Good news: Nan Xi had successfully coaxed Lord Tiansi.
However, it came at a small price.
The first was that he had to buy 100 more picture books for Lord Tiansi.
This was easy enough to handle. He would simply have Granny Ji go and purchase them, charging the expense to Tianquan Peak.
As for the second part…
“Master, are you really okay like this?”
Xia Xia poked her small head out from the bathwater, resting her arms on the edge of the wooden tub as she looked at Nan Xi with concern.
“I’m fine. I’m an expert,” Nan Xi responded with a smile, giving Xia Xia a thumbs-up.
“Master, I’m behind you.”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t have my Spiritual Power Perception turned on just now.”
Nan Xi turned around and continued to give the thumbs-up.
A piece of white silk, as pure as snow, fluttered in the flying frost, completely covering his eyes.
Combined with his slight head tilt as he used his hearing and spiritual power to sense his surroundings, he actually had the air of a blindfolded hero at first glance.
He had no choice; Lord Tiansi wouldn’t let him look.
Of course, this couldn’t be entirely blamed on Nan Xi.
Under normal circumstances, he could accurately perceive Xia Xia’s position and movements through spiritual power and aura.
The problem was that the spiritual power within Xia Xia’s body was simply too weak—so weak that it almost merged with the spiritual currents in his small courtyard.
In other words, in his spiritual vision, Xia Xia was invisible.
It went even further than that.
It was no exaggeration to say that if one were to cut a one-to-one model out of the air that was the same size as Xia Xia, that ‘Model Xia Xia’ would likely contain more spiritual power than the real person.
“Okay then, Master.”
Xia Xia sank back into the water. Her slender wrists moved through the warm water, and the sound of the splashing was enough to make one’s imagination run wild.
She was doing it on purpose.
Of course, it wasn’t for the sake of some so-called seduction.
Xia Xia simply thought that if the splashing was louder, her master would be able to hear her position more clearly.
“Master, what are we doing next?”
“The next step?”
Nan Xi rubbed his chin, pondering seriously.
According to his plan, after using the Jasper Pill to cleanse Xia Xia’s marrow and tendons, he would need to use expensive medicinal herbs to stabilize her body.
As for the next step—
“Don’t speak, just keep eating.”
Nan Xi reached into his sleeve, and after a moment, he lined up more than ten pills of various sizes in front of him.
“Eh!?”
“Your next task is to eat all of these pills.”
“Do I really have to eat them?”
Xia Xia suddenly shrank back into the water to blow bubbles, leaving only her eyes visible as she looked at Nan Xi pitifully.
She understood that these pills were of great help to her cultivation.
But to eat so many at once… especially the first one. Its fiery-red body made it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary pill.
She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Be good. Open up.”
Nan Xi didn’t give Xia Xia another chance to hesitate.
Guided by his Spiritual Power Perception, Nan Xi flicked his finger, and the red pill at the front of the line shot accurately into Xia Xia’s mouth.
“Mgh…”
Xia Xia’s throat bobbed as she struggled to swallow the red pill.
As soon as the pill entered her body, she felt her temperature begin to rise rapidly.
“Master, it’s really hot,” Xia Xia whimpered.
She was already in the warm water of the medicinal bath, and now that her body temperature was rising, there was nowhere to release the surging heat.
Not only that, as the steam rose, Xia Xia’s body temperature even caused the temperature of the medicinal bath to start rising.
In an instant, mist began to drift everywhere across the snowy ground.
“Don’t be in a hurry, there are more coming.”
Nan Xi spoke with a smile.
These were all pills he had asked Granny Ji to purchase from Tianxuan Peak at a high price, and every single one of them was worth a fortune.
When the Elder of Tianxuan Peak saw that it was a purchase order from the Peak Master of Tianquan Peak and that so many pills were being bought at once, it was only reasonable to give Nan Xi a discount.
However, Nan Xi had specifically instructed Granny Ji that she must pay the full price… no, she had to buy them at a high price.
