Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 9: Heavenly Sword Sect
At this time, at the gate of the renovated house, a group of people from the Tianxing Sword Sect gathered in front of the gate, watching the little Taoist boy sitting at the gate.

"This little sister looks so festive."

"You've become a monk at such a young age..."

"Young Sect Master, don't tell me this little fat girl is our landlord?"

Anuo's eyes became very resentful.

Shen Tang found it funny and asked softly, "Little sister, why are you sitting here alone? Where is your master?"

Ah Nuo sniffed. "Master said that if I just sit here and greet guests, they'll see how cute I am and give me candy. He lied to me. Not only did you not give me candy, you even scolded me."

As soon as these words came out, the old man from the Tianxing Sword Sect who had just blurted out that she was a little fat girl suddenly felt embarrassed. He felt around and felt where he was to find any candy. He smiled and gave her a red envelope: "Little sister, take this and have some candy."

The next moment, more than a dozen red envelopes were stuffed into Anuo's arms. Anuo stood up holding the red envelopes, ran into the door, and slammed it shut.

Old man: "?"

An Nuo's voice came from inside the door: "Master said that children cannot open the door until he comes back."

There was complete silence outside the door.

So you were sitting here acting cute just to cheat people out of money?
"Miss Shen, you're here quite early." Lu Xingzhou's voice came. Shen Tang turned around and saw Lu Xingzhou slowly approaching in a wheelchair alone. He looked very tired.

Shen Tang pursed her lips. She could always see herself in Lu Xingzhou, and every time she saw him, her heart would soften a lot.

I know clearly that this mentality is not right...this man doesn't need anyone's sympathy.

She sighed and whispered, "I deliberately let An Nuo perform this act at the door... Are you satisfied with the character of my Tianxing Sword Sect, sir?"

Lu Xingzhou was stunned. It seemed that Shen Tang was more perceptive than Sheng Yuanyao, who came from the Demon Suppression Division. He saw through his intention of observing the character of the people of Tianxing Sword Sect.

"Miss, you're overthinking it." Lu Xingzhou looked around: "Where's Miss Qingli?"

"Qingli has other important matters." Shen Tang's expression was quite strange. You really care about Qingli...

But one of her priorities is to investigate you...

Lu Xingzhou opened the door and pointed to a corner of the west wing. "That's where An Nuo and I live and where we make our alchemy room. We're not renting it out. The rest of the place is yours. You can arrange it yourselves."

After saying that, he went straight in. It seemed that Qingli was not there, and he had no interest in greeting others.

A young man looked at Lu Xingzhou's back as he entered the room and whispered in displeasure, "This man is rude."

Shen Tang said calmly, "After all, it's just a landlord-tenant relationship. How enthusiastic is that? You and I are down and out now. We're no longer what we used to be. So, curb your arrogance."

The young man pursed his lips in dissatisfaction and said nothing.

Shen Tang ignored him and turned to the old man who gave An Nuo a red envelope and said, "Uncle Zhong, put up the plaque."

The old man nodded, stood up, and hung the plaque behind him on the door.

The curtain of the plaque was unveiled, and it read "Shen's Trading Company".

The people of Tianxing Sword Sect had different expressions, and some of them looked unhappy.

Although we're all just fleeing, and can't use the Tianxing Sword Sect's name anymore, and have to use a trading company as a cover, we can definitely come up with a different name. What do you mean by using "Shen's"? Is this going to become your family business?
You, Shen Tang, are just a disciple of the former sect master, not his daughter. Even if you were his daughter, we are a sect, not a sword family!
But for some reason, no one publicly challenged him, and only a few people exchanged glances. Shen Tang took in everyone's expressions, smiled slightly, and walked in first.

"Such a lost dog, they're actually so disloyal." In the alchemy room, Lu Xingzhou and An Nuo sat across from each other, eating cakes, sighing, "There's nothing wrong with letting outsiders misunderstand it's a family business, let alone a sect. Knowing it's a cover-up, the more thorough the misleading, the better. What's their obsession?"

I don’t know how the master and disciple saw the scene outside the door.

Anuo held up his chin and said, "I just don't accept that a girl is in charge. Sister Yu was so powerful back then, but it was because of that little girl that she caused so much trouble."

"Yuan Muyu looks fourteen or fifteen, but in other people's eyes, she's a real little girl...Shen Tang is at least twenty-one or twenty-two."

"Anyway, whether it was Sister Yu back then or Sister Shen Tang now, they are both older than you, right?"

"...What does it matter to me whether it's big or small?"

"Hmph." Ah Nuo hummed: "Is your love really sealed?"

"Women will only affect my efficiency in raising children."

Ah Nuo's expression brightened unconsciously, and he said happily, "By the way, didn't Master say that they might not be from the Tianxing Sword Sect?"

"I'm not sure, I always feel something is weird." Lu Xingzhou said halfway, and suddenly he was stunned: "Shen Tang came here... She just arrived and instead of settling people and allocating housing first, she came to me first?" Anuo closed his mouth and looked towards the door curiously.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Shen Tang's voice came: "I have something to say to Mr. Lu."

