Chapter 23: Control (Please Keep Reading)

During this period, every household kept their doors tightly shut, and no one dared to step outside. From the east, terrifying sounds of battle and explosions reverberated now and then, making hearts tremble. Qin Jiyue obediently stayed at home, not daring to venture out even a single step, nor did she entertain any thought of collecting intelligence. The world outside was chaotic and dangerous; unless someone belonged to one's own faction, they were assumed to be enemies. For the sake of self-preservation, people would strike first, preferring to kill by mistake rather than let anyone slip by.

Li Guanzhen, on the other hand, was not nearly as fearful. He paid no heed to the turmoil beyond his window, ate his meals punctually, drew talismans with care, and lived as he always had.

About a month later, the war finally came to an end.

According to the information Li Guanzhen had gathered, after nearly twenty days of bitter resistance, the ancient patriarch of Joyful Mountain, whose lifespan was nearly exhausted, chose to sacrifice himself in a blood ritual to help the sect leader of Joyful Mountain reach the peak of Foundation Establishment. Even so, Joyful Mountain could not withstand the invasion of the four great factions. In the end, the sect leader broke through the encirclement and fled. The elders and disciples who remained either submitted or perished.

After a round of bloodshed and redistribution of interests, the territory of Joyful Mountain was ceded to Falling Moon Valley. As for what the other three factions gained, Li Guanzhen did not know.

"The demise of Joyful Mountain... No, it can't truly be called extinction, as their sect leader at the peak of Foundation Establishment still survives. Perhaps, in years to come, he will return for vengeance. Is this not the saying—thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never despise a struggling middle-aged man?"

Li Guanzhen fell into contemplation.

If they had considered fleeing from the beginning, both could have escaped together, rather than being forced into a blood sacrifice at the end. Thus, Li Guanzhen surmised that perhaps the two had not yet found the Velvet Flower Spirit Tree nor deciphered its mysteries, unwilling to leave empty-handed. The patriarch's lifespan was ending, with no hope left, but the Joyful Mountain sect leader, still in his prime, had limitless prospects. If he could retrieve the Velvet Flower Spirit Tree and unravel its secrets, there might even be hope to revive the patriarch.

This was Li Guanzhen's speculation from their perspective. Of course, it might not be so. In any case, it mattered little to Li Guanzhen. As long as he stayed quietly at home, one day he could easily eliminate the threat posed by the Joyful Mountain sect leader. After all, even if the latter hadn't fully uncovered the secrets of the Velvet Flower Spirit Tree, he must have a slight understanding. When he finally does, he will surely begin to investigate everywhere...

Therefore, Li Guanzhen preferred not to act unless necessary, not even bothering to argue with others; losing a few spirit stones was a small price for peace. So long as he remained safe, nothing else mattered.

Today, someone knocked on the door.

Qin Jiyue went to answer, and saw two middle-aged men in mage robes standing outside. She frowned and asked, "What brings you here?"

She recognized them; they were formerly outer disciples of Joyful Mountain, responsible for rent collection. Now, it seemed, they had become outer disciples of Falling Moon Valley.

One of them, looking embarrassed, said, "Ah, Madam Qin, it's like this—Falling Moon Valley sent us to collect rent..."

Qin Jiyue replied with displeasure, "Didn't we pay just over a month ago?"

"That was rent paid to Joyful Mountain, not Falling Moon Valley," the other said, his tone cold and blunt. "To ensure there are no spies from Joyful Mountain left in Qing'an City, Falling Moon Valley has dispatched us to investigate door to door. Any tenant willing to pay rent is considered a friend of Falling Moon Valley. Otherwise..."

Hearing this, Qin Jiyue's expression darkened. This was clearly extortion!

At that moment, Li Guanzhen came forward, took out a pouch of spirit stones, and handed it over with a smile. "Here is our rent for this year. The extra forty spirit stones are tea money for you both. Thank you for your hard work."

The round-faced, honest-looking man accepted the pouch, sighing, "Master Li, we are only following orders. Times are hard for everyone. Take back the extra spirit stones."

He began to hand back the forty spirit stones, but his companion's eyelids twitched with annoyance, silently cursing Old Hong for being a fool.

Li Guanzhen raised a hand to stop him, smiling helplessly. "Friend Hong, as you said, times are hard for everyone. If you don't accept the tea money, someone else will come to collect it, perhaps even more. I just want to live peacefully here."

Hong was taken aback, then nodded with a bitter smile. "Qing'an City isn't stable yet. If you run short of food, I can help deliver some."

Li Guanzhen's eyes brightened. "We're short on spirit rice."

Hong made a mental note.

The other man asked, "Do you have enough meat?"

"We're almost out," Li Guanzhen replied, his expression bitter.

"It'll be at your door at dusk. Be sure to collect it quickly," the man said, adding, "About six spirit stones' worth."

Li Guanzhen paused, then took out his storage pouch, counted ten scattered spirit stones, and handed them over with gratitude. "Thank you."

The two saw that Li Guanzhen's pouch held only a dozen low-grade spirit stones.

The man counted out four spirit stones and returned them to Li Guanzhen, grumbling, "Only sixty pounds of spirit beef left. Don't expect more from me."

When Li Guanzhen tried to say something, Hong quickly stopped him with a glance and interrupted, "Alright, Master Li, remember to open your door at dusk for the rice and meat, lest someone else snatch it. We've more rent to collect, so we'll leave you to it."

"The spirit rice payment... very well, thank you both. I am deeply grateful," Li Guanzhen said, bowing repeatedly.

After they left, Li Guanzhen closed the door, letting out a long sigh of relief, only to find Qin Jiyue staring at him in shock.

"Why are you looking at your husband with such admiration?" Li Guanzhen laughed softly.

"You are a cunning one..." Qin Jiyue was utterly astonished.

If she recalled correctly, Li Guanzhen still had three or four thousand low-grade spirit stones, piles of talismans, and enough food for their family of three to last three years.

Yet just now, Li Guanzhen's anxious demeanor was entirely genuine—not an act! The way he counted out the spirit stones nearly made her jaw drop.

Qin Jiyue asked curiously, "Wait, why didn't you just take out a pouch of spirit stones to count? That way, you might have saved forty spirit stones."

Li Guanzhen put his arm around her shoulder, patiently explaining, "After the war, Falling Moon Valley, though they've gained the spiritual vein here, must have paid dearly. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so eager to collect spirit stones and squeeze the loose cultivators. People like Hong Lang and Cui Zhi, former Joyful Mountain outer disciples, are suffering as much as we are. After such a bloodbath, those who survived and kept their positions have probably lost everything.

Think about it: Cui Zhi used to be all smiles, very friendly. If he hadn't been battered by reality, he wouldn't have changed so much. Forty low-grade spirit stones—neither too many nor too few—are enough to help them for a while, and ensure they remember my kindness. Why not?"

As Qin Jiyue slowly digested his words, she was filled with emotion.

She suddenly realized that Li Guanzhen understood how to win people's hearts even better than she did.