Ye Wen chatted briefly with the disciples of the various sects at the foot of the mountain. Then, he led his group onward up the path. Occasionally, they would encounter someone; if the person offered a greeting, Ye Wen would casually inform them they were welcome to ascend in four days to observe the ceremony. If he was met with a cold shoulder, he had no interest in acknowledging them.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he hadn't run into any of those idiotic fools who acted as if they were the absolute pinnacle of power and came looking for trouble. This left Ye Wen, who was eager to display his abilities in front of outsiders, somewhat disappointed.

"If I could only showcase a bit of skill in front of these people, it would certainly boost the reputation of my Shushan Sect."

It was a pity that such simpletons seemed to have gone extinct today; not a single fellow came up to discuss the relative merits of their cultivation levels.

As for publicizing his sect’s disciple induction ceremony at the base of the mountain, Ye Wen had two goals: first, to spread the name of the Shushan Sect in the surrounding area, and second, to let these people witness the Shushan Sect's strength, lest they remain tucked away on the mountain and people assume the sect was devoid of capable members.

He guessed that people would certainly come to cause trouble on the day of the grand induction ceremony. If nothing else, the True Fist Sect, which had destroyed their own mountain gate more than half a year ago, would undoubtedly send people to disrupt the proceedings, either to suppress potential enemies or to maintain their own perceived prestige. And this was precisely what Ye Wen hoped for.

"Six months of focused cultivation, fame achieved in a single dawn."

Muttering this phrase, which sounded part poem and part lyric, Ye Wen eagerly awaited the arrival of that day.

"It would be best if that fellow surnamed Zhang showed up. Although he killed the previous owner of this body, indirectly helping me complete my transmigration, he still caused me to spend so many days nursing injuries and bearing a notorious reputation for so long. This debt must be repaid." After careful consideration, he figured the True Fist Sect wouldn't send anyone else. Even the man surnamed Zhang would likely not agree to let another handle this matter. Calculating this way, his revenge seemed imminent.

Lost in thought, he didn't realize the group had already arrived outside the sect's main gate. Ye Wen looked up; the gate was wide open, and voices could be heard from within. It seemed Xu Xian and the others had returned ahead of him.

Stepping inside, he saw Xu Xian and Ning Ruxue pacing back and forth in the spacious courtyard, seemingly pondering where to build various structures.

Ning Ruxue's initial intention was to first erect the residences for the new disciples. Moreover, if these craftsmen were to remain on the mountain to work, their own living quarters had to be sorted out first.

As for other miscellaneous structures, such as those for storing weapons or medicinal herbs, they could be dealt with later. But Xu Xian thought differently. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared, "Senior Sister, you are too stingy! Why so much trouble? Just build it all at once."

It seemed this young master wanted to achieve everything in one go, constructing every necessary building, leaving the question of immediate use for later.

As Ye Wen entered, Xu Xian happened to be gesturing toward various spots in the courtyard, saying, "A side hall should be built here; it can serve both to entertain guests and as a place for the elders to instruct disciples. After all, as the number of disciples grows, we can't rely solely on Senior Brother to teach everyone."

"Build a wall here, connecting it to the main hall. This way, upon entering the gate, one sees a grand courtyard. Anyone arriving at the main hall won't see anything else, and it will accentuate the magnificence of our sect's main hall."

"We also need to build walls in the back to partition several smaller courtyards, so it doesn't look vast and empty at a glance. Although one can immediately tell the place is large, it currently appears poor and shabby."

Xu Xian’s words left Ning Ruxue and Aunt Zhao speechless. Only Aunt Zhao, accustomed to frugal living, grumbled, "Oh my heavens, how much silver will this cost? The money just to buy bricks and earth could probably build me several large houses!"

Ning Ruxue was even more stunned. If she hadn't already heard that Young Master Xu came from an extraordinary background, she would have immediately mocked him, "Do you even realize how much money you are talking about spending?"

However, she was unaware that Xu Xian had been expelled from his family by the old man and was now a true rootless drifter, a 'proletarian' with not a single piece of silver coming in. Otherwise, she would certainly have stopped Xu Xian from acting like a self-appointed sovereign.

Ye Wen was also dumbfounded upon his return. Although what Xu Xian described closely matched his own vision for the Shushan Sect, Ye Wen knew this couldn't be rushed, especially since they were not wealthy right now. His original plan was to map everything out first, and then build things one by one according to his blueprint.

Seeing Ye Wen return, Xu Xian immediately greeted him with a smile and then pulled the still-processing Ye Wen into the discussion. "Senior Brother is back! Actually, what I said just now wasn't just my own idea. I suspect Senior Brother has long had such plans. I guessed as much from the very first few rooms Senior Brother built. I am merely extrapolating based on Senior Brother's earlier sketches."

Ye Wen didn't find this statement odd, as Xu Xian hadn't said anything incorrect. However, Ning Ruxue was startled. She never imagined that her seemingly unremarkable senior brother possessed such grand designs, having already sketched out the sect's future appearance in detail.

