"Brother Chen, I didn't expect to see you personally here. But your skill in leather making is unparalleled. I believe our leather goods factory will soon flourish. How about you give the factory a name?"
"Why not call it 'Same City Leather Goods'? I'm mainly here because most of the leather being sold now comes from our Tong family's manor. And, we're preparing to build a factory on the flat land behind. It's good timing for me to be back and oversee the progress." After seating themselves, Auntie Lan arranged some snacks and tea, then quietly stood aside. Only then did Tong Chen approach and strike up a conversation with Xiang Bei.
"Same City Leather Goods sounds catchy, but I envision our leather goods being sold overseas. The name might lack a bit of brand significance. How about 'Tong Cheng'? Tong from the Tong family, and Cheng, representing sincerity. Tong Cheng Leather Goods, providing sincere craftsmanship from the Tong family. What do you think, Amo?" Xiang Bei suggested a slight modification to the homophonic wordplay, imbuing the brand with some cultural connotations.
"That's great, let's go with 'Tong Cheng Leather Goods'. I'll have Chengshan make a plaque and register it under the Tong family's shop name." Although Chengmo preferred to combine Tong Xiangbei's surname with his own, since it was an industry to be developed by the Tong family manor, he agreed to this arrangement for now. However, he made a mental note to think of a brand name combining their surnames next time. But what would be the best choice? Hmm, he'd think about it later. Shifting his focus back, he continued, "By the way, Brother Chen, how far along is the factory construction?"
"Oh, according to Xiang Bei's plans, you could say we're building a small city. So, we've been laying roads on the flat land. Today, we just finished setting up a large bamboo shed and bathroom facilities. In Xiang Bei's words, it's called the temporary construction section of the site, which will address the accommodation and dining needs of workers when formal construction begins."
"That's excellent! I need to set up the general's camp for the Southern Expedition here. Tong Chen, from now on, I'm requisitioning this land. You'll oversee it personally, and I'll have uncle Hai send some manpower over. When the Southern Army arrives, I hope the inn can provide assistance."
"Yes, Your Highness, I'll follow your orders in everything."
"We'll stay here tonight. Since we're stationing troops, let's expand a row of storage and preparation rooms outside the inn. I'll design a refrigerated warehouse so that we can have enough fresh meat and vegetables when the army starts cooking." Xiangbei immediately thought of logistical support for the military and turned to Chengmo for his opinion. "Mo, what do you think about using the inn as a central base and distributing various small-scale bathing and logistics kitchen material centers around it?"
"That's an excellent idea. After the military camp arrives, they can set up camp around these logistical centers, all in one go. Xiangbei, but it means another night of hard work for you."
"I'm not really tired. In my space, one night equals about seven or eight days out here. I just eat, sleep, and draw diagrams. Hey, I really hope one day I can take you inside and let you experience it for yourself."
Chengmo bent down, resting his hands on Xiangbei's shoulders, and looked into her eyes earnestly. "Xiao Bei, you're like an angel sent from heaven. I'm incredibly grateful for your presence, and I don't expect to intrude into your divine realm. As long as I know you're there and everything is fine, I can rest assured."
"Yeah. Okay I think it's time to rest. Brother Chen, we'll head upstairs first. We'll discuss the new design drawings together in the morning. Auntie Lan, thank you for arranging everything so meticulously. You should get some rest too, see you tomorrow." Xiangbei maintained polite distance and manners towards the people around her mother.
Still lodging on the third floor, Cheng Mo knew that Xiang Bei needed to enter the space to draw, so he went to bed early.
Xiang Bei was stunned when she appeared in the Jade Snowflake Cave. Behind a pile of gray-yellow dead foxes, which formed almost half of the cave's corner, a tiger and a fox looked calmly at Xiang Bei, with expressions of disdain on their faces. Calm? Disdain? Strange, she was sure she saw human expressions on the faces of these two snow-white livestocks, right?
"Shelve your ignorant, shallow human thoughts; we are spirit beasts. Dare to use the word 'livestock' again, and you'll taste our power." The voice in the Sea of Consciousness was markedly different from the serene and dignified tone before, now high-pitched, sharp, and with a hint of childish pride, likely belonging to Jade Marrow.
"I'm sorry, spirit beasts. Can someone tell me what's happened here? Who slaughtered so many lives?"
"Of course, it was the spirits of this cave. During the thousands of years I was sealed inside, these unruly wild foxes hid in the deep mountains, breeding generation after generation. Not only did they lack any spiritual power, but they also destroyed the mountains, rivers, streams, and ecological environment of this paradise. Other animals were disturbed and lost their peace. My symbiotic partner and I simply went out to clean up the mess."
"The cave spirit, Jade Marrow, right? Are you saying there are many other spirit beasts like you in the deep mountains?"
"How could they be like us? It's because of the symbiosis between me and Gong Sheng that this space can maintain its spiritual power, you know? It's just that the spiritual power here gives creatures some enlightenment opportunities, but some fools not only fail to appreciate it but also squander resources, breed recklessly without restraint... Anyway, foolish humans, even if I tell you, you wouldn't understand. I can't be bothered to waste my breath with you. Hurry up and get rid of these unruly ones; their presence annoys me. Well, I have things to attend to with my symbiotic partner. It's been too long since we've exercised control; this is going to cause trouble." As the little white fox spoke, before the last syllable faded, it leaped onto the back of the white tiger and disappeared.
The information conveyed by Jade Marrow was overwhelming, leaving Xiang Bei unable to think clearly for a moment. However, the sight of the mountain of fox corpses made her nauseous, so she turned and hurried to the side hall, where she lightly nudged beside the couch where Cheng Mo rested.