Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Only after leaving the market area and entering the mountains, and confirming that no one was following them, did the three dare to stop and catch their breath.

"Sect Leader, that really scared me to death!" Su Xiao patted his chest, still shaken.

Shi Tie was overjoyed: "Sect Leader, your aura just now was even more like that of a Sect Leader than the former one!"

Shen Mo gave a wry smile. That wasn't any kind of imposing presence; it was purely psychological warfare combined with luck, wasn't it?

The special effects of the jade pendant were probably only noticeable to Zhao Hu because he was close by; if it had dragged on any longer, it would have been exposed. Nevertheless, they had finally passed another hurdle.

"Let's go back to the mountain first," Shen Mo said, catching his breath. "Black Wind Stronghold will remember this debt. We must become stronger this month!"

The atmosphere was much more relaxed on the way back to the mountain. After all, carrying a "huge sum" of eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones made the three of them walk much more lightly. The setting sun cast long shadows of them, scattering dappled light and shadow along the way.

"Sect Leader, do we... do we really have so many spirit stones?" Shi Tie was still somewhat incredulous, occasionally touching the heavy cloth bag in his arms and asking with a silly grin.

To avoid risks, Shen Mo and the other two separated the spirit stones, each taking some with them (they were afraid of being poor).

Although Su Xiao was more composed, he couldn't hide the joy in his eyes: "Yes, Senior Brother Sect Leader, I've never seen so many spirit stones in my life! When the former Sect Leader was in charge, even at the sect's wealthiest time, the storeroom only had twenty or thirty spirit stones at most."

Shen Mo watched the two teenagers' jubilation over a few spirit stones and felt a mixture of amusement and sadness. They were truly terrified of poverty.

"This is just the beginning." Shen Mo painted a picture for them, or rather, outlined a blueprint, "Once we find a stable source of spiritual energy and resolve our debts, the sect will gradually improve."

"At that time, each of you will have enough spirit stones to cultivate, and you will never have to worry about food again."

"Really?" Su Xiao looked up, her big eyes full of anticipation.

"Of course," Shen Mo nodded reassuringly, "but before that, we need to be careful with our spending. Every single spirit stone must be used wisely."

Back at the dilapidated mountain gate, which finally felt somewhat like "home," A-Yuan was already waiting at the entrance, eagerly anticipating her arrival. Seeing the sect leader and her three senior brothers and sisters return safely, a relieved smile immediately appeared on her little face.

The four sat around the only relatively intact table in the main hall, carefully pouring the cloth bag containing spirit stones onto it.

With a crisp clatter, eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones of varying sizes and dull luster were piled up into a small heap, radiating an alluring glow in the dim light.

This is undoubtedly an astronomical sum of money for the Qingyun Sect.

"Wow!" A-Yuan let out a soft exclamation, wanting to reach out and touch it, but then timidly withdrew her hand.

Shi Tie stared wide-eyed, only able to chuckle foolishly.

Shen Mo picked up a spirit stone, sensing the faint spiritual energy it contained, and began to make calculations in his mind. He cleared his throat and began to exercise the sect leader's "financial power".

"First and foremost, the most important thing right now is to solve the problem of food," Shen Mo said. "Junior Brother Tie, tomorrow morning, go to the market... no, go to a more distant mortal town and buy enough rice, flour, cooking oil, salt, and some dried meat that can be stored for a month for the four of us. Remember, don't flaunt your wealth, and buy them separately."

"Yes, Sect Leader!" Shi Tie replied loudly, feeling as if he had shouldered an important mission.

"Secondly, there are cultivation resources." Shen Mo looked at Su Xiao and A Yuan and said, "Junior Sister Xiao, you've been stuck at the peak of the first level of Qi Refining for some time now, and you really need pills to help you break through."

"Ah Yuan hasn't yet mastered Qi cultivation and needs the most basic 'Qi-Nourishing Pill.' I'll go to the market when I have time and buy a few bottles of suitable pills."

