After Zhu Luomu and the others replaced Su Yuan's previous position, the job of guarding the "Shattered Star Chamber" alone no longer earned him many spirit stones.
But if he were to manage the sect's shop, the benefits were plentiful. Whether it was medicinal pills, magical treasures, or spirit stones, he would be the first to come into contact with them.
Although he might not be able to afford them, he was a firm believer in the principle of proximity granting advantage.
Thus, he was sent out in the first batch. Su Yuan was like a fish in water. From the very beginning of opening the shop, whether it was building connections or welcoming guests from all directions, he displayed his innate talent.
He handled every aspect meticulously, allowing Falling Star Valley to smoothly establish a foothold in the Sacred Demon City. This made Xing Ming very satisfied.
Initially, Xing Ming's idea was to rotate in two other deacons every five years to the Sacred Demon City, naturally to prevent deacons from changing over time.
But after the first five years passed without Su Yuan being replaced, it later became a system where only one deacon was replaced every five years to partner with Su Yuan.
This showed just how satisfied Xing Ming was with the benefits Su Yuan brought to Falling Star Valley.
And over these years, Su Yuan had also reaped huge benefits. First, he obtained four "Essence-Increasing Pills" at an extremely low price.
Fifteen years ago, he finally achieved his wish and broke through to the Pseudo-Core realm in one fell swoop. Second, his storage pouch became fuller and fuller.
Xing Ming was, of course, aware of this. It wasn't as if he didn't check the shop's accounts.
But as long as the sect was making a big profit, what was wrong with the disciples in the Sacred Demon City, whether deacons or clerks, profiting from it?
Relying on the few spirit stones the sect issued each month to get disciples to work to the death was even more unreliable for cultivators.
So for a time, both the sect and the shop were extremely satisfied.
However, Su Yuan was sharp-witted and incredibly slick. He knew there was a limit to how much the sect would allow him to gain.
Therefore, he was extremely strict about how far he and his subordinates could reach. He would only take what he could, and wouldn't take a single coin of what he couldn't. Even if he had to pay out of his own pocket, he would smooth over the accounts he handled.
As for the other rotating deacon, if their relationship was good, Su Yuan would say a few more words. If the relationship was bad, he would let them do as they pleased.
Anyway, he wasn't the one handling those accounts. Someone would find trouble with him eventually.
Sure enough, over the past dozen years, two or three batches of Foundation Establishment cultivators had been rotated through. Some were punished, and some were even brought back to the sect for severe punishment, but Su Yuan remained unshaken.
He and the other deacon were also aware that the Sect Master was going to send magical treasures and disciples for training in the next few days.
But just now, when he received the report from a disciple that Elder Zhang had brought people over, he was stunned for a moment. But he and the other deacon immediately rushed out to greet them.
Upon meeting, Su Yuan finally confirmed that Zhang Ming was indeed the person he had met back then.
"Disciple Su Yuan (Xie Tongyi) pays respects to Elder Zhang!!"
The two of them greeted Li Yan in unison.
Although the cultivator named Xie Tongyi had only seen Elder Zhang's portrait in the jade slip once, he recognized Li Yan in the crowd without needing Su Yuan's reminder.
Bowing deeply in a grand salute, the two of them bowed to the ground, scaring the clerk behind them so much that he quickly knelt on one knee, cupped his fist, and lowered his head.
Li Yan, however, smiled and gently lifted a hand. The three of them stood up, their bodies uncontrollably rising, as if lifted by a gentle breeze.
"There's no need for such ceremony. I didn't expect Deacon Su to be here guarding the sect's property. It is quite a surprise!"
Li Yan spoke as he raised his hand.
Hearing this, Su Yuan couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He hadn't expected this Elder Zhang to still remember him. This had invisibly closed the distance between him and a Golden Core cultivator.
For a cultivator like him, this was a matter of great fortune. Overjoyed, Su Yuan bowed slightly again, not hiding his expression in the slightest.
"For Elder Zhang to still remember this junior, this disciple's cultivation is not refined. To be able to contribute to the sect before my time is up is already a great blessing!"
Li Yan also nodded with a smile, thinking to himself.
'This person is clearly a slippery character, yet he doesn't hide his expression. This is a deliberate display!'
At the same time, he gave a token of praise.
"Deacon Su is too modest. The Sect Master's ability to judge character is still very sharp!"
Seeing the two of them go back and forth, the rest of the crowd couldn't help but show looks of surprise.
Many of them knew that this Deacon Su had left the sect eighteen years ago to come here. They didn't expect him to be an old acquaintance of Elder Zhang.
Among these people, especially the other deacon, Xie Tongyi, turned his head and gave Su Yuan a meaningful look. Seeing that Su Yuan seemed completely oblivious, he felt very dissatisfied in his heart.
'You old fox, Su Yuan. To think you usually call me brother. When the sect sent a message a few days ago, you never said you were an old acquaintance of our Elder Zhang. Are you afraid I'll find out and ask you to do things for me?'
He was both dissatisfied and envious. The benefits of latching onto a Golden Core cultivator's thigh went without saying. Just in the sect, if he encountered a difficult problem, a single word from the other party would make the Sect Master give face.
If he was a little more diligent in his daily interactions, and the other person was happy, a few casual pointers on cultivation could save him years, or even decades, of hard work.
A Golden Core cultivator from one's own sect was of great benefit to anyone, both officially and privately.
Li Yan didn't pay any mind to Su Yuan's little thoughts. After a smile, he said no more.
Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi were so experienced. They immediately arranged for that clerk to take the others to be settled first, while the two of them personally arranged for Elder Zhang's accommodation.
