Three-Person Consultation

Early the next morning, Liu Yunan called for Liao Pantu and Sun Yigao, bringing out the scroll.

The three of them read it together.

After finishing it, they realized that the emperor indeed wanted to win them over, just as Brother Xiao had suspected.

It stated the hope that their sect could support the imperial court's rule, much like the current Three Great Sects, without interfering too much in the various policies and implementations promulgated by the court.

However, the contents of the scroll were quite vague. It did not detail any specific conditions or benefit agreements, only suggesting that it would be best if their sect could send representatives to the capital to discuss various matters in person.

Thus, upon finishing the scroll, Liao Pantu was the first to speak. Stroking his beard, he gave a light snort and said,

This kind of insincere thing, we just need to glance at it. They will definitely come to visit many more times later. For now, in my opinion, we should just ignore it.

Hearing this, Liu Yunan hesitated.

Is that really a good idea? That is the emperor, after all.

Before he started cultivating this year, he was just an ordinary village boy in Xiushui Village. The highest-ranking official he had ever seen was the village head. Now, hearing that they could simply ignore a letter written personally by the emperor, Liu Yunan felt a very subtle and strange emotion in his heart.

Today, he had already met various local wealthy merchants, the county magistrate, and the prefect, and was now deciding whether or not to ignore a letter from the reigning emperor.

He sneaked a glance at Senior Liao.

So this is what it means to be an immortal cultivator...

This kind of disparity was truly a tremendous psychological test for someone who had just transitioned from a mortal to a cultivator.

Beside him, Sun Yigao said with a smile,

Let us not be too obvious about it. We can focus on stalling. Didn't Yuanjiao send news earlier saying that the imperial court hadn't informed the Three Great Sects about discovering our sect? Now that they've sent such a letter, we can give a vague, distant timeframe to brush them off for now, and wait to see how things develop.

Liu Yunan listened and nodded.

That makes sense. We will stall them first. Perhaps Brother Xiao will come out of seclusion by then, and we can make further plans based on the situation.

Seeing that their thoughts were similar to his own, Liao Pantu said no more.

And so, the matter was settled.

On the third day, Liu Yunan crouched in the tall grass near the village entrance bright and early.

He figured that Wei San definitely wouldn't come when there were many people around; it would either be in the morning or at night. Therefore, he deliberately woke up very early and waited there before the sky even brightened.

Sure enough, it wasn't long after Liu Yunan hid himself that he saw Wei San appear at the end of the small path.

He immediately used the Object Control Spell to quietly place a letter on the ground a short distance ahead, ensuring that Wei San would see it when he walked over.

Because the letter was right in the middle of the path, it was hard for Wei San to miss it as he approached.

However, since the sky was not yet fully bright, Liu Yunan was also prepared for the possibility that he might miss it.

If he didn't see it, Liu Yunan would just make him trip and fall face-first onto the letter, making it impossible to overlook.

Fortunately, Wei San had practiced martial arts for years and had strong observational skills, sparing himself a face-plant.

As he got closer, he immediately noticed the letter on the ground, so he bent down and picked it up.

Seeing the four elegantly written words To Be Opened Personally by the Emperor on the front of the envelope, he immediately and carefully tucked it into his robes.

After cautiously looking around to confirm no one was there, he quickly left the area.

Seeing that the letter was successfully delivered, Liu Yunan walked out of the grass with satisfaction.

Thinking that the villagers should not be awake at this hour, he strolled leisurely along the village path.

Ever since he started acting as a proxy for sect affairs, he finally deeply understood how busy Brother Xiao usually was.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, he saw two elderly men greeting each other under the shade of a tree at the village entrance.

They were none other than Village Chief Du Liushui and the Hu Clan Chief, Hu Deli.

Recently, out of fear of being bombarded with questions by the villagers, the members of the Lingxian Sect had been strictly adhering to the practice of leaving early and returning late.

Whenever they accidentally bumped into a villager, they would avoid them if possible.

Tietou and Qin Jianghe even directly built a few more houses near their own homes above the Returning Garden Mountain Residence, moving their whole families up the mountain to cultivate with everyone.

Jiang Youfu also brought his family up the mountain, though they were only coming up to live for a while to avoid the current spotlight.

Once some time had passed and everyone grew accustomed to the Lingxian Sect, they planned to return to the village.

After all, Grandma Jiang had lived in Xiushui Village her entire life and couldn't bear to part with the home she had built bit by bit with Grandpa Jiang back in the day.

But now, Liu Yunan thought for a moment and did not hide like he usually would. Instead, he walked over openly and naturally.

Brother Xiao had mentioned before going into seclusion.

The future operations of their sect in the village could not be separated from the support of the village elders and the village chief.

Many things could be appropriately collaborated on with them.

Thinking about the recent development of their Xiushui Village, Liu Yunan soon arrived in front of the two elders.

Seeing him, Clan Chief Hu Deli greeted him with a smile,

Isn't this the boy from the Liu family? Is your arm mostly healed?

Hearing Clan Chief Hu's question, Liu Yunan paused for a moment before remembering that he was referring to the arm his eldest uncle had broken back then.

He immediately raised his hand and gestured with a smile,

Thank you for your concern, it healed long ago. Have you two had your breakfast yet?

Village Chief Du nodded and laughed,

We've eaten, we've eaten. Are you busy right now? If you have nothing going on, how about chatting with us two old men for a bit?

Hearing this, Liu Yunan very obediently sat down on a stone stool next to the two elders.

Figuring that as the junior, he should be the one to start the conversation, he opened his mouth and asked,

How has your health been lately, elders?

Village Chief Du slightly revealed his aging but still intact teeth and replied with a smile,

It's excellent. Our village is now thriving and the future looks bright. Just thinking about it every day makes me happy enough to eat an extra half bowl of rice.

As soon as Village Chief Du finished speaking, Clan Chief Hu immediately and smoothly chimed in,

Yes indeed. Our village being like this today is all thanks to your sect.

Rarely having such moments to interact alone with amiable elders, Liu Yunan didn't know what to say for a moment and just chuckled happily,

We are also only enjoying our current lives thanks to Brother Xiao leading us.

Village Chief Du nodded and sighed with emotion,

Brother Xiao is a good child, deeply affectionate and filial. Sigh, I still remember back when his mother passed away. He was just a tiny little baby, still lying in his father's arms, but it was as if he knew he had lost his mother. He wailed and cried, only stopping when he was too exhausted and fell asleep.

When he woke up, he just nestled silently in his father's embrace. Only upon looking closely could one see that, although he made no sound, tears were continuously streaming from his eyes.