The next morning, Li Yundong was up early preparing to leave. The little foxes had also risen before dawn. Ziyuan had already departed to guard Zhou Qin, leaving no one to see Li Yundong off.

Following the upheaval of the previous night, the little foxes, usually so jovial and quick with a jest, were subdued. Their sect had suffered consecutive great changes, leaving them all somewhat dispirited.

Li Yundong saw their state and sighed inwardly. Just before stepping out the door, he called Su Chan over again and whispered his instructions: "Chan'er, while I am away, the sect falls to you. You must show spirit and courage. Make decisions on your own when necessary. If you truly can't decide, call me."

Su Chan blinked, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes.

Seeing that look, Li Yundong felt a sudden unease, so he cautioned further: "You must take good care of the shop too. Absolutely no mischief, understand? We can afford not to make money; we don't lack a few coins. Did you hear me?"

Su Chan giggled, pushing Li Yundong towards the door, urging, "Oh, stop being so bothersome, I get it! Hurry up, hurry up! Chan'er promises to manage this shop perfectly!"

As Su Chan pushed him out with both hands, Li Yundong kept turning his head back to look at her, his face contorted with odd expressions. "Hey, you promised me, didn't you? No causing trouble!"

Su Chan frowned, replying indignantly, "Of course, I won't cause trouble! Do you look down on me? Are you truly tired of me?"

Seeing Su Chan escalate the issue so quickly, Li Yundong could only force a wry smile. "Forget it, forget it. Even if you do stir up trouble, I accept my fate. Just try to keep the trouble minimal!"

Su Chan was overjoyed, smiling broadly. "Exactly! That's my good master! Hmph, I don't believe for a second that I, Su Chan, can't manage a small place like Di San Xian!"

Li Yundong was startled by Su Chan’s look of eager resolve, and he couldn't help but hiss a low warning: "Hey, are you getting carried away? You think I gave you the imperial sword and now you want to sow chaos across the realm?"

Su Chan stuck out her tongue and made a face at him. "Ugh, I just want to do some real work! You worry about this and that, you never support me!"

Li Yundong paused, thinking: She actually has a point! Although the girl can be playful and mischievous, her intentions in every matter have always been good; it’s just that due to some accidental missteps, things have gone awry. Sooner or later, she will have to learn to take over this tea house. What’s wrong with letting her try her hand now? If anything goes wrong, consider it tuition fees!

Besides, if you love someone, you should support them and let them pursue what they want to do. It’s not some heinous, conscience-violating act! Even if trouble arises, could it be harder to handle than when I smashed He Shao to death?

Back then, I was dirt poor, just some penniless young brat, and I managed those troubles. Now that I am the sect leader, am I suddenly incapable of handling such matters?

Having made up his mind, Li Yundong finally steeled his resolve. He ruffled the girl's hair and said, "Little one, you are right. Your master got it wrong! Whatever you want to do, go ahead and do it! Your master fully supports you. If it all falls apart, I’ll just pretend I never opened the Di San Xian Tea House!"

Su Chan was beaming with happiness and feeling touched at first, but when she heard the last sentence, her face immediately fell. She batted away his hand from her hair, covered her disheveled locks, and stamped her foot petulantly, "After all that talking, you still don't believe I can make money!"

Li Yundong burst into laughter. "You! You could sell yourself and still end up counting the change for them! Fine, fine, do whatever you want to mess around with. Anyway, our backing is solid enough now; we don't have to worry about other cultivation sects causing trouble. Even if you manage to bankrupt Di San Xian, I have ways to make it rise again!"

Su Chan was furious. She gritted her teeth, thinking, Damn it, Yundong ultimately looks down on me and doesn't trust me to make money! I'll show him by earning a fortune! Hmph!

After laughing for a while, Li Yundong waved his hand at Su Chan. "Alright, stop sulking. Your master has to leave now."

Su Chan's mind was entirely consumed with making money, making money, making money, and making Li Yundong look at her with new respect. There was no hint of the sorrow of parting in her eyes. She kept her head bowed, her eyes darting around in her sockets, just waiting for Li Yundong to leave so she could unleash her full potential.

Li Yundong didn't notice Su Chan's expression. He vaguely felt something was amiss, though he couldn't pinpoint what. Moreover, he had already made up his mind and prepared for the worst: Surely nothing could be worse than Di San Xian collapsing?

Li Yundong offered a few more words of instruction to the two senior martial uncles of the Fox Zen Sect and the other little foxes, then he went out to find Du Fei.

Only after Li Yundong was long gone did Su Chan close the door. She turned to Senior Martial Uncle Liu Yuehong with an expression of complete innocence. "Senior Martial Uncle, are you coming to the shop with us later?"

Liu Yuehong was still submerged in sorrow. She shook her head. "Chan'er, my mind is a mess. I have no heart for going; I would only cause trouble if I went."

Su Chan then looked at Zhuang Yating. "Third Senior Martial Uncle, are you going?"

Zhuang Yating sighed. "Chan'er, our Fox Zen Sect has faced great changes. Only the Sect Leader holds things together. Although the Leader is wise and powerful with impressive cultivation, he cannot shoulder the burden alone. I feel terrible that I can’t assist whenever trouble strikes! I think I’ll stay home and cultivate diligently. Even if I can't help now, I shouldn't be a burden later."

