Actually, Even the Big Shots Loved Gossip

The atmosphere was lively as they discussed who should contribute to the publication. When the big shots got into the spirit of things, they even started gossiping on the spot. Their focus was Mu Jianli.

Eunuch Li tapped his fingers on the table, rocking his head like a storyteller. "She entered the Sword Inquiry Sect as a child. Back then, she was wooden and unremarkable, buried among the outer disciples and unknown to anyone. Three years ago, at the age of fourteen, she distinguished herself in the Sword Inquiry Sect's tournament. With a plain iron sword, she defeated eighteen inner disciples in a row. Her sword heart was pure and flawless, her sword intent sharp and unstoppable. She shocked the entire sect, and Lin Wuya personally took her as his direct disciple. He even announced she would be his only disciple, meaning that after gaining Mu Jianli, he had no mind to teach anyone else."

Xue Qingqiu smiled. "I've met her myself. Her mind is entirely focused, and she lives only for the sword. She's practically cut from the same mold as Lin Wuya was back then. Of course he'd be overjoyed."

Xue Mu glanced at her and thought, So Lin Wuya's the old bull who wanted to eat young grass, only for you to make a complete mess of him... Judging by this, he's clearly no match for his disciple. His mind's full of distractions.

Xue Qingqiu shot him a sidelong look. "Lin Wuya's sword shattered the void and cleaved the horizon. Even I wouldn't dare claim I could defeat him. What's with that expression?"

Xue Mu chuckled and didn't argue.

Xiahou Di smiled. "Mu Jianli didn't disappoint Lin Wuya, either. Early last year, at the age of sixteen, she won the Eight Sects' Hidden Dragon Tournament. Everyone said she was practically Lin Wuya reborn from twenty years ago. Then she officially entered the jianghu, pacified the bandits in the mountains, and slew the Two Fiends of Jiangzuo. She fought more than thirty battles, great and small, every one of them either a fight against stronger opponents or a fight against multiple enemies. She never lost. Early this year... Heh, your Demon Sect sent people to ambush her, but she cut her way out alone, sword in hand, her white clothes soaked in blood. The Star Moon Sect lost people in that battle, too, didn't it?"

Xue Qingqiu smiled. "That was her ability."

Xuan Zhe sighed. "Sect Master Xue certainly has the bearing of a great leader. Unlike Shentu Zui, the dignified master of the Heart-Extinguishing Path, who couldn't accept the outcome and later sought an opportunity to personally hunt her down. To bully the young with his status and the weak with his strength—how utterly disgraceful. If everyone in the jianghu acted that way, wouldn't everything fall into chaos? The Demon Sect really is demonic... Ah, Sect Master Xue, forgive me. I wasn't talking about you."

Xue Qingqiu laughed, making it clear she didn't mind. In truth, she looked down on Shentu Zui for doing that, too.

The jianghu had its own rules. If people fought over some dispute, with blades and swords having no eyes, or if they were seeking revenge, then no matter who they were, there was nothing to say. But when it came to something like trying to snuff out a promising newcomer, the jianghu still had rules. Neither the righteous path nor the demonic path would casually violate them. You could send people to lay traps, scheme, or surround and pursue your opponent—none of that was a problem. The conflict between the righteous and demonic paths was right there for all to see; life and death depended on one's own ability. But for a mighty Void-Piercing expert to go out of his way to kill someone else's rising star? That was idiotic. If everyone did that, no one would dare leave home anymore—or they'd have to bring their master along as a nanny. What would be the point of that?

It was like Mu Jianli coming to challenge Xue Qingqiu with her sword. Whether or not Xue Qingqiu granted her wish, she wouldn't kill her—let alone go out of her way to do it. That would be truly disgraceful. Besides, did Void-Piercing experts really have that much free time? If she hadn't come to the Capital City this time because of Yin Ye, Xue Qingqiu would have been focused on cultivation and striving to merge with the Dao. She wouldn't have been running around everywhere.

Xiahou Di smiled. "When you do something improper, you're bound to reap the opposite of what you intended. Shentu Zui went in person, only to be held off for ten moves before her reinforcements arrived. To withstand a Void-Piercing expert for ten moves without dying, despite being in the Hua Yun Realm—Mu Jianli truly made her name across the world. Shentu Zui really ended up losing a handful of rice while trying to steal the chicken."

"Shentu Zui was careless. He didn't know Lin Wuya had even given Mu Jianli Feiguang, which meant she already had the means to wound him." Xue Qingqiu's voice held a trace of mockery. "Given Shentu Zui's status, it was already disgraceful for him to attack someone else's disciple. If she'd managed to shave off even a hair, he would have become the laughingstock of the world. But Mu Jianli had the courage of a sword, fearless, and every strike was a gamble with her life, aimed at taking him down with her. He truly couldn't win quickly. Of course, if the fight had dragged on, Mu Jianli would have died for certain. If Lin Wuya had arrived a breath later, she probably would have been left so gravely injured she'd never recover. All we can say is that it wasn't her fate to die."

"That, too, takes real ability. It's easy to say you'll take your opponent down with you, but how many can actually do it?"

Xue Mu listened in silence, with just one thought in his mind: This woman has to be the heroine of the world... If you switched her gender, wouldn't she be the protagonist?

"Mu Jianli has the divine sword Feiguang. This year, she's also visited renowned sword masters everywhere on her Ten-Thousand-Li Sword Pilgrimage. Who knows how much she'll improve after this journey? She may well replicate the miracle of Sect Master Xue entering the Dao at twenty."

