All Stored and Inventoried

Soon enough, the entire Dan Sect was stripped bare. Qi Chong stood at the entrance to the ruins, inspecting the clothing of every day laborer one by one and handing out their wages of a single ghost stone each. All the workers bowed excitedly, showering him with thanks. Earning a ghost stone for so little work was an exceptional gig for laborers like them. Still, there were always a few reckless souls. Those caught pocketing valuables were forced to surrender what they had taken and forfeited their wages, though none were killed. "Time to go." It was getting late. Chen Fan stepped onto the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage to begin the return trip. Standing atop the carriage, he cupped his fists toward Valley Master Qi and said with a smile, "Valley Master Qi, you must come support our Fan Domain Jiangbei Auction a month from now." "Most certainly, most certainly." Dispensing with further pleasantries, the nine Blazing Flame Dragon Horses raised their hooves in perfect unison and neighed, pulling the dragon carriage as it swiftly vanished past the edge of the plains. Moving at staggering speed, it left concentric ripples of flame behind on the earth. "*Phew...*" Only after watching Chen Fan disappear into the distance did Valley Master Qi let out a long breath. For some reason, being around Chen Fan always brought an inexplicable pressure. Then he looked at the chest of medicinal herbs Chen Fan had left for him and sighed in admiration. "A man of true class." Although he had come intending to offer his services entirely for free, the chest of herbs Chen Fan left behind made him feel respected—at the very least, he hadn't actually been treated as free labor. This left him feeling considerably pleased. More than that, receiving such respect from the leader of a faction that had just annihilated the Dan Sect gave him a heady rush of pride, earning him immense face in front of his disciples. Shortly after they burst out of Jiangnan, night fell. Thunder rumbled in their ears. The familiar pitter-patter of rain began to sound once more; the Jiangnan rainy season had arrived. The Nine-Five Dragon Carriage sped once again through the Eternal Night of the Jiangbei Wasteland, sending one ghost creature after another flying as it hurtled through the dark toward Nameless Mountain. Inside the carriage, Chen Fan glanced at the large piles of crates stacked in the compartment before looking down at the bamboo slips in his hands. He had instructed Qi Chong to purchase a large amount of everyday street intelligence from the city neighboring the Dan Sect. None of it was critical intelligence. For example... faction outposts. A voice transmission talisman had a limited range, and the distance between the closest cities of Jiangbei and Jiangnan unquestionably exceeded that reach. Establishing outposts between the two regions was necessary under such circumstances. They served as rest stops for one's own merchant caravans, offered waystations for caravans from other factions, and doubled as relay stations for voice transmission talismans. To establish open trade routes, one had to build one's own outposts. After all, while a caravan could lodge in another faction's territory once darkness fell, could one afford to route voice transmission talismans through someone else's outpost as well? That would leave conversations completely exposed, with zero privacy to speak of. For this very reason, only major factions possessed the capability to establish multiple outposts and maintain constant, smooth communications. When smaller factions sent out caravans, they simply lost contact with the family, as voice transmission talismans were out of the question. Outposts of this sort differed from those on the Jiangbei Wasteland. The Jiangbei Wasteland outposts were primarily run for profit. These cross-regional outposts, on the other hand, existed mainly to maintain reliable communication and provide passage for internal caravans, ensuring that a faction could learn of major events in other regions immediately and prepare accordingly. Some factions also sold such information. For instance, the scroll in his hands—the *Jiangnan Daily*. The headline read: *Jiangbei's Fan Domain Launches Night Raid on Jiangnan, Slaughters the Dan Sect to the Last Soul.* The second headline was: *Fan Gate Renamed to Fan Domain.* The third: *Fan Gate Slays Ghost King During Rainy Season.* The fourth: *Fan Domain Publicly Executes Dan Sect Young Master.* The fifth: *Rumor Has It Fan Domain Lord Chen Fan Is an Abandoned Son of a Minor Jiangbei Clan Who Rose to Prominence in the Rainy Season; Stay Tuned for Further Details.