347: Old Stories

"Now, I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Su Ming turned and returned to the cave, striking out a hand seal.

The stone door at the entrance closed silently; then, even its outline vanished amidst the warping light and shadows, as if there had never been an entrance there.

Inside the cave.

Su Ming walked to the stone bed where a prayer mat had already been laid out and sat down cross-legged.

"Let's test the effects."

He closed his eyes and circulated the Ruoshui Art.

This time, the sensation was completely different.

Previously when he would Cultivate, Spiritual Qi required strenuous effort to capture and purify. But now, as the Formation operated, the Spiritual Qi within the Immortal Cave was like a tamed lamb—docile and dense.

With just a light breath, the Spiritual Qi, carrying the coolness of the stars and the heavy sensation of the earth, vied to surge into his Meridians.

Water Spiritual Energy surged through his body. With every completed cycle, Su Ming could feel that the "resistance" was far less than it had been at his old residence.

"Efficiency has improved by at least thirty percent."

Su Ming opened his eyes, feeling the abundant spiritual power in his Dantian. "And in this Spiritual Qi, there seems to be a hint of... resilience."

"That's the result of the Star Fiend's tempering," Lin Yu said. "This Formation is like a pressure cooker, crushing the Impurities in the Spiritual Qi and leaving only the most essential parts. Cultivating for one year in this environment is equivalent to three years outside."

Su Ming exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi, his entire body relaxing completely.

Starlight flowed within the Immortal Cave, and the earth Qi was warm and moist; this small world finally felt like the security of "home."

A memory was suddenly sparked.

On that evening after they finished moving, everyone sat on the ground. They pulled out two jars of cheap wine; having no cups, they took turns drinking straight from the jars.

"Drink up! From now on, we're following Senior Brother Su!" Zhao Tiezhu had shouted with a slurred tongue.

Amidst the laughter, someone knocked over a wine jar, and the amber liquid spread across the bluestone floor like a clumsy mark... Su Ming opened his eyes.

The Immortal Cave was silent, save for the faint hum of the Formation. But the pungent scent of that cheap wine seemed to still linger in the air.

He stood up, took out that semi-worn green cloth robe from his Storage Pouch, and changed into it—

It was time to go take a look.

To see if the old locust tree was still dropping leaves into the pile of Materials, to see if Wang Defa's abacus was missing a few more beads, and to see if Zhang Asheng was still secretly testing his "Three-Part Quenching Method" in the workshop... Half a stick of incense later.

The Bing Zi Qi Hao Courtyard appeared even more orderly than before.

A newly erected "Standard Procedure Board" hung prominently on the courtyard wall, with neat handwriting and clear regulations. The workshop was no longer a cluttered mess; areas for waste, pending repairs, and finished work were demarcated with lime lines. Under the old locust tree in the courtyard, Wang Defa was holding an account book, handing over Materials to two unfamiliar deacons.

"The grain of this batch of Blue Steel Wood is wrong. Although it's Low Grade, we need it for load-bearing supports, so the resilience must meet the standard." Wang Defa pointed at two pieces of wood, his tone neither humble nor arrogant even though the others wore the uniforms of the Internal Affairs Hall. "Either replace them, or I'll write 'Rejected' on the acceptance slip. You two decide."

The two deacons glanced at each other and sullenly picked out the sub-standard wood.

Su Ming quietly entered the courtyard.

He restrained his aura, his footsteps falling silently on the bluestone floor; none of the busy Menial Workers noticed him. Only when Wang Defa closed the account book did his peripheral vision catch a familiar green shadow. His body stiffened abruptly, and then joy burst from his eyes. He tucked the pen behind his ear and hurried forward to greet him.

"Let's talk inside." Su Ming raised his hand, stopping the shout that was about to escape Wang Defa's mouth.

A moment later， The meeting room deep inside the workers' shed。

The doors and windows were tightly shut, sealing out the noise from outside. Only a dim oil lamp was lit in the room, illuminating six familiar faces.

Wang Defa, Old Wang, Old Li, Zhang Asheng, Zhao Tiezhu, and Qian Xiaofan. These six were now the core pillars of the Repair Hall and the first group of veterans to follow Su Ming. At this moment, looking at Su Ming, who had become a True Disciple, they were a bit fidgety, and the casual jokes they usually told died in their throats.

Their statuses had changed.

He was a True Disciple, a "great figure" who might have a seat in the Sect's main hall in the future.

