Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 208 Heaven Sends You Back to Help
What made Ye Tinglan feel that the empire was not completely destroyed was that Shen Tang ultimately did not stay overnight, which meant that he still had some sense of shame.

Staying at Lu Xingzhou's place in front of countless disciples, and even spending the night there, would damage the sect leader's prestige, and it might even reach Gu Zhanting's ears. No matter how reluctant Shen Tang was to leave Lu Xingzhou's embrace, she ultimately had to reluctantly leave under the cover of night.

The next day, as the sun was just rising, the disciples went to the Grand Martial Arts Arena in twos and threes to prepare for their morning lessons. Shen Tang deliberately went out for a stroll, made a brief appearance in front of everyone, said a few encouraging words, and then slipped away to Lingquan Mountain.

Upon arrival, Lu Xingzhou saw Ah Nuo having breakfast from afar. Madam Ye was sitting a little further away by the pool, seemingly more interested in the water. Lu Xingzhou brought her a plate, acting as if he were serving his master.

There were only a few fruits on the plate, which were local specialties of Xiazhou. Lu Xingzhou was saying, "I feel that you don't eat much meat, so plain wheat-based foods like steamed buns are less meaningful to you. Some fruit would be nice."

Ye Tinglan glanced at him, feeling a little touched.

Even Qingli wouldn't pay attention to such a small detail as what her master likes to eat, since it's not important to a cultivator like her. It's surprising that Lu Xingzhou could figure it out after only seeing her eat once or twice; this is the result of his keen observation and thoughtful, attentive nature.

Although it may be an essential quality for a sea king.

Thinking of the so-called "cherishing beauty," Ye Tinglan's initial reaction turned into a cold laugh, and she said indifferently, "Just leave it there."

Lu Xingzhou didn't insist and put it aside.

Then Ye Tinglan continued, "Regardless of your relationship with Shen Tang, you should still be careful to keep your distance."

Lu Xingzhou said, "We'll be careful. Tangtang didn't stay overnight at my place either..."

"What are you two noticing? There were so many disciples watching yesterday, and you two were still exchanging glances. Do you really think no one could tell?"

Lu Xingzhou said helplessly, "It's because I couldn't help it. We can't just not see each other."

Ye Tinglan's advice was genuinely well-intentioned, but unfortunately she couldn't express that she knew Shen Tang's identity, nor could she use the emperor's reaction as an excuse. She could only say, "It's best to see each other less often."

“Not to the extent that…”

Shen Tang was furious. Look at this, she's actually trying to sow discord between us. I knew this old woman had impure thoughts about Xing Zhou. Is her sixth sense accurate?
Shen Tang slid his wheelchair up to him in a flash: "Sir, you only need to teach us alchemy. Whether our sect leader and guest elders should meet is none of your business, let alone whether you can manage it. Even my parents can't control it."

"Wrong, your father really has a say in this." Ye Tinglan looked at Shen Tang with annoyance, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "Is Sect Leader Shen the kind of person who would disregard the sect's development for the sake of romantic love?"

These words weren't a test for the position of sect leader. Shen Tang had no idea, and said confidently, "The sect developed after Xingzhou and I got together, which is enough to prove that it's going to be great."

Ye Tinglan hesitated for a moment: "What about the two boats?"

“After Xingzhou came with me, his leg healed and his cultivation improved, so he is going to get much better.”

Ye Tinglan, her mind a jumble of ellipses, ate her fruit expressionlessly, glancing at the pool below, too lazy to pay any attention to Shen Tang.

If your father and brothers found out that the stunningly talented and threatening Princess Chaohuang in their eyes was actually a top-tier love-obsessed person, they probably wouldn't need to break your legs. Breaking your legs is nothing compared to being brain-dead.

Lu Xingzhou watched Shen Tang's possessive behavior, like a kitten guarding its food, with a smile. He could tell she'd misunderstood, but he only found it adorable. Only after she finished speaking did he push her wheelchair into the house, whispering in her ear, "Have you asserted your dominance yet?"

Shen Tang snorted, "I knew there was something fishy going on between you two."

Lu Xingzhou was both amused and exasperated, so he simply changed the subject: "Now that there are more people in the sect, many people will definitely be unhappy if this mountain is left empty. Let's make use of it. There's no point in deliberately leaving it. If you want to leave me a courtyard, then just leave the area by the pool at the top of the mountain. This pool really shouldn't be allowed to be explored by others. Leaving the whole mountain would be a waste."

Shen Tang smiled and said, "To leave you a courtyard, of course, we only need to designate an area. The reason we left the whole mountain is a bit intentional."

"Ok?"

"First, let's consider this a compliance test. After all, our sect is a bit of a mixed bag, and I need to see how many people will act recklessly. Secondly, it's also a form of guidance. One mountain isn't enough; we need to focus our attention on where to expand." Shen Tang laughed, "You know, we've merged with the Pill Cauldron Gang in the rear. Now we have another mountain to climb."

Lu Xingzhou didn't mention that he had already heard about it outside, but simply said, "When I came here, I looked up from above and saw that there was an extra mountain in the area covered by the great formation. I was wondering what was going on. It turns out that the sect leader's calculations were brilliant. He's been working very hard these past few months..."

Ye Tinglan got goosebumps all over her body, and her gaze fell on A Nuo with some inquiry, as if asking, "Was your master this disgusting before?"
Ah Nuo ate her steamed bun and nodded sadly.

