Chapter 189 Outer Sect Development
The next morning.
Dew still condensed on the archway of Ping'an Square.
But a handsome figure had already appeared early within the square.
It was actually Wang Shouzhi!
He had actually changed his resolute attitude from yesterday and appeared early before Auntie Wang's tofu stall.
He rolled up his sleeves and skillfully helped Auntie Wang push the stone mill. Soy milk flowed slowly from the millstone, and steam like white mist swirled before his eyes.
"Mother, you rest. Let me handle these rough tasks." His tone was gentle, even carrying a thoughtfulness he had not shown before. He reached out to take the wooden ladle from Auntie Wang's hand, carefully pouring the ground soy milk into a gauze cloth to filter it.
Auntie Wang stood frozen in place, her eyes instantly reddening. Her rough fingers unconsciously tugged at the corner of her apron: "Son, you should rest. You are a cultivator; you shouldn't be doing these coarse tasks. Let your mother handle it."
"Let your son do it." Wang Shouzhi lowered his head, his voice sincere. "I was confused yesterday. You have not had it easy these years. I should be the one to properly honor you."
The neighbors gradually gathered around, each with a gratified expression. Old Man Li, who sold sugar figurines, stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly: "That's the way it should be!" Auntie Zhang wiped the corner of her eye: "I always said that Shouzhi was a sensible child since he was little!"
Listening to everyone's praise, Wang Shouzhi had a well-placed smile on his lips.
He crouched down and carefully wiped every corner of the tofu stall, not even missing the bean dregs in the cracks of the wooden frame.
The sunlight fell on his serious profile, making him appear exceptionally sincere.
Chen Chang'an stood behind his fortune-telling stall, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing a copper coin. He squinted, observing Wang Shouzhi—the young man's every action was impeccable, even more deferential than before.
But those eyes...
They were too calm.
There was none of the intensity from yesterday's argument, none of the fanaticism when facing the monk. They were like a pool of stagnant water.
However, as long as the monk was not around, a Tong Xuan Realm cultivator could not cause trouble in the City of Immortal Spirits, so Chen Chang'an quickly shifted his attention, chatting with A Li as he usually did, one moment speaking and the next not.
On the other side, the establishment of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land proceeded more smoothly than anticipated.
Under the management of Uncle Wu and Elder Yao, the outer sect soon took shape—the mountain gate was majestic, the halls were well-arranged, and the spiritual fields and herb gardens were orderly. There was even a "Spirit Quenching Tower" specially for low-level disciples to cultivate, continuously drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making the concentration of spiritual energy in the entire outer sect far exceed that of ordinary sects.
What surprised Chen Chang'an was that, upon the strong recommendation of Uncle Wu and Elder Yao, Li Hanzhou had volunteered to be the outer sect manager.
Although his cultivation was not considered top-tier, he was steady in his actions and fair in his dealings, quickly earning the respect of the outer sect disciples.
The current outer sect disciples were almost all descendants of the Imperial Guard—these young people had excellent talent and solid foundations. If they were in any other sect, the inner gates would likely be fighting to recruit them.
However, although Ji Lingxiu allowed them to choose freely whether to stay or leave, not a single person departed; all remained in the Immortal Spirit Holy Land.
Even more surprising was that the resource distribution method of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land was completely different from other sects.
According to Xiao Chen's words—since they were all part of their own sect, what was wrong with enjoying the sect's resources for free?
Therefore, the first rule of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land's sect regulations was—
"All disciples of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land are one family. Internal strife is forbidden."
Besides this, there were several other core regulations:
"Sect resources are to be used according to need. Private hoarding and monopolization are forbidden."
"When a fellow disciple is in peril, one must lend a hand. Those who watch and do nothing will be expelled from the sect."
"The path of cultivation depends on individual fortune. One must not seize a fellow disciple's opportunities."
"All disciples of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land must not tarnish the sect's reputation in their actions abroad."
"If there are traitors, all disciples of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land shall execute them together."
These rules were simple and direct, yet they revealed the unique philosophy of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land—no contention or plundering, but absolutely no tolerance for betrayal; no thresholds for entry, but absolutely no indulgence of evil deeds.
Xiao Chen directly abolished the rule that required sect contributions to obtain resources. In other sects, to get resources, one had to either complete tasks, curry favor with elders, or even engage in open and secret strife.
But in the Immortal Spirit Holy Land, spirit pills, cultivation methods, and magic treasures, as long as they were needed, could be claimed from the "Sutra Pavilion" and the "Myriad Treasures Tower" after verification by an elder.
...
And so, the days passed as placidly as flowing water for several days.
Chen Chang'an sat before his fortune-telling stall, holding a copper coin and idly twirling it.
These past few days, Ping'an Square had been peaceful, without even a single troublemaking ruffian, which made him feel somewhat unaccustomed.
He glanced up at the tofu stall on the street corner—it was completely empty today, not even a wooden board had been set up.
"Strange..." Chen Chang'an frowned. Auntie Wang regarded her tofu stall as more important than her life; she would never close for business unless she was too sick to get up.
Old Man Li, who sold sugar figurines, ambled over with a chuckle: "Mr. Chen, what are you looking at? Auntie Wang didn't set up her stall today?"
Chen Chang'an nodded slightly: "Mm, it's a bit abnormal."
Old Man Li waved his hand: "Pah, her son is back. What's wrong with taking a few days off? That boy Shouzhi has been so filial lately, helping Auntie Wang with her work every day. Maybe he took her to the market today."
Hearing this, the neighbors all smiled and chimed in—
"That's right, Auntie Wang has suffered for half a lifetime. It's time she enjoyed some blessings!"
"That boy Shouzhi is successful now. He's definitely going to honor his mother properly!"
Chen Chang'an said no more, but the faint unease in his heart would not dissipate.
He stroked the copper coin, always feeling that something was not right.
—It was too quiet.
Wang Shouzhi's performance over the past few days had been impeccable, but those eyes... they were calm to the point of being eerie.
"Snap!"
Perhaps because he was lost in thought, the copper coin suddenly slipped from his fingers and landed on the tabletop with a crisp sound.
Chen Chang'an's heart leaped. Before he could bend down to pick it up—
"Ah—!!"
A shrill scream suddenly shattered the tranquility of Ping'an Square!
All the neighbors were startled and turned to look. They saw Auntie Zhang, who sold embroidery thread, stumble out of the alley, her face ashen and her body trembling as she cried out:
"Someone! Help! Sister Wang... Sister Wang is in trouble!"
...
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