A New Plan

The room was silent.

Upon hearing this news, Ran Qingmo simply opened her mouth and uttered a soft "oh".

Xu Yuan, standing to the side, subconsciously frowned.

Ran Jianli.

The Sword Sect Master, the current State Preceptor, and the nominal head of the Sect Alliance, sending Ran Qingmo back to the sect at this juncture, and having Lou Ji deliver the message, is an action that deserves serious consideration.

Just as I was thinking,

Lou Ji's soft voice drifted over:

"What, is it that Changtian is reluctant to part with our Momo?"

Xu Yuan snapped out of his reverie, looked at Lou Ji, and his eyes held a serious expression:

"It's not because of that."

Lou Ji saw the look in his eyes, understood, and spoke with a hint of teasing:

"Don't overthink it."

He paused for a moment,

Lou Ji glanced sideways at the girl in black opposite her and smiled playfully, "That old man is calling Ran Qingmo back now, most likely because he doesn't want his precious disciple to be ruined by you."

Ran Qingmo blinked her beautiful eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Xu Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this, then realized that the news of the arranged marriage had probably reached the old man's ears.

Just think of that old man's muscular, unshaven figure in Cangyuan.

It's not impossible.

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then coughed lightly:

"If that's the case."

It's too late.

"." Xu Yuan.

"." Lou Ji.

silence.

Xu Yuan's eye twitched, and he turned to look at Ran Qingmo opposite him.

Ran Qingmo looked calmly at Lou Ji and said very seriously:

"Xu Yuan and I have already done things that only married couples should do."

"."

Lou Ji's beautiful face showed a momentary lapse in concentration before she turned to look at Xu Yuan opposite her.

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Ran Qingmo's expression remained unchanged, her eyes like clear springs, her voice completely flat.

"Xu Yuan, I will explain everything to my master when I get back this time."

"."

Lou Ji seemed to understand, her beautiful eyes filled with approval, and she secretly gave him a thumbs-up.

However, Lou Ji then gracefully rose and walked to Ran Qingmo's side, lifted her chin, and said with a smile:

"You can't let your master know about this yet."

Ran Qingmo was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why?"

Upon hearing this question, Lou Ji straightened up, crossed her arms, tapped her chin with her index finger, and smiled with narrowed eyes:

"Qingmo, you wouldn't want our Changtian to be cleaved in two by your master's sword, would you?"

"."

Xu Yuan shuddered as the image of Ran Jianli's heavy sword, over two meters long, flashed through his mind.

Ran Qingmo frowned slightly, pondering for a moment:

"Sister, do you mean my master wants to kill Changtian? Why?"

Lou Ji paused for a moment, then rubbed her temples.

"Killing him wouldn't be the answer, but a few beatings are probably inevitable."

Ran Qingmo frowned:

"I will stop Master."

"Cough."

Xu Yuan coughed lightly, drawing Ran Qingmo's attention, and then smiled slightly:

"Ran Qingmo, I think I should be the one to say this myself. What do you think?"

"."

Ran Qingmo thought for a moment, then said softly, "Okay, whatever you say."

Ran Qingmo left and settled in the room next to Xu Yuan's.

As a gift before leaving, Lou Ji mysteriously gave Ran Qingmo a packet of medicinal powder and two Source Crystal.

She's nowhere near as good as Xu Changge. That older brother, though a bit handy, is always generous with gifts, unlike this aunt who's so stingy with everything she gives.

Only two people remained in the room once again.

Xu Yuan rubbed his temples, looked at Lou Ji who had seen Ran Qingmo off at the door, and asked:

What did you give her?

"The Acacia Powder was sent back by your other lover a month ago."

"." Xu Yuan.

Noticing Xu Yuan's astonished gaze, Lou Ji waved her hand with a charming smile:

"Just kidding. If she wanted to force you, you wouldn't be able to resist at all. Besides, I'm not that generous."

"I'm quite proud." Xu Yuan gave the stingy aunt a thumbs up.

Lou Ji gave a soft snort:

"The Acacia Powder is extinct, and its main ingredient, the Charm God Flower, is practically nonexistent in your possession?"

The words abruptly stopped.

The next moment,

Lou Ji appeared almost instantly from the doorway in front of Xu Yuan, snatched the Charm God Flower from his hand, and examined it carefully.

Seeing the beautiful aunt's posture, Xu Yuan slowly leaned back in his chair and said with a smile:

"The Charm God Flower, you've never seen it before? That's understandable, since it's extinct; it's normal not to have seen it."

Lou Ji discreetly stored the Charm God Flower into her Sumeru Ring.

"Changtian."

As she spoke, Lou Ji swayed gracefully behind Xu Yuan and gently massaged his shoulders:

"Sister, I'm most skilled at using poison. With the Charm God Flower, if all goes well, we can even eliminate a Mortal Shedding without a sound. You see?"

