With today's string of events, the Zhenquan Sect not only lost all prestige, but even its own disciples were likely to grow dissatisfied with the sect. It could be said that the Zhenquan Sect had instantly fallen into a situation of internal strife and external threat.

Sect Master Wang Shu was gravely injured and required a long recovery period. Zhang Gui's cautionary words to Ye Wen had already stirred discontent among some of Wang Shu's trusted confidantes. More conflicts might erupt internally; it seemed the Zhenquan Sect was in for quite a tumultuous period ahead. Even without Ye Wen's direct assault, their demise might not be far off.

The only uncertainty lay in the prestige of the Zhenquan Sect's Vice Sect Master. If this individual could rally the troops and stabilize morale, the Zhenquan Sect might recover and continue to contend with Ye Wen's Shushan Sect for a while longer. However, if his prestige proved insufficient, the Zhenquan Sect would effectively withdraw from the power struggle in the Shushan territory starting from this day forward.

In any case, regardless of the outcome, the Zhenquan Sect would not be a primary concern for Ye Wen in the immediate future. Even if they managed to rebound, it would require a considerable amount of time.

Therefore, the focus now shifted to the other scattered, miscellaneous sects. Ye Wen summoned the two outer disciples who had been waiting diligently outside the room and asked directly, "Who all came today, and did you make a record?"

Xu Ping, whom Ye Wen had placed high hopes on, remained silent. It was the other disciple, the one skilled in the Songfeng Sword Style, who replied, "Besides the people from the Zhenquan Sect, a total of eighty-seven individuals arrived today. Seventy-four of them were disciples or sect leaders from various sects on Shushan Mountain, and the remaining few were from some local gangs and factions in Shushan County." He then proceeded to list which sect each person belonged to, naming most of them one by one.

Ye Wen was slightly surprised, perhaps not expecting this disciple to possess such an excellent memory. This disciple was one of the ten sent by the Yueshan Escort Agency, named Li Sen. He usually showed no particular outstanding traits; his martial arts skill among the twenty disciples was merely average—neither high nor low, certainly not prominent.

Unexpectedly, Li Sen possessed such a talent. In just a short span, he had not only counted the numbers accurately but also memorized exactly who everyone was. Ye Wen had initially only hoped that Xu Ping could roughly note down which sects were present, to facilitate Ye Wen settling scores later. Now, thanks to Li Sen's unforeseen capability, everything was clearly recorded, not a single person missed.

"Settling accounts later is going to be a lot easier."

In reality, when Ye Wen allowed these people to leave, it was a test. If they had approached Ye Wen with a proper greeting and offered some form of compensation, Ye Wen might not have pursued trouble with them later. Having paid a price, they would have learned a lesson, and since today's incident wasn't catastrophic, Ye Wen could have easily let them off.

Regrettably, none of them chose that path. Upon seeing that the Zhenquan Sect was permitted to depart, they chose instead to remain silent, hurrying away as if the day's events had never happened.

Perhaps they had considered it, but they thought that by blending into the crowd, who would remember they were present? Why pay any cost? After all, these individuals and their affiliated sects were minor players. If they were extorted by the Shushan Sect, those small establishments might not even be able to continue operating.

In truth, this was precisely what Ye Wen had intended.

To eliminate the myriad small sects on Shushan one by one would be far too troublesome. Thus, Ye Wen wanted to see if he could resolve the issue permanently on this occasion. However, since most people clung tightly to their meager holdings, Ye Wen would have to wait until his injuries healed before seeking them out individually.

Ye Wen laid out his plans one by one, showing no reservation toward Liu Qingfeng and his apprentice, as well as Xu Ping and Li Sen. He was very satisfied with the performance of these two today. Xu Ping was already confirmed to be admitted into the inner sect, and Li Sen, due to this specific talent, had also caught Ye Wen's eye, prompting consideration for his admission into the inner sect as well.

But regardless, Li Sen had definitely entered his field of vision. Considering that the true fighting strength of the Shushan Sect was still rather weak, focusing on cultivating such individuals was not out of the question, so it was harmless for him to overhear this discussion.

Liu Qingfeng was even less concerned. The old Daoist wholeheartedly supported the Shushan Sect expanding its influence. After all, a stronger Shushan Sect would mean a more formidable alliance force when joining with the Hushan Sect, ensuring they could firmly suppress the Tianle Gang. If the Shushan Sect continued to hide on the mountain instead of developing, Liu Qingfeng would start questioning whether his choice of ally had been correct.

He gave instructions for the next few days: they needed to take over the existing properties of the Zhenquan Sect and decide whether to recruit more laborers based on the situation.

These matters were handed to Ning Ruxue. Considering that Ning Ruxue's leg injury might not have fully healed, Ye Wen added a reminder: "When Xu Xian returns, have him help you with the running around errands."

Since Xu Xian had excellent Qinggong, this arrangement was simply making the best use of everyone's abilities.

Everyone nodded in assent. Liu Qingfeng inquired about Ye Wen's injuries, and upon learning they were stable, he excused himself, taking his apprentice back to their room to rest.

