Chapter 44: If She Weren't So Good

"Did you calculate all this, A Nuo? So you really can calculate?" Sheng Yuanyao excitedly rubbed A Nuo's cheeks: "Is there more? Calculate a bit more?"

A Nuo wanted to retreat.

If I really could calculate, shouldn't your first reaction be to struggle over that marriage matter?

So you just don't believe that one thing, but believe everything else?

Unfortunately, the short legs couldn't escape the big sister's evil hand; A Nuo was grabbed and kneaded into a ball of dough. Helplessly, he forced a smile and changed the subject: "Sister, your outfit, looking like a little white flower, is truly beautiful."

"Is it? Oh, who cares about that? Calculate a few more?"

"Actually, there aren't that many. The matter of Master Wang's wife just now was calculated; the rest I truly saw. For the past few months, I ran all over the mountain and saw a lot. They treat me as a child, so they don't avoid me much..."

"Little Danxia Sect, truly full of talents..." Sheng Yuanyao sighed deeply: "Remember to call me if there's such good fortune in the future."

A Nuo hurriedly said: "This time it was Master who remembered to invite you."

"Loyal enough." Sheng Yuanyao satisfiedly patted Lu Xingzhou's shoulder: "That Yang from the Huo family, what was his name? Do you want me to help you get rid of him?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed helplessly: "You want to get rid of him yourself, and use this to reward me?"

"How can that be the same?" Sheng Yuanyao glared: "If it were just for myself, then I could just perfunctorily deal with him."

"If you really want to help us... then on October 10th, the Tianxing Sword Sect's founding ceremony, will City Lord Sheng come as a distinguished guest to lend support?"

Shen Tang glanced at him and said nothing.

Actually, everyone had never discussed any founding ceremony, let alone such a specific date... but Lu Xingzhou must have his reasons for saying this, so just listen.

Sheng Yuanyao's father had called on her to secretly assist Shen Tang so long ago; now there was nothing more to say. She agreed very straightforwardly: "This is naturally what should be done. Supporting the Tianxing Sword Sect is also Your Majesty's will. However, Lu Xingzhou, you always hide other purposes in your actions. Can you just hold a ceremony without causing trouble? I just took office..."

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "City Lord, whether we cause trouble or not, the decision doesn't lie with me, but with how the leaders of the various forces in Xiazhou think. If everyone gets along, we would naturally be happy to have fewer incidents; who wants more trouble at their own grand ceremony? To be honest, inviting you to hold the fort is also hoping that the new City Lord's face can suppress some things that shouldn't happen."

Sheng Yuanyao thought for a moment and nodded: "Fine. The tenth, right? I will come."

Sheng Yuanyao dropped that sentence and slipped away. After walking two steps, she turned back, grabbed A Nuo's face, and rubbed it a few times before completely vanishing with satisfaction.

A Nuo: "..."

Shen Tang's voice finally reached the entire crowd: "Everyone, please return to your rooms to rest first. Starting tomorrow, the Tianxing Sword Sect will move into Danxia Mountain. Elders will be responsible for the merger matters. I, the Sect Master, promise everyone that as long as your aptitude meets the requirements, the third-grade sword cultivation method is right before your eyes."

The crowd in the square dispersed amidst their private whispers. Shen Tang's gaze finally fell on Lu Xingzhou's face: "What is the meaning behind this ceremony?"

"Don't forget that the main purpose of inviting me as a guest elder is sect development, not just treating the leg. And now you have enough personnel, and high-end combat power is on the way here. What is most important for you now is making money; you need massive resources to support your people."

"Yes. You previously said to wait until the City Lord was settled... now that it is Sheng Yuanyao, is it more convenient?"

"Of course. With Sheng Yuanyao here, it won't be difficult for us to turn the previous purification sword talisman business into a monopoly. This thing looks cheap and simple, but if we can truly monopolize it, the business will be huge. Afterwards, we can expand it to surrounding areas. Of course, this isn't enough; we still need a real pillar industry. What do you say to monopolizing flying sword manufacturing and becoming an arms dealer?"

Shen Tang was stunned. She thought Lu Xingzhou would come up with another idea that no one had thought of, like the purification sword talisman, but instead he proposed a business that existed everywhere in this world, which surprised her greatly.

"Development strategies don't have to be novel, but they must be practical and adapt to local conditions. Choose the optimal solution based on local circumstances and your strengths." Lu Xingzhou naturally saw what she was thinking and said seriously: "You used to be imperial merchants; your supply sources were ready-made. Now that they are gone, you need to choose an industrial pillar that fits your strengths. For a sword sect, flying sword forging is a typical example; that is the first point."

"Second, in the world of cultivation, pills, magical treasures, talismans, flying swords, and defensive gear all count as lifeline industries. And in this place, Xiazhou, the main industries are medicinal herbs and alchemy. Other projects exist but are not particularly well-handled; the quality is average, not to mention many are imported from other places to sell. We have such advantages yet do not occupy this market; that would be a pity."

"Third, Xiazhou has many mountains. It is not just rich in medicinal herbs; actually, the outer mining resources are quite abundant. Of course, it lacks high-end materials, but it is sufficient to supply the forging needs of ordinary flying swords; high-end materials can be purchased separately. Moreover, Xiazhou has many earth fires, so alchemy is common. Earth fire is not only suitable for alchemy; it can also refine artifacts. There is earth fire on Danxia Mountain; the earth fire is red and hot, appearing outwardly, hence the name Danxia, which has little to do with Danxia landforms."

"With such unique natural advantages, considering new gadgets or new ideas would be unreasonable."

