Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 44 If She Wasn't So Good

"Anuo, did you calculate all this? So you really can calculate?" Sheng Yuanyao rubbed Annuo's face excitedly: "Anything else? Calculate a little more?"

Anuo wanted to retreat.

If I really knew how to calculate, shouldn't your first reaction be to worry about your marriage?

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

Unfortunately, the short legs could not escape the clutches of the elder sister. An Nuo was grabbed and kneaded into a dough. He had no choice but to smile and change the subject: "Sister, you look really beautiful in this little white flower-like outfit."

"Really? Oh, who cares about that? How many more do you want?"

"Actually, there aren't that many. The incident with Master Wang's wife just now counts as one of them. The others I saw for real. I've been running around the mountains for the past few months and have seen a lot. They treated me like a child and didn't really avoid me..."

"The small Danxia Gang is really full of talented people..." Sheng Yuanyao sighed: "Remember to call me if there are such good things in the future."

Ah Nuo said hurriedly: "This time it was Master who remembered to call you."

"Very loyal." Sheng Yuanyao patted Lu Xingzhou's shoulder with satisfaction: "That Yang from the Huo family, do you want me to help you get rid of him?"

Lu Xingzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You want to send him away yourself, and you use this as a reward for me?"

"How can that be the same?" Sheng Yuanyao glared and said, "If it's just for myself, then I can just give him a perfunctory response."

"If you really want to help us... then on October 10th, during the Tianxing Sword Sect's founding ceremony, City Lord Sheng will be the honored guest to show us some respect?"

Shen Tang glanced at him and said nothing.

In fact, no one had discussed any founding ceremony, let alone such a specific date... But Lu Xingzhou must have a reason for saying that, so just listen to it.

Sheng Yuanyao's father had asked her to secretly help Shen Tang so long ago, so there was nothing much to say now. She agreed very straightforwardly: "This is as it should be. It was also His Majesty's intention to support the Tianxing Sword Sect. But Lu Xingzhou, you always have other motives in mind when doing things. Can't you just hold a ceremony as a ceremony and not make trouble? I just took office..."

Lu Xingzhou sighed, "Lord City Lord, the decision on whether to proceed or not is not mine. It all depends on what the leaders of the various factions in Xiazhou think. If everyone lives in peace, we'd all prefer to avoid any trouble. Who wants to cause trouble during their own ceremony? Honestly, I asked you to keep things under control because I hope the new City Lord can save his reputation and suppress some unnecessary trouble."

Sheng Yuanyao thought about it and nodded: "Okay. Ten days, right? I'll come."

Sheng Yuanyao said this and slipped away. After taking two steps, she turned back, grabbed Anuo's face and rubbed it a few times before leaving completely with satisfaction.

Ah Nuo: “…”

Shen Tang finally spoke loudly throughout the room, "Everyone, please return to your rooms and rest. Starting tomorrow, the Tianxing Sword Sect will be stationed in Danxia Mountain, and the elders will be responsible for the merger. I promise everyone, as long as you meet the qualifications, the method of third-grade sword cultivation will be right before your eyes."

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

"Don't forget that your main reason for inviting me as a guest official was for the development of the sect, not just to heal my leg. You now have enough manpower, and high-end combat forces are on their way here. Right now, your most important thing is to make money, and you need a lot of resources to support your people."

"Yes. You said before that we'd wait until the city lord was settled... Now that it's Sheng Yuanyao, isn't it more convenient?"

"Of course. With Sheng Yuanyao here, it won't be difficult for us to turn our previous Purification Sword Talisman business into a monopoly. This thing looks cheap and simple, and if we can really monopolize it, the business will be huge, and we can also expand to the surrounding areas later. Of course, this is not enough, we also need a real pillar industry. How about monopolizing the manufacturing of flying swords and becoming an arms dealer?"

Shen Tang was stunned. She thought Lu Xingzhou would come up with another idea that no one had ever thought of, like the purification sword talisman. Unexpectedly, he mentioned this kind of business that was everywhere in the world, which surprised her.

"Development strategies don't have to be novel, but they must be practical and tailored to local conditions. Choose the optimal solution based on local conditions and your strengths." Lu Xingzhou could clearly see what she was thinking and said seriously, "You used to be imperial merchants, with a ready supply of goods. But now that's gone, you need to choose a pillar industry that suits your strengths. For the Sword Sect, flying sword refining is a typical example."

"Secondly, in the world of cultivation, elixirs, magic weapons, talismans, flying swords, and protective gear are all considered lifeblood industries. Xiazhou, on the other hand, primarily focuses on medicinal materials and alchemy. While they have other businesses, they're not particularly strong. Not only are their quality average, but many of them are imported from other places. It's a shame we don't capture this market despite having such an advantage."

"Thirdly, Xiazhou is mountainous, and it's not just rich in medicinal herbs, but also in surrounding minerals. Of course, there's a lack of high-end materials, but it's more than enough to forge ordinary flying swords, and high-end materials can be purchased separately. Furthermore, Xiazhou is rich in underground fire, so there's a lot of alchemy. Underground fire isn't just suitable for alchemy, it can also be used to refine weapons. There's underground fire on Danxia Mountain, and it's red hot, hence the name Danxia, ​​but it has nothing to do with the Danxia landform."

"With such a unique advantage, it's unreasonable to consider new things or new ideas."

