Chapter 538: The New Sword Master Takes Office and Sets Five Fires

The inauguration ceremony, the banquet begins.

Zhang Suannai's inauguration ceremony is a bit interesting; it is actually centered around a banquet, like a company's annual meeting, and they eat first, then give speeches.

The location of the banquet is in the Sword Sect's dining hall.

The Sword Sect is not like the Spirit Sect, where every mountain peak has a canteen; the Sword Sect has only one large dining hall. From the outside, it looks like a massive palace building. Inside, there are many golden nanmu pillars, so large they could be called extravagant, supporting the structure. It is filled with traditional tables and chairs, also made of expensive wood.

So, this Sword Sect, if you call it rich, that doesn't quite fit, and if you call it poor, that doesn't fit either.

Perhaps this is what it truly means to have no interest in money.

At this moment, in the center of every table sits a Spirit Power Stove, with a large iron basin pot placed on top, filled to the brim with red-oil Yuer Chicken. Inside, they have also added rehydrated dried bamboo shoots and pork intestines, with many side dishes for blanching placed nearby.

The Chen Shu family has five people, plus Brother Jiang, Brother Meng, and Brother Wuming, sitting at an eight-immortal table, eating while glancing at Zhang Suannai, who is walking around.

I have to say, the standard of the Sword Sect's chefs is still very high.

The previous braised chicken was already a masterpiece.

Chen Shu only released the technical points for Yuer Chicken a week ago, and in just one short week, they have already mastered it. The Yuer Chicken they made has a slightly different taste from the one Chen Shu makes—you can tell it wasn't made by the same person—but it is still very delicious.

And they used Sword Sect free-range chickens.

The chickens raised on Moshi Mountain are indeed extraordinary. This place is barren, high, and cold, with thin air; if these chickens didn't have some skill, they wouldn't survive. In short, the meat quality is excellent, and the meat naturally contains Spirit Power.

It has the same marvelous effect as Sword pig meat.

It is a pity that Chen Shu had eaten too much braised chicken before and is not hungry yet, so he only quietly pays attention to the movements of Sword Master Zhang.

There are quite a few people who came to attend Sword Master Zhang's inauguration ceremony. Needless to say, there are the inner and outer sect disciples of the Sword Sect, as well as local provincial and municipal officials from Jianzhou, big-shot politicians sent by the central Government and the Imperial Family to offer congratulations, and leaders of relevant enterprises and institutions that have partnerships with the Sword Sect, such as the school leaders of Ling'an Academy. The various major sects and schools of Dayi that have status have also sent people. At this moment, they are all following local customs, sitting together and eating the Yuer Chicken hotpot.

Sword Master Zhang is like a groom at a wedding scene, weaving through the tables, greeting people happily.

When meeting sect disciples, he takes the opportunity to conduct some research.

"Eat well and drink well, everyone..."

"Congratulations, Sword Master!"

"How is this Yuer Chicken?"

"Delicious! It's too delicious!"

"How does it compare to the braised chicken?"

"Wow! Is there even a comparison?"

"Let me tell you, this Yuer Chicken has diverse methods and infinite variations. You can have pure Yuer Chicken, you can add bamboo shoots, add pork intestines, add pickled vegetables, add pickled peppers to make different flavors. You can also make it drier, make it soupier, make it heavy on oil and spice, make it a clear, fresh soup, or make it sour and spicy to whet the appetite. More importantly, you can also adjust the flavor through the dipping sauce. After eating the chicken and taro, you can use the remaining soup as a hotpot to blanch vegetables; you never get tired of eating it."

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

"Is that so? Hahaha..." Sword Master Zhang laughs and asks very affably, "Then tell me, how about I replace the braised chicken with Yuer Chicken?"

"Wuwuwu, Sword Master, just for those words, I will support you to the death!"

"Eh!! No need! It's fine even if you don't support me; anyway, I'm already invincible in the world, no need, no need!"

"By the way! Sword Master!"

"Speak!"

"Although this Yuer Chicken is so good, if we eat it every day like the braised chicken, will we get tired of it in the future just like the braised chicken?"

"How is that possible!?"