If the other party offered a discount, they were looking down on him as the new Peak Master.
After hesitating repeatedly, Tianxuan Peak could only tearfully accept the money.
“Ma… Master… I…”
Nan Xi paused. In his spiritual vision, Xia Xia seemed to have suddenly lost consciousness. Her body fell backward, floating on the surface of the water.
‘Did she faint again?’
‘She really is a fragile child.’
Nan Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
‘It seems the remaining pills will have to wait until she wakes up.’
……
While Nan Xi’s Trash Bin Plan was in full swing, far away on Tianshu Peak.
The Sect Master’s Pavilion.
A crisp tapping sound echoed throughout the magnificent pavilion.
On the jade throne in the center, Sect Leader Bai tapped the armrest with his finger, over and over again.
Beside him, Elder Cigu was recounting the latest intelligence in detail.
“According to the scouts’ reports, the major sects of Mulan Prefecture have all been adopting expansion strategies recently.”
“Cloud Pleat Valley and Sword-Seeking Villa have increased their investment in training disciples this year. It is rumored that they have already raised a Golden Core Stage disciple who is only 18.”
“Forgotten Immortal Cliff and Burning Lamp Temple are focusing on the production of resources like pills and magical treasures. Their growth rate far exceeds that of previous years.”
“And then there is the Wuxing Sect…”
Clack—
The rhythm of the tapping suddenly stopped. Elder Cigu’s body trembled, and her words caught in her throat.
Sect Leader Bai glanced at her and calmly uttered a single word.
“Continue.”
“Yes, Sect Leader,” Elder Cigu said with a slight bow.
“The Wuxing Sect’s expansion is the most aggressive. They have already begun to stretch their reach into our sphere of influence. If we don’t stop them, I’m afraid…”
“Hmph—”
Sect Leader Bai slowly closed his eyes. His fists clenched gradually, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
“The Wuxing Sect. What a piece of work, that Wuxing Sect!”
Seeing that Sect Leader Bai was gradually losing control of his anger, Elder Cigu hurriedly spoke up to dissuade him.
“Sect Leader… we cannot act rashly right now. If we move against the Wuxing Sect now, the efforts of that child we planted there will be wasted.”
“…”
“…”
“Fine.”
Sect Leader Bai took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart for the time being.
After a long while, he turned his gaze back to Elder Cigu.
“How are the various Spirit Peaks within the sect doing lately?”
“In response to the Sect Leader, for the upcoming Tianhe Judgment, the elders and disciples of the Tianshu, Tianxuan, and Tianji peaks are all redoubling their efforts in cultivation, preparing with everything they have to meet the trial.”
“Very good.” Sect Leader Bai nodded slightly. “What about Tianquan Peak? It has been over a month since that new Peak Master Nan took office. What is the situation there?”
“This…” Elder Cigu hesitated.
“Speak.”
“Err, Tianquan Peak’s Spirit Sword production saw a slight recovery last month, but this month… based on current reports, it has dropped back down.”
“Oh? And what has Peak Master Nan been doing?”
“He hasn’t done anything.”
“Nothing at all?” Sect Leader Bai was somewhat surprised. ‘Is the person chosen by the Supreme Elder really that eccentric?’
“Yes. Since taking office, he hasn’t provided any guidance or arrangements for the work on the Spirit Peak. If there’s anything to mention, it’s that he ordered the Sword Casting Elders at the Sword Furnace to stop working overtime.”
“Interesting.”
Sect Leader Bai clicked his tongue in wonder.
Faced with the dire situation of the Tianhe Judgment, this Peak Master Nan was actually able to remain so composed.
After a long silence, he leaned toward Elder Cigu.
“Thinking back, it seems Peak Master Nan hasn’t officially met with us since he took office. Since that’s the case, Cigu, you should go to Tianquan Peak on my behalf. Consider it an inspection of the recent conditions there.”
Elder Cigu was taken aback, but she immediately understood his meaning. She bowed slightly.
“Understood, Sect Leader.”