Cao Ying's Scheme

Dan Chen raised her tearful eyes, showing a rare bit of stubbornness. "But the problem is... there is no one better!"

She paused, her voice lowering but becoming clearer. "Sister Ying, you know as well as I do that even an existence like the Gu Clan once expressed interest in recruiting Brother Shen Wen through marriage."

"On this continent, among his peers, who could be more..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear.

Cao Ying fell silent for a moment, knowing she was speaking the truth. She stopped beating around the bush and said solemnly, "That is precisely why he cannot easily agree."

"Why?" Dan Chen was puzzled.

"Because what he is concerned about has never been you, but the Dan Family." Cao Ying looked directly at her. "Sister, your Heart-Nature is pure and you do not care for empty fame. You might feel that as long as you can always be by his side, status doesn't matter. But have you ever thought about the Dan Family?"

Dan Chen was startled.

Cao Ying continued, "The Dan Family is a top-tier Family in the Pill Tower. Face, interests, Legacy—everything must be weighed."

"They hold you in the palm of their hands like a precious pearl. Regarding your marriage, how could they only seek for you to 'always be by his side'?"

She shook her head. "The Dan Family would never agree. That would not only be an insult to you, but an insult to the entire Dan Family."

"When that time comes, instead of becoming relatives, you would become enemies."

"Therefore, he can only delay, leaving room by saying 'we will discuss this later'."

Dan Chen listened in a daze, murmuring, "I... I don't need any status, as long as Brother Shen Wen has me in his heart..."

"Nonsense." Cao Ying tapped her forehead again, this time with a bit more force. "You don't need it, but the Dan Family does!"

"More importantly, Sister, although you hold a high status and receive much love in the Dan Family, how much weight do you actually have... in the core decisions of the Family?"

Dan Chen was stumped by the question.

She was obsessed with Alchemy and Cultivation, and had never been very interested in Family affairs. In the eyes of the Elders, she was a Genius junior who needed careful protection.

She was not a pillar of the Family who could participate in decisions.

"Unless," Cao Ying changed the subject, her voice lowering with a hint of guidance, "you can rely on your own abilities to gain enough weight within the Dan Family."

"When you can not only represent the talent of the Dan Family but also influence the Dan Family's choices, many things... will be different."

The confusion in Dan Chen's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a flash of realization and reflection.

She wasn't stupid; she just hadn't thought in this direction before.

Cao Ying stopped there, saying no more.

She had come today to comfort Dan Chen and explain Shen Wen's difficulties, but this final guidance was her true purpose.

She needed to find more potential and stable support for Shen Wen, and a Dan Chen with a voice in her Family was far more valuable than just a pampered Young Miss who was a Genius.

Seeing Dan Chen lost in thought, Cao Ying stood up and gently tidied her slightly messy hair. "Alright, stop crying."

"The road must be walked step by step, and things must be done one by one."

"How could he not know your feelings and your goodness? It's just that for now, the time hasn't come yet."

Dan Chen looked up at Cao Ying, the tears in her eyes having turned into a determined clarity.

She nodded gently. "Mhm, Sister Ying, I understand."

Cao Ying smiled beautifully, knowing her words had taken effect.

She did not stay any longer and took her leave... By the time Cao Ying returned from the Dan Family, it was already near evening.

She first went to her room to tidy up, changed into a light casual dress, and went straight to Cai Lin's place.

Cai Lin was leaning against a soft couch, a scroll of Snake-People Clan internal affairs reports spread out beside her. Seeing Cao Ying enter, she looked up and asked, "How was it?"

"I've said what needed to be said." Cao Ying sat down opposite her and poured herself a glass of water. "That girl Dan Chen has a pure mind. With my guidance, she should understand the stakes. As for the Dan Family... let's see how they react later."

Cai Lin nodded, a flash of understanding in her purple eyes. She put down the reports. "Husband just sent word for us to go to the study."

"Then let's go."