Sword Master Zhang immediately widened his eyes: "My Sword Sect's Sword Dao emphasizes Sword Heart Clarity, single-mindedness, consistency from beginning to end, concentration, and a transparent state of mind. The variations of this Yuer Chicken are already a hundred times more than the braised chicken, and it's so delicious, how could you get tired of it? If you get tired of eating Yuer Chicken, how can you contemplate the Sword Dao for ten years as if it were one day? How can you be a pure person from beginning to end?"

"What you say makes sense..."

"If you still get tired of it, what does that mean?"

"It means you are not suited for practicing the sword!"

"Eh~ that's right~~"

"Many thanks for the Sword Master's guidance."

"You're welcome, you're welcome..."

Sword Master Zhang waves his hand, laughing happily, and heads to the next table.

Chen Shu watches from afar, finding it funny, and quietly lowers his voice to say to Qingqing beside him: "Sword Master Zhang is afraid he has used up all the idioms he learned in his life."

Ning Qing glances at him sideways and does not answer.

Fine! You won't talk to me!

Chen Shu immediately turns to the other side and says to Chen Banxia beside him—the moment he leans his body over and lowers his head, Chen Banxia immediately leans her ear over. After listening, she chuckles, then straightens up, stretches her neck, and glances with him toward the direction of Sword Master Zhang.

Chen Shu cannot help but punch Qingqing.

Finally, the host's voice rings out:

"Thank you to all the guests for coming to attend the inauguration ceremony of our Sword Sect's new Sword Master... Perhaps some are relatively unfamiliar with the Sword Master, perhaps some are more interested in the policy changes after the Sword Master takes office... Next, we invite the Sword Master to deliver a speech..."

"Ahem... hello, hello..."

The scene immediately becomes a bit quieter.

Most of the guests put down their chopsticks, and those who were originally talking also stopped.

Only the original Sword Sect disciples and some guests who frequently visit the Sword Sect continue to eat and drink, but they do not make any noise, lest they be thrown out.

Chen Shu faintly hears the master eating steamed buns and pickles at the next table whisper:

"Donor Wu, they are calling you..."

"Master, vegetarian food really cannot block your mouth."

Chen Shu continues to be amused.

"Ahem, I will speak briefly on a few points. Everything should be kept simple; everyone can listen while eating, no need to stop deliberately, so as not to delay everyone from tasting the delicacies." Sword Master Zhang's voice is clean and transparent, spreading throughout the venue. "First of all, thank you to all my fellow sect members; your skills were not as good as mine, which is why I was able to attain the position of Sword Master."

Chen Shu glances toward the direction where the government officials and leaders of the major sects are sitting, wanting to see their expressions, but only sees that they all have numb faces, completely lacking the exciting expressions he had imagined, and he cannot help but feel a wave of disappointment.

Well, the Sword Sect has been around for several thousand years, after all.

On the other hand, Zhang Suannai's senior brothers and sisters have dark faces.

"Next, I announce the reforms that the Sword Sect will begin after I take office, including changes to the sect rules."

Everyone could not help but become serious.

There was no helping it; no matter how young this woman was, she was one of the strongest Ninth Stage experts in the world, and the person in charge of the Sword Sect, which had been passed down for four thousand years. No matter how outrageous the habits of the Sword Sect Disciples were in their conduct, their combat power was truly solid, and the essence of all rules in this world was built upon force.

The reforms of the Sword Sect, not to mention affecting the world, would at least have no problem affecting this country and everyone present.

"First point: effective immediately, the entire Sword Sect shall abolish the regulation prohibiting white-cut chicken, and replace it with a prohibition on braised chicken! From now on, the canteen will provide tonight's Yuer Chicken as a standard, with no fewer than three flavors per week, no fewer than ten flavors per month, and at least ten hot dishes prepared per table, with at least half being various meat dishes."

As soon as the words fell, the entire canteen instantly erupted.

"Support!"

"Long live the Sword Master!"

"Wuwuwu, Master, did you see that? The Sword Sect has abolished braised chicken..."

Countless Sword Sect Disciples raised their hands high, unable to contain their excitement, some even moved to tears.

Just the first sect rule had caused such a huge commotion.

"So the Sword Master from two generations ago liked eating white-cut chicken..."