* He had hoped to learn something useful about Jiangnan, yet turning this *Jiangnan Daily* front to back, it was practically filled with news about himself. It felt more like the *Fan Domain Daily*. "They sure publish these quickly." Chen Fan stretched as he sat in the carriage. The day had indeed taken a toll. Though he hadn't done much physical labor, he still felt thoroughly drained. Still, he found the idea of a *Fan Domain Daily* rather intriguing. Perhaps he could produce one himself. Daily updates on the Fan Domain's development could bolster internal cohesion—even if the domain currently had only nine people... wait, ten now. Soon, however, their numbers would grow. Late into the second half of the night, the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage finally returned to Nameless Mountain. Shrouded in ghost fire, the mountain looked exceptionally secure. "There really is no place like home." Chen Fan hopped down from the carriage and let out a light breath. First, he reverted the vehicle back into the Heaven and Earth Chessboard and tried repairing it using the altar. The result... ineffective. "Fair enough." He shook his head and said nothing more. Back at the Dan Sect, he had already noticed that every time the cannon towers embedded in the Heaven and Earth Chessboard fired, cracks appeared along their structures. He had hoped the altar could mend them, but that proved impossible. At this rate, those cannon towers could be fired at most twice more before shattering completely, which meant new ones would have to be forged. The cost of using them was undeniably steep. "Domain Lord, you're back!" Wang Kui, who hadn't dared close his eyes for a full day and night, walked out from the wall. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes as he returned the temporary command token and reported, "Not a single soul has trespassed into Fan Domain territory since your departure." "Good." Chen Fan accepted the token with a smile. "Have everything moved into the warehouse." "This much?" Wang Kui stood before the carriage, staring dumbfounded at the contents packed inside. "Think that's a lot?" Wart Monkey licked his parched lips. "We couldn't even finish hauling it all. We only took half the jade paving! The jade tiles lining the Dan Sect's grounds looked top-notch. It's a shame we ran out of time to pry up the rest, and a lot of them cracked. We can pave our whole camp with this jade." "And these two three-meter-tall jade lions." "No need to put those into storage." "Tomorrow we'll round up some men in Jiangbei to carry them over to the canyon entrance." "Why not today?" "They're far too heavy. Back in the Dan Sect ruins, it took several dozen men hauling together just to lift them." "What is all this timber...?" "Wooden shelving from their Scripture Pavilion. Looked pretty high-grade to me, so I brought it along. I've never seen wood like this anywhere in Jiangbei." "And this soil?" "Heh! According to the folks from Medicine King Valley, this is 'medicinal soil' that has absorbed medicinal essence over years of cultivation. The Dan Sect's farmlands were Level 5. We couldn't carry off the farmland itself, but if we mix this medicinal soil into our fields, our crops will grow far better." "Are all these crates filled with ghost stones?" "A bit of everything—ghost stones, exotic treasures, cultivation methods. Put them in the warehouse first, and we can inventory them slowly." The entire Nameless Mountain was once again bustling with activity. Sick Monkey and the rest busied themselves carrying the cargo from the carriage into the cavern's warehouse. "Put that down for a moment." Hou walked over to Patriarch Wang, panting slightly as the older man worked. "The Domain Lord wants to see you." "Understood, Brother Quehou." Patriarch Wang paused, then hurried over to the reception area outside the cavern. Pushing the door open, he saw Chen Fan sitting cross-legged at the table sipping tea. Somewhat nervously, he wiped his hands on his clothes and asked with trepidation, "Domain Lord, you sent for me?" This was his first formal conversation with Chen Fan since joining the Fan Domain. "Yes." Chen Fan poured Patriarch Wang a cup of tea, took a sip from his own, and said softly, "Relax. You joined the Fan Domain yesterday, and these past two days have been hectic. Are you tired? More tiring than being a patriarch, isn't it?" "Not tired, not at all," Patriarch Wang replied hurriedly, shaking his head. "It feels very fulfilling." "Give me the truth." "Er... it feels... it feels very relaxing, wildly bold, kind of thrilling..." "I don't follow." Patriarch Wang sat down cross-legged with utmost care, then took the teacup in both hands. "When I was the patriarch of the Wang family, I had to worry about so much every day, constantly scheming how to develop the clan and preserve our bloodline. Now, I don't have to worry about any of that. All I need to do is follow behind the Domain Lord." "In the past, I never dared imagine that I would one day set foot in Jiangnan." "The greatest dream of every faction in Jiangbei is to step into Jiangnan one day. I never thought that at my age, not only would I go to Jiangnan, but I'd also help destroy the Dan Sect. That was something I wouldn't have dared dream of before." "Being in the Fan Domain feels much more relaxing than the old days." Chen Fan could not help but chuckle, shaking his head. Pausing briefly, he continued, "Wang Kui currently manages the influx and outflow of all resources in the Fan Domain. He is a core figure here. You made him serve as a stationmaster for thirteen years, so he naturally harbors some resentment toward you." "I also promised him that I would have you serve as a stationmaster in the Fan Domain for thirteen years." "Do you hold any resentment over that?" "None whatsoever." Patriarch Wang shook his head without hesitation, every wrinkle on his face conveying dead seriousness. "To serve as a stationmaster for the Fan Domain is my honor!" Chen Fan found himself momentarily at a loss for words before this slippery old hand. He decided to speak plainly: "Let's be direct, then. After you disbanded the Wang family, how are your wife and children doing right now?" "Worse off than before, certainly, but