The two walked through the corridor and arrived at Shen Wen's study. The door was slightly ajar, letting out a warm light.

Pushing the door open, they saw Shen Wen standing by the window, staring blankly at the deepening twilight outside.

Hearing the movement, he turned around.

"You're back?" He looked at Cao Ying.

"Mhm." Cao Ying walked to the table and naturally refilled his tea.

Shen Wen sat at the table and gestured for the two of them to sit as well.

"I called you here because there's something I want to discuss." He paused, his gaze sweeping over them. "Regarding the Power Of Faith."

Cao Ying and Cai Lin exchanged a glance, both showing an attentive expression.

Shen Wen briefly went over the description of the Power Of Faith in the Future Non-Existence Sutra and mentioned that he had recently vaguely sensed threads of faith coming from the Snake-People Clan.

"Although this power is ethereal, it can nourish the Divine Soul, accelerate Cultivation, and provide great help to the path of deduction." He looked at Cai Lin. "Since you are now Cultivating the Past Amitabha Sutra, if you have the addition of the Power Of Faith, your progress might be even faster."

Cai Lin pondered for a moment and said, "The Snake-People Clan now has a population of only tens of thousands, and most live in the Northwest."

"Even if the whole clan sincerely believes, the Power Of Faith they can provide will ultimately be limited."

She looked up, her purple eyes flashing with a calm light. "If you really want to gather a majestic amount of faith, I'm afraid... you'll have to establish a faction to protect more living beings."

Hearing this, Cao Ying frowned slightly.

"Establish a faction?" She looked at Shen Wen. "Husband, this is easy to say, but extremely difficult to do."

Her tone was calm as she analyzed clearly, "You come from the Pill Tower; that is your greatest reliance, but also your greatest restriction."

"The internal factions of the Pill Tower are complex and intertwined. If you publicly set up your own banner outside, it will inevitably attract criticism and cause displeasure among certain people in the tower."

"Furthermore, establishing a faction is by no means as simple as recruiting a few hands and occupying a piece of territory."

"Resources, connections, rules, Legacy... everything must be managed from scratch."

"The Central Plains is full of factions. To carve out a path and gain a firm foothold among them, the time and energy required are not small amounts."

She paused and added, "And your primary task now is to refine your Alchemy and increase your cultivation. If you are distracted by managing a faction, it will inevitably delay your proper path."

Shen Wen listened quietly and then nodded. "You have a point."

He tapped his finger lightly on the table, his gaze steady. "This matter indeed cannot be rushed. It's just that we should plan ahead."

Cao Ying thought for a moment, and her brow gradually relaxed.

"Let me... think about this." she said slowly. "However, if Husband can really pass the Grade 8 assessment in half a month and officially wear the Grade 8 badge, then the situation will be different."

A sharp light flashed in her eyes. "A Grade 8 Alchemist under twenty years old is a banner in himself. At that time, you won't need to actively recruit; people will naturally come to you because of your reputation. Taking advantage of the situation is always much easier than starting from scratch."

Shen Wen smiled. "Then we'll talk about it after the assessment."

Cai Lin also nodded slightly. Although she was not good at these intricate schemes, she understood that every word Cao Ying said was reasonable.

"In that case," Shen Wen stood up, "you two go back and rest first. This matter is not urgent for the moment."

Cao Ying and Cai Lin rose in response and left the study together.

Walking down the corridor, Cao Ying suddenly spoke softly, "Sister Cai Lin, where do you think... Husband should start if he really wants to build a Foundation?"

Cai Lin didn't stop, her voice calm. "The Northwest."

Cao Ying raised an eyebrow.

"The Snake-People Clan's Foundation is in the Northwest, and Husband also has a reputation there." Cai Lin said, "Furthermore, the Northwest is far from the power struggles of the Central Plains. Although there are Hall of Souls lackeys, they have already been cleared out by Husband. If we start from the Northwest, the resistance will be the smallest."

Cao Ying nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense." She smiled. "We'll plan this out carefully."