"Of course I tried my best, but I still felt a little weak." Shen Tang happily took his hand. "I'm not weak anymore now that you're back, and it's good that someone has come up with some ideas." "The matter of relocating the prefectural seat?"

"I knew you knew what you were doing." Shen Tang was even more delighted. "I was afraid of arousing Father's suspicion. What if he thinks this place is too good for me? What if he has other ideas...? I can't talk about this with anyone else. I said a few words to Shen Qi, but all he does is drink. I was just worrying about it when you came back. Did God send you to me?"

Ye Tinglan shivered.

I sent it; otherwise, Lu Xingzhou would still be in Pei Chuyun's bed right now. So, am I your god, and you're still acting all aggressive towards me?

Lu Xingzhou said, "We need to prepare for two possibilities. First, I have already tried to get the new prefect to describe the spiritual energy situation as ordinary as possible... In fact, the spiritual energy recovery here has not yet peaked, and it can only be considered second-rate at present. If we report it based on the current situation, it will probably not provoke much of a backlash from your father. To treat a mere second-rate spiritual mountain as a major enemy is too lacking in confidence, isn't it?"

Shen Tang blinked: "How... how can you get the new prefect under your control? Because of the previous demon case, the selection of this new prefect was very careful. We have tried to get to know him in the past few months. He is very upright."

Lu Xingzhou coughed lightly: "Former official of the Pei family."

"So..." Shen Tang hesitated, "Should we praise Pei Chuyun for accepting it well?"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent. You could offer some praise if you wish.

Shen Tang really didn't want to praise this, and her happy expression turned into a pout: "You're prepared for both, but what about the other one? Which woman is it?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

She really is a woman.

Madam Ye is sitting here. While she's still here, her fighting power is at its peak. We should try to resolve things quickly and decisively, and establish our authority.

Not daring to speak directly in front of Madam Ye, he could only say, "The relocation of the prefecture will also lead to changes in the martial arts world. For example, the Dongjiang Gang used to think that they were in the heart of the prefecture and controlled the flow of resources. Now they are suddenly stuck in the county, and their geographical significance has plummeted. They will inevitably have to move to Xiazhou, which will make them directly adjacent to us. The old feud between the Dongjiang Gang and Fenxiang Tower will be repeated on us."

Shen Tang nodded and said, "I've thought about that too."

Lu Xingzhou said, "I have observed that after these past few months of changes, our status as the number one sect in Xia Prefecture has been widely accepted. The former Huo residence and the old site of the trading company have now become a commercial district. This is much greater than the pressure that Fenxianglou brought to the Dongjiang Gang back then. If they still want to claim that they are the number one power in the prefecture, they cannot bypass us, and there will inevitably be conflicts."

“Sectarian conflicts rarely escalate to the extent that the Incense Pavilion acted so recklessly towards us. The Dongjiang Gang and the Incense Pavilion have been at odds for so long, but they only ever exchanged perfunctory smiles on the outside, and there might have been some minor clashes among the disciples.” Shen Tang lowered his voice: “Now that you’re back, I feel much more confident and am intentionally provoking higher-level conflicts. What do you think?”

Ye Tinglan narrowed her eyes.

If I remember correctly, you guys were allies with the Dongjiang Gang when you attacked Fenxiang Tower. Isn't this blatant betrayal a sign of imperial power?

Lu Xingzhou gave a thumbs up: "That's exactly what we should do. Because right now they've invaded our sphere of influence, we need to confront and suppress them as the masters, and establish the impression that we are the leaders of this prefecture."

Shen Tang asked, "What should we do?"

"The Dongjiang Gang is actually a large-scale security escort agency and a small-scale canal transport gang, doing logistics and security business. If this kind of business is really big enough to be replaced at the canal transport gang level, it is difficult to replace. But the Dongjiang Gang is just a small-scale operation with no moat and can be easily replaced."

"You mean... we can just steal their business directly?"

“Of course,” Lu Xingzhou said. “We have plenty of manpower now. Before the Dongjiang Gang makes a full-scale entry, we can start this business ourselves. Once they come in, they'll be stealing our business, and we can suppress and expel them with a clear conscience. And our reason for doing this business is more justifiable than anyone else's—the original Tianxing Sword Sect operated as a royal merchant under the guise of escorting goods. Others may not know about royal merchants, but they all know that our original business was escorting goods. Now that we're stronger, who can say anything against us going back to our old profession?”

Shen Tang's eyes lit up, and he said with great interest, "By then, they will either have to swallow their anger and be gradually suppressed and eroded by us, or they will have to resort to force when they can no longer tolerate it. Once they take the initiative to use force, they will lose public opinion, and the Fenxianglou incident can be repeated."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her, then chuckled and patted his head: "Pretty ruthless."

Shen Tang snorted: "I learned it from you."

“It won’t be easy to repeat the Fenxianglou incident; it depends on the changes. They might contact our old enemies, such as the Cangshan Sword Sect and the Lingyun Sect… The situation is stronger than before, but we are stronger now as well. Moreover, we have a greater advantage than before, and the prefect is on our side… The only thing we can’t be sure of is whether unknown assassins will emerge from behind the scenes again.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Still asking for monthly votes, sob sob~
(End of this chapter)