Chapter 071 – Restructuring

The moment Xue Ning stepped inside the residence, Yan Yu teased with a playful grin, “Oh my, Big Sis~! Why’s your face all flushed? Must be the heat, I suppose! I wonder which household’s cat is prowling around and sneaking a taste, hmm?”

Xue Ning came over and took her hand with a laugh. “Yes, yes, you caught me. I’m guilty as charged! But I’m only sneaking around with my own husband.”

The two women giggled and playfully wrestled. The four maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju—along with Auntie Wang, couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Xue Ning turned back to the carriage, took out a small box of clothes, and said, “It’s getting hot, so I brought two silk robes for our husband and you. Come on, try them...”

Yan Yu shook her head. “Let’s eat lunch first. We can try them afterward.”

“Alright...” Xue Ning then turned and glanced at Li Yuan with a look full of tender affection. “Husband, shall we eat first?”

Li Yuan checked the time and replied, “You go ahead. I need to step out. The sect master wants me at Blood Fury Hall at noon.”

Yan Yu noted, “There’s still a bit of time before noon.”

“I’d rather head over early,” Li Yuan said.

“Then come back for lunch afterward,” she offered.

Li Yuan waved a hand. “No need to wait. I’m not sure how long it’ll take. You all eat without me.”

With that, he left in a hurry, heading north. He wasn’t entirely sure why the sect master had summoned him. However, he suspected it was related to what Zhao Chunxin had mentioned before about the recent shake-up and the sect’s policies changing.

Most likely, this wasn’t just a meeting with him alone; it seemed others would be called in as well. The fact that Cao Li had just returned from somewhere also hinted at that.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Li Yuan arrived at Blood Fury Hall. As before, there was a large seat at the center, placed high above, with four chairs on each side. Those were meant for the deputy sect master, three enforcers, and four elders.

The last time Li Yuan was here, two chairs had been left empty because one enforcer and one elder had died in the battle against the Wei Family.

Outer disciples had no right to enter this hall; even inner disciples could only stand behind the main seat.

Once Li Yuan stepped across the threshold, he felt multiple gazes land on him. These were the inner disciples who had arrived early.

He scanned them and immediately noticed that most of them hovered around 60~80 in combat power, typical of eighth rank martial artists.

In that group, Zhao Chunxin was already among the strongest.

“Junior Brother!” Zhao Chunxin waved him over.

Li Yuan smiled and greeted her, then walked to her side.

Nearby stood Cao Li, who quipped with a joking tone, “Well, Li Yuan, you’ve managed to pry yourself away from your wife at last?”

“No need to tease,” Li Yuan answered with a faint smile.

Lowering his voice, Cao Li continued, “I’m just looking out for you. Everyone knows how devoted you are. Word’s going around that you’d rather stay with your wife than take on any maids. If that rumor reaches the sect master, it might stunt your future prospects.”

Zhao Chunxin cleared her throat. “Cao Li, he’s one of us. No need to give him a hard time.” She turned to Li Yuan. “Women can distract you from cultivation. If you really can’t bear to part with her, at least set her up with some silver so she can manage on her own. If it’s just about...needs, there’s no shortage of pretty maids in this world.”

Li Yuan had to stifle a smile. Zhao Chunxin seemed to have forgotten she was also a woman. Still, he could tell they both meant well, so he said, “Don’t worry, you two. If my cultivation truly suffers, I’ll make the right choice.”

“Good man. That’s all that matters at the end of the day...” Cao Li nodded, then leaned in again. “I picked up a few women from the Wei Family, and one is a real temptress, so good she’ll leave you craving more. Want me to lend her to you for a while? You might forget all about your wife.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Li Yuan said with a wry smile.

The others in the hall were chatting among themselves in small groups, when suddenly the atmosphere shifted. The air grew quiet as two figures entered.

Leading the way was a tall, powerfully built man with a commanding presence. His gaze was sharp, exuding confidence that bordered on sheer arrogance.

Behind him followed a strikingly handsome young man, long-limbed and lean, a blade at his hip studded with seven gemstones. He wore a faint, self-assured smile.

“That’s Fang Jianlong,” Zhao Chunxin whispered. “He’s the strongest talent among the inner disciples. Behind him is his younger brother, Fang Chengbao, top of the outer disciples. He’ll probably be getting promoted to the inner circle today.”

Li Yuan glanced at them. Fang Jianlong’s combat power was 90~98, clearly higher than most eighth rank disciples. Fang Chengbao, meanwhile, was at 50~55, already considerably stronger than Zhao Zimu had been.

The two brothers took their own place off to one side, not mingling with anyone else. Moments later, the enforcers and elders also began to file in. It was time for the meeting to begin.

Seated among the enforcers, besides Li Yu and Wu Lian, was a stranger—a slight, wiry man with a fierce glint in his eyes.

Meanwhile, at the very end of the row of elders sat a refined-looking gentleman carrying a folding fan.

