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"Long time no see, big brother, Seventh Elder."
As Lan Yin was introducing the inner divisions of Yuexuan to Tang Xiao, Tang Yuehua arrived with the trainee who had been posted at the entrance. Afterward, she sent the trainee back to their duties.
"Yuehua, it really has been a long time." Tang Xiao couldn't help but notice that Tang Yuehua looked younger than before, radiating a lively and innocent charm more suited to a young girl. For a moment, he felt she was almost a stranger but found himself recalling memories of their childhood—
Hmm?
Tang Xiao shook his head quickly, chuckling, "Yuehua, you don't need to be giving your big brother such a scare, right? Your mastery of your domain is becoming more impressive; even I almost got lost in it."
Tang Yuehua's talent had been affirmed by Tang Chen himself. Her martial spirit and spirit rings were unique; her first ring lacked spirit abilities but had imprinted the Killing God Domain after passing Tang Chen's trial.
In addition, her Ruyi Ring inherently came with a mental domain, which she wielded with remarkable finesse. For those without firm minds, it could bewilder, hypnotize, and make them follow her orders unconditionally.
Of course, Tang Xiao, with his Douluo-level spiritual power, wouldn't be so easily influenced. However, given that she was his sister by blood, he naturally let his guard down, resulting in a brief lapse of focus.
As for the Seventh Elder...
The moment he saw Tang Yuehua, he tensed up, not daring to be careless in the slightest. After all, she had once severed his arm with the Asura Sword.
The pain from having his arm severed, which he only felt three seconds afterward, still lingered vividly in his memory—this woman could directly channel her uncle's divine power!
Tang Yuehua smiled gently. "Big brother, you're joking. I wasn't using my domain ability; I was simply immersed in nature and touched by some of life's truths." She walked to the corridor's edge, extending her hand toward a butterfly dancing gracefully in the courtyard. It alighted on her finger, folding its wings to rest peacefully.
With a slight movement, the butterfly was startled and took flight once more.
Tang Xiao admired her. "Sister, you've truly emerged from your cocoon. In the future, you're bound to become a powerful soul master."
Tang Yuehua's smile faded slightly. She wasn't particularly thrilled by Tang Xiao's attempt at closeness, but she still led them to the main hall, serving them tea.
"We have matters to discuss," the Seventh Elder spoke up after a while. Noticing that Lan Yin and Gu Yuena were still comfortably seated, snacking, drinking tea, and chatting without a care, he couldn't hold back any longer and turned to Tang Yuehua.
Tang Yuehua smiled, "No need to worry. These two are my close friends; pay them no mind."
Seventh Elder: "…"
He was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with Tang Yuehua's mind. In his view, among Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Tang Yuehua, only Tang Xiao seemed normal; the others seemed a bit off.
The reasoning?
For the Seventh Elder, anyone who spent little time within the clan, deprived of constant guidance from the sect, likely developed a different mindset, rendering them "unusual."
Tang Xiao sighed, "It's not anything serious, Seventh Elder. No need to raise your voice. Even if others hear, it's fine. We mainly came to ask, Yuehua, are you doing well in Spirit City? No one here has been giving you trouble, right? Back when Yuexuan was still based in Tian Dou City, I heard from disciples traveling back and forth that your school catered to nobles, but now that we're here, I've noticed there aren't many nobles around."
So, it seems the recent drop in funds sent to the clan was the real reason for their visit—
Picking up on the implied meaning, Tang Yuehua, already prepared to handle such matters calmly, smiled and said, "Spirit City is quite different from Tian Dou City. There aren't as many nobles here, and the members of Spirit Hall are busy every day with little time to cultivate refined tastes. For survival's sake, I've had to adapt my strategy, lower the bar, and focus on establishing myself here for the next three to five years."
In other words, within the next five years, they shouldn't expect substantial funds from her, and perhaps the clan could explore other avenues for income instead of relying on one woman's earnings.
Tang Yuehua had heard of "living off one's parents," but "living off the young"? That was a new one, though she was certainly experiencing it herself.
"Sigh..." Tang Xiao sighed, then continued, "The Spirit Hall hasn't given you trouble because of your identity, have they?"
"Not really. In fact, when they found out about my connection with Tang San, they even reduced my taxes by ten percent." At this, Tang Yuehua's face took on a peculiar expression.
"They tax you? Has Spirit Hall gone mad, competing with merchants for profit?" the Seventh Elder exclaimed in surprise.
"That was before. Now, leaders across the continent recognize the value of commerce... even in Tian Dou City," Tang Yuehua replied. She considered explaining further but decided against it, knowing they wouldn't understand. "Nowadays, the entire continent is progressing rapidly. Although the Haotian Clan has announced its return, its disciples are solely focused on soul mastery, oblivious to these changes... This will leave the clan behind. Big Brother, if you want the clan to thrive, it would be wise to cultivate a group of educated disciples."
Tang Xiao furrowed his brows, pondering the potential pros and cons.
But the Seventh Elder was quick to voice his disagreement. "Our Haotian Clan's greatest strength is the Haotian Hammer! This world is, and always will be, a soul master's world. With true power, who would dare challenge us?"
"The Seventh Elder is right," Tang Xiao agreed, jolted back to his senses. After all, wasn't strength the defining quality of the Haotian Clan? How could they allow their direct heirs to focus on scholarly pursuits?
Power is the eternal ruler of this continent!
Tang Yuehua sighed softly and finally remarked, "But your strength doesn't compare to Tang San, or Bibi Dong, or Qian Daoliu. Even Tang San's friends—Xiao Wu, Guangling, Huo Wu—each one of them alone could overpower you all. This, I can swear on my martial spirit."
The Seventh Elder was visibly irritated by Tang Yuehua's "glorifying others while belittling us" attitude. "We have our patriarch," he countered.
Tang Yuehua ignored him and looked over to Tang Xiao, noticing that while he said nothing, the admiration in his eyes said it all.
As long as the Haotian Clan has Tang Chen, they're invincible! That was the underlying belief here.
But it was precisely this mentality that left Tang Yuehua exasperated. Though a proud member of the Haotian Clan, she understood that Tang Chen's strength was his own, not the clan's collective power.
Hadn't they learned anything from being forced into seclusion?
If not, then there was nothing more she could do.
"I'll take care of the clan's funds…" she said, abandoning her attempts to reason and shifting the conversation back to finances. This time, the discussion went along more "pleasantly"...
(End of Chapter)