If they truly built the magnificent gate that Xu Xian described, the Shushan Sect would undoubtedly become the foremost sect in the Shushan County area, and even rank among the respected powers in the entire Pingzhou Prefecture. With such a grand undertaking, no one would dare challenge their perceived greatness without justification.

Yet, as the person managing the majority of the Shushan Sect’s assets, Ning Ruxue knew they currently lacked the financial resources for such extensive construction. Perhaps they could manage it in a few years, but for now... Ning Ruxue felt it was better to proceed steadily, step by step.

She didn't notice that Ye Wen, seeing Xu Xian pontificating so freely, immediately pulled him aside and whispered, "How much silver do you currently have?"

He knew that after descending the mountain today, Xu Xian had taken the three or four stragglers of the Shushan Sect on a massive shopping spree. Setting aside daily necessities like bedding and blankets, they hadn't skimped on clothes, shoes, or even longswords and weaponry. Ye Wen had no idea how much silver was spent on this trip, yet the young master hadn't batted an eyelid.

Seeing the current situation, Ye Wen deduced that this junior brother who had shown up must be carrying a fortune. But thinking it over, although this person was a scholar, he wasn't entirely naive about worldly affairs. At least he understood that in this era, even if you went out to fight for justice, you lacked confidence without some silver in your pocket. It seemed he must have prepared a substantial amount of silver for himself before setting out, which explained his extravagance.

Xu Xian understood the meaning behind Ye Wen’s question. Since he was about to officially become a disciple of the Shushan Sect, there was no need to hide it. He held out his palm toward Ye Wen and gestured a number.

"Three..." Ye Wen was about to casually guess a figure, but then he thought that given Xu Xian's family background, it couldn't be that small. Adding another zero seemed about right. Any more? That probably wouldn't be an amount Xu Xian could sneak out. "Alright, I get it, Junior Brother. I will forever remember the great contribution you have made to my Shushan Sect."

With a couple of sly chuckles, he clapped Xu Xian on the shoulder. Ye Wen then turned around and said something that left Ning Ruxue utterly aghast: "Alright, everyone rest for a while. However, you might need to erect a few rooms first so you have a place to stay. For now, it looks like you can squeeze into those rooms next to Aunt Zhao's."

There were a few empty bedrooms there, but with so many people, they certainly wouldn't all fit. They could only make do for a while. As for hastily putting up some straw huts to sleep outside? It was the dead of winter, and they were on a mountain; Ye Wen wasn't cruel enough for that. If a few people froze to death, things would become very complicated.

"Then, quickly focus on building your own rooms. After that, you should split into groups and first enclose the area I mentioned earlier—that wall extending from the main hall to the gate." Ye Wen pointed to the large space between the main hall and the entrance. "Fence this area off immediately. This work must be completed before the night of the day after tomorrow."

He was taking into account that the induction ceremony was in four days. People would surely come to observe. Whether they were scouting the Shushan Sect's foundation, joining the excitement, or coming to offer genuine congratulations, this plaza in front of the main hall absolutely had to be finished first, or how would they awe those people?

Xu Xian nodded, then spoke to a craftsman who seemed to be the foreman. "Also, the path from the main hall to the gate should ideally be paved with flagstones. I know this deadline is tight. If you feel you don't have enough hands, quickly find more tomorrow. Whatever it takes, this must be done before the night after tomorrow."

The craftsman's face looked troubled when he heard the extent of the work and the three-day deadline. The workload was too heavy—building walls and paving stones. Normally, rushing this much would require working overtime for ten days to half a month.

However, when he heard Xu Xian say they could hire more people, the craftsman’s mind became active. People in their trade surely had many acquaintances. He had only brought a few close buddies from nearby for this initial trip up the mountain. If things were this urgent, he could call all those other workers up; manpower would definitely not be an issue then.

"But the wages..."

"Wages are easy to discuss..." This time, Ye Wen stepped in before Xu Xian could speak and agreed immediately. He understood the massive impact of sprucing up the entrance in a few days. "If the work is done well, there will be bonuses too."

"Fine, if you say so, you just watch," the foreman said. Upon hearing that wages were negotiable and bonuses were available, all his doubts vanished. He clapped his hands and shouted to his brothers, "Alright lads, let's not waste any time. We start tonight! Hey, Sixth Brother, you run down the mountain and call those old comrades. Don't say we found good work and forgot our brothers; if there’s money to be made, we earn it together!"...

Seeing the foreman agree, Ye Wen added a few final instructions: "The wall and the flagstones are the most urgent. As for what needs to be built next and how, ask my junior brother; he is in full charge."

Ye Wen wasn't particularly focused on architectural layout, but Xu Xian, despite not being a specialist either, understood some things due to his noble background. Having seen much, one naturally gains insight.

Xu Xian accepted the task assigned to him even before formally becoming a disciple, assuring Ye Wen, "Senior Brother, rest assured, I guarantee our sect’s construction won't be inferior to those famous great sects in the martial world."

P.S.: That’s all. Our recommendation numbers are quite dismal, and with so few, they will run out quickly.