He Had Better Pray That My Lord Is in a Good Mood Today

Brocade Workshop, main hall.

Xu Fengqing sat in a grand armchair, holding a cup of tea in her hands.

Before her lay a thick stack of account books.

Farmland, shops, residences—all told, they added up to nearly half a street, all belonging to the Shen Family.

She did not covet these things; it was simply that Shen Huaishan had been kind to her, and she could not bear to watch her benefactor's life's work fall apart like this.

The door to the main hall was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Without announcement, without a knock, a young man in a green robe walked straight in.

Behind him followed two attendants, both dressed in sturdy attire with swords hanging at their waists, walking with a brisk, gusty air and exuding an aura of arrogance.

The middle-aged man had a composed face and a tall, upright figure, his long, narrow eyes sharp with a hidden glint of brilliance.

On his green robe, a small sword pattern was embroidered on the lapel; this was the mark of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion.

Xu Fengqing recognized the visitor's origin at a glance, set down her teacup, and cupped her hands in a salute.

"This gentleman, may I ask how you are addressed?"

The man did not return the salute; he did not even look at her.

He raised his hand, pressed two fingers together, and made a faint slashing motion toward a rosewood chair nearby.

Crack.

The armrest of the chair split down the middle, the cut clean and smooth, without a single splinter flying off.

Xu Fengqing's pupils constricted slightly; she recognized this technique.

The Sword Finger of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion, which projected sword qi from the fingertips to injure from a distance.

This man's sword qi was pure; he was definitely in the late stage of the Initial Realm. If it were a life-or-death battle, he would certainly be a cut above Liao Shanhai.

"I am Ji Yunhe of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion, and Shen Huaishan was my master."

The young man finally spoke, his voice neither cold nor warm. "Workshop Master Xu, I have long heard of you."

Xu Fengqing's heart sank.

It was no secret in Linchuan County that Shen Huaishan was a lay disciple of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion.

But she had not expected that after the Shen Family was wiped out, his disciples from the Cangwu Sword Pavilion would arrive so quickly.

Ji Yunhe walked to the split chair, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked down at her.

He watched Xu Fengqing and said in an unquestionable tone:

"My master came from the Cangwu Sword Pavilion. While he lived, he was a disciple of the Pavilion; now that he is dead, the property under his name should be taken over by the Pavilion."

Ji Yunhe's gaze fell upon the account books, and the corners of his mouth curled into an arc.

"Workshop Master Xu, it is time to hand over these Shen Family assets in front of you."

Xu Fengqing did not change her expression as she asked, "If Master Ji says to take them over, there must be some proof, right?"

Ji Yunhe smiled, but there was not a hint of warmth in his eyes.

"Proof?"

He reached out his hand, and an attendant immediately handed him a scroll of documents.

"According to the rules of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion, if a lay disciple dies without heirs, the property under their name is reclaimed by the sect."

"If Workshop Master Xu wishes to see it, feel free to take this copy."

Xu Fengqing glanced at it and sneered coldly:

"The rules of the Cangwu Sword Pavilion? I'm sorry, but if this document does not bear the official seal of the Great Gan, I do not recognize it here."

Ji Yunhe's face darkened, and his tone became aggressive.

"Whether you recognize it or not, the Shen Family's property can only be managed by the Cangwu Sword Pavilion."

"Workshop Master Xu has managed the Brocade Workshop for many years; I shouldn't need to explain to you how the Cangwu Sword Pavilion operates."

A look of annoyance appeared on Xu Fengqing's face, and she remained silent.

Ji Yunhe smiled triumphantly, a look of intrigue flashing in his eyes.

"By the way, there is one more thing I need Workshop Master Xu to cooperate with."

"I examined the bodies of the Shen family members; the entire family was indeed killed by demons, but the body of Shen Yulou is different."

"There are clear spiritual power puncture wounds on Shen Yulou's body, and his bones are shattered in many places; he was killed by a person."