"Come in, the door is unlocked."

Shen Tang pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing the two of them sitting opposite each other eating cakes, he couldn't help but smile: "I hope I didn't disturb you two from eating."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Miss, are you here to eat for free? I can't afford to treat hundreds of you to a meal."

Shen Tang smiled and said, "On the contrary, we will hire a chef to take charge of the company's meals. In the future, Master Xian and his apprentice can eat with us."

"You're welcome. Miss Shen, is there anything you need from me, your landlord?"

"These past few days, people from the Danxia Gang have been spreading rumors in the city, saying that your alchemy skills are very ordinary, that the pills you made before were the result of help from others, and that you even stole the pills from the company..."

Lu Xingzhou raised his eyebrows: "Oh, they actually knew?"

Shen Tang was choked up, and after a while he continued, "I don't think they know, they're just maliciously slandering you so that you can't survive in Xiazhou in the future. No one will be willing to accept you. After all, you offended the Danxia Gang so badly this time. It would be strange if Liu Qingcang didn't vent his anger."

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "Not only that... he even hired someone to assassinate me last night."

Shen Tang's expression changed slightly, but he saw Lu Xingzhou continue: "Now that I live with Miss Shen, if they still want to use force to deal with me, there is someone to help me, right?"

Shen Tang stared into his eyes: "Did you plan for me to rent a house just to protect us from disaster?"

Lu Xingzhou didn't deny it: "That's part of the reason...but the girl is happy about it, isn't she? After all, Bai Chi was poached from you, and the girl also wants to teach them a lesson, otherwise it will be difficult to lead the team in the future."

"Since Master needs our force, we also need Master's alchemy skills, so we should cooperate. We are new here, and even if we want to cause trouble for Bai Chi, it is not appropriate to force a conflict with the Danxia Gang. If we can strike them at the level of alchemy, that would be the best option."

"I said I will not join your sect."

"You don't need to join the sect. We provide the herbs and pay you to make the pills. Improving your own alchemy skills will also require a lot of alchemy. This is one of the reasons why you chose to stay in the Danxia Gang as an alchemist, right?"

Lu Xingzhou looked at Shen Tang in surprise for a long moment, and asked curiously, "I have a lot of plans for you, young lady, why are you so accommodating... Xiazhou has many alchemists, I don't believe you can't find an excellent alchemist willing to join the sect, why are you doing this..."

Shen Tang smiled softly: "A person who has so much on his mind yet is willing to intervene and persuade me not to commit suicide... is worth being accommodating to."

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and did not answer.

It was Anuo who felt compassion, not me, so I felt unworthy of this kindness.

"What's more..." Shen Tang patted his wheelchair, then looked at Lu Xingzhou's legs, his smile tinged with melancholy: "We are all in this world together, so we should help each other."

Anuo was very sensible and didn't interrupt. He ate the cake in small bites, his eyes moving back and forth between his master and Shen Tang.

Lu Xingzhou's gaze also fell on Shen Tang's legs, but it was unfocused, as if he was lost in thought. After a long pause, he said, "It's true that I embezzled from the Danxia Gang. I wonder if Miss Qingli saw it then."

Shen Tang was stunned and did not answer immediately.

Lu Xingzhou continued, "With my character, you really dare to hang out with me? Aren't you afraid that I'll take advantage of you?"

"Heh..." Shen Tang laughed. "I've learned that the treatment they give you is only slightly higher than that of an ordinary eighth-grade alchemist. The feedback you give them has exceeded their expectations. Not only do you refine pills of higher quality than required, but you also help establish an alchemy system and train apprentices free of charge. You're just an alchemist, not a hall master, so you don't need to work so hard on such things. Aren't you intentionally paying them for the pills?"

Yes, that’s why the father and daughter of the Liu family felt that Lu Xingzhou was too unruly and couldn’t understand it. They imagined that he was doing it for Liu Yaner.

However, in fact, he was just using this method to repay the money he had stolen for the pills. How could others see it clearly?
Sheng Yuanyao watched from the beginning to the end and didn't understand this point, but Shen Tang just listened to Qingli's retelling and was able to understand it so well.

"You're good at finding excuses for me." Lu Xingzhou was silent for a long time, then said calmly, "Is it possible that I'm someone who will do anything to make money?"

Shen Tang looked at him, his brows softening: "Just take it as it is."

Lu Xingzhou suddenly felt that this gaze was a bit irritating. He pursed his lips and tilted his head to ask, "Your sect has transformed from a sword sect into a chamber of commerce. What is its main business and what is its model?"

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, then realized that this person had finally moved from a distant "landlord and tenant" relationship to one where they wanted to help each other.

She smiled, her eyebrows and eyes curved, very beautiful.

----

PS: Why has failed confessions become a female-centric thing? I spent the whole day reading your comments yesterday and couldn't figure it out. Didn't Ming He reject Qin Yi before? Is Uncle Qin really a female-centric concubine?

(End of this chapter)