Clearly, the Blood Blade Sect had found its new enforcer and new elder.

Before long, the deputy sect master and sect master arrived.

Tie Sha took his seat in the main hall, casually picking his nose as he looked over the disciples below. “I have two matters to discuss.”

He raised one finger. “First, we’ve added two new experts to our ranks. The first is our new enforcer, Gongshu Yang. He’s been an arch-enemy of the Wei Family for years, an elusive seventh rank martial artist they could never eliminate!”

Li Yuan glanced over and noticed a floating 205~210 beside Gongshu Yang, roughly on par with the level of an enforcer. It was the same level Senior Li had possessed before his injury.

Tie Sha went on. “The other is our new elder, Dugu Qiu. He’s an old hand in our sect, also at seventh rank... So, Deputy Sect Master Yu, satisfied now?”

Yu Chaojin gave no hint of emotion. “I follow the sect master’s arrangement.”

Li Yuan looked at Dugu Qiu, whose numbers read 118~120. It was much lower than the other heavy-hitters, but still firmly in the seventh rank range.

A quick glance at his own combat power of 119~190 gave Li Yuan pause, and something clicked in his mind.

Tie Sha continued, “Now, the second matter...I’m sure you’re all aware that we’ve seized the Wei Family’s meat field. Their surviving members remain at large, and the Sun Family hovers nearby like vultures. All of you are valued members of the sect, so it’s time to help shoulder our burdens.”

He crossed one leg over the other and rocked it lazily. “I’ll be straightforward. Our sect used to divide disciples into inner, outer, and associates. From now on, we’re adding a headquarters plus martial hall branch system on top of that.

“For those who choose to remain at our main base in the inner district, some of you will be appointed as Instructors, responsible for guiding newer disciples and cultivating future talents for our Blood Blade Sect. There will be five Instructor positions.

“The rest will serve as inspectors who oversee the outer disciples, associates, and menial workers. Inspectors will be in charge of levying taxes and maintaining order in the three townships—Violet Haven, Silver Creek, and Parasol Town—as well as looking after the public market. Monthly rations of ninth rank demonic beast meat will remain at 30 kg, with possible increases if you distinguish yourselves. There will be nine inspector positions, three per township.

“Alternatively, those of you who choose to leave the main base and establish martial hall branches must head to the three townships originally owned by the Wei Family—Peach Blossom, Fortuna, and Union Town—to build and run martial halls there. Every six months, you’ll receive an extra 500 kg of ninth rank demonic beast meat, and the local taxes can fund your hall and line your pockets.

“However, each martial hall has quotas. Every two years, you must supply our headquarters with at least one disciple who has achieved peak ninth rank. Every five years, you must supply at least one disciple who has achieved peak eighth rank. If you don’t meet these quotas, there will be consequences. There will be 12 branches in total—four per township.”

A small commotion arose in the Blood Fury Hall.

Reaching ninth rank generally hinged on having a suitable cultivation method and talent. As long as there was a good match and the disciple could produce shadow blood, they could ascend to ninth rank fairly quickly. Yet advancing from early ninth rank to peak usually required a year or two of dedicated training, so demanding one peak ninth rank disciple every two years wasn’t considered too harsh.

Breaking into eighth rank depended on having enough beast meat, along with appropriate follow-up techniques. With those in hand, along with decent aptitude, a disciple could rise to eighth rank in about four months. But just like ninth rank, peak eighth rank was what really mattered. Normally, reaching peak eighth rank took three years of cultivation, so delivering a peak eighth rank disciple every five years wasn’t seen as unreasonable for a well-funded martial hall.

After letting the information sink in, Tie Sha slapped the armrest of his chair. “Whether you choose to expand our territory or stay put here is entirely up to you. Rest assured, there’s no need to worry about the remnants of the Wei Family; most of their old elites are gone.

“Besides, Deputy Sect Master Yu, Elder Dugu, Enforcer Wu, and Enforcer Gongshu will all head over to Peach Blossom, Fortuna, and Union Town to maintain order. Any Wei stragglers won’t be an issue...

“That said, you won’t be sent to these townships until we’ve dealt with the remaining Wei Family holdouts. Once that’s settled, we’ll finalize the transfers.

“That means, for now, Elder Liu will continue managing the inner district; Elder Tian will oversee the meat field; Enforcer Li remains in charge of the black market; and the Dark Visage Elder will shift from his prior law enforcement role to managing the new instructor program.

“As for the townships in our main territory—Violet Haven, Silver Creek, and Parasol Town—the public market, local enforcement, and weapon shops will be delegated to the Inspectors we appoint. We’ll assign which inspector covers which region and who gets which martial hall branch by drawing lots.

“Afterward, if there are disputes, you know the rules. Negotiation first, or if that fails, settle it in the arena. So think carefully. This is a one-time deal. You miss out now, there’s no second chance.”

With that, Tie Sha gave them all a moment to reflect on the new arrangement. The future course of the Blood Blade Sect now rested on each person’s choice.