Chapter 520: Just Scamming Money (8/10, Autumn Subscription)

Lord Han spoke with confidence, and even Bai Xiaoya, who understood not a word of what he was saying, could feel it.

"Can this person who's talking be eaten?" Bai Xiaoya pointed at Lord Han.

"... No! Just chew on some wood for now—I'll find you something tasty later."

Fang Yue had said this to Bai Xiaoya for the umpteenth time; anyone else would've thought he was lying and walked off in annoyance.

But Bai Xiaoya was surprisingly simple-minded—she nodded half-understandingly and went back to silently gnawing on the chair.

Fang Yue glanced over and couldn't help twitching his mouth; the chair had been gnawed down to just its four legs, and even those had been stripped of their outer layer, revealing the raw wood beneath.

Fang Yue couldn't help rubbing his forehead, wishing he could just end this meeting sooner.

But the discussion wasn't over, and as a high-end combatant, he couldn't just leave.

After clearly explaining the Summon Sect Order, Lord Han cast two extra glances toward You Sisi.

In truth, this task should've been handled by the Chief Qingyi, but since You Sisi hadn't yet matured, he had taken over for her.

This matter was urgent and of great importance; he simply had no time to take You Sisi around to introduce her to the Sect Masters and Elders of the major sects.

But once this incident calmed down, he could, while thanking the sects, bring You Sisi along to establish connections with their top combatants and solidify her position.

Yes, to solidify her position.

Whether a Qingyi holds real power or has taken root in a region often depends not just on personal strength, but on how widely her relationships have spread and how deeply her network has sunk.

One hand raises clouds, the other brings rain!

Control the network, and you can effortlessly overthrow anyone who defies you—even if someone is later sent down from above, your accumulated connections will be enough to neutralize their authority, leaving them with no one to rely on and nothing to do!

Of course, Lord Han had never used these underhanded tactics on You Sisi, nor did he intend for her to target anyone.

He merely needed to teach her this principle—to prevent problems before they arose.

After all, You Sisi was a new generation he recognized; he didn't want the Qing Office to just send some random person to take her place, mess up Qingsi County, then walk away without a care.

If such a moment ever came, You Sisi could use these methods to counter the newcomer, stabilize her own position, and keep Qingsi County from descending into chaos.

Besides the Summon Sect Order, numerous other details and decisions were settled one by one.

On this major matter, the difference between Lord Han and You Sisi was clearly evident.

His seasoned, meticulous way of handling everything—arranging every detail thoroughly—was something You Sisi simply couldn't achieve even now.

She had the will, but achieving the same level of order and completeness as Lord Han was immensely difficult.

This was a matter of experience, of connections, of accumulation, of time's sedimentation—not related to You Sisi's personal ability.

All matters were temporarily settled; for any later additions or recollections, Lord Han said he would notify them separately, and thus the long meeting finally came to an end.

He looked at the sky—the morning sun had just risen.

Fang Yue stood up and caught Lord Han as he was about to leave.

"Lord Han, please save Lord Han's life!"

Naturally, there was no refusal.

After returning, Fang Yue had already confessed Lord Han's condition to Tian Erjun.

But Tian Erjun had been busy preparing Qingsi County's defenses, and since Lord Han's condition wasn't something that could be resolved in a moment, it had been put on hold.

Now that the meeting was over, it was time to save Lord Han.

He led Lord Han into the room, had him carefully examine Lord Han's condition, and watched as his brow slowly furrowed.

"A bit tricky. I studied arrays years ago—I can barely grasp the general idea. This is a complex array of three interlocking, self-sustaining layers, quite advanced indeed.

Part of it benefits Lord Han, part maintains the array's cycle, and part is harmful—it continuously extracts and refines Lord Han's essence.

But those are manageable; removing the Wood Black Tube will solve it.

The real challenge is the part of the array specifically designed to protect the Wood Black Tube and the Great Cycle. Those are the parts I must destroy."

Fang Yue nodded, half-understanding.

"So… is it hard? Is there risk? Do you need my help?"

"Risk, naturally—difficulty, within my capability. No need for your help, though I won't mind if you watch."

Hearing Lord Han's words, Fang Yue gave a forced laugh.

He'd barely understood Lord Han's clear explanation of the array—how could he possibly learn by watching?

But someone else was perfectly suited.

"Chen Qing! Chen Qing!"

"Yeah!"

He called out twice, and Chen Qing rushed in: "Ye Ge, what is it?"

Fang Yue pointed at Lord Han beside him: "Lord Han is about to act. Observe closely, learn array knowledge—ask if you don't understand, got it?"

Chen Qing's eyes lit up instantly: "That's perfect! I'll definitely assist Lord Han with the operation!"

He had deep knowledge of the occult, but fundamentally wanted to be a scientist—curiosity was the foundation of all science.

Naturally, he was also interested in arrays; he'd never learned before because no one taught him, no opportunity arose, and without foundation, just reading books was nearly impossible to penetrate.

But if someone taught him step by step, with Chen Qing's talent and dedication, he'd surely gain something.

Fang Yue felt completely at ease leaving Lord Han in the hands of Lord Han and Chen Qing.

When he stepped outside, he saw Wu Captain approaching.

Those eyes, faintly glinting with gold threads, still gave him a weird contact-lens vibe no matter how many times he saw them.

"Wu Captain…"

"I may be heading to Chunuan City soon."

What…

Fang Yue froze, then quickly recovered, falling silent.

"You're rushing too much—Qingsi County is facing a life-or-death crisis, right now we need every hand…"

"I know. I'll wait until Qingsi County gets through this crisis before I leave… The reason I came is to ask you — do you want to come with me?"

Fang Yue suddenly raised his head, glared at Captain Wu, and said with some anger: "What do you mean by that? Do you think I don't want to save An Dong'er? She's my sworn sister! She's the only family An Shenyi has left in this world! What reason would I have not to save her! And what reason would I have not to go to Chunuan City?"

Captain Wu fell silent upon hearing this, then said: "It's my fault. Earlier at the meeting, when I saw you with You Sisi… I thought you'd fallen into a land of tender feelings, forgotten about An Dong'er, forgotten the blood feud."

(End of chapter)