Xu Yuan tilted his head back, resting it against her soft abdomen, and said wearily while enjoying the massage:

"Sister, please take a look at these official documents first."

Lou Ji's eye twitched, but her laughter remained:

"I'll help you, sister."

"But, sister, aren't you the examiner?" Xu Yuan smiled.

Lou Ji applied slight pressure to her hand:

"It's alright. If you don't tell me, and I don't tell you, how will that old man Xu Yinhe know?"

Seeing this, Xu Yuan decided to stop while he was ahead. He stood up, stretched, and patted the fearsome Black Scale Poison Woman on the shoulder twice.

"I'm going to bed now, sister, can you keep an eye on things for me?"

With that, Xu Yuan buried his face in the soft couch and waved to Lou Ji, who was still standing there:

"Please, sister!"

Having said that, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

"."

Lou Ji stood there, feeling both annoyed and amused. Finally, she sighed helplessly and rubbed her temples.

"What a little devil."

Xu Yuan slept soundly until nightfall when he woke up again.

There were no lights in the room, but Xu Yuan could still see someone sitting at the table by the moonlight coming in from outside.

Slightly circulate the Cultivation Method.

It's Lou Ji.

Seemingly afraid of disturbing his rest, she did not turn on the light. Wearing a brocade coat, she sat in the dark at the desk, carefully reviewing official documents.

For her, it didn't matter whether the lights were on or off.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan was about to get up and say a few jokes when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure hanging outside the open doorway.

Looking intently,

This was a woman, and Xu Yuan recognized her; she was a manager sent by Hua Hong.

"Woke up?"

Lou Ji's light, airy voice drifted over, and then the Bright Pattern Lamp in the room were turned on.

As she spoke, Lou Ji slowly rose and carefully handed Xu Yuan a cup of tea:

"Here, have some water."

Xu Yuan rubbed his temples, took the water, and took a sip:

"When I woke up and looked at the things, it was a little scary."

Lou Ji smiled slightly:

"That's exactly what's meant to be scary. If you're scared, imagine how scared the others who came to report will be."

Xu Yuan glanced at the corpse hanging from the rafters outside the door and asked:

"To kill the chicken to scare the monkey?"

Lou Ji plopped down on the edge of the bed, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands. She sipped it as she spoke:

"I suppose so. The second and third batches of managers from Hua Hong's side have also arrived. With so many people, it's hard to manage them. She accepted some bribes and had the Wanxiang Sect secretly transport some things away from the warehouse in the east of the city."

As she spoke, Lou Ji glanced at Xu Yuan:

"What would you do if you were in Changtian?"

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then said truthfully:

"They'll probably just give you a warning."

The teacup floated in front of her, Lou Ji, with her hands supporting her on the bed behind her, chuckled softly:

"Changtian, if you keep hitting without drawing blood, then it's not really hitting. Only when you draw blood every now and then is your hitting effective."

Xu Yuan drank his tea without saying a word.

Lou Ji sighed softly, her tone somewhat amused:

"Sister, I don't actually mind them accepting bribes, after all, I also received a bribe from you, Changtian. But before accepting bribes, they'd better know their place."

As he spoke,

Lou Ji suddenly changed the subject, her tone shifting like a Sichuan opera mask-changing gesture, carrying a hint of sorrow:

"Changtian, look how hard I work for you, from morning till night."

"Sister, this is the Charm God Flower."

"."

Lou Ji snorted and stood up, "Not cute at all."

After taking only two steps,

Lou Ji's expression changed again. She turned around and asked in a low voice, "Changtian, I examined the quality of your Charm God Flower. It seems to have only recently formed?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, leaned against the headboard, and asked with a smile:

"You can tell that?"

"After all, my sister uses poison," Lou Ji smiled, her eyes narrowing. "No matter how well it's preserved, it couldn't possibly retain such activity."

Xu Yuan didn't hide anything and nodded:

"They were indeed recently harvested."

Lou Ji's breathing caught in her throat, then became rapid.

"What about the Charm God Cherry Tree?"

She knew all too well the value of the Charm God Cherry Tree; if she had it...

Just then, Lou Ji caught a glimpse of Xu Yuan's subconscious averted gaze, and her heart skipped a beat:

"Don't tell me you destroyed the Charm God Cherry Tree?"

Xu Yuan coughed lightly:

"Well, this matter is a bit complicated."

Unless he doesn't reveal the Qionghua Sect Secret Realm, the slash marks belonging to Ran Qingmo on the Charm God Cherry Tree's main body will be impossible to hide.

Upon hearing this, Lou Ji clenched her fists, and the Source Qi in her body began to overflow.

What a spendthrift!

