that can cultivate a person to have white hair and blue eyes is certainly not something a low-level cultivator can do, it can only be a certain type of method cultivated to a profound extent. At least with that play in the Danxia Gang, Qing Li was peeking, yet even you didn’t detect her. Therefore, with Shen Tang’s broken leg, Qing Li is very likely stronger than her.”

A Nuo’s puffed-out chest suddenly collapsed.

According to this, that white-haired sister might be stronger than A Nuo…

They all chatted with Shen Tang and Qing Li for only a few sentences, how could Master judge so much…

“Then the problem comes…” Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly, “Now Qing Li isn’t here, just Shen Tang alone is just enough to gamble with others. If Shen Tang adds Qing Li, that would suppress the whole field, where exactly did these people get the courage to still dare to plot against her? Adding to that, Qing Li’s style isn’t right…”

A Nuo became a bit smarter, “Master means, Qing Li is not a person of the Tianxing Sword Sect, those people fundamentally don’t understand Qing Li’s strength. So that’s why Master felt it was strange before.”

Lu Xingzhou was old and pleased, “Finally grew a brain.”

A Nuo pouted a bit, not wanting to speak too much.

She knew Master was always trying to teach her to think more, in order to stand on her own in the future. But A Nuo didn’t want to stand on her own, that meant she would have to leave Master.

If A Nuo left, Master would be alone sitting in the wheelchair, what would he do ah…

Just thinking about that scene made her sad.

Anyway, A Nuo is still small now, leaving Master is still early, why think about things so far away ah…

While master and disciple were talking, Lu Xingzhou’s newly refined pills came out of the furnace. He collected the new pills and counted them together with the two he had refined previously, laughing, “Enough, let’s go out and patrol our territory.”

A Nuo happily pushed the wheelchair and dashed wildly outside, these days refining pills cooped up in the room probably made her feel bad.

At this time, in the main hall council hall of the Tianxing Sword Sect… no, the Shen Family Merchant, someone was just causing trouble for Shen Tang: “Young Sect Master, you said coming to Summer State could hire a pill master to refine pills and stabilize things, we believed you. The result is that less than a day after arriving, the pill master was poached away. Poached away is fine, yet you neither captured the traitor to establish authority nor hired others…”

Another person continued, “Elder Sun said that day that this was a performance of Young Sect Master’s lack of ability in handling affairs and slow response. You all still helped her speak, saying something about having new ideas, saying it’s better to try first. Now what? How far have you tried?”

The idea Lu Xingzhou taught to Shen Tang, on that day, convinced many elders and officers of the Tianxing Sword Sect. They all thought it was worth trying, pushing back some doubts. In these past three days, the people of the Tianxing Sword Sect hurried about and made a batch of characteristic sword talismans. Carrying them for a long time could slowly help purify and expel pill poison. They originally thought they could sell out quickly, but reality was very harsh.

The people of Summer State fundamentally didn’t feel they needed this consumption. They sold for a whole day everywhere, and thousands of talismans only sold a pitiful three or five pieces.

“We don’t discriminate against Young Master being broken-legged and disabled now, we still respect you as master and hope for an early recovery. But the Tianxing Sword Sect is already lingering on in a dying state, it cannot be led by a sect master with no ability to handle affairs, otherwise it will perish in the world sooner or later. Young Master, can you understand our meaning?”

Lu Xingzhou, master and disciple, leisurely swayed past outside. Although the distance was quite far, the voices inside still reached their ears, sentence by sentence.

A Nuo complained in a low voice, “The orderly atmosphere that this broken sect fully restored in these past few days might all be Sister Shen’s effort, pushing the wheelchair everywhere she goes, it makes my heart ache to see. Yet I haven’t seen these people do anything, and they still have the face to say she lacks ability.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled without speaking, only choosing a spot on the ground and commanding A Nuo to dig a pit and bury the newly refined pills.

Inside, Shen Tang coldly looked at the few people who were speaking and causing trouble, laughing coldly in her heart.

When Bai Chi arrived in Summer State and the news was leaked and he was dug away, she knew there must be internal people causing trouble. This internal traitor is not rebellious in nature, but very obviously wants to seize power and trip up her, the sect master. There should be quite a few such people, but Shen Tang couldn’t root them out one by one.

