Chapter 9: Tianxing Sword Sect

The courtyard entrance, already repaired, was surrounded by a group of Tianxing Jianzong people, who were gathered around watching the little Daoist child sitting in the doorway.

"This little sister is truly adorable."

"She's so young, yet she's already left home..."

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

A Nuo's gaze became resentful.

Shen Tang looked amused and softly asked, "Little sister, why are you sitting here alone? Where is your Master?"

A Nuo sniffled, "Master says, as long as I sit here and welcome guests, guests will definitely give me candy to eat because they see I'm cute. He lied to me. Not only did none of you give me candy, you also scolded me."

As soon as these words came out, the Tianxing Jianzong elder who had earlier blurted out calling her a little chubby girl suddenly felt embarrassed. He fumbled around his body to see if he had any candy, then smilingly sealed a red envelope and said, "Little sister, take this and buy candy."

The next moment, more than ten red envelopes were stuffed into A Nuo's arms. A Nuo, hugging the red envelopes, stood up, went straight through the gate, and closed it with a "bang."

The elder: "?"

From inside the door came A Nuo's voice: "Master says, before he returns, little children cannot open the door."

Outside the door was silent as a cicada in winter.

So you were sitting here acting cute specifically to swindle money?

"Girl Shen is quite early." Lu Xingzhou's voice transmitted. Shen Tang turned her head to look, and saw Lu Xingzhou slowly approaching alone in a wheelchair, looking very labored.

Shen Tang pursed her lips. Every time she saw Lu Xingzhou, she saw herself, and every time she saw him, her heart would soften considerably.

She knew this mentality wasn't quite right... this man shouldn't need anyone's sympathy.

She sighed and softly said, "Specially letting A Nuo put on such a show at the doorway... are you satisfied with the character of my Tianxing Jianzong, mister?"

Lu Xingzhou was startled. This Shen Tang was unexpectedly more astute than Sheng Yuan Yao, who was from the Zhenmo Si for generations. She had unexpectedly seen through his intention to observe the character of Tianxing Jianzong at a glance.

"Girl thinks too much." Lu Xingzhou looked around: "Where is Girl Qing Li?"

"Qing Li has other duties." Shen Tang's expression was a bit strange. You really care about Qing Li, huh...

But one of her duties is to go investigate you...

Lu Xingzhou opened the gate and pointed to a corner of the west wing: "That side is mine and A Nuo's residence and alchemy room, not for rent. The other places are yours, you can arrange them yourselves."

After speaking, he went directly through the door. It seemed that since Qing Li wasn't here, he had no interest in greeting others.

A young man looking at Lu Xingzhou's retreating back after he entered the door said displeasedly in a low voice, "This person is rude."

Shen Tang said faintly, "After all, it's just a landlord-tenant relationship, how much enthusiasm is needed? You and I have fallen now, not like before. Restrain your arrogance."

The young man pursed his mouth unconvinced and didn't speak.

Shen Tang didn't pay him any mind and turned to the elder who had given A Nuo the red envelope: "Uncle Zhong, hang the plaque."

The elder nodded, soared up, and placed the plaque he had carried behind him on the door.

The plaque was revealed, and it read "Shen Family Business".

The expressions of the Tianxing Jianzong people varied. Quite a few showed displeasure.

Although everyone was essentially on the run and couldn't hang the Tianxing Jianzong plaque, they had to use a business name as a cover, they could have completely created another business name. What was the meaning of using "Shen Family"? Did this become your family's property?

You Shen Tang are just the former Sect Master's disciple, not his daughter. Even if you were his daughter, we are a sect, not a sword Dao family!

But for some reason, no one publicly caused trouble, only a minority of people exchanged glances. Shen Tang saw everyone's expressions and smiled slightly, then entered the door first.

"Such a pack of stray dogs, yet they are still united in appearance but divided at heart." In the alchemy room, Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo sat opposite each other eating cakes, sighing: "Actually, it's not a bad thing to let outsiders misunderstand it as a family business. It will be even less likely for them to guess it's a sect. Since they clearly know it's a cover name, it's better to mislead them more thoroughly. What are they entangled about anyway?"

It was unclear how these master and disciple saw the scene outside.

A Nuo propped her chin: "They're probably not convinced that a girl is in charge. Back then, Sister Yu was so fierce, but she still had a lot of trouble because she was a little girl."

"Yuan Mu Yu looks fourteen or fifteen years old on the outside, in others' eyes, she's a real little girl... Shen Tang is at least twenty-one or two."

"Anyway, regardless of Sister Yu back then or Sister Shen Tang now, they are both older than you, right?"

"...What does being big or small have to do with me?"

"Humph humph." A Nuo humph humph: "Are you really heart-sealed and love-locked?"

"Women will only affect my efficiency in raising a child."

A Nuo's expression unconsciously brightened several points and she said joyfully, "Right, Master, didn't you say they might not be from Tianxing Jianzong?"

"Not necessarily, I always feel something is strange." Lu Xingzhou said half of it, and suddenly startled: "Shen Tang is coming here... She just arrived, why isn't she arranging personnel and houses first, instead she's coming to find me?"