Xue Qingqiu answered casually, "In my view, she'll enter the Dao sooner than I did. With a sword that pure, once she reaches the pinnacle of the sword path, her killing power in actual combat might even surpass mine."

This was more than just magnanimity. Given her status, wasn't she afraid that saying this would unsettle her sect? The others exchanged glances, unable to understand why Xue Qingqiu was being so generous.

Xue Qingqiu smiled faintly. "When young phoenixes sing clear and bright, they echo one another. That's how the martial Dao flourishes. Without an opponent like her, who could Chan'er use to hone herself against? If I don't recognize the finest talents in the world, how can I hope to merge with the Dao?"

The room went silent for several seconds. Xuan Zhe suddenly rose from his seat and bowed. "Today, I finally understand that the Star Moon Sect's rise was no accident."

Looking at Xue Qingqiu, Xue Mu suddenly realized that it was her broad-mindedness and far-reaching vision that had given him room to rise. If she'd been jealous of talent, forget about developing any feelings—he'd be lucky if she didn't kill him, or use some spell to control him and get whatever use she could out of him...

Xue Qingqiu waved a hand and smiled. "We seem to have gotten off track. There's still plenty to discuss about the publication, isn't there?"

Everyone laughed and returned to their seats. After another round of drinks, Xue Mu reopened the discussion. "Does the Six Fan Gates plan to handle production and printing itself, or would you like the Star Moon Sect's ladies to take part?"

Xiahou Di paused. "What's the difference?"

Xue Mu smiled. "Based on the consensus we reached earlier, the Six Fan Gates will ensure the publication is circulated throughout the world, while the Star Moon Sect will provide intelligence and the foundation for its contents. Since we'd each be handling our own part, splitting the profits fifty-fifty should be fine, right?"

Everyone froze for a moment, only then recalling something... The publication wasn't just a way to subtly increase the Six Fan Gates' influence. It could also generate revenue—and a great deal of it. This was a brilliant move that accomplished two things at once...

They'd been so caught up in the enormous influence the publication could wield that no one had even considered its earning potential. Xue Mu, on the other hand, had clearly kept a cool head the entire time. Xiahou Di stared at him, somewhat dazed. With the Xue siblings complementing each other like this, who could stand against the Star Moon Sect in the future?

Of course, people in this world hadn't yet realized just how important distribution channels were. To them, splitting the profits fifty-fifty seemed fair when each side had its own responsibilities. After all, in everyone's eyes, the side handling production was the one that deserved the larger share, since it had to cover the costs and labor.

That was why Xue Mu had asked who would handle the content. If the Six Fan Gates produced it alone, they could naturally take a larger share. If the Star Moon Sect took part, then a fifty-fifty split would make sense. Xue Mu had been quite sincere, giving the Six Fan Gates the choice.

Xiahou Di immediately understood. "I've already planned to establish a separate Publication Office to handle this exclusively. I have a staffing plan in place, and it can take full responsibility for production. The Star Moon Sect doesn't have many people in the Capital City, so there's no need to trouble them."

Xue Mu smiled. "All right. Since the Six Fan Gates will handle everything, we'll split it seventy-thirty."

Xuan Zhe couldn't hold back. "Production costs and labor aren't cheap. Seventy-thirty isn't appropriate."

Xue Qingqiu said coldly, "I can't be bothered to fight you over profits. Eighty-twenty, then. Consider it the Star Moon Sect buying you all a drink."

To be fair, with one side made up of high-ranking Imperial Court officials and the other led by a generation-defining sect master, haggling over a few percentage points was more than a little embarrassing. Since Xue Qingqiu had put it that way, the Six Fan Gates could hardly keep arguing. Xiahou Di made the decision on the spot. "Then it's settled. I'll trouble Young Master Xue to draft the contract."

Don't think that because the parties involved held special positions, a contract would have no binding force, or that no one would hear or care if they broke it. It still held considerable power over the Six Fan Gates. They needed to maintain their public credibility. With the contract in black and white, if they violated it and the Star Moon Sect spread the news, they'd lose the trust of the people, which would cause serious problems later. The reverse was not true for the Star Moon Sect. They were already a demonic sect, and how many people expected them to keep their word in the first place?

So Xiahou Di had shown considerable sincerity. Xue Mu smiled and didn't refuse. He spread out the paper and ink and began writing.

Only he knew just how much they stood to gain from the eighty-twenty split... It was no exaggeration to say that even a ninety-ten split would be a huge win for the Star Moon Sect. Never mind that this would help the Six Fan Gates gain power. The Star Moon Sect's benefits would come later. Even if they didn't get a single copper coin, he'd have been willing.

Xiahou Di watched Xue Mu write in silence for a while, then suddenly said, "This was Young Master Xue's original idea. We'll need your guidance and oversight. If you're willing to take the position of Director of the Publication Office, I can offer you the rank of Gold-Badge Constable, and give the Star Moon Sect a larger share."

Before Xue Mu could respond, Xue Qingqiu's heart lurched, and she rejected the offer on instinct. "I don't care about that little bit of profit! Trying to poach him right in front of me? Xiahou Di, do you have any respect for the rules?"

Xiahou Di looked a little helpless. "Young Master Xue has a mind of his own. Besides, he's nearly thirty, isn't he? Can you, as his older sister, dictate his future for the rest of his life?"

Xue Qingqiu snapped, "I'll dictate his future for the rest of his life!"

At that, everyone stared. Even Xue Mu's hand trembled, leaving a large blot of ink on the draft.

Where had that respected bearing of a grand sect master from just moments ago gone? What was this, if not a little woman afraid her lover would be stolen away? Was she even the same person?