The Azure Sky Sect's dawn bell rang, echoing across the peaks like a promise — or a warning.
Li Ming stood outside the administrative hall, hands behind his back, watching disciples run errands with the same panic as merchants chasing debt.
Lan Yue approached, sipping tea. "You've been staring at that wall for half an hour. Trying to find inspiration?"
Li Ming smiled slightly. "No. I'm calculating."
She raised an eyebrow. "Calculating what?"
"How much wealth this sect bleeds daily," he said calmly. "The spiritual mines, the herb fields, the talisman shops — all of it produces, yet none of it compounds."
Lan Yue blinked. "You've been gone for months and came back as… an accountant?"
"An economist," Li Ming corrected. "There's a difference. I don't just count gold. I grow it."
Bai Guo squawked from a nearby railing. "Here it comes — the delusion pitch!"
Li Ming ignored him. "Tell me, Lan Yue, what's our greatest asset?"
She thought. "Disciples?"