Xu Yuan sat on the bed, backing away little by little:

"Wait a minute, sis, wait a minute, let me explain first."

Okay~

Lou Ji wasn't Xu Changge, so she would listen to explanations, saying with a forced smile, "Changtian, you're making excuses, I'm listening."

"."

Xu Yuan directly and selectively recited the legitimate reasons he had already prepared:

"That's roughly it. We won't be able to get out unless we cut down that Charm God Cherry Tree."

Lou Ji listened attentively from the side, her breathing calming down, and she felt a pang of heartache.

"He's really like an idiot."

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and just as he grinned, everything blurred before his eyes.

A voluptuous and slender figure appeared beside him as if by teleportation.

Then,

"Bang!"

Lou Ji punched him hard on the head and said coldly:

"Xu Changtian, what's your cultivation level now?! There are some secret realms in this world that even I wouldn't dare to enter easily. You like adventure? Next time you encounter a secret realm, do you dare to casually enter again? My sister has recently developed many new medicines that no one has tested. Do you want to give them a try?"

Having said that,

Lou Ji snorted, turned around, walked to the desk, and began reading the official documents with a cold face and without saying a word.

Xu Yuan sat on the bed, clutching his head in pain for a while. He then chuckled sheepishly, got up, and walked behind Lou Ji to massage her shoulders.

"Sis, I understand, but could you please..."

"Smack!"

Lou Ji threw the official document in her hand onto the desk and glanced at him sideways:

"I can keep this from your father."

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I'll tell you about that kid Xu Changge."

"." Xu Yuan.

After his negotiations with Lou Ji broke down, Xu Yuan simply gave up, only taking charge of the highest-level decisions and dumping everything else on her.

If you want the Charm God Flower, you'd better work hard for me.

Lou Ji's handling of complicated matters resulted in several more people hanging from the eaves outside Xu Yuan's room, and perhaps because of this, the people below became much more obedient.

Moreover, with Aunt Lou Ji as a high-level employee, Xu Yuan had a lot more free time, only occasionally having to deal with some squabbles with the higher-ups of the Wanxiang Sect.

Time passed day by day, but progress remained slow.

After more than ten days of hardline stance, and experiencing the difficulties of taking over the business, Xu Yuan suddenly changed his attitude towards the Wanxiang Sect.

The Prime Minister's Estate conceded.

He promised to retain a certain amount of equity in the properties that the Wanxiang Sect compensated the Prime Minister's Estate.

The majority are between 10% and 30%.

Of course, this portion of the shares was distributed to a group of the Aristocratic Clan within the Wanxiang Sect, not to the Wanxiang Sect as a whole.

Of course, the shares offered up were not given away for free. Instead, they were converted into a portion of the dividend shares from other industries within the Wanxiang Sect by reducing the amount offered.

Xu Yuan attempted to establish a simple community of shared interests with the Wanxiang Sect.

The signal is very clear.

Although my Prime Minister's Estate has taken away some of the Wanxiang Sect's share, the Prime Minister's Estate backer, can make the Wanxiang Sect Sect's share even bigger.

The Prime Minister's Estate eats meat, and the Wanxiang Sect can also drink soup, and the meat in their soup will not be less than what they ate before.

The cost of this was that the Prime Minister's Estate suffered a great loss in the negotiations, with the total compensation amount decreasing from the initial 90 million taels to about 80 million taels.

However, if Xu Yuan's idea is realized, then the Wanxiang Sect's assets will be thoroughly infiltrated by the Prime Minister's Estate over the next ten or even several years.

If time permits, a revolution could be planned within their sect simply by providing funds.

After strolling around Wanxiang City, Xu Yuan dusted himself off.

In present-day Wanxiang City, apart from the eastern part of the city still being firmly controlled by the Black Scale Army, the people have basically returned to their pre-war lives. After all, the war lasted for a very short time, and the damage was mostly limited to the vicinity of the city walls.

The brothels and taverns Liuchuan River were still bustling with song and dance.

Entering his room, he saw the workers who worked for the Charm God Flower still diligently handling their duties.

Xu Yuan walked over and sat down opposite Lou Ji, poured himself a cup of tea, and asked:

How's it going today?

Lou Ji gave Xu Yuan a tired, reproachful look:

"Your father was quite satisfied with the plan you proposed before, but things haven't been going smoothly with the Wanxiang Sect."

"Oh?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, took a sip of tea, and said slowly and deliberately:

"It's Xia Wenlin again?"

Lou Ji nodded:

"Yes, it's him again. He's obstructing the plan."

Xu Yuan tapped the table and laughed:

"It seems there are some clever people in the Wanxiang Sect after all."

Lou Ji handed a document to Xu Yuan, smiled with her eyes crinkling, and asked casually:

"Do you want your sister to help you get rid of him?"