Soaring the Heavens

All Miao Yi could do was curse Shen Huaixin deep down. Since the Hall Master himself was planning to get to the bottom of this, then as a Manor Head, it wouldn't be appropriate to tell him to shut up.

Seeing the reluctance on the three newcomers' faces, Shen Huaixin's expression darkened as he asked, "Should I not have asked that question?"

Miao Yi drew in a sharp breath. With what he planned to do, he would eventually have to face Shen Huaixin anyway. In that case, why not just tell him the truth, and save him the trouble of worrying about this problem in the future? Since he was already in this hall, Miao Yi knew what he had to do. He quickly took off a storage ring from his finger and offered it up as he said, "The three of us came here for only one reason—her!"

Everyone else in the hall was confused by his actions, wondering what was being kept inside that storage ring.

Shen Huaixin was naturally intrigued as well. He tilted his head to the side, and his handmaiden Ru Huan soon walked down to receive the storage ring. As soon as she examined its contents, she was utterly shocked and she looked to the three newcomers in surprise. There was even a hint of sorrow on her face as she handed the storage ring over to Shen Huaixin.

When Shen Huaixin noticed the corpse inside the storage ring, he was quite surprised as well. Seeing the discomposure on Ru Huan's face, he asked, "You know her too?"

When she saw the corpse inside the storage ring, and after remembering the three locations that Miao Yi and the others had chosen for their new posts, Ru Huan immediately understood what they planned to do.

It was safe to say that Ru Huan was completely touched by their decision. Women did like this sort of thing after all.

Ru Huan glanced down at the three newcomers, then to everyone else in the hall. She nodded her head and told Shen Huaixin through voice transmission, "Master, the Manors that these three have chosen creates a triangle formation around Tranquil Sun Manor, of which the cultivator inside this storage ring came from. I've been on several excursions to Tranquil Sun Manor, and during those visits, this girl had complained to me that her Manor Head had unscrupulous intentions towards her. However, it is not my place to interfere with the Manor Head's authority, so I couldn't help her at all. After which, I mentioned it to you, Master, but you said that it would be going overboard to control a Manor Head's authority to such an extent. I believe you should have some recollection of this girl as well. She's the White Lotus cultivator that our Suppressing Tenth Hall sent to join the Subjugation Crusade—Qi Xiuhong!"

Shen Huaixin had really forgotten that Ru Huan had discussed this matter to him. After all, it was only about a single, lowly cultivator. However, when she mentioned that his Suppressing Tenth Hall had sent this person to join the Subjugation Crusade, it instantly jogged his memory. Shen Huaixin narrowed his eyes at the three newcomers down below; he knew what they planned to do now.

Shen Huaixin turned back to Ru Huan, who continued to speak via voice transmission on Miao Yi and the others' behalf. After some thought, he waved his hand and commanded, "I want everyone unrelated to leave this instant!"

The three Advisors and six Deacons couldn't help exchanging glances. What could warrant such secrecy? Even though they were even more intrigued now, they couldn't afford to go against the Hall Master's orders, and stepped down immediately!

When all nine of them had left, Shen Huaixin tossed the storage ring back to Miao Yi. Miao Yi grabbed it then quietly put it back on his finger.

"I can't believe that Qi Xiuhong actually befriended the three of you in the Sea of Constellations!" Shen Huaixin stared at the three of them and continued, "Will the three of you insist on going this far?"

Miao Yi cupped his fists and replied, "Whatever the cost!"

"Well said!" Shen Huaixin smiled coldly and continued, "You three were even willing to give up the opportunity to go to a better place just so you could come here. It seems you are quite adamant indeed! But… what if I'm against your plan?"

Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei fell silent. After a while, Zhao Fei said solemnly, "The three of us could have kept this matter to ourselves originally, and report to you only once the deed was done! Hall Master, if you're willing to let us do this, then the three of us will immediately swear a Commandment of Conformity to never attempt to take the Suppressing Tenth Hall Master's seat from you!"

When he heard Zhao Fei's words, Miao Yi immediately turned to look at him, then turned the other way to Sikong Wuwei, who was also cupping his fists in agreement!

Ru Huan was even more moved by their actions, her eyes already turning a little hazy. On the other hand, Ru Meng was completely lost as to what was happening!