"Everyone, sit." Su Ming pulled over a long bench that was missing a leg, propped it up with a brick, and sat down. "What, do I need to pour tea for you deacons?"

With that one action, the invisible barrier instantly dissipated for the most part.

"Oh, my... Senior Brother Su." Wang Defa grinned, rubbing his calloused hands. "We were just afraid of embarrassing you."

"There is no 'Senior Brother Su' here." Su Ming pointed at the table. "I've called everyone here because there are a few things that need to be settled."

Everyone's expression turned solemn, and they straightened their backs.

"Now that I've been promoted to True Disciple, I'll be training at the Formation Peak. I won't be stationed at the Repair Hall often in the future."

Although they had anticipated this, the eyes of Old Li and the others still dimmed. With their mainstay gone, could they still keep this operation running?

"But I won't be letting go."

Su Ming's gaze swept over everyone, his voice steady. "The Repair Hall is my Foundation and everyone's livelihood. Not only will I not let go, but I will make it even more stable."

He took out three Jade Slips he had already recorded from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the table.

"The first matter: restructuring."

"Effective immediately, the 'Repair Hall Steering Committee' is established. Wang Defa will serve as the Chief Deacon, overseeing the entire operation. Old Li will be in charge of quality inspection, Zhang Asheng and Qian Xiaofan will handle technical breakthroughs, Zhao Tiezhu will manage external relations, and Old Wang will manage the accounts. For major daily matters, the six of you will deliberate, implementing a rotational responsibility system. Each person will be on duty for one month; whoever is on duty makes the final call and takes responsibility if problems arise."

Su Ming tapped the three Jade Slips.

"These are three improved versions of the 'Standardized Maintenance Procedures' I've compiled. They cover 108 common Low Grade Magical Artifact failure patterns, 300 cheap material substitution plans, and an emergency response manual."

Zhang Asheng, a technical fanatic, his eyes lit up instantly. He reached out to take them, but stopped halfway and wiped his hands vigorously on his clothes before carefully picking up a Jade Slip.

Next, Su Ming took out a heavy Storage Pouch and placed it on the table.

"Inside this are 5,000 contribution points."

*Hiss—*

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath filled the room. For outer Sect Menial Workers, this was an astronomical sum, enough for them to work for ten years without eating or drinking.

"Don't be in a hurry to divide it; this isn't a bonus." Su Ming pressed down on the Storage Pouch. "This is the 'Technical Improvement and Emergency Fund.' In the future, if any brother is injured, faces hardship at home, or if we need to buy expensive new tools or test new Formations, it will come from here."

"And one last thing."

Su Ming stood up and straightened the sleeves of his purple robe. "From now on, everything will be done according to the rules. If anyone from the Internal Affairs Hall, the Artifact Hall, or anywhere else tries to use their influence to bully us or withhold Materials..."

He paused, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade.

"Directly use my name. If I'm not around, go to the Formation Peak and look for Senior Brother Luo Feng. I've already spoken with him."

Wang Defa's eyes reddened slightly.

This sounded too much like settling final affairs.

"Alright, don't look like that." Su Ming smiled. "I'll come back for half a day at irregular intervals each month specifically to answer technical questions. I'm off."

With that, he turned and pushed open the door.

"Senior Brother Su, wait!"

Zhang Asheng suddenly called out and hurried over, holding an ancient-looking redwood box.

"This is a small token of everyone's appreciation." Zhang Asheng scratched his head, looking a bit awkward. "We don't have anything fancy, and we know you're in a high position now and don't lack Magic Treasures. But we figured that since you're out adventuring, you should have some small items for self-defense."

In his mind, Lin Yu tsked. "No, they really over-estimate him; he actually does lack them."

Su Ming ignored his Master's snark and took the wooden box.

It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and the surface of the box was polished extremely smooth, clearly showing the care put into it.

"This is also the current signature craftsmanship of our Repair Hall," Wang Defa added from the side. "Our cultivation levels might be low, but when it comes to forging and polishing, those folks at the Hundred Refinements Peak might not be as meticulous as us."

Su Ming's heart stirred. He didn't open it on the spot but solemnly tucked it into his robes.

"Thanks."

He patted Zhang Asheng's shoulder, looked at everyone once more, and then turned and strode out of the Bing Zi Qi Hao Courtyard.

Behind him, the leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the wind, as if bidding farewell to this young "Hall Master."