"Your Eldest Senior Sister really isn't here. She still has things to attend to. Besides, if you're in the right, what are you afraid of?"
"Master, if you're not afraid, why don't you guarantee I won't get beaten by Eldest Senior Sister?"
"When your Eldest Senior Sister hits you, that's not called a beating. That's called education."
"No way! Eldest Senior Sister's education is way too brutal..."
"Master, how about I head back to Ten Thousand Flower Ridge first?"
"What's the rush? Didn't I tell you she's not here? You've made such a great contribution — we definitely need to have a couple of drinks at the celebration banquet."
"I'm afraid that when I push open the door, I won't see wine on the table. I'll see Eldest Senior Sister's face."
East Victorious Divine Continent, the Fulcrum Immortal Pavilion.
Xie Lingyu had been listening to these two goofballs — master and disciple — banter from inside the room for a good while.
With her master's Body Integration cultivation, he could have dragged a Foundation Establishment local through the door using nothing but his toes. Yet he insisted on standing at the entrance trying to coax his disciple inside.
Xie Lingyu hadn't personally gone to the Bai Li Flowing Clouds or the Silent Bone Forest.
After all, besides charging into battle, someone needed to stay behind and coordinate command at the rear, just in case an unexpected situation arose where no one was in charge to make decisions.
Right now, there were only four people truly capable of commanding the three sects.
The rest were either not core members who couldn't make major decisions, or they wouldn't be readily accepted by the other sects.
Perhaps it was because her own master was Bai Xuanling of the Central Plains. Or perhaps it was simply because she was genuinely competent at her job.
At the very least, neither Xuan Qing Heavenly Sect nor Ta Dao Sect objected to her command.
When Chu Xingchen had decided to let Xie Lingyu temporarily take overall command, no one raised any objections.
On top of that, Xie Lingyu's cultivation was the lowest among the four. Even if someone wanted to argue, they couldn't find a proper pretext.
Xie Lingyu understood this as well — your cultivation and status determined your role. She accepted the arrangement willingly.
It was better than becoming a liability instead of an asset.
She was long past the age of needing to prove herself at every turn.
But listening to the two of them clown around right now, Xie Lingyu held back and held back, until finally she couldn't help it anymore.
She raised her hand and used her spiritual energy to push open the firmly shut doors.
Inside the room, she wasn't the only one present. There were people from the Tian Yan Sect, Xuan Qing Heavenly Sect, and Ta Dao Sect.
Earlier, Chu Xingchen had been decisive and sharp in his decision-making, his thinking creative. The others had mostly regarded him with respect.
But after hearing just those two exchanges, their expressions shifted to surprise and curiosity.
When operating away from home, maintaining a bit more gravitas wasn't a bad thing. At the very least, it made bluffing easier.
The doors opened.
What met everyone's eyes was Chu Xingchen grabbing Cui Hao by the collar, about to drag him inside. Cui Hao wore a face of misery and resentment aimed squarely at Chu Xingchen.
Lin Luoyu wore a faint smile, looking amusedly at her master and junior brother.
Li Xingtian's face remained expressionless, though his eyes followed the two of them.
Daozi Yuyang stood to the side, brimming with smiles, arms crossed.
Xu Jin's expression was somewhat stern, though the corners of his mouth still carried a hint of amusement.
Xie Lingyu saw the smile on Chu Xingchen's face and instantly changed what she had been about to say, her tone softening.
"You've worked hard. Were you injured?"
Seeing that the door had opened and the one speaking was Xie Lingyu, Cui Hao stopped resisting and let Chu Xingchen drape an arm over his shoulder as he was walked inside.
Cui Hao's gaze swept the room, and he truly didn't spot his Eldest Senior Sister anywhere.
His Eldest Senior Sister was always straightforward about her feelings toward him. She would either beat you up on the spot, or she wouldn't come after you later.
If she wasn't here now, she was genuinely away, and she wouldn't pop out halfway through to start hitting him.
