After Zhou Xuan heard her out, he did not hesitate.
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll convene the senior leadership of both regions and formally announce that you're taking charge of the Alliance's commerce, warehousing, Contribution Value accounting, and the reconstruction of the Cloud Pavilion. All four will be under your authority."
Lin Qingzhu froze.
She had thought Zhou Xuan would, at most, let her lend a hand and help straighten out the accounts. She had never expected him to grant her full authority the moment he opened his mouth.
"But my cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Realm."
Her voice sounded a little strained as she spoke.
"Among the elders of the Fallen Sects, you could grab a whole handful of Nascent Soul cultivators, and there are even several at Spirit Transformation. How am I supposed to keep them in line?"
Zhou Xuan looked at her and gave a short reply.
"You handle the accounts."
He reached for the cup of completely cold tea on the table, took a sip, and set it down again.
"I'll handle shutting them up."
Lin Qingzhu stared for several breaths, then slowly smiled.
There was bitterness in that smile, and relief, along with a quiet confidence honed over ten years.
Qin Keqing stood beside the table, silent the whole time.
When she heard him speak of the person at his side, she could not quite describe what she felt.
She had followed Zhou Xuan through life and death for so long, never asking for any acknowledgment of her place, never begrudging it.
Yet today, when this Foundation Establishment woman who had traveled all the way from the Western Desolate Region sat down there, Qin Keqing suddenly felt as though she had been squeezed into a very delicate position.
But Qin Keqing was Qin