A Nuo closed her mouth and looked curiously towards the doorway.

Not long after, there was a knocking sound, and Shen Tang's voice transmitted: "There are some things I want to discuss with Mister Landlord."

"Come in, the door is not locked."

Shen Tang pushed the door open and entered, seeing the scene of one big and one small sitting opposite each other eating cakes, she couldn't help but smile a little: "I didn't interrupt your meal, did I?"

Lu Xingzhou said: "Girl didn't come to freeload, did you? I can't afford meals for several hundred people."

Shen Tang laughed: "Exactly the opposite. We will hire a cook responsible for business meals. From now on, the wise master and disciple can eat with us."

"You're too kind. Girl Shen, why have you come? What do you need this landlord to do?"

"These days, the Danxia Gang people in the city are spreading rumors, saying that your alchemy skills are very ordinary, and the pills you refined before were all results of others' assistance, and you also guarded and stole..."

Lu Xingzhou raised an eyebrow: "Yo, they actually know?"

Shen Tang was taken aback, and after a while, continued: "I feel they don't know, they're just maliciously slandering you, so that you can't get by in Xia State from now on, and no one will be willing to take you. After all, you severely offended the Danxia Gang this time, it would be strange if Liu Qingcang didn't vent this anger."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Not just... He still bought assassins to stab me last night."

Shen Tang's expression changed slightly, but she saw Lu Xingzhou continue: "Now that I live with Girl Shen, if they still plan to trouble me by force, someone will help me block it, won't they?"

Shen Tang looked into his eyes: "Did you design for me to rent the house just to let us block disasters?"

Lu Xingzhou didn't deny it: "That's part of the reason... But Girl yourself are also willing, aren't you? After all, Bai Chi was dug away from you. Girl also wants to give them some trouble, otherwise, the team might not be easy to lead in the future."

"Since mister needs our force, we also need mister's alchemy. We should cooperate. We are new here, even if we have the intention to find trouble with Bai Chi, it's not suitable to forcefully conflict with the Danxia Gang. If we can strike them in terms of pills, it's the best choice."

"I said, I won't join your sect."

"There's no need for mister to join the sect. We provide the materials, pay money to ask mister to refine pills. Mister himself needs a large amount of refining to improve his alchemy level. This was also one of the reasons you were willing to stay in the Danxia Gang as an alchemist before, wasn't it?"

Lu Xingzhou was somewhat surprised as he sized up Shen Tang for a while, and said strangely: "I have so many schemes against girl, why is girl still so accommodating... There are many alchemists in Xia State. I don't believe girl can't invite an excellent alchemist who is willing to join the sect. Why are you so..."

Shen Tang smiled gently: "A person full of worries of their own is still willing to meddle and advise me not to be short-sighted... It's worth a little accommodating."

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and didn't answer.

It was A Nuo who moved his pity, not himself. This kindness was indeed received with guilt.

"Moreover..." Shen Tang patted her own wheelchair, then looked at Lu Xingzhou's legs, a little melancholy in her smile: "As people at the end of the world, we should also help each other."

A Nuo was always very sensible and didn't interrupt, eating her cake in small bites, her gaze going back and forth between Master and Shen Tang.

Lu Xingzhou's gaze also fell on Shen Tang's legs, but it lacked focus, as if he was in a daze. After a long while, he said: "My guarding and stealing in the Danxia Gang was real. I don't know if Girl Qing Li saw it at that time."

Shen Tang was startled and didn't answer immediately.

Lu Xingzhou continued: "With my kind of character, are you really daring to mix with me? Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"

"Heh..." Shen Tang laughed: "I understand a little. The treatment they gave you was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary eighth-grade alchemist, but the feedback you gave them already exceeded expectations. Not only did you refine pills exceeding the required grade, but you also helped establish a refining system and cultivate apprentices without charge. As an alchemist, not a hall master, you originally didn't need to do such things. Could it be that you were intentionally repaying them for the stolen pills?"

Yes, that's why the Liu family father and daughter felt that Lu Xingzhou worked too much like a beast of burden and couldn't understand it, all imagining it was for Liu Yan'er.

However, in reality, he was just repaying the stolen pills in this way. How could others see it clearly?

Sheng Yuan Yao had observed from the beginning but couldn't figure this point out. Shen Tang only listened to Qing Li's retelling, and unexpectedly understood it so well.

"You indeed will help me find excuses." Lu Xingzhou was silent for a long time, then said faintly: "Is there no possibility that I am just an unscrupulous person for money?"

Shen Tang looked at him, her eyebrows and eyes gentle: "Just assume it is."

Lu Xingzhou suddenly felt this gaze was a bit dazzling. He pursed his lips, turned his head and asked: "Your sect has changed from a sword sect to a chamber of commerce. What business do you mainly do, and what is the mode?"

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, realizing that this person had finally moved from the estranged 'landlord and tenant' relationship to wanting to help each other a little.

She laughed, her eyebrows and eyes curved, looking very beautiful.

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PS: Why did a failed confession become a female frequency thing? I looked at your comments yesterday and scratched my head all day without understanding. Before, Ming He also rejected Qin Yi, right? Could it be that Master Qin is a female frequency demon concubine?