Chu Xingchen released his arm from Cui Hao's shoulder and answered.
"Everything went smoothly. Now it just depends on how Ying Ling and Miao Yu handle the cleanup."
Xie Lingyu nodded gently. "No news yet, but we had people sent over there to help earlier. There isn't too much left to do, so it should be fine."
"I'll go check personally in a bit," Chu Xingchen said. Then he looked at everyone and smiled. "At least this phase went rather well, if I do say so myself."
"Today, I'm playing host. Eat whatever you want — the entire bill will be covered by our host, Daozi Yuyang!"
The fastest to respond was Cui Hao.
His eyes lit up as he immediately raised his hand. "Bring out the most expensive dishes and the finest wine."
Cui Hao had the lowest cultivation of everyone present. The rest had long since passed the need for food. Whether they ate or not didn't really matter — but having some fun with it was fine.
Except... Chu Xingchen was playing host, and Daozi Yuyang was footing the bill.
Most people's gazes shifted subtly toward Daozi Yuyang.
While Ta Dao Sect clearly wasn't short on funds, Chu Xingchen could tease Daozi Yuyang, but that didn't mean the rest of them could.
Daozi Yuyang strode forward and waved a grand hand.
"Don't hold back. Ta Dao Sect is covering this."
Xu Jin beamed at the news: "Get me the most expensive too. And find out if they have dancers — bring the best ones for some entertainment."
Back in the West Cattle Continent, Chu Xingchen had fleeced quite a few silver notes and spirit stones from him.
The reasons given had been perfectly legitimate, too. Only he'd taken far more than needed, and the leftovers were never returned.
Just like the wine Chu Xingchen had promised him — once the words left his mouth, they vanished into thin air.
Now Daozi Yuyang was getting the same treatment. Regardless, Xu Jin was going to enjoy himself today and experience the joy of freeloading.
Seeing that all three core disciples had let loose, the others quickly joined in as well.
"Eldest Senior Sister."
Chen Baiqing pushed the door open gently, her eyes falling on Li Yingling, who wore a displeased expression. Beside her, Zhang Miaoyu was rummaging through something.
Li Yingling's irritation subsided slightly as she showed a hint of a smile. "Bai Qing, you're here. Was the journey tiring?"
Chen Baiqing shook her head gently, a faint smile on her face.
"Not tiring at all. It's Eldest Senior Sister who has been working hard lately."
"You already know about the trouble Cui Hao has been causing?"
Li Yingling raised an eyebrow, then realized something and said: "That's normal. Given how thorough you are when handling assignments, you would have gathered the intelligence first."
"Bai Qing, tell me — is Cui Hao's skin just itching? Is he deliberately tormenting me for no reason? Even Master is indulging him and making me handle things!"
Chen Baiqing walked to the desk and sat down with elegant grace, familiarly retrieving the tea set.
"How would Cui Hao dare torment you, Eldest Senior Sister? He's simply lazy, and he figures most of these tasks would end up at Ta Dao Sect's door anyway."
"Many things wouldn't even reach you. That's why he made so many demands."
Li Yingling sighed softly. "You really do dote on Cui Hao. If only everyone were as worry-free as you."
Chen Baiqing brewed a cup of tea first and handed it to Li Yingling before replying with a smile.
"If Cui Hao actually started being well-behaved, wouldn't that be far more terrifying?"
"Hmm... that's a fair point." Li Yingling lifted the teacup and took a sip, feeling her mood ease considerably.
She set the cup down and continued: "Even though you've handled things thoroughly, I still need to remind you — put safety first. For this operation, just focus on commanding."
"The minor cleanup tasks at the end don't matter if they can't be completed."
Chen Baiqing nodded gently. "I understand. Besides, anyone who can be fooled by Fifth Junior Brother can't have much of a brain, can they?"
Li Yingling nodded deeply in agreement.
[
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