In the blink of an eye, only Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue remained in the room. They stared at each other for a while, until Ye Wen finally broke the silence, "Junior Sister, you should go attend to your duties. Senior Brother just needs to meditate and regulate his internal energy for a while."

"Don't you need me to look after you or help?" Ning Ruxue knew internal injuries were the most troublesome and prone to relapse; not having someone watch over him made her uneasy.

Ye Wen dismissed the concern. "The martial arts technique I cultivate now has miraculous effects on treating Zhenqi internal injuries. Daoist Master Liu Qingfeng knows this—I could even heal his severe internal wounds. What is this minor issue in comparison?"

Ning Ruxue nodded, harboring no doubt. Ye Wen had told her previously that he developed this cultivation method while practicing in the Cold Pool and treating Liu Qingfeng's injuries, emphasizing its unique aptitude for regulating Zhenqi. Thus, when Ye Wen said this now, Ning Ruxue had no reason to disbelieve him, nodding as she rose to leave.

But as she stood up, the light pink dress she wore caught Ye Wen's eye. While he had seen it briefly during the earlier fight, he hadn't observed it closely. Now, with time to spare, he took the leisure to appreciate this appearance of Junior Sister Ning that she rarely displayed.

"Is it... strange?" Ning Ruxue asked hesitantly, then fell silent. She had never dressed like this before. Wearing such a purely feminine dress, and being stared at so intently by Ye Wen, caused her face to flush instantly. She felt uncomfortable everywhere on her body, sensing something was amiss.

Ye Wen shook his head. "No, you look beautiful. Junior Sister, you should wear clothes like this more often." This statement came sincerely. Although Ning Ruxue's fitted battle attire previously held a unique charm, a dress as overtly feminine as this was generally more pleasing to the male eye.

Hearing her Senior Brother praise her, Ning Ruxue didn't know how to respond, finally blurting out, "What I wear is none of your business!" She turned and fled the room.

Watching his Junior Sister leave his room, Ye Wen didn't know what he had said wrong again. However, recalling Ning Ruxue in that pink dress moments ago, her slightly flushed face, it was truly captivating, stirring an impulse to pull her into an embrace right then and there.

Unfortunately, before he could dwell further, Ye Wen felt a sharp pain course through his meridians. He had to dismiss the tempting thought and focus on circulating his energy to repair the damaged pathways.

He circulated his energy continuously from mid-morning until dusk. When Ye Wen opened his eyes, the room was already dimly lit. He had been so engrossed in healing that he hadn't even noticed when the lamps were lit.

Simultaneously, a meal was laid out on the table in the room. Judging by its appearance, it had been there for some time. They likely placed it there, not knowing when he would awaken.

Climbing down from the kang, he moved slightly, feeling that although his meridians still possessed a faint sting, the damage was mostly resolved. However, engaging in combat was still out of the question. Yet, this last bit of injury was often the hardest to heal. Fortunately, Shushan possessed the Absurd Valley Cold Pool. That place had considerable efficacy for healing wounds—the Cold Pool could stimulate the circulation of Zhenqi, indirectly aiding in the recovery of the meridians.

Picking up the rice bowl, although it was already cold, Ye Wen didn't mind and took a large bite. Barely two mouthfuls in, the door was pushed open, and Ning Ruxue looked at Ye Wen, who was holding the bowl, with an expression of surprise.

Perhaps stunned that Ye Wen was awake and immediately eating cold food, Ning Ruxue paused for a moment before hastily saying, "It's cold, isn't it? I'll have someone reheat it for you."

"No need, it's not that cold."

Ye Wen's words were not entirely truthful. In this harsh winter, any food left out for an hour would turn icy. Although this bowl hadn't been left for that long, it certainly wasn't warm. But he was severely hungry. He had only eaten a little upon waking that morning and hadn't consumed any sustenance since due to his injury, so he couldn't afford to be picky now.

Ning Ruxue, however, would not allow him to eat cold food. She snatched the bowl away in one swift motion. "You are injured and your body is weak; you mustn't eat improperly. I will take this to reheat. Senior Brother, please wait a moment." Without waiting for Ye Wen's protest, she carried the food directly toward the kitchen.

As Ning Ruxue turned and left, Ye Wen sat stunned by the table, grappling with inner conflict. "Weak? I am far from weak; I'm robust!"

Such an assessment felt like an insult to Ye Wen, who prided himself on his vitality. Even though he clearly knew his Junior Sister was not referring to that aspect, he was still deeply displeased by the word "weak" being used in reference to Ning Ruxue.

But when Ning Ruxue returned with steaming hot food, he did not attempt to defend himself further, instead focusing entirely on devouring the pile of food before him.

After he finished eating, Ning Ruxue returned, her face beaming, carrying a large stack of items. "Senior Brother, the Zhenquan Sect sent these over this afternoon. They are mostly their property deeds and contracts; they all belong to us now."

"Oh? What things are there?" Ye Wen wasn't particularly concerned with these items. Although the Zhenquan Sect claimed to be the number one force in the Shushan region, in Ye Wen's view, such minor factions, even if they possessed some wealth, couldn't have much.

Alas, as Ning Ruxue read out the items one by one, he realized he was not only wrong but drastically mistaken.