Shen Huaixin's eyes brightened for an instant. Truth be told, he wasn't too enthused about the arrival of these three newcomers. After all, once they broke through to the Red Lotus realm and managed to catch the Palace Lord's eye, his position would be in danger. At the same time, he couldn't do anything to the three of them with the Palace Lord looking over his shoulder.

If the three of them were willing to swear a Commandment of Conformity to never try and take his position away, not only would his seat be secure, he would even gain three capable subordinates. To Shen Huaixin, this would be the best possible outcome. To ensure the stability of his position for the long-term, or to go against these three newcomers, this wasn't a hard choice to make at all.

Shen Huaixin didn't respond to Zhao Fei's offer and simply chuckled. It would be inappropriate for him to show his true intentions with regards to such an offer. After all, he would end up a laughingstock if people found out that he had forced his subordinates to swear such a Commandment of Conformity.

However, for him not to respond meant that it was time for the other party to take the initiative. Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei exchanged glances. Miao Yi was hesitating whether or not he should speak up, but Zhao Fei quickly said via voice transmission, "Brother! It's not like the three of us can share this Suppressing Tenth Hall anyway. There's no need for us to be at odds just because of this. There are so many other places in Traversing Water Palace. Why be so fixated on a single Suppressing Tenth Hall?"

Miao Yi didn't mind, but Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei were already close to breaking through to the Red Lotus realm!

Once they were done discussing between themselves, Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei each took out a jade archive and immediately wrote down a Commandment of Conformity and presented it up to Shen Huaixin.

Having an intuitive understanding of the situation, Ru Meng immediately walked over and received the three Commandments of Conformity, then handed them over to Shen Huaixin.

After reading through them, Shen Huaixin was greatly relieved. He immediately tucked them away, then took out several jade archives and wrote down three decrees of appointment. He then handed them over to his handmaiden to pass to the three newcomers down below.

Rules were rules after all. The decrees of appointment written by the Palace Lord were meant for Shen Huaixin, and his eyes alone. Not even Mu Fanjun from the Realm Beyond Heaven would write down an official decree directly appointing a mere Manor Head. If she really did something like that, what use would there be for all her Overlords, Palace Lords, and Hall Masters? Her subordinates would surely bear some resentment if she made a move like that. By then, no matter Mu Fanjun's strength, with no one willing to work for her, she would be nothing but an empty husk.

After receiving the decree of appointment from the Suppressing Tenth Hall Master, only then were Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei the official Manor Lords of their new territories.

The three of them thanked Shen Huaixin. The latter no longer mentioned their discussion from just moments ago, as though nothing had happened at all. Instead, he warned in a somber tone, "Whatever you do, remember to follow the rules. If you break them, not even the Palace Lord will be able to protect you. You are here to take control on our behalf, not wreak havoc. If you cause any disturbances to the mortals that could affect the tributes of willpower, you will be severely punished! Since it's your first time here, whatever you don't know, feel free to ask the three Advisors!"

Rules weren't meant to be applied to a single person. A system that only a single person adhered to could not be considered a system. Only when everyone followed the rules could it be called a system. If everyone said you broke the rules, then there was no refuting it. However, if everyone said you didn't break any rules, then even if you sowed utter chaos, you would still be considered innocent.

It was evident what Shen Huaixin was implying—'Make sure you tie all the loose ends properly. I won't be covering for you if anything happens. If you really go and make a mess of things, I will punish you without hesitation!'

Basically, his words were nothing but a shallow reminder; there was no point to it whatsoever. This meant that even if something were to happen, Miao Yi and the others would not be able to argue that Shen Huaixin had promised them anything.

Standing down below, the three newcomers sniggered to themselves as they immediately branded a title to this new Hall Master of theirs—'Coward!'

However, the three of them each took out a storage ring as a 'welcoming gift' for their new Hall Master. There was no helping it. Everyone knew that Subjugation Crusade survivors like them were loaded.

Towards the end, Shen Huaixin gave Miao Yi and the others a few encouraging words. After which, the latter excused themselves.

Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei soon left the assembly hall and descended the mountain, heading to pay their respects to the three Advisors—Xu Jinsong, Ji Ze, and Huang Jizhang.