Shen Tang nodded after hearing this: "I understand... Then what should we do specifically?"

"You can easily create a sixth-grade or even fifth-grade flying sword, while most people in Xiazhou are still struggling with the lower third-grade. We don't need to compete with others for ordinary goods. We will focus on high-end customization and even auctions. Once our brand is established, the lower third-grade market will naturally recognize our brand, and we will win without competing."

"Then let's take a high-quality flying sword and auction it off to attract attention?"

"Of course it's our founding celebration. There's a lot of drama to be had during the celebration." Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, "But be careful, there will definitely be people causing trouble during this celebration, and Sheng Yuanyao won't be able to control it."

"Knowing that something was wrong, why did you have to choose this method?"

"Things are different now. You're no longer the Shen's Trading Company that was hiding a few days ago. You need to adjust your mindset of not wanting to cause trouble." Lu Xingzhou sighed, "My princess, I'm not the ruler of Danxia. You are the true ruler of Xiazhou, and who else can do it but me? Now that the emperor's attitude is a signal, if we don't seize this opportunity to suppress the Xiazhou sects in one fell swoop, we won't have such a good opportunity again when the storm subsides." Shen Tang was silent for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."

Lu Xingzhou smiled tiredly, "Okay, it's getting late, you guys should go back and rest... I'll treat my leg tonight, and I'll change your dressing tomorrow morning. This is the last time."

Shen Tang thought of the ointment that he had hung on the table before leaving the house: "Is it convenient for you to apply the ointment yourself?"

Lu Xingzhou was stunned for a moment: "I didn't apply it on my own, I had An Nuo to help me."

Shen Tang subconsciously asked, "Do you want me to come?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he felt that this seemed a bit too much. His cheeks flushed instantly and he stammered, "Well, forget it, I don't know how. An Nuo is a famous teacher and a disciple, so let An Nuo do it."

After saying this, he turned the wheelchair and slid away like the wind.

Dugu Qingli chased after him helplessly, secretly pondering the feasibility of moving the Household Registration Office here.

Anuo leaned his head out and watched the two people go away. He let out a long sigh and gripped the handle of his own wheelchair with a relaxed feeling.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou's silence, he asked cautiously, "Don't you really want her to apply the cream? I see you're itching to do it too. With Sister Shen Tang's attitude, if you use some tricks, she might actually get on you..."

Lu Xingzhou said helplessly: "Is this what a child would say?"

Ah Nuo snorted: "You are obviously a lecher. You have touched me so many times on purpose. Why are you pretending?"

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then whispered, "If she wasn't so nice, I might have some tricks up my sleeve."

An Nuo understands the meaning of stopping when it’s enough.

With that kind of experience as a child, and a background in the demonic realm, how could he be considered a true gentleman? He even dared to take advantage of Yuan Muyu, let alone others. Shen Tang was a peerless beauty, and if she didn't have some ideas, she would definitely be a eunuch. Lu Xingzhou didn't lose his third leg. But Shen Tang treated him well, so he couldn't scheme against her.

If he really spoke of love, he wouldn't dare. He had tasted it before, and it wasn't very pleasant.

What's more, before I can stand up, I don't have much other mood, so how can I play in a wheelchair?

The house ahead vaguely appeared in sight, and Lu Xingzhou finally said, "Let's not go back yet, let's go to the Huo residence."

There is no one left in the Huo residence.

When Lu Xingzhou killed the older servants in revenge earlier, there were still some young servants left, but when this major case happened, they all ran away.

The old butler Huo, who had been robbed and robbed, had completed his historical mission and died early. For several days, there was no one to manage the Huo family. No one was stupid. They searched through the boxes and cabinets to find their own indentures and burned them all. They also took away the remaining valuables.

So this time when we entered the Huo residence, it was in a mess, as if it had been robbed.

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

Most of the servants were illiterate and didn't understand the value of books. The books were heavy, so they weren't taken away. Lu Xingzhou casually pulled an old book from the shelf and glanced at it: "Oh, it's a rare and unique copy."

Ah Nuo said, "The truly valuable ones have already been taken to the capital. The ones that can still be left in the old house are not that valuable, right?"

"That's not necessarily true. The original intention of keeping the old house was to prepare for retirement and continue living there. Why move everything? The only things they would take away are the cultivation texts. These cultural items are generally unnecessary. So even if the records of this place were moved away, there might still be some ancient writings. I want to see if I can find any clues."

Anuo nodded, and when she saw Lu Xingzhou looking through the books on the surface, she closed her eyes and sensed.

——As for the so-called divination, Anuo really only knows the basics. Even if she looks at Sheng Yuanyao’s marriage palace, she can’t tell who the real owner is.

We found out that Master Wang’s wife was cheating on him through other means.

Anuo has had a talent since before he started practicing. He can receive information from the flowers and plants around him and can also communicate with them.

As his practice progressed, the scope of his talent expanded, and now it can cover most of Danxia Mountain.

There must be a secret room in the Huo residence, but no one knows where it is. However, some secret rooms have potted plants to regulate the air, which could be sensed by An Nuo.

After a while, Anuo opened his eyes: "There is a secret room, right below, the flowers in the pots are almost dying..."

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PS: It’s the fastest one ever to be listed on the first 100 leagues… Thank you all for your support, I’m ready to stick my butt out~
(End of this chapter)