Chapter 789: Careful Planning

Luo Xuan and Du Ying stood to the side, their eyes also red-rimmed with excitement.

Ever since seeing the Young Miss yesterday, their hearts had yet to calm. They felt