Qing Chen silently praised him as a promising pupil. As expected of someone who had weathered the ups and downs of the Outer Sect, he understood things far better than Xu Xiake.
Qing Chen accepted the Storage Bag, even more pleased with Gao Yuliang's attentiveness. Gao Yuliang's offering also sat quite well with him.
"Junior Brother Gao, you've done well. I'll deal with these corpses and jade Buddhas properly.
"Remember, your task is to assist the new captain, keep the team stable, and protect the new captain, yourself, and every member of the team."
The two spoke a little longer before Qing Chen had Gao Yuliang leave.
Early the next morning, as a fish-belly white first appeared on the horizon, Qing Chen was already packed and ready to depart.
Within the camp, an enormous Spirit Ship was preparing to return to the sect.
The Spirit Ship carried cultivation resources seized from the dozen or so islands conquered in recent days.
It had everything: mortals with Spiritual Roots, surrendered slave cultivators placed under restrictions, Spirit Stones, spiritual materials, spirit herbs, all manner of spiritual objects, and cultivation manuals.
They were all the accumulated wealth of lineages built up over decades, or even a century, wiped away in a single day.
Standing on the deck, Qing Chen watched the disciples bustling about below and sighed inwardly:
It really is easier to get things done when you have someone at court!
He knew full well that this war was far from over.
One reason he could extricate himself early was his injuries.
The other, more important reason was Xu Jiuling's protection.
As the Spirit Ship slowly set off, the island where the War Treasure Ship lay gradually shrank into specks of green, and Qing Chen's mood gradually settled.
He closed his eyes, silently