With Chu Xingchen's return, the backbone of the sect instantly shifted from Li Yingling to Chu Xingchen.
Li Yingling also very straightforwardly threw all matters back to Chu Xingchen.
She didn't know how long she had been looking at these account ledgers. Now, just seeing numbers gave her quite a headache.
Anyway, under her efforts, the sect's construction had moved toward stability. Now that everything was basically concluded and the most difficult period had passed, leaving behind some trivial matters—surely it was fine to hand these over to Master and take a break?
Chu Xingchen seemed to understand Li Yingling's recent hardships and gladly took over these affairs.
Chu Xingchen didn't repackage and dump this work onto the hardworking and never-slacking Li Xingtian, nor did he pass it to the always-reliable Lin Luoyu.
As for Cui Hao...
Chu Xingchen didn't want his sect's construction to have Cui Hao prepare even more unique surprises for him at the end.
One San Dong with her opening roof was already enough. Better not add any more.
Currently, all matters were temporarily handled by Chu Xingchen himself. Even Li Xingtian had been given time off by Chu Xingchen to rest properly.
However, this kid Li Xingtian clearly had never experienced what leisure meant.
After pretending to bounce around with everyone for two days, he buried himself in his room and began cultivating furiously.
His approach was purely about cultivating with his life on the line.
As a master, Chu Xingchen couldn't exactly say—"Li Xingtian, you're not allowed to be this diligent. Rest properly and don't cultivate, alright?"
Although Chu Xingchen had taken on all the sect's construction matters, there was actually very little he needed to do personally.
Basically, it was just signing documents.
Chen Baiqing voluntarily became a capable little secretary. Many matters she submitted had already been processed and completed.
She handled matters maturely and very reliably. Chu Xingchen didn't know if she had learned from Li Yingling recently.
Or perhaps Chen Baiqing had always been this clever.
Chu Xingchen wanted to give Chen Baiqing time off too. After all, besides handling sect matters, she had also been specifically responsible for managing his fifth disciple, Cui Hao.
But this time, Chen Baiqing wasn't as obedient as usual.
Instead, he revealed a wronged little expression. His eyes seemed to speak, as if he felt Chu Xingchen was rejecting his.
Faced with Chen Baiqing showing such an expression for the first time, Chu Xingchen naturally had no resistance and was completely won over.
Damn it!
What to do when the little cotton-padded jacket is too warm?
The title of Bewitching Heaven Enchantress was truly well-earned. Even Chu Xingchen couldn't hold out.
Chu Xingchen could only accept this little secretary who had voluntarily delivered herself.
Besides Chen Baiqing, Xie Lingyu served as the second-in-command. Though she didn't do much either, she accompanied Chu Xingchen sitting in the administrative hall.
Xie Lingyu was also quite satisfied with Chen Baiqing's design.
This wasn't Chen Baiqing's blind guess. She had stayed at Tianyan Sect before, so naturally she had seen the general style of Xie Lingyu's room.
Xie Lingyu's room design was rather simple, with very few decorations used.
Chen Baiqing had imitated some of Tianyan Sect's style and also made fine adjustments to the room's facilities and items, mainly to make them more convenient to use.
Although she understood that Xie Lingyu would only stay briefly even if she came, Chen Baiqing didn't do a half-hearted job.
Her master had specially arranged this, so naturally Chen Baiqing would handle it properly.
So in the administrative hall, most of the time Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu were chatting idly, then occasionally going to Wanhua Ridge to stroll around.
And every now and then, participating in small activities organized by Li Yingling.
Time flowed backward, pushing everything back to how it was in Yuzhou City.
But leisurely days always have an end.
Today, Chu Xingchen couldn't continue sitting leisurely.
Because Luo Yue had returned, and the spirit vein passage she guarded was about to be opened.
Besides Luo Yue, Bai Xuanling had also made a personal visit.
The construction of Wanhua Ridge's sect grand formation also needed to be put on the agenda today.
