Chu Xingchen looked at Li Yingling, who was now clinging to him affectionately, and couldn’t help but feel he had been rather foresighted.
He had no idea who his eldest disciple had learned this skill of changing expressions from.
Within the sect, Cui Hao might be the most lively, always finding things to busy himself with, but he was also the easiest to handle.
Only his eldest disciple, Li Yingling—who had once lived with him in a rundown temple, digging up spirit herbs—was different. Thinking back, she had even been the first to taste the concoction brewed in their iron cauldron.
Her seniority was unquestionable.
It wasn’t that Li Yingling was hard to coax. She rarely threw real tantrums; most of her sulking was just for show.
If Chu Xingchen wanted, a few casual words would be enough to placate her.
Li Yingling never took things too seriously with her master either.
She had walked this path with him for so long. Though her "little cotton-padded jacket" had its leaks, it still provided some warmth.
After all this hardship, a reward was only natural.
Chu Xingchen watched as Li Yingling played with the jade hairpin and trinkets, her face lit up with joy, and he found himself smiling too.
Seeing his eldest disciple happy warmed his heart.
The little girl from back then had grown up, yet traces of her younger self remained.
Chen Baiqing’s gaze swept silently across the room. At this moment, only the second senior brother was absent; all the other disciples had gathered.
For some reason, the second senior brother always seemed to miss these heartwarming moments.
Though he had never complained about it, Chen Baiqing suspected… he must have wondered why.
The group didn’t linger indoors for long. This was Li Yingling’s office, a practical space with few chairs to accommodate everyone.
Rather than having some stand while chatting, it was better to take a stroll outside together.
Chu Xingchen had only supervised the initial phase of the sect’s construction before handing over the reins to Li Yingling.
Though she regularly sent progress reports, he had only read the first letter before setting the rest aside.
His eldest disciple was reliable, after all. She had experience in building sects—otherwise, the task wouldn’t have been entrusted to her instead of Li Xingtian.
Today, he would inspect the fruits of her labor over the past few months.
Li Yingling led the way, eagerly explaining her layouts and arrangements.
With ample funding and months of effort, the sect had already taken shape.
The structures weren’t extravagantly ornate, but they had a distinct charm.
Li Yingling had incorporated her own ideas—since the Ten Thousand Blossom Ridge was known for its flowers, she had reserved a dedicated area for a floral sea.
"Everyone contributed greatly to this construction. If it were just me, I couldn’t have achieved this much," Li Yingling said with a smile, acknowledging the efforts of the others. She even singled out one person:
"Especially Cui Hao. His design work was exceptional, and his contributions to the sect’s unique architectural style were irreplaceable."
Hearing this, Chu Xingchen turned his gaze to Cui Hao.
Thanks to Cui Hao’s skilled drafting and blueprints, much of the sect’s design—aside from the main hall and special structures, which followed the system’s plans—had been left to him.
But this "uniqueness"… sounded rather impressive.
Had Cui Hao come up with something wildly imaginative?
Curious, Chu Xingchen asked, "What exactly did he design?"
Li Yingling paused. They had reached the residential area, overseen by Chen Baiqing, where each building reflected its occupant’s preferences.
She gestured toward a completed house.
This one stood out immediately.
The structure was small, surrounded by flowers, with vines and blossoms draping from the roof.
But the most striking feature was the roof itself—it was unlike any other.
Chu Xingchen studied it and, for some reason, found it oddly cyberpunk in style. The roof had mechanical gears on either side.
Instead of traditional tiles, it appeared to be made of two specially crafted steel plates that extended partway down the walls.
A cute cyberpunk roof?
Chu Xingchen examined it for a moment. It was certainly unique—he hadn’t expected Cui Hao’s taste to be so avant-garde.
Though… calling it "beautiful" might be a stretch.
When he glanced at Cui Hao, however, the young man looked awkward, his eyes darting away uncomfortably.
"You’re back!"
The door of the cute cyberpunk house swung open as San Dong, hearing the commotion, rushed out to greet the sect leader and the others, her face alight with excitement.
Chu Xingchen nodded at her. "Yes. This is your place, isn’t it?"
San Dong beamed and nodded vigorously. "It is! Thank you, Sect Leader. This house is amazing!"
Chu Xingchen smiled and humored her. "Oh? What’s so amazing about it?"
San Dong glanced at Cui Hao beside him, noticing how his gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Truly worthy of Cui Hao—having created something so remarkable yet remaining so modest about it. No wonder he could spout all those profound philosophies.
San Dong made up his mind. Given his relationship with Cui Hao, he ought to let the sect leader know just how extraordinary Cui Hao really was.
"How about I give the sect leader a little demonstration?" San Dong suggested.
Even Chu Xingchen was taken aback by this.
A house… and a performance? Were those two things even compatible?
Was there some kind of firework buried beneath the structure, ready to explode at the slightest spark?
Chu Xingchen first shot a look at Cui Hao, only to find the young man’s expression visibly off. Still… no matter how odd he seemed, he wouldn’t pull such a reckless stunt.
Besides, judging by San Dong’s expression, he seemed quite pleased with himself.
Steeling himself, Chu Xingchen nodded. "Alright, San Dong… go ahead."
Li Yingling and Chen Baiqing remained silent, their eyes fixed on the peculiar little house.
San Dong excitedly nodded, then produced a jade token and channeled a trace of spiritual energy into it.
In the next moment, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the adorable cyberpunk-style roof emitted a faint mechanical whirr before two metal panels slowly slid backward.
In mere seconds, the roof that once shielded against wind and rain was no longer a roof.
Leaving aside the others, even Daoist Yuyang—who prided himself on having seen much of the world—stared dumbfounded at the transformed structure.
What… in the world was this?
What possible use could this thing serve?
Once the roof finished shifting, San Dong activated the jade token again, and the metal panels seamlessly realigned.
Chu Xingchen said nothing, his brow slightly furrowed as he studied the house for a long moment. Only after confirming there were no further surprises did he finally speak.
"That… is indeed impressive."
Hearing the praise, San Dong beamed with joy, his delighted gaze turning toward Cui Hao as if eager to share the triumph.
Cui Hao remained silent, his eyes stubbornly fixed on the flowers at his feet.
Unable to hold back, Chu Xingchen turned and clapped a hand on Cui Hao’s shoulder.
"Only you could come up with something this ingenious."