The Qing Liu City Lord’s Mansion.

Under Dongfang Mobai’s guidance, Elder Hua, Fang Yang, and the others soon arrived at the administrative area.

It was a courtyard where willows swayed in the breeze. More than ten members of the winged folk were waiting there.

All of them had four wings sprouting from their backs, a sign of their considerable power. They had likely all been commanders in charge of their own territories once.

’Implement the policies... With Sen Yue in command, and with Jiang Venerable Sword and Qingkong as her enforcers, how dare these guys still harbor ill intentions?’ Fang Yang wondered, standing in the back.

Ignorance breeds fearlessness.

Fang Yang could have understood if some Low Tier Cultivators had dared to defy Sen Yue’s decree.

But these were all High Tier Cultivators. They shouldn’t have been bold enough to truly defy Sen Yue’s will.

And yet, that was exactly what had happened. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

For some reason, a certain passage came to Fang Yang’s mind:

"When profit reaches 10%, they will be tempted;

when profit reaches 50%, they will take desperate risks;

when profit reaches 100%, they will dare to trample on all the laws of man;

and when profit reaches 300%, they will risk the gallows."

And with that, Fang Yang understood.

No matter the world, there would always be those blinded by greed.

"Dongfang Moyu?"

"Yes..."

"Dongfang Lanyu?"

"That’s me..."

With every name Elder Hua read, the group of winged folk trembled a little more.

"...Hmph. That’s everyone."

After accounting for the last person, Elder Hua nodded. "Mobai, take care of them all."

CLANG—

In that instant, everyone snapped their heads up, staring at Elder Hua in disbelief.

They weren’t even going to be given a chance to repent?

"I was forced!"

"I’ll join the suicide squad! Just don’t kill me!"

"You old bastard! If you want me dead, I’ll take you with me...!"

Among the dozen or so winged folk, some broke down crying, some begged for their lives, and some twisted their faces into ferocious snarls.

Dongfang Mobai’s long eyelashes trembled, and a flash of pain crossed her beautiful eyes.

But under the pressure of Elder Hua’s gaze, she clenched her jaw and lightly flapped her wings.

It was like a gentle breeze rustling through willows, or the first light of dawn.

In a single instant, the bodies of the winged folk disintegrated into a bloody mist, which was then vaporized by a Fierce Flame, rising like white smoke and scattering on the wind.

"I have some other matters to attend to. Please excuse me," Dongfang Mobai said, her mood heavy. She then took her leave of Elder Hua.

Immediately, a gentle breeze stirred, and Dongfang Mobai’s pure, saintly figure vanished.

"As the old saying goes, a kind heart cannot command an army. If not for your excessive mercy, how could they have fallen to this state?" Elder Hua sighed softly. He was actually quite fond of a junior like Mobai.

In truth, as the first Daoist seed of the Dongfang Race to surrender to Sen Yue, Dongfang Mobai had been given ample trust and authority by her.

Unfortunately, Dongfang Mobai’s mind was entirely focused on cultivation.

Moreover, her disposition was overly merciful, which led to signs of unrest brewing in the rear. That was why Elder Hua had taken this opportunity to make a trip out and consolidate the territories.

At the same time, he also wanted to get a clear measure of Fang Yang’s character!

Afterward, the decisive Elder Hua, acting as if he were the Qing Liu City Lord himself, led Fang Yang and the others to an inner chamber of the palace with practiced ease.

This inner chamber housed all sorts of documents and records, detailing nearly every affair of Qing Liu Cloud Island.

"Fang Yang, let’s get to work."

"Yes."

And so, Fang Yang either observed or took notes.

He remained off to the side, quietly watching as Elder Hua vigorously implemented the new policies.

Elder Hua seemed to see through everything, able to tell the wicked from the virtuous at a glance. He either executed or recruited them, completely transforming the atmosphere of Qing Liu Cloud Island and giving it a fresh new look.

In just a single day, Qing Liu Cloud Island had actually lost some of its gloom and gained a touch of vitality?!

