Before Shen Tang arrived, the tent was buzzing with chatter.
The Mohists who had woken up still hadn't figured out what had changed about them. They clustered around Bei Jiu, asking her for guidance. Qi Yuanliang had ordered Bei Jiu as soon as he discovered she could cultivate: she wasn't to mention it to outsiders until their lord had met with her in person.
Bei Jiu cautiously asked Qi Shan for clarification.
[Could you tell me... who counts as an outsider?]
Qi Shan replied, [Anyone the lord doesn't trust is an outsider.]
To Bei Jiu, this automatically translated as, "Anyone Lord Shen hasn't personally acknowledged is an outsider." She bit her lip and hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she still didn't tell the Mohists from her sect who had come to seek refuge. It wasn't until she met Shen Tang that Bei Jiu confessed her mistake of "abusing her authority for personal gain." Their lord graciously forgave her and, at the same time, acknowledged the fifty-five Mohists from her sect.
Naturally, Bei Jiu no longer needed to keep it a secret.
The Mohists from her sect who had awakened had the same "qi." As Bei Jiu reassured them, she also made sure to add that their changes were connected to their lord. These Mohists weren't the scheming sort; if they'd been that way, they never would've been content to remain Mohists. They immediately raised Shen Tang to the rank of Mohist Grand Master. If they hadn't been hungry, they would've gone to seek an audience with her right then and there.
Bei Jiu sent someone to prepare food, then hurried to share her own accumulated experience with everyone, sparing no detail. She was every inch the accomplished teacher.
Everyone listened, enthralled, including the Mohists who didn't