The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

After Shen Yifei finished making his grand promises, the crowd below began to discuss it animatedly.

A deacon raised his hand. "Sect Master, with so many people, where will they live?"

"Build them," Shen Yifei said decisively. "Build houses on all the hills around the main peak. If you don't have enough spirit stones, come to me; if you don't have enough materials, come to me too. I may not have much else, but I have plenty of spirit stones and pills."

The disciples below all had their eyes light up.

When Xie Chen was in charge, he was incredibly stingy, treating even distributing a high-grade pill like it was a painful sacrifice. The new sect leader, on the other hand, talks about top-grade pills all the time, and about building houses and distributing spirit stones.

The difference is like that between a stepfather and a biological father.

"Is there anything else?" Shen Yifei glanced around.

No one spoke.

"That's settled then. Everyone can go home and do what they need to do."

The crowd dispersed, and people walked back in twos and threes, chatting amongst themselves.

Shen Yifei came down the steps, and Xie Liaochen was still standing beside him.

"My dear son-in-law, how many spirit stones would you earn in a year for what you just mentioned?"

"I haven't calculated it."

"You dare to say it without even calculating it?"

Shen Yifei smiled and said, "Father-in-law, don't worry. If I say it, I will do it."

Xie Liaochen opened his mouth, but said nothing more.

He's lived for hundreds of years and has seen plenty of boasters, but he's never seen anyone who actually makes a claim. Whether Shen Yifei has the talent or not, we'll find out in time.

Shen Yifei returned to Tingzhu Peak and closed the door.

Liu Mengli floated out of the cauldron and sat cross-legged on the table. "Master, you're doing a pretty good job as sect leader. Your ability to make empty promises is top-notch; I can see those people below are green with envy."

"This isn't just empty promises; this is the future development direction of the Qingyun Sect. In the next few years, I want the Qingyun Sect to surpass the Golden Crow Sect!"

Liu Mengli looked at him with admiration when she heard him say that.

She floated onto Shen Yifei, her lips brushing against his neck. "Master, now that you've become the sect leader, shouldn't I get a promotion too?"

"What do you want to be?"

"The Sect Master's Wife."

Shen Yifei pulled her off him, saying, "What kind of sect leader's wife are you, a nightmare demon?"

"Then what should I be?"

"You'll be my secret weapon."

Liu Mengli pouted, "Secret weapon, that sounds nice, but it's just a mistress who can't be seen in public."

"You're not even a mistress," Shen Yifei said, flopping onto the bed. "A mistress at least has a body; what do you have?"

Liu Mengli retorted, "I don't have a body? Who were you embracing during your dual cultivation?"

"That was something you simulated."

"Simulated results count too."

Shen Yifei was too lazy to argue with her. "Alright, stop fooling around. Let's talk about serious matters."

"What important matter is it?"

"Starting tomorrow, you will be inspecting the entire Qingyun Sect."

Liu Mengli was taken aback. "Inspecting the Qingyun Sect?"

"Keep an eye on all the disciples. Write down who cultivates diligently and who slacks off."

"Are you making me a supervisor?"

"Yes, that's foreman."

Liu Mengli thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll supervise the construction. But I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"You have to practice dual cultivation with me every night."

Shen Yifei sat up and looked at her. "Can't you live without dual cultivation?"

"That's right, I can't live without dual cultivation." Liu Mengli said matter-of-factly, "I'm a nightmare demon, I'll slowly dissipate if I don't absorb yang energy. You want me to work for you, right? Then you have to pay me. My payment is your yang energy. You wouldn't expect me to cultivate with another man, would you?"

"You dare?"

"Then obediently pay me my wages." Liu Mengli leaned closer, her lips touching his ear. "Master, you've now reached the Nascent Soul stage, and your yang energy is much stronger than before. It smells so delicious."

Shen Yifei pushed her away, but Liu Mengli clung to him again, like a leech.

"Alright, alright, once a day is enough, no more."

"Deal." Liu Mengli rolled off him. "I'll go out on patrol tomorrow, and I'll record whoever slacks off."

