“Bai Shuangshuang?”
Zhao Qingchuan’s voice pulled her back to reality.
She came to her senses and blinked.
“What are you thinking about? So lost in thought.”
Zhao Qingchuan smiled, assuming she was just a young girl who hadn’t seen much of the world and had been captivated by the map on the wall.
“That map has been hanging there for years. We’ll look at it later. First, let’s talk business.”
Bai Shuangshuang nodded, suppressing the matter of Soul-severing River, organized her thoughts, and spoke.
“Prince, Hengyang Xiansheng, may I first ask a few questions?”
“Speak.”
“About how many people are in these Southern Region sects? How much spirit field quota do they receive from the Imperial Court each year? And roughly how much yield can we expect to uncover this time?”
Hengyang Xiansheng answered each question one by one.
After hearing the numbers, Bai Shuangshuang quickly calculated an account in her mind.
She had been a Peak Lord at Qingyun Sword Sect, which was almost like managing a branch; she knew the income and expenses of sects like the back of her hand.
For a small sect of known scale, how much Spirit Rice was needed annually just to keep the disciples fed and maintain their cultivation?
How many Spirit Stones were required to sustain the Mountain-Protecting Formation and purchase basic pills?
She could figure out those accounts in a couple of moves.
The quota given by the Imperial Court was barely enough for them to scrape by; any small surplus had to be saved for emergencies.
So these small sects lived hand to mouth all year round, sometimes even falling into debt for Spirit Stones.
Bai Shuangshuang lifted her head, her tone resolute.
“Half a percent—and all the participating sects will share that half a percent!”
Zhao Qingchuan raised an eyebrow.
Bai Shuangshuang explained unhurriedly.
“Prince, let me calculate a detailed account for you. For a sect of this scale, the annual fixed expenses—disciple rations, basic pills, operation of the Mountain-Protecting Formation, repair of artifacts, and so on—add up to roughly this number.”
She reported a figure.
“The quota from the Imperial Court barely covers seventy to eighty percent of that number. That means they even have a shortfall every year, which they have to make up on their own.”
“The half a percent from the Prince’s Mansion can exactly fill that gap. There’s no need for us to make them rich; just letting them go from tightening their belts to having just enough, with a bit left to save—that’s a world of difference.”
Bai Shuangshuang paused, her eyes bright.
“To a sect that’s been strapped for years, this is already a huge temptation. If you give them more, they’ll start wondering: does the Prince’s Mansion need them that badly? Can they raise the price?”
Hengyang Xiansheng’s hand holding the tea cup paused for a moment.
Zhao Qingchuan’s gaze lingered on Bai Shuangshuang’s face for an instant.
The two exchanged a look.
‘This girl calculates too finely—so finely that it doesn’t sound like armchair strategy, but like she’s actually managed a sect and really knows where every grain of Spirit Rice should go.’
“And also—”
Bai Shuangshuang added another point.
“The name of Flying Immortal Platform gives them the Prince’s Mansion’s endorsement, which can block a lot of karma. This protective talisman is worth more than spirit fields.”
Hengyang Xiansheng nodded and said slowly, “Half a percent is indeed enough. Give more, and it’ll breed problems instead.”
Zhao Qingchuan pondered for a moment, then made the decision.
“Then half a percent it is!”
Bai Shuangshuang sat in her chair, gently swinging her feet, feeling a little smug inside.
‘Bai Senior Brother really knows how to run a household—he truly understands the cost of daily necessities.’
‘In his past life, after becoming Peak Lord at Qingyun Sword Sect, he woke up every day to accounts. Who knew this skill could be put to use here?’
“Prince, there’s one more thing—”
Bai Shuangshuang pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve and unfolded it.
Zhao Qingchuan took it and looked; it listed a few small items that seemed related to cultivation.
“I need them to set up a small array formation. They’re not worth much. Could the Prince also ask these sects to provide a set for me?”
