I am a mage and a wet nurse, so using seven swords is not too much, right?

When the topic of reporting back came up, Ning Ruan suddenly remembered that the chubby boy had come to discuss a collaboration on the sound transmission talisman.

Why would the emperor entrust this matter to you?

"Miss Ning." Tang Xiaopangzi puffed out his round belly, trying to project an air of authority.

However, those small eyes, squeezed together by flesh and reduced to mere slits, gleamed with a shrewdness and a hint of smugness, but there was not a trace of majesty in them.

"And I am now the person in charge of the Bright Moon Trading Company." He deliberately lowered his voice, trying to make his words sound more weighty.

Ning Ruan blinked, not particularly surprised. "That's great. Didn't a lot of people compete for this position before?"

"Yeah, it's really good. I used to think about taking this position too." Tang Xiaopang sighed slightly.

"But now I realize that after actually sitting in this position, it seems like I've lost something."

The person in charge of Mingyue Trading Company.

They bear the weight of the entire business's rise and fall, honor and disgrace.

Holding wealth may seem glamorous, but in reality, it comes with many constraints.

They can no longer travel freely, make friends, or explore hidden places as they used to.

Every day, they face mountains of ledgers, intricate webs of interests, and open and covert attacks from various factions.

What good is having the highest cultivation level?

He is not stupid.

It's obvious that his former friend has far surpassed him in terms of ability.

You might not see much difference right now.

But the differences will become even greater in the future.

"In short, it seems like I'm drifting further and further away from you all."

Tang Xiaopangzi sounded quite wistful.

Ning Ruan, munching on a spirit fruit, tilted her head to look at him upon hearing this, "You don't have to do it."

"..." Tang Xiaopangzi choked and said with a wry smile, "It's not that easy. If it were in the Nine Provinces Realm, I would quit. At most, they would just find another successor. Anyway, there are quite a few people who are eyeing that position."

“But things are different now. In the Spirit Realm, what is the Mingyue Trading Company? Even if I want to leave, I need... the approval of the person above me.”

He raised his finger and pointed to the sky.

Ning Ruan understood. She pondered for a moment and said, "I can tell the Emperor that if you really want to leave, I think he's quite easy to talk to."

Tang Xiaopangzi: "..." Hard to comment.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Ning, but I don't need it for now."

He sighed again, "Because I'm also very confused right now."

"I don't know whether I should leave. Actually, if we put aside the gap between me and you, I'm quite satisfied with being the person in charge."

"Although it's tiring and troublesome, it seems to have its own fun."

"Watching the Bright Moon Trading Company grow step by step, its reputation resounding throughout the entire Eastern Qin, and soon it will resound throughout the entire Spirit Realm, and even the entire Boundless Realm, can Fellow Daoist Ning understand this sense of satisfaction?"

“…I guess so,” Ning Ruan said. “It’s like when I’ve been hungry for a long time and suddenly I eat a dish made by Han Ze, I feel very satisfied.”

Tang Xiaopangzi: "..." Never mind.

Although the processes are different, the sense of satisfaction is indeed the same.

He nodded silently. "That's roughly it."

"However, I will seriously consider what Fellow Daoist Ning has said."

"Let's just keep walking and see how we proceed. We'll find the answer eventually."

Ning Ruan felt that Tang Xiaopangzi had indeed changed.

But perhaps, he was always like this; the chubby boy who only ever argued with her about who could spend more money was just a facade.

Ning Ruan suddenly said, "You can go ahead, but don't try to sneak in my milk tea."

Do you really think she didn't see it?

(????)

Outrageous behavior!!

……

That night.

Ning Ruan entered the Red Lotus Space.

Accompanying her inside was Lord Zuan Sword Xiao Hong, who could barely speak clearly.

When they entered, the orange sword was stuck in the severed hand, silently floating in mid-air.

Upon seeing Ning Ruan, the severed hand began to struggle again.

The orange sword also excitedly moved its blade.

"Weakling...weakling..."

Xiao Hong had already surrounded the severed hand, offering her warm greetings.

Ning Ruan crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head slightly, and stared at the severed hand for a moment.

After confirming that there was no trace of the dark purple curse marks of the Crow Clan on the severed hand, he slowly opened his lips and said, "Hello, Immortal."

"It seems I underestimated you. In such a short time, you have completely broken free from the curse."

The severed hand suddenly stopped struggling.

Ning Ruan crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head slightly, and stared at the severed hand for a moment.

After confirming that there was no trace of the dark purple curse marks of the Crow Clan on the severed hand, he slowly opened his lips and said, "Hello, Immortal."

"It seems I underestimated you. In such a short time, you have completely broken free from the curse."

The severed hand suddenly stopped struggling.

Ning Ruan tugged at the corners of her lips, revealing a half-smile, her clear eyes filled with amusement:

"Since you're still conscious, then make a sound."

"You've probably realized it by now, even if you break free of the curse, you can't escape my sword."

"So, shall we talk?"

The severed hand remained silent, as if it were truly just a dead object.

Ning Ruan wasn't in a hurry. She slowly circled the severed hand twice, her fingertips lightly tapping the hilt of the orange sword. "Not going to talk? Fine, then I'll talk."

"The soul you left in your severed hand must not be much, and after so many years, it must have been damaged to some extent."

"If my sword continues to be stuck in you for a hundred years, will you disappear completely?"

Ning Ruan's voice was calm, as if she were speaking ordinary words, but the content of her words still made the severed hand tremble violently.

She stopped, tilted her head to look at the severed hand, and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Or will it take even longer? A thousand years? Ten thousand years?"

“Or…” She raised her hand, her fingertips gently brushing the blade of the orange sword, which emitted a pleasant hum, “Actually, it won’t take a hundred years. I can use my sword intent to slowly erode your soul, bit by bit, like… being slowly sliced ​​to death? Would that be faster?”

The severed hand trembled violently, trying to break free, but was firmly held in place by the orange sword.

"Or," Ning Ruan continued slowly, "I wonder if you're afraid of strange fire?"

"It's not just one kind of strange fire, but a new strange fire formed by the fusion of many different kinds of strange fire. If you slowly calculate it, I wonder which will make you disappear faster, it or sword intent."

"Oh, right, there's another way." Her eyes lit up as if she had remembered something interesting. "The Boundless Realm is so vast, there should be items specifically for the soul. Although they are rare, I have plenty of spirit stones, so buying them shouldn't be a problem. Would this be useful to you?"

With each method she described, the trembling of her severed hand intensified.

Although he tried his best to restrain himself, the anger in his bones was hard to suppress.