All night long, Liu Mengli was a clingy little vixen, making Shen Yifei unable to resist. They agreed to only do it once, but she would always use some tricks.

However, Shen Yifei discovered that the biggest benefit of dual cultivation with Liu Mengli was that the spiritual energy in his body became purer and purer, which was of great benefit to his cultivation strength, so he basically went along with it half-heartedly.

Liu Mengli floated out early the next morning without even saying goodbye.

When Shen Yifei woke up, the person next to him was empty. He hadn't expected Liu Mengli to be so energetic.

Shen Yifei dressed and headed towards the main hall. As he walked, disciples kept greeting him, making Shen Yifei feel warm and lightheaded. He had to admit, being the sect leader felt really good.

Upon entering, Xie Liaochen was already seated inside. The old man was wearing new clothes today, and his hair was tied up again; he looked much more energetic than a few days ago.

Good morning, father-in-law.

"Good morning." Xie Liaochen pointed to the chair next to him. "Sit down. I need to talk to you about something."

Shen Yifei sat down, and Xie Liaochen took out a pile of papers from his sleeve and handed them to him.

"These are the land deeds and sect registers of the Qingyun Sect. Keep them safe. They record how many people the sect has, how much land it owns, how many spirit stones it possesses, and what industries it owns. Over the years I've been the sect leader, I've accumulated some wealth—not a lot, but not a small amount either."

Shen Yifei took it and glanced at it.

The Qingyun Sect owns three spirit stone mines: two near the mountain gate and one on a desolate mountain a thousand miles away.

There are also several hundred acres of spirit fields, all planted with common medicinal herbs. The warehouse has 12,000 spirit stones in stock, including 300 high-grade spirit stones, 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones, and 7,000 low-grade spirit stones.

The stock of pills is even worse. There are less than a hundred high-grade pills, about three hundred mid-grade pills, and more than two thousand low-grade pills, but those things are worthless.

Shen Yifei closed the booklet. "Father-in-law, how have you managed to get through all these years?"

Xie Liaochen blushed. "What you're saying sounds like an insult!"

"I'm not insulting you, I'm just expressing my admiration. With such limited resources, it's truly remarkable that you've managed to keep the sect afloat until now."

"There's a way to live even when you're poor." Xie Liaochen snorted. "When I first took over a few hundred years ago, we were even poorer than we are now. We only had one spirit stone mine, less than a hundred acres of spirit fields, and we couldn't even scrape together a hundred low-grade pills in our warehouse. We've managed to accumulate some wealth over the years, so it's not too shameful."

Shen Yifei gave a thumbs up, "Father-in-law, you are a true entrepreneur. As your successor, I will definitely carry on and expand your family business."

Xie Liaochen waved his hand, "If you're not in charge, you don't know the cost of daily necessities. The competition between sects is too fierce now. Anyone who can survive is a hero. Those big sects are ruthless, they eat bones without spitting out the scraps!"

Xie Liaochen paused for a moment, then said, "You've been to the Hehuan Sect before, so don't sever your ties there. Although the Hehuan Sect isn't large, Su Wuwang is no simple person. Maintaining a good relationship with her will be useful in the future."

"Father-in-law, rest assured, my relationship with Sect Leader Su is excellent."

"How good is it?"

"So good..." Shen Yifei thought for a moment, "so good that she's willing to cultivate with me."

Xie Liaochen spat out a mouthful of tea, coughed for a long time, and his face turned bright red.

"What...what did you say?"

"Father-in-law, you heard me right. Su Wuwang is at the Nascent Soul stage, and dual cultivation with me can help her break through. It's a mutually beneficial thing, so don't overthink it."

Xie Liaochen wiped his mouth and stared at Shen Yifei for a long time.

"You little brat, is it that you'd lay a hand on any woman?"

"Father-in-law, what are you saying? I'm a picky eater."

Xie Liaochen shook his head. "Never mind, I won't ask anymore. Just make sure your relationship with Su Wuwang doesn't break down."

As the two were talking, Zhao Xuan rushed in, glanced at Xie Chen, and then bowed to Shen Yifei, saying, "Sect Master, the Golden Crow Sect has sent someone to request an audience!"