Zhao Qingchuan gave her a look.
‘Array formation? This girl knows how to set up arrays?’
But he didn’t ask further; he handed the note to Hengyang Xiansheng.
Hengyang Xiansheng glanced at it and nodded slightly; he knew about these things.
They were indeed worthless junk, just a little extra thrown in like a free green onion with a vegetable purchase.
“Alright. When the representatives of those sects come later, I’ll add this condition. If all goes well, they’ll be delivered to the mansion tonight.”
Zhao Qingchuan handed the note back to her, his tone casual.
Bai Shuangshuang put the note away and breathed a sigh of relief.
The items she needed were better than the ones she had used in Zhao Qingyue’s room last time; they could significantly improve the array’s efficiency.
Bai Shuangshuang took her leave and turned to walk out.
When she reached the door, Zhao Qingchuan’s voice drifted over from behind.
“Bai Shuangshuang.”
She turned back.
Zhao Qingchuan leaned back in his chair, looking at her with an unreadable expression.
“Did you really learn all this insight from miscellaneous books?”
Bai Shuangshuang blinked, looking innocent.
“Mhm, I read it in a book. Shuangshuang wouldn’t dare talk nonsense.”
She paused, then added,
“That book was pretty thick.”
Zhao Qingchuan asked no more.
After the door closed, the Council Hall fell silent for a moment.
Hengyang Xiansheng lifted his tea cup, blew on the floating leaves, and said calmly,
“What is the Prince thinking?”
Zhao Qingchuan tapped his fingers on the table.
“I’m thinking—”
He paused.
“What miscellaneous book could teach a little girl so much about the cultivation world’s market?”
Hengyang Xiansheng didn’t reply.
Because there was none.
Impossible.
The two fell silent again for a while.
Then Zhao Qingchuan suddenly called out toward the door.
“Someone—”
A maidservant pushed the door open.
“Take this chair away and bring a shorter one!”
Zhao Qingchuan pointed at the chair Bai Shuangshuang had sat in.
“It’s too high. Uncomfortable to sit on.”
The maidservant acknowledged, carried the chair out, and left.
Hengyang Xiansheng glanced at Zhao Qingchuan, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, but he said nothing.
Outside the Council Hall
Bai Shuangshuang walked back along the corridor, her steps light, her toes bouncing beneath her skirt.
She glanced down at the note in her sleeve, a smile curling at her lips.
‘Everything is ready.’
‘Tonight, I can start setting up the array.’
But that Soul-severing River on the Geomantic Map—what exactly was its situation?
Bai Shuangshuang fell into thought again.
Zhao Qingchuan had just said that map had been hanging on the wall for a long time, meaning it had been there for at least a few years.
If that were the case, and the map was accurate, then almost immediately after the Qingyun Sword Sect was destroyed, the Soul-severing River began to be altered.
“No, but why?”
Bai Shuangshuang couldn’t figure it out.
Qingyun Sword Sect was a “Sect”-level immortal sect.
If it advanced one level and became the “Zong”-level Qingyun Sword Zong, it could break away from the secular dynasty and come directly under the jurisdiction of Xinhuo Palace.
For a faction with such a promising future, even a powerful nation like the Great Yan Dynasty would show considerable respect—as long as it didn’t form a mortal feud with the imperial family.
In fact, Qingyun Sword Sect had always had a good relationship with the Great Yan Dynasty.
So why did the other side suddenly risk the National Fortune to destroy Qingyun Sword Sect? Why did the Mountain-Protecting Formation, which Master said could block a million elite soldiers, collapse at the first touch?
Why was their hatred so deep that, right after destroying Qingyun Sword Sect, they immediately blasted the entire Soul-severing River into a huge crater?
These mysteries, after her rebirth, as she came into contact with more and more information, instead of becoming clearer, only grew more confusing…
“Ouch!”
Lost in these thoughts, Bai Shuangshuang suddenly collided with someone, and her whole body started to fall backward…