"Mm..."

"You're so cold!"

"..."

"Fine! I'm ignoring you!"

"..."

Zhang Jianzhu pressed her hands down in the air, and only after a long while did she calm everyone's emotions. She cleared her throat and continued: "Second point: abolish the sect prison regulation prohibiting fighting. From now on, everyone can fight to their heart's content in the prison."

"Support!"

"Yay!"

"I've wanted to fight in the prison for a long time!"

"Just what I wanted!"

Chen Shu stopped his chopsticks and looked at this group of people in confusion.

Is this reform also so popular? So, is there some special feeling bonus to fighting in prison?

Chen Shu could not figure it out.

He could only say that he was indeed not suited to join the Sword Sect.

"Quiet!"

"..."

"Third point: carry out an update to the sect's infrastructure. We plan to build network base stations on East Point Mountain to ensure the sect's signal and network connectivity, and implement a wireless network coverage plan in all public areas. Everyone can go online to watch videos anytime, anywhere, and videos taken after fighting can be posted online immediately. It will also be convenient for tourist friends to upload photos in time..."

"The Sword Master's reform is to my liking!"

"I swear to support the Sword Master to the death!"

"The new Sword Master is wise. Every time I come to the Sword Sect on business, the signal is so poor that my wife thinks I went to get a massage and intentionally won't video call her... It just so happens that my sister-in-law's second aunt's husband's younger brother makes routers, so I will donate one hundred routers as a congratulatory gift to the new Sword Master!"

Chen Shu scratched his head, his expression becoming increasingly dull.

"Fourth point: from now on, all Sword Sect Disciples, no matter where they are, are forbidden from swearing oaths in the name of the Sword Master!"

"..."

The scene was silent.

"Fifth point: no one is allowed to use this Sword Master's voice as a Mobile Phone ringtone anymore."

"..."

The scene became even quieter.

Zhang Jianzhu's last two decisions did not seem to have the support of the sect's vast number of disciples, and compared to the first three decisions, this was even more obvious.

Fortunately, the Sword Sect had never been a sect that reasoned; it valued the sharpness of Sword Qi and subduing others with force.

Overall, Zhang Jianzhu was still very popular.

The implementation of the reforms was also very smooth.

"That..."

Chen Shu turned his head to look at the group members, as well as the group members at the table next to them: "We aren't Sword Sect Disciples, so we shouldn't be bound by this, right?"

"Naturally... we aren't bound by it, right?"

"I think so too."

"Mm-hmm..."

"Anyway, she can't beat us by herself."

"Makes sense."

Everyone reached a consensus very easily.

That night, on the small square of the main peak of Moshi Mountain.

The Sword God Statue stood in the center of the square; it was modeled after his appearance in his youth, a man with a cold and handsome face.

The little cat-girl walked along the edge of the square. The square had no guardrails, and below it was a cliff thousands of meters high. Yet, maintaining her cat-like nature, she just loved walking back and forth in such particularly dangerous places, stopping from time to time to look up at the Sword Sect Disciples who were fighting because they were in such a good mood.

Xiaoxiao and Chen Banxia sat cross-legged beside her, their heads held high, looking at the incomparably brilliant starry sky above, appearing as if they were lost in thought.

The little girl withdrew her gaze and turned to look the other way.

Those people stood casually under the statue; some had their hands in their pockets, some had their arms crossed, some were pacing back and forth out of boredom, some were swinging their legs, and some were looking down, rubbing the soles of their shoes against the ground, blowing in the night wind, looking exactly like a group of street loafers.

"It's so cold here at night."

"Sword Sect Disciples are also bitter cultivators."

"That bunch of fools doesn't care about these things anyway."

"The wind is also strong..."

"This Daoist's hairstyle has been blown into a mess..."

"But it's so quiet."

"Quiet my ass, it's all just the sound of the wind."

"The sound of the wind is exactly what makes it seem quiet."

"The stars are pretty."

"That counts as one advantage..."

A jumble of voices echoed in the night sky, blown by the wind into the little girl's ears, accompanied by wailing sounds, until they could no longer be heard clearly.

The little girl withdrew her gaze and continued to look at the stars.

The stars here are truly so brilliant.