——
By the sect's water pool, at the stone table and chairs.
Bai Xuanling gently sipped the tea Chen Baiqing had brewed, then looked at the small pool nearby.
She naturally understood this was probably imitating the Yuzhou City pool.
Bai Xuanling didn't tease Xie Lingyu about staying at Wanhua Ridge. After all, Lingyu had grown up and should have her own choices.
One must make one's own choices in life, just as the immortal path can only be climbed by oneself—outsiders cannot help.
Bai Xuanling gently put down her tea cup: "You're quite sentimental."
Chu Xingchen smiled in response: "I've always thought being sentimental is a fine virtue."
Bai Xuanling glanced sideways at Chu Xingchen at these words, but didn't answer. She gently set down her tea cup, her gaze sweeping across the area.
Everyone in the sect was now present. Even the outer disciple Zhou Ping was eating preserved fruits Chen Baiqing had given her.
Zhang Miaoyu still wore that slightly nervous expression. It seemed Bai Xuanling's legend still held quite some deterrent power.
This sect had more and more people now.
There was even a gate-keeping demonic beast at Qi Refining stage, about to establish its foundation.
Bai Xuanling looked left and right, feeling this Qingshe seemed to have something to her. But ultimately, it was too weak, and the cultivation period for demonic beasts was also very long.
Just look at Qinghe and you'd understand. Although Qinghe did slack off somewhat, the time spent in serious cultivation was also truly not short.
Plus with Tianyan Sect's resource cultivation, wasn't she now at the Nascent Soul realm?
Flood dragons were naturally powerful, but their cultivation period was notoriously long.
Bai Xuanling simply treated this Qingshe as something Chu Xingchen was preparing for his next successor.
"Alright, let's not chat idly." Bai Xuanling stood up. "I have matters to attend to later. This visit is squeezed in between busy times. Earlier, I gave you a list of materials needed for the grand formation. Has everything been prepared?"
"Naturally, everything is prepared."
Chu Xingchen nodded in understanding. The pills he refined were still being purchased by Bai Xuanling, though the supply to Tianyan Sect was much less than before.
However, the quantity of pills Bai Xuanling requested continued to grow.
Undoubtedly, the pills Chu Xingchen refined had gone from internal sales to export.
And they seemed to be in a stage of demand exceeding supply.
After all, besides healing and tonifying effects, the pills Chu Xingchen refined naturally had their unique qualities.
That was, their effects were far superior to other pills—one pill could achieve several times the efficacy of ordinary pills.
Those were truly excellent medicines for emergencies.
Anyway, that was what Chu Xingchen believed. Who knows how many people had survived thanks to the pills he refined.
As for other uses...
Chu Xingchen felt there couldn't possibly be other uses. After all, pills—what else could they be used for?
In short, through the pill-refining business, Chu Xingchen was now earning quite a lot.
Adding to that Li Xingtian and Li Yingling's gains, it was also an extremely considerable sum.
However, the materials needed for this grand formation and the sect's construction once again completely drained all the spirit stones that had been accumulated.
Now the sect had returned to the state of the original ruined temple—spirit stones were almost down to being counted individually.
Although Chu Xingchen was somewhat sentimental, this kind of "old times" of being broke to death was better not remembered.
The main issue was that the grand formation's materials were expensive enough to make one's heart ache.
But naturally, Chu Xingchen wouldn't cut corners in this most crucial place.
Protective things were naturally the more expensive the better, and the more powerful the effect, the better.
Bai Xuanling's gaze turned to Luo Yue at the side:
"You go handle your matters, I'll go handle mine."
Bai Xuanling paused halfway, looking at Chu Xingchen: "You go with it. Contact me if there are any problems."
She had come personally, besides the grand formation, with the core purpose of keeping an eye on Luo Yue.
That Bai Xuanling could live this long, besides being able to fight, naturally had other virtues.
Suspicion and being careful in everything.
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