Upon hearing this, Su Xiao's eyes flashed with excitement: "Thank you so much, Senior Brother Sect Leader!"

A-Yuan also whispered her thanks, "Thank you, Sect Leader."

"Finally, there's the repair and defense of the sect." Shen Mo sighed, looking at the drafty main hall, and said, "If this building isn't repaired soon, the winter will be unbearable."

"Furthermore, we need some simple early warning measures so that people can't just come here whenever they want. This requires purchasing some building materials and simple flag materials."

He roughly estimated that the grain and dried meat would cost about ten spirit stones; the pills would be the biggest expense, costing at least twenty spirit stones; and the repairs and basic array formations would require fifteen to twenty spirit stones.

With this calculation, more than half of the eighty-seven spirit stones were gone in an instant.

"We should save the remaining spirit stones for emergencies, especially to deal with Black Wind Stronghold," Shen Mo decided. "For now, we should prioritize cost-cutting and focus on increasing revenue as a secondary measure."

After settling the budget, it was already late. A-Yuan used the last few grains of rice she had sifted from the corners and sides of the rice jar when she was bored while staying behind at the sect, along with the wild vegetables she had picked from the back mountain, to cook a pot of steaming hot wild vegetable porridge.

Although it was still just plain soup and water, it was a world of difference compared to the days when we didn't know where our next meal would come from.

The four sat around the fire pit, drinking hot porridge and feeling a long-lost warmth and sense of security.

"Sect Leader, do you think we can really find that 'stable source of spiritual energy'?" Su Xiao asked while taking a small sip of porridge.

Shen Mo swallowed the tasteless wild vegetables in his mouth, turned his gaze to the dark night sky outside the palace, and said firmly:

"We definitely can. Our founder wouldn't have established his sect here without a reason. Starting tomorrow, we'll thoroughly search the entire Qingyun Mountain! Not an inch of land will be overlooked!"

His confidence infected the others. Shi Tiesan finished his porridge in a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and said, "Sect Leader, when I get back from the market tomorrow, I'll search those caves in the back mountain again! Maybe our patriarch left some treasure inside!"

A-Yuan whispered, "I...I'll go check the herb garden again tomorrow. Maybe there are some spiritual herbs under those weeds..."

Looking at his junior brothers and sisters who had rekindled their hope, Shen Mo felt the burden on his shoulders was heavier, but his motivation was also stronger.

Night fell as dark as ink, slowly enveloping Qingyun Mountain. The hustle and bustle of the day gradually subsided as the last rays of dawn faded.

A-Yuan sat next to Su Xiao, her little head nodding slightly, already a little sleepy, but with a faint smile on her lips.

Shi Tie leaned against a reasonably sturdy pillar without any regard for appearances, patting his belly contentedly, watching the flickering flames, and occasionally chuckling to himself.

Shen Mo sat at the head of the table, and by the light of the fire, carefully counted the pile of spirit stones again, pondering tomorrow's purchasing plan.

But his thoughts were more focused on that "beginner's quest"—finding a stable source of spiritual energy. This was the foundation; without it, all prosperity was like a castle in the air.

The main hall was quiet, with only the crackling of burning firewood and the whistling of the mountain wind blowing through the broken walls.

"Sect Leader Brother..." A soft voice broke the silence; it was Su Xiao. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing uncertainly, "Do you think... we can really find the source of that spiritual energy? Did the Ancestor... really leave behind a backup plan?"

Her question was also the question in the hearts of Shi Tie and A Yuan.

Shi Tie was simple-minded and wouldn't think too much about it; A Yuan was timid and didn't dare to ask too many questions.

Only Su Xiao, with her delicate mind and having experienced the thrills and "magic" of the day, was filled with curiosity and a hint of uneasy anticipation.

Shen Mo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Su Xiao.

The firelight danced on her delicate face, and her large eyes, which always held a hint of cleverness and caution, now reflected the flames and a complex questioning.