they are all alive. That is the best answer I could ask for." "I can give you a better one." "Tomorrow, I will accompany you on a trip to Jiangbei City to bring your wife, children, former clansmen, and stationmasters back to the Fan Domain. The Fan Domain is short on hands right now, and I will arrange suitable posts for every one of them." "I cannot promote you." "I must consider Wang Kui's feelings." "However—" "Your clansmen and family can be promoted within the Fan Domain if they perform well. You stepped forward yesterday to block the Dan Sect's young master, which counts as a meritorious deed. I will credit that merit to your son." "What do you think?" Patriarch Wang froze. Setting down his teacup, his eyes turned red, and tears streamed down his weathered face as he knelt on the ground. "Thank you, Domain Lord," he said, his voice trembling. To him, this was an answer far better than anything he could have hoped for. It not only protected his family's lives, but also gave them room to rise. Joining the Fan Domain was far better than remaining in the former Wang family. "What is your name?" "Wang Qiuhao." "A fine name—discerning down to the finest detail." Before Wang Qiuhao withdrew, Chen Fan asked with sudden curiosity, "There's one thing I've been wondering. Why did you keep Wang Kui as a stationmaster for thirteen years without ever promoting him?" "Because he was the best stationmaster we had..." Wang Qiuhao murmured softly. "Just because someone is good at a job means they have to do it forever?" "Er..." "Why not have him train others?" "The others were too stupid to learn." "Fair enough. You may leave." Before long, everything harvested from this expedition had been stored and inventoried, and the others had all gone to sleep. Chen Fan sat alone atop the wall, making plans. Over the coming month, the Fan Domain would enter a phase of rapid development. The neighboring regions of Jiangdong, Jiangnan, and Jiangxi were all entering the rainy season. Trade was completely impossible at such a time. He would spend this month developing, and then, once the month of rains passed, deliver the decisive blow. Before that, he needed to properly structure his faction. At the very least, they couldn't keep calling Wang Kui a mere warehouse manager; word getting out would make the Fan Domain sound like some petty street gang. He leafed through the sect development logs retrieved from the Dan Sect, which detailed organizational structures, hall names, and official posts. There were halls such as the Pill Hall, the Shadow Hall, and the External Relations Hall. He liked the setup. With minor tweaks, it would serve them well. He would also commission uniforms for the Fan Domain's members, similar to Medicine King Valley—neat, matching attire that commanded respect. Clear internal rules needed to be established as well, with well-defined rewards and punishments. Once the rainy season ended, the Fan Domain would expand outward. The number of people it took in would only grow, and the organization needed to become properly formalized. They had transplanted a great deal of medicinal herbs this time. The cavern certainly couldn't hold them all. A city would have to be carved out on Nameless Mountain to accommodate large-scale cultivation. Sitting alone atop the wall, Chen Fan calculated his next steps. There was much to be done, including heading to Jiangbei City to bring back another batch of people. "Domain Lord." Just then, Wang Kui walked up the wall holding a bamboo slip to report: "Everything has been inventoried and stored. This harvest yielded a total of 172,500 ghost stones, various medicinal herbs, and 2,039 bottles of pills, with cultivation-enhancing pills making up the majority. Among the rarer varieties, we have..." "12 Resurrection Pills." "7 Great Tonifying Pills, which rapidly boost cultivation." "37 unopened white exotic treasures, 47 opened white exotic treasures." "6 unopened green exotic treasures, 19 opened green exotic treasures." "1 opened yellow exotic treasure." "6 building blueprints." "Various quantities of jade lions, medicinal soil, and unidentified timber." "5 white cultivation methods, 2 green cultivation methods, 29 white martial techniques, and 6 green martial techniques." "78 white-grade alchemy furnaces, 12 green-grade alchemy furnaces, and 1 yellow-grade alchemy furnace." "All items have been warehoused and cataloged in the ledger." "Well done." Chen Fan put down the jade slip in his hands and smiled as he listened to Wang Kui's report. This haul was more than enough to fund his upcoming infrastructure plans. He had anticipated three possible outcomes for this operation. First, the optimal outcome: the total annihilation of the Dan Sect. Second, a middling outcome: gouging out an eye from the Dan Sect, severely weakening them during the rainy season before finishing them off once it ended. Third, the worst outcome: scraping off only a layer of skin, leaving him to fight for his life once the rains passed. As things stood, the result had aligned with the very best scenario. "Go get some rest." Chen Fan took the bamboo slip Wang Kui offered, looked it over, and handed it back with a wave of his hand. "I'll go check the warehouse myself. You haven't slept in days. Go rest." "Tomorrow, we'll take everyone on a trip to Jiangbei City." "Cooped up on Nameless Mountain through the rainy season, we're all starting to go moldy. It's time to get out and breathe in some life."