Before, she didn’t go to capture Bai Chi, nor did she successfully dig up a new pill master to replace him. Many people had already jumped out, but this judgment was not accurate enough. Some people on the surface helped her speak, but in reality, did they want her to lose face even more and be completely unable to turn over? Some people seemed to criticize, but in reality, were they instead truly thinking for the sect?

So these past few days, she was busy with internal affairs and distributed the duties of making and selling sword talismans, just wanting to see how they would do. Whether the sword talismans sold and opened up the situation is another matter. Who is earnest and who is perfunctory, this performance is what she wanted to observe.

What everyone is thinking, you don’t look at how they speak, you only need to look at what they do.

Observing these past few days, it turns out that one-third of the original high-level officials of the Sword Sect actually don’t hope she becomes the sect master.

It was a bit more than she originally imagined, but not beyond the range of understanding.

Just as she was observing coldly, someone else said, “Additionally, Lu Xingzhou is just a pill master, what kind of good idea can he come up with for the sect to develop and stabilize? Young Sect Master actually listens to this young person with no hair on his mouth, it’s really laughable. It couldn’t be that she saw he looked good…”

Shen Tang, who had always been cold and unresponsive to all attacks, finally opened her mouth at this moment, “Although Lu Xingzhou put forward an idea, whether to adopt it or not is our collective decision, what does it have to do with him? Shifting the blame to others upon facing a slight setback, is this Elder Sun’s responsibility as a sword guest?”

Outside, Lu Xingzhou was just setting up the array. Hearing the words, he lifted his head, his eyes a bit dazed.

That Elder Sun laughed coldly, “Are you protecting him? Fine, since we’re talking about responsibility, where is Young Sect Master’s responsibility as a sword guest for messing up these recent matters?”

Shen Tang said coldly, “You all criticize this seat for not being proficient in affairs, but I feel that it is you all who are not proficient in affairs, even something as simple as selling district sword talismans hasn’t opened up the situation.”

This time, not only Elder Sun, but several other opposition parties collectively laughed in anger, “Does Sect Master know what she’s saying? Simple? Do you want Sect Master to try it herself?”

“You won’t admit it?” Shen Tang said lightly, “Then how about we set an agreement? This matter will be personally handled by this seat. If the situation doesn’t open up, then I will abdicate. Conversely, if the situation opens up, then who should abdicate?”

As soon as these words came out, the hall was startled, and then some people were wild with joy.

Saying these words in front of all the sect’s high-level officials, she fundamentally couldn’t regret it, there was no turning back. This woman is after all young, she actually can’t stand provocation like this!

That Elder Sun immediately said, “If Sect Master can truly open up the situation, then naturally it is we who will abdicate. But Sect Master might want to set a time, it can’t be a year or two later?”

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

“A word once spoken…”

“Cannot be chased back by four horses.”

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

Shen Tang shook her head and said lightly, “There must always be something to convince the crowd, then let’s see this time. If not, I myself will not continue either.”

After finishing, she ignored the various expressions in the hall and drew her wheelchair towards the door.

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

She felt a strand of heat, present and yet not, spreading from the depths of the earth veins, going over her small leg, over her knee. Her broken leg faintly felt like it was being nourished.

Although it was very slight and not directly useful for treatment, if she remained in this state for a long time, future treatment should have several points of assurance added.

This was the special spiritual energy she felt from the Huo residence side before, why did she feel it here too?

Shen Tang suddenly pushed open the door and just saw Lu Xingzhou not far in front collecting an incantation with his hand.

Spiritual energy flowed in the void. Shen Tang could feel the lines of an array shuttling, covering the houses.

Shen Tang judged the use of this array – it stole spiritual energy from the Huo residence, and simultaneously, with Lu Xingzhou’s unique ingenuity as a pill master, it also had the effect of warming and nourishing like soaking in a hot spring.

This array attainment is very high ah… Adding to his pill refining technique, this person’s mastery of ‘technique’ far surpasses his cultivation, why is this?

“You rented the house and added money for this spiritual energy.” Lu Xingzhou saw her sizing him up and smiled very gently, “This is a deserved service.”

Shen Tang also smiled, “Since that’s the case, you put forward the idea, should you also be responsible for advising to the end?”