The gift that Shen Huaixin had received was a set of Second Grade Armor Artifacts that the three of them had pooled together. The three Advisors received pretty extravagant gifts themselves; Miao Yi and the others had pooled together a set of First Grade Armor Artifacts for each of them. This caused the three Advisors to burst with joy.

Inevitably, the three Advisors tried to pull the three newcomers into their own factions. On the other hand, as Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei didn't want to offend any one of them, they promised each Advisor that they would heed his instructions. This meant that the three of them would need to prepare a gift for all three Advisors every single year from now on. It was no easy task to have one's finger in every pie. A normal Manor Head would not be able to sustain such an expenditure.

After the incident in the capital city, Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei promised one another on the way here that they would tuck their heads in and hide in their shells from now on! They had to avoid confrontation as much as possible. Otherwise, no matter how many treasures they possessed, they wouldn't be able to stay safe. Right now, all they could do was wait. Wait until the day their cultivation had grown strong and powerful. Powerful enough to call the shots!

Naturally, the three Advisors tried asking them why they chose to come to Suppressing Tenth Hall. And after successfully dealing with Shen Huaixin, Miao Yi and the others already had their excuses prepared; they told the Advisors that Shen Huaixin had ordered them to keep it a secret. Shen Huaixin would never divulge that he had secretly approved of their plans anyway.

In the end, the Advisors merely laughed it off.

After taking their leave from the three Advisors, Miao Yi and the others proceeded to visit the six Deacons. As these people were the same rank as them, they were significantly much easier to deal with. All they did was get to know each other a little better. And after stuffing a few storage rings into the other party's hands, Miao Yi and the others were good to go. The three of them were not short of things like this anyway, having just come back from the Subjugation Crusade.

The sky had already darkened by the time Miao Yi and the others were done paying their respects to everyone. They didn't tarry on in Suppressing Tenth Hall, leaving in the dead of the night. They split up along the way, each person heading towards their respective new territories...

Meanwhile, in a faraway place, the black sky of the night was accompanied by a thunderous storm, and on the muddied road, a lone dragon steed galloped. One girl was riding through the darkness, alone and hurried.

It was dangerous for a girl to ride alone, especially on such a long journey. There was no guarantee that there wouldn't be any vile scoundrels along the way. As a precautionary measure, and in order to save as much transcendence energy as she could, the girl didn't even try to shield herself from the rain. Her entire body was already soaking wet, but still, she raced through the night, constantly having to wipe the water off her face.

This girl was none other than Wen Fang, the Celestial Nation Chamber of Commerce's employee from the South Edict Manor branch. And her destination was none other than the Raincloud Manor that Miao Yi had just taken up a post in. She too was heading there to take up a new post.

With the major deals that she managed to close while in South Edict Manor, Wen Fang had undoubtedly become one of the most prospective competitors for the manager's position in South Edict City.

However, when she heard that Miao Yi had decided to go all the way to Raincloud Manor to take up post, Wen Fang was as confused as anyone else. That said, her connections weren't strong enough to be reassigned to such a faraway place. As such, Wen Fang found another competitor and promised the other party that if they could figure out a way to have her reassigned to Raincloud Manor, she would step down from the competition for the manager's seat.

In the end, Wen Fang got what she wanted, and was reassigned to Raincloud Manor as a common teller.

When she got the news, Wen Fang left without a moment's hesitation. Who was she kidding? She wasn't a fool. She clearly knew which place had better prospects for her. Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei were all headed to the same place. That meant that these three big customers were all gathered in a single location. How could Wen Fang let someone else take advantage of this, after all the effort she had put in to establish a relationship with them? She had to go there as well, even if she had to crawl her way there. And with the support of those three big customers, it would only be a matter of time before she could contend for the manager's seat again.

At her generation, her family had already lost much of its original influence in the Chamber of Commerce. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to spare so much effort just to get herself reassigned, and to be a common teller, no less. However, Wen Fang believed that as long as she worked hard, she would eventually be successful!

This was also why she wanted to reach Raincloud Manor as fast as she could. She needed to let those three see her sincerity. As long as she could appear before Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei on time, Wen Fang believed that no one would be able to compete with her for them. Thus, forget this tiny drizzle, even if it were raining blades, Wen Fang would still move forward!