"Long'er, how do you think we should arrange things?" His father seemed to have reached a great awakening. It appeared that the Wen family's vast territory had left him utterly overwhelmed.
Wenlong curled his lip before saying, "Seventh Uncle is a blacksmith, so he's suited to overseeing manufacturing. Aunt Linzi studied medicine, so let her manage the clinic. Eldest Uncle is already overseeing papermaking, so let him keep doing that."
Seeing his father nodding repeatedly and waiting for him to continue, he did not keep him waiting.
"Then there's Aunt Daniu to manage the Soap Workshop. For the Weaving Workshop, have Mother find an aunt with experience in weaving to run it." Wenlong saw that his father was pleased with how he had assigned the work.
He briefly explained the arrangements for the other tasks as well. For Huaxia Village, for instance, they only needed to find someone highly respected to serve as village chief.
His father would serve as the sect master of the Huaxia Sect, with older uncles from the clan appointed as elders. They would handle affairs on his father's behalf, with Grandpa Zhang helping them manage things.
Shitou's mother would temporarily take over his mother's work, managing the affairs of Wen Family Village.
Shitou and Zhuzi were both thirteen now and ought to take responsibility for security and defense. Besides, their martial prowess was considerable; even those of his father's generation might not be their match.
Uncles and aunts from the clan could serve as the Huaxia Sect's instructors in literary and martial studies, with Second Uncle helping as well.
By the time Wenlong finished, Wen Tiancheng looked utterly bewildered. "You've assigned everything, so what am I supposed to do?" his father asked, a little annoyed.
"Are you really worried you won't have anything to do? Every person in charge has to report any issues to their superior, and that superior is you, esteemed Clan Chief, esteemed Sect Master," Wenlong said with a smile.
"But with so many people reporting to me, I might not be able to resolve everything." Seeing that all those people in charge would be bringing their problems to him, his father felt he might not be able to keep up.
"Isn't that simple? There are still several clan uncles and aunts who haven't been put in charge of anything. They'll all be your assistants. Let them handle the problems. If they still can't resolve something, hold a meeting to work it out." His father seemed to understand, yet not quite.
Seeing that his father was struggling to take in so much at once, Wenlong decided to let him think it over at his own pace. He could slowly come to understand this way of managing things.
His mother had been listening from nearby without saying a word. Wenlong walked over, supported her, and went for a stroll with her.
Wenlong walked slowly through the village with his mother. She gently patted his hand and said, "Long'er, these arrangements are quite sound, but managing things will still take time to work smoothly."
Wenlong smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Mother. I'll keep an eye on things."
As they spoke, a villager suddenly came running over. "Young Master Wen, there's trouble! Something has gone wrong at the Papermaking Workshop. The pulp quality is poor, and Eldest Uncle can't fix it."
Wenlong frowned and said to his mother, "Mother, let me help you home first. Rest there while I go take a look at the workshop." Only then did he follow the villager toward the Papermaking Workshop at an unhurried pace.
When he reached the Papermaking Workshop, he found Eldest Uncle pacing back and forth, his face full of anxiety. Wenlong examined the pulp, thought for a moment, then guided the workers in adjusting the proportions of the raw materials and the production process.
Before long, the quality of the pulp improved noticeably. Eldest Uncle gave him a thumbs-up. "Long'er, you're truly remarkable. You solved the problem just like that."
Wenlong replied modestly, "That's only because I've studied and observed a lot before. When you encounter problems in the future, try different methods. You'll find a solution eventually."
After dealing with the Papermaking Workshop's problem, Wenlong began considering how to help their various industries develop in better coordination.
In the end, he gave up on that for now. For the time being, they only needed to meet the needs of the people in their own territory. Future matters could wait; their foremost task was still to preserve the peace of this land.
They would formally establish the sect after the New Year. First, he had to plan out the Huaxia Sect properly. It could not look like some makeshift troupe; he had to give it some grandeur.
He felt his calligraphy was quite good and doubted anyone in the Wen family could write better than he could. So he picked up a brush and wrote the three enormous characters for "Huaxia Sect."
The strokes danced like roaming dragons and soaring phoenixes without losing their majesty, leaving Wenlong immensely satisfied. He then drew a frame around them, with decorative patterns along all four sides.
They studied the enormous characters and the ornamental border again and again, growing more pleased the longer they looked.
A religious sect ought to have exactly this sort of imposing presence. He set down the brush and waited for the ink to dry before putting it away.
Next, he laid sheets of paper on the floor to form a huge, elongated rectangle. He first drew a pillar, then spent more than half a day drawing a dragon coiled around it.
Wen Hua walked in and was startled by the majesty of the lifelike dragon's head, letting out an involuntary shriek.
Wenlong looked up, saw that it was Wen Hua, and hurried to reassure her. "It's a dragon. Don't be afraid. This is what dragons look like."
Hearing that dragons looked like this, Wen Hua could not help growing curious. Wenlong continued refining the drawing, making the dragon look mighty without losing its solemn dignity.
"Little sister, go ask Father to come take a look." As Wen Hua ran off to fetch their father, Wenlong stood to one side and examined the drawing again, checking for any shortcomings.
Wen Tiancheng came over and saw the dragon Wenlong had drawn. "Long'er, is this a dragon? How majestic." He had never seen such an exquisite dragon before. He had heard that only the emperor's household had paintings of dragons.
Wenlong then explained to his father what the dragon was for. According to his plan, it would be made into a towering pillar.
The calligraphy would be carved in stone to serve as the plaque over the mountain gate. The dragon pillar would also be carved from stone and stand permanently in the Huaxia Sect's square.
It would serve as a symbol of the Huaxia Sect as well. Once it was finished, he would compile a storybook, using its stories to let people know that they were all descendants of the dragon.
It would also help unite the Huaxia Sect, showing people that theirs was the true lineage and that they shared a common ancestor.
He entrusted the matter to his father, asking him to send people with the slaves to quarry stone for the mountain gate's plaque and the carved dragon pillar.
Of course, the carving had to follow the drawings exactly. Everything had to be installed before the New Year, since the sect's founding ceremony would be held afterward.
His father had learned his lesson this time and handed the drawings to two clan uncles. He instructed them to hurry the work along and take slaves up the mountain to quarry stone, striving to finish the pieces as soon as possible.
While Wenlong and his father were discussing the details of the carving, a disciple suddenly hurried over to report, "Sect Master, a group of unidentified martial artists is heading toward our sect. From the look of them, they mean trouble!"
Wen Tiancheng's expression changed, but Wenlong remained calm and composed. He had his father first arrange for the villagers to prepare their defenses.
He and his father then took Shitou and Zhuzi to investigate. He also had the Wen family's youths put on masks and accompany them to the Huaxia Sect.
When they reached the sect gate, they saw a group of black-clad martial artists led by a stern-faced middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man sneered. "I heard you're planning to establish a sect. You haven't even weighed yourselves to see how many ounces you're worth. Today, I'll make sure this Huaxia Sect dies in the womb!"
Wen Tiancheng was utterly unafraid. Folding his arms, he said, "Then let's see what you're capable of!"
He knew that now they had begun preparing to establish a sect, it was only a matter of time before word spread.
Now that someone had come knocking, they could seize the opportunity to cut down the arrogance of those hoping to cause trouble and establish the Huaxia Sect's might.
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