Shen Tang nodded in understanding: "I am taught... so how exactly do we proceed?"

"You can easily produce sixth-grade or even fifth-grade flying swords, while most people in Xiazhou are still struggling with the lower three grades. On the surface, we don't need to compete with others for those ordinary goods; we focus on high-end customization, even auctions. Once the brand is established, the market for the lower three grades will naturally recognize our brand, winning without fighting."

"Then let's take a high-grade flying sword out to auction and grab attention?"

"Of course, it will be at our founding celebration; there will be plenty of drama at the celebration." Lu Xingzhou said leisurely: "However, note that someone will definitely cause trouble at this celebration; Sheng Yuanyao cannot suppress it."

"Knowing there will be trouble, why must we choose this method?"

"Times have changed; you are no longer the Shen merchant house hiding and dodging from a few days ago. This mindset of not wanting to stir up trouble needs to be adjusted." Lu Xingzhou sighed: "My Princess, I am not the one reigning over Danxia; you are the one truly reigning over Xiazhou, with no one else to take the throne. Now, with the Emperor's attitude serving as a token of authority, if we don't take the opportunity to crush the Xiazhou Sects in one blow, when the wind dies down, there won't be such a good opportunity again."

Shen Tang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Understood."

Lu Xingzhou smiled wearily: "Alright, it's getting late. You all go back and rest... I will treat my own leg tonight, and go change your dressing tomorrow morning. It will be the last time."

Shen Tang remembered the ointment drying on the table before she left: "Is it convenient for you to apply the medicine yourself?"

Lu Xingzhou was stunned: "How could I apply it myself? I have A Nuo to assist me."

Shen Tang instinctively asked: "Do you want me to come?"

The words had just left her mouth when she felt it was a bit too much. Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she stammered: "Um, never mind, I don't know how. A Nuo is a disciple of a famous master; let A Nuo do it."

After speaking, she spun her wheelchair and fled like the wind.

Dugu Qingli helplessly chased after her, once again secretly pondering the feasibility of moving the Household Administration Bureau over here.

A Nuo poked his head out to watch the two leave, sighed deeply, and with a heart full of relief, grabbed the handle of his own wheelchair.

Watching Lu Xingzhou's somewhat silent demeanor all the way, he asked carefully: "Won't you really let her apply it? I see you're itching for it too. With Sister Shen Tang's attitude, if you use some tactics, maybe you'll really roll into bed..."

Lu Xingzhou said helplessly: "Is this something a child should say?"

A Nuo humphed: "You are obviously lecherous. How many times have you deliberately touched her? What are you pretending for?"

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "If she weren't so good, I might use some tactics."

He stopped there; A Nuo understood.

Given his experiences since childhood and his origin in the Demonic Path, there were no true gentlemen. He had even dared to eat Yuan Muyu's tofu, let alone others. Shen Tang was a peerless beauty; to say he had no thoughts would mean he was a eunuch. Lu Xingzhou's legs were not the only ones broken. But Shen Tang treated him very well, so he couldn't bring himself to scheme against her.

If we really talk about the matter of love, he dared not. He had tasted the flavor of this thing, and it wasn't very good.

Moreover, before he could stand up, he didn't have much other mood. How does one play wheelchair play?

The houses ahead appeared vaguely in his sight. Lu Xingzhou finally said: "Let's not go back yet; let's go to the Huo residence."

The Huo residence was already empty.

Earlier, when Lu Xingzhou took revenge and killed the older servants, some young servants remained, but after this major case broke out, they truly all ran away.

The old Huo butler, who had been kidnapped back and forth, had completed his historical mission and died long ago. For several days, the Huo residence had no one in charge. No one was a fool; they rummaged through boxes and drawers, found their own indenture contracts, and burned them all, taking away the remaining valuable goods along the way.

So, upon entering the Huo residence this time, everything was in a mess, as if it had been robbed.

Lu Xingzhou naturally didn't care about these things. A Nuo pushed him straight into the main house to see if there were any scriptures to consult.

Most of the servants were illiterate and didn't understand the value of books; books were also heavy in large quantities, so these things were not stolen. Lu Xingzhou casually pulled an old book from the shelf and glanced at it: "Heh, it's still a rare treasure."

A Nuo said, "Anything truly valuable was taken to the capital long ago; what remains in the old manor probably isn't worth much, is it?"

"Not necessarily. We kept the old manor specifically prepared for retirement and continued residence; why move everything? Only cultivation-related texts would be taken; these cultural show-off items generally need not be moved. So even if records concerning the terrain's layout were taken, some predecessors' casual essays might still remain. I want to see if I can find any trace."

A Nuo nodded. Seeing Lu Xingzhou flipping through the visible books, she closed her eyes to perceive.

— As for divination, A Nuo truly only knew the barest rudiments; even looking at Sheng Yuanyao's spouse palace, she could not tell who the true partner was.

Hall Master Wang's wife was cheating; that was known through other means.

Since before she began cultivation, A Nuo possessed a talent: she could receive information transmitted by surrounding flowers and plants and even communicate with them.

As her cultivation increased day by day, her talent's range expanded further; now it could cover most of Danxia Mountain.

The Huo residence certainly contained a secret chamber; no one knew where. But certain secret chambers would have flowers and potted plants planted to regulate the air, which might then be perceived by A Nuo.

After a moment, A Nuo opened her eyes: "There is a secret chamber, right beneath here. The flowers in the potted plants are nearly dead..."

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PS: Before going on sale, we hit a hundred alliances; this is the fastest I've ever achieved... Thank you all for your strong support; my backside is ready~

(End of this chapter)