’Could a major purpose of the Xuan-Yu War be to clear out the population and let new blood flow?’ Fang Yang wondered, slightly astonished.

It wasn’t just a wild thought; the tangible results were clear proof of it!

Because of Elder Hua’s sweeping and decisive methods, he had attracted extreme hatred, so Fang Yang was also prepared to fight at any moment.

Meanwhile, Second Uncle Fang remained almost completely silent, truly like a Daoist protector.

He wouldn’t speak unless Fang Yang asked him something.

It seemed he also wanted to use this opportunity to temper Fang Yang!

「Night.」

The sky was dotted with stars.

Fang Yang was staying in a small courtyard within the Qing Liu City Lord’s Mansion.

After he finished recording the day’s events, Fang Yang gradually came to his own understanding.

He discovered that implementing policies was, in fact, quite similar to the principles of magical combat or Alchemy.

You find the point of conflict, resolve it, and then balance the various types of Primordial Qi. Then you look for the right opportunity to strike and bring everything together as one!

’Is this what Sword Dao Cultivators call "one sword to break ten thousand Daos"?’ Fang Yang mused.

Suddenly, he recalled Sen Yue’s critique of him: "You grasp the big picture, but lack attention to detail. From now on, you must read more, and read good books. You need to integrate the Mystical Skills from the medical Dao scriptures into your understanding of the world and its people. You absolutely cannot just read books rotely!"

For a moment, Fang Yang fell silent.

It turned out someone had already told him this principle.

He just hadn’t realized it because he hadn’t experienced it for himself.

"Read more, read good books, don’t just read them rotely..." Fang Yang sighed.

In fact, before he had even reached Enlightenment, he had already read through all the scriptures he had access to.

But now it seemed he hadn’t truly absorbed any of it.

Immediately, he took an Inheritance Jade Scroll out of his storage pouch.

Sen Hui’s notes on the art of a Pill Master!

[Purple Kidney Pill, a Tier Two Pill. Its effects are to nourish the kidney-water, replenish deficiencies, and bring clarity to the eyes. The main key to refining it is to first dissolve the medicinal liquid into a watery state before adding the Cyan Deer antler...]

Fang Yang studied Sen Hui’s Alchemist Doctor notes, lost in thought.

Just then, the [Fierce Flame Pill Cauldron] and the [Thunderous Pill Cauldron] within his Void Acupoint True Essence Sea began to roar.

It turned out Fang Yang was simulating the pill-refining process in his mind.

’A genius. A true Pill Master genius.’ Fang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as he felt the profound mysteries within.

Sen Hui truly lived up to her reputation as someone with a Yimu Spirit Body, to be able to describe the medicinal principles and auras with such ingenuity.

It was hard to imagine—if Sen Hui ascended to the Saint realm, wouldn’t she be able to refine Saint-level Pills?

In that moment, Fang Yang felt he was beginning to understand why the Sen lineage treasured Sen Hui so much.

...

「Snowfall Cloud Island.」

In a hidden cabin.

Several winged folk clad in black robes were plotting in secret.

"Moyu, Lanyu, and the others were executed on the spot. They weren’t given any chance at all."

"That Senyao Flower is too much! Mobai was right there, yet he didn’t give her any face at all!"

"Stop overthinking it. If this continues, we’ll definitely be found out. That Senyao Flower is revered as one of the four Pavilion Elders; he’s not a fool like Mobai."

"In that case, let’s ambush and kill them before they reach Rainy Cloud Island. That way, if there’s an investigation, Rainy Cloud Island will be the first place they look—and Mobai will be the first person they investigate!"

"Doable."

"I agree!"

Rainy Cloud Island, like Qing Liu Cloud Island, was a Cloud Island under Dongfang Mobai’s direct command.

Once Elder Hua, Fang Yang, and the others were ambushed and killed, Dongfang Mobai would absolutely be the first to face Sen Yue’s wrath!