Old Yao would require some time to complete his preparations, so Xiang Shaoyun stayed behind to care for Yao Qian. Lying on the bed, she had a delicate appearance that provoked pity in one’s heart. Her bountiful chest heaved up and down as she breathed, but no dirty thoughts surfaced in Xiang Shaoyun’s mind.
He gently stroked her hair and said, “Little Qian, don’t worry. I won’t let you die.”
He viewed her as a childhood friend and nothing else, and he had no other motives for wanting her to live. He only wanted her to be well and return to being the past her who would always tail him like his shadow.
Xiang Shaoyun was only about 25 or 26 years old, yet he had experienced too many things in life. Thus, he greatly treasured every single person by his side, not willing to see anything happen to any of them.
After a while, Yao Qian woke up. She opened her hazy eyes, and when she saw Xiang Shaoyun, she asked weakly, “Y-Young master. A-Am I dreaming?”
Xiang Shaoyun softly held her hand and said, “You’ll be fine, Little Qian. This is not a dream.”
“Prove it. Pinch me, and see if it hurts,” said Yao Qian.
“Silly girl. Of course it will hurt,” replied Xiang Shaoyun tenderly.
“Pinch me. I have dreamed of your return many times, but I will always wake up. I’m afraid that this is a dream as well. I would rather stay in a dream than to wake up,” said Yao Qian as she spoke slowly.
Every single word of hers was spoken earnestly, and Xiang Shaoyun was greatly moved.
He lightly stroked her face and said, “Silly girl, this is really not a dream. You will be able to see me all the time in the future. I am really back.”
Yao Qian rubbed her face against his hand and smiled in contentment. “This is a wonderful feeling. I wish this moment can last forever.”
Xiang Shaoyun accompanied her for a while until she fell asleep once more. He then had someone else look after her and left. Since Old Yao would take some time preparing the materials, he had to go and handle some other affairs first. He returned to the grand hall and gathered all his trusted aides before issuing one command after another.
Firstly, he had Duo Ji take the lead in rebuilding the sect. The damaged buildings would be cleaned and rebuilt. Secondly, he had Ye Chaomu check the sect’s inventory to see the Ziling Sect’s current level of wealth. Thirdly, he had Devouring Ghost manage the Di Sect members who had decided to stay. Lastly, he had a sincere talk with the villains, asking them if they were willing to stay and serve the sect.
After receiving the command, Duo Ji and Xia Liuhui left to begin rebuilding the sect. Devouring Ghost also left to carry out his task. With his strength, all those people he was supposed to manage would be completely docile. In any case, the former Di Sect members lacked unity, and someone as ruthless as Devouring Ghost was required to discipline them.
As for the six villains, two left. They were the Smiling Monk and Heaven Rupturing Foot. They had been forced here by Li Juetian, and now that the mission had been completed, they had no intention of staying. With Di Batian alive, the Ziling Sect wouldn’t be a safe place to stay. Thus, only Li Juetian, Yao Jiaojiao, Ugly Gambler, and Du Wusheng remained.
Previously, they were among the fastest to flee when the silver-winged owl appeared. But when they found that the silver-winged owl hadn’t harmed Xiang Shaoyun or started a massacre, they decided to stay.
Of the villains, Li Juetian had stayed for Old Man Three Severing’s inheritance mentioned by Scarlet Flame Monarch. As for the other three villains, they were only following his lead and hadn’t stayed because of Xiang Shaoyun’s charm.
Xiang Shaoyun tried talking to them, but they ignored him and insisted that they were waiting for Scarlet Flame Monarch. However, Scarlet Flame Monarch was currently in seclusion to recuperate and would remain in seclusion for a while. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun was left with no choice but to leave the villains alone.
After they left, Ye Chaomu said, “Big brother, they don’t seem to acknowledge your authority.”
“They have their pride. If I want them to acknowledge me, I need to at least reach the Heaven Battling Realm,” said Xiang Shaoyun. “With Scarlet Flame around, it’s only a matter of time before they turn into my followers.”
He had full confidence in Scarlet Flame Monarch. Although Scarlet Flame Monarch wasn’t in good condition right now, his recovery to peak strength would accelerate after Old Yao refined the saint soul fruit into pills since one of the pills could be given to him.
“It’s all good so long as you’re confident,” said Ye Chaomu. She started her report, “The Books Pavilion is still fully intact. The Weapons Pavilion was destroyed, and so were many of the lesser quality weapons. Only a portion of the high-quality weapons can still be used. As for Old Yao’s herb farm, it is still doing well. As for the cultivation rooms, almost all of them had been destroyed. It will take some work to rebuild them.”
“Everything is fine as long as the Books Pavilion is preserved. The rest don’t matter that much,” said Xiang Shaoyun, who was satisfied with the report.
“What is your next plan, big brother? Are you going to be staying guard here?” asked Ye Chaomu.
“I wanted to ask Old Yao about Father, but I was too occupied with Little Qian’s matter and had forgotten. After everything here stabilizes, I will go look for Father. I refuse to believe he’s dead,” said Xiang Shaoyun.
“Good. I’ll go with you as well,” said Ye Chaomu.
“No, it’s enough for me to go alone. You still need to return to Lord Wu Xie and continue your cultivation,” Xiang Shaoyun rejected.
“I can cultivate anywhere. Master won’t be bothered about me at all. In any case, I want to stay with you, big brother. I don’t want you to gather more and more women by your side,” said Ye Chaomu bluntly.
As she said that, she looked straight into his eyes with a pair of enchanting eyes capable of tugging at one’s soul. Not even Xiang Shaoyun dared to meet her gaze. This younger sister of his was truly too beautiful.
There was also a devilish charm about her that could easily mesmerize anyone. If he hadn’t viewed her as a little sister all this while, he would have fully fallen for her by now. With her looking straight into his eyes, he felt his heartbeat accelerate and his cheeks heat up.
“Little Mu, don’t stare at your big brother like this. You’re making me nervous,” said Xiang Shaoyun meekly.
Her gaze was too invasive, and he couldn’t stand it anymore.
An enchanting smile formed on Ye Chaomu’s face as she started walking toward him one step at a time. She said, “So you’ll actually blush as well, big brother? How adorable.”
She then caressed his face, acting like a hooligan taking advantage of a weak girl.
Xiang Shaoyun gripped her tender hand and said, “Little Mu, stop messing around.”
“I’m not messing around. Big brother, I’m serious. I’m going to eat you,” said Ye Chaomu with a fiendish smile as she plopped down on Xiang Shaoyun’s thighs.
An enthralling fragrance spread from her body into Xiang Shaoyun’s nostrils. Facing such enticement, Xiang Shaoyun lost all control over his body as his blood boiled and a certain part of his body stood erect.