"I also found out that the person who killed Shen Yulou was the Demon Suppression Captain of the Linchuan County Garrison Station, Lu Yuan."

"Workshop Master Xu should know about this, right?"

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Xu Fengqing's eyes were calm as she picked up her teacup and gently blew away the foam.

"And what if I do? Could it be that Master Ji wants to avenge Shen Yulou?"

Ji Yunhe's gaze turned cold.

"Shen Yulou is my junior brother, and he is the only blood relative of my master."

"Cangwu Sword Pavilion has no say in Lu Yuan killing demons, but he severed the Shen Family bloodline, and there must be an accounting for this matter."

Xu Fengqing took a sip of tea, her tone indifferent: "An accounting? What kind of accounting does Mr. Ji want? To go to the Garrison Station to argue with Lu Yuan? Or to file a complaint at the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division?"

Ji Yunhe snorted, his voice filled with disdain: "Does a mere Demon Suppression Captain deserve for me to file a complaint? I will naturally settle the score with him for killing Shen Yulou, but not right now."

He took two steps forward, looking down at Xu Fengqing from above, his voice low.

"Owner Xu, my master did you a favor. Now that he is dead, I wonder if you still acknowledge this debt of gratitude?"

Xu Fengqing set down her teacup. "Oh? And what do you want?"

"I want the details on Lu Yuan."

Ji Yunhe said in a calm voice: "His cultivation, his techniques, his weaknesses, his habits, what time he leaves every day, where he goes, how many people are by his side—I want to know everything clearly."

"He is a Demon Suppression Captain, so I cannot touch him openly, but in the shadows, I have a hundred ways to kill him."

He straightened up, scanned the surroundings of the main hall, and his tone returned to that unhurried composure.

"From today on, Owner Xu will stay in the Brocade Workshop and go nowhere else."

"I will send men to guard the door until you have finished handing over the Shen Family's assets and have revealed the details on Lu Yuan."

"Before that, you are not allowed to step a single inch outside the gates of the Brocade Workshop."

Having said that, he turned, but after taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped and tilted his head.

"By the way, don't even think about tipping off Lu Yuan."

"If you tell him, he might not believe you, and even if he does believe you, he might not dare to move against me."

As his voice faded, he strode out of the main hall.

Two attendants followed closely behind, and the door closed behind them with a dull thud.

The main hall returned to silence.

Xu Fengqing sat in the armchair, silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

There was no bitterness or fear in her smile, only naked mockery.

"Cangwu Sword Pavilion? If they are here to handle Uncle Shen's funeral arrangements, why would they send such a reckless fool who doesn't know his place?"

She rose and walked toward the screen in the corner; behind it was the archive room of the Brocade Workshop, where intelligence files from previous years were stored.

At this moment, the door to the archive room was half-open, and a figure was sitting inside.

"Lord Su." Xu Fengqing bowed toward the room. "I trust you heard what that Mr. Ji just said."

"Heard it, heard it. His voice was so loud, as if he were afraid someone wouldn't know."

Su Ding'an walked out of the archive room lazily, clutching a few files in his hand.

He had been ordered to investigate whether White Moon Villa had any hidden assets linked to the Longevity Cult, but the intelligence from the Garrison Station was not detailed enough, so he had thought of the Brocade Workshop.

Xu Fengqing had been very forthcoming, opening the archive room for him to search through himself while she tallied the Shen Family's assets outside.

Who would have thought that just as she picked up her teacup, Ji Yunhe would barge in.

Su Ding'an leaned against the doorframe, rolled the files into a tube, and tapped them against his palm.

"Cangwu Sword Pavilion, what great prestige."

His eyes were playful: "It's one thing to plot against a Demon Suppression Captain, but to be so arrogant about it? Are they in such a hurry to lose their heads?"

Xu Fengqing smiled slightly and said nothing.

Su Ding'an tucked the files into his sleeve and sneered:

"Rest assured, Owner Xu, just stay here in peace."

"As for that Mr. Ji, he had better pray that my lord is in a good mood today..."