Su Chan blinked, watching the two senior martial uncles return to their rooms. Then she turned back to the little foxes. "What about you all?"

The little foxes exchanged glances. Some said, "I'll stay home and cultivate with Third Senior Martial Uncle!"

Others said, "Senior Sister, I'll accompany you to the tea house."

And one more stated, "Junior Sister Su Chan, I’m not in a good mood; I don't want to go anywhere!"

Seeing them chatter amongst themselves, Su Chan suddenly placed her hands on her hips and shouted, "All of you, shut up!"

Su Chan had always been sweetly naive and amiable in the Fox Zen Sect, never arguing or raising her voice in anger. Her sudden sharp shout startled the little foxes, who looked at each other in confusion, unable to understand why the little girl had suddenly become so stern.

Su Chan stood with her hands on her hips, chest out, like a general inspecting her troops. She barked, "Do you even know the situation we are in? And you still have the mood to be sad and mournful?"

The little foxes looked at each other, bewildered, and shook their heads. Someone dared to ask, "Junior Sister Su Chan, what exactly happened? Is there anything more serious than Senior Martial Uncle Cao Yi being killed?"

Su Chan nodded vigorously and declared loudly, "Yes, of course, there is! Senior Martial Uncle Cao Yi was a cultivator; though she is dead, it might be a form of transcendence! But what about us? We are struggling in this mortal world, unable to transcend. If we can't find a little joy, won't this life be too bleak?"

The little foxes grew even more confused, piping up, "But we are usually very happy!"

Su Chan stamped her foot and spat, "Pah! What do you know!"

The little foxes had never seen Su Chan lose her temper like this. Being clever spirits, they knew Su Chan was closest to Li Yundong, his favored confidante. They assumed she must have heard some inside information they didn't know, and they immediately crowded around, asking breathlessly, "Just tell us, what happened?"

"Yes, Junior Sister Chan'er, please tell us!"

"Senior Sister Su Chan, hurry up!"

Su Chan huffed, fanning the flames of intrigue. "Do you know that the Sect Leader has started to despise us?"

The little foxes gasped in an uproar. "What? No way, the Sect Leader treats us so well!"

"Right, when did the Sect Leader ever look down on us?"

Su Chan placed her hands on her hips and began to persuade them. "Just now! The Sect Leader complained that we only cause trouble and are a drain on resources—that we are all money-losing burdens!"

At these words, the little foxes looked at each other hesitantly. They recalled that, indeed, they often caused Li Yundong much trouble within the Fox Zen Sect. Instantly, anxiety and apprehension settled upon them: Does the Sect Leader really look down on us?

Seeing her manipulation taking effect, Su Chan struck while the iron was hot. "Now that the Sect Leader is gone, he has entrusted Di San Xian to our management—which should be a good thing. But do you know what he said before leaving?"

The little foxes perked up their ears. "What did the Sect Leader say?"

Su Chan put on an expression of righteous indignation. "He said that if we ruin Di San Xian, he’ll just treat it as if he never opened it; he can just open another one! Tell me, how much does the Sect Leader look down on us, how much does he despise us!"

Su Chan's previous words were exaggeration or pure fabrication, but this last statement was genuine, grounded in truth, and thus delivered with exceptional confidence and high credibility.

The little foxes were filled with resentment, stamping their feet angrily. "The Sect Leader has gone too far! Are we truly that useless?"

Su Chan snorted. "That's going too far? There were even worse things said!"

The anger of the little foxes was now fully ignited, and they clamored, "What else? Tell us quickly, tell us!"

Su Chan shouted, "I asked him if we were really just a group of troublemakers. Yundong said: No, you are a bunch of big trouble!"

This was the final spark! The little foxes leaped up, their faces filled with righteous fury.

After all, a person values their reputation as much as a tree values its bark. Little foxes need face too!

For their own Sect Leader to look down on them like this—unthinkable!

No, no, they absolutely had to achieve something to show the Sect Leader!

Seeing that she had whipped this group of little foxes into a frenzy, she waved her hand, mimicking the commanding air and manner Li Yundong used when directing matters, and said cavalierly, "Now Yundong is out. He thinks we are useless and only cause trouble. Tell me, don't we need to prove something to him!"

The little foxes achieved an unprecedented, absolute unity. They chorused, "Yes! We must prove to the Sect Leader that we are not big trouble!"

Su Chan, seeing that with just a few words she had roused the little foxes into baring their teeth and claws, completely shaking off their earlier sadness, declared triumphantly, "Let’s go to Di San Xian! Yundong said we can't make money—we will make money to show him!"

The little foxes cheered in unison, "Right, right! We'll make money to show him!"

With that, the lead fox waved her hand, and the entire group answered with a resounding affirmation, surging forward with ferocious momentum toward the Di San Xian Tea House!

========================================== The errors in Chapter 437 have been corrected. Thanks to the readers for pointing them out. I've been struggling with headaches from rushing drafts these past few days, so oversights are inevitable. I hope for everyone's understanding, and I will be more careful in the future. These days spent traveling and dealing with things have left me feeling scattered. Please allow me some time to readjust; I assure you I will return to my previous form. Thank you all for your tolerance and understanding. Two updates today at 2 AM and 9 AM as usual... D