It wasn't that they were neglecting Feng Tao and the other five Foundation Establishment fellow disciples, but they knew that this Elder Zhang must have come to hand over the storage pouch first, and might have many things to ask them.
Chatting with other fellow disciples could only be left for later. Feng Tao and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were all sharp-eyed and quick-witted, and didn't say much.
After cupping their hands to Su Yuan and the other, and apologizing to Li Yan, they led the group of disciples away.
Afterward, Su Yuan and the other respectfully led Li Yan directly to the sixth floor of the pavilion.
On the sixth floor, in a spacious room, Su Yuan and the other served tea before standing respectfully below.
Li Yan raised his hand and pointed to a chair to the side, motioning for the two to sit. He then took out a storage pouch and a jade slip.
"Let's hand over the things brought from the sect to you first. Some may be urgently needed by the shop, so don't delay. There is also a jade slip here, which is a message from the Sect Master. Some instructions and a list of the items brought this time are all listed inside."
As he spoke, Li Yan gave a gentle push, and the storage pouch and jade slip flew towards Su Yuan, who was seated below. He could also see that Su Yuan was the one in charge here.
But this seemingly casual action of his looked different in Xie Tongyi's eyes.
'This Elder Zhang didn't even think about it and just threw both items to Su Yuan. Whether it was his action or his expression, it was so natural and casual. Old boy Su Yuan is hiding a lot!'
Su Yuan bowed slightly and caught the floating items. But he then also looked at Xie Tongyi. Both of them understood the meaning in each other's eyes. This was Su Yuan being extremely smooth.
Xie Tongyi knew that Su Yuan was confirming with him whether they should check it immediately or after they went out. This was also to confirm his existence in front of Elder Zhang.
In the past, ordinary items like magical treasures were delivered by Foundation Establishment cultivators arranged by the sect. They would check and verify them without any hesitation.
Valuable items would be delivered by Xing Ming himself. They didn't need to check at all and could just accept them directly.
But this time, they had encountered such a situation. Including Su Yuan, none of them had really dealt with this Elder Zhang before and did not know his temperament.
For a moment, these two usually slick individuals saw hesitation in each other's eyes. They were not sure if they should really count the items in the storage pouch in front of him.
They were afraid that this Elder Zhang had a strange personality and would think that the two of them didn't trust him, and would hold a grudge in his heart.
At this time, Xie Tongyi quickly retracted his gaze, his expression relaxing instead. He was secretly glad that the items were not thrown to him.
Although if something went wrong in the future, he would still have some responsibility, it would definitely not be the main responsibility.
'Your relationship with this Elder Zhang is extremely good. Even if he trusts you so much, you can just handle it as you see fit!'
Xie Tongyi thought to himself and lowered his gaze. Su Yuan, seeing that Xie Tongyi had looked away after meeting his gaze, pretending that it had nothing to do with him, couldn't help but curse inwardly.
'Shameless!'
But his reaction was also extremely fast. He couldn't count the list of items, but listening to the Sect Master's message was completely fine. After hearing how the Sect Master described it, he would make his next move.
He immediately said "Pardon me!" to Li Yan, and then immediately sank his divine sense into the jade slip.
A moment later, Su Yuan withdrew his divine sense and looked up at Li Yan. But he did not tell Xie Tongyi the contents of the jade slip, directly ignoring Xie Tongyi's dissatisfied gaze.
In the jade slip, Xing Ming explained the arrangements for these training disciples this time, asking him not to interfere. Unless the other party was willing to stay in the shop for training, he only needed to arrange their accommodation.
As for other expenses, they were to be resolved by the individuals themselves. Of course, whether this included all of Zhang Ming's food, clothing, housing, and transportation was left for Su Yuan and the others to guess.
As for other matters, Xing Ming stated that during Elder Zhang Ming's stay in the Sacred Demon City, everything was to be arranged by him. The transaction with Great Master Wanxiang of Longhua Temple also had to be done with Elder Zhang present. If there were any unresolved matters, they could ask Elder Zhang to resolve them, and so on.
At the end of the jade slip, Su Yuan finally saw a list of the items brought this time.
Seeing this, Su Yuan first felt a sense of relief in his heart. First, regarding the matter of these fifteen people coming for training, he and Xie Tongyi had already discussed it several times. Before receiving news from the Sect Master, they were not sure how to handle it.
With so many people coming, the daily expenses were not a small sum. Although these expenses would eventually be covered by the sect, everyone here had a different personality. Even among the Qi Condensation disciples, there were distinctions between close and distant.
What was even more difficult to deal with were the five Foundation Establishment cultivators. In the sect, they were of the same rank as them. If they didn't handle it well, they would offend people. No one wanted to take on such a thankless task.
Now, with the Sect Master's oral decree, it was much easier. It was just a matter of providing them with accommodation.
Although the residence here was not large, the six-story pavilion behind could accommodate thirty people without any problem.
As for the environment, apart from a few spacious, bright, and relatively luxurious rooms, the rest of the rooms were much simpler.
Su Yuan didn't care about this. To have a place to live in the Sacred Demon City was already good enough, and it was free.
If they felt the conditions were not good, they could go out and find a good inn on their own. He would not stop them. Anyway, he had already made the arrangements.
Now, they just needed to serve this Elder Zhang well. This was the key.
As for those fifteen people, in terms of courtesy, Su Yuan was a smooth operator and would not let anyone have anything to complain about.
So he decided to hold a banquet tonight to entertain them. After all, they had come from afar, and they had to show some gesture of hospitality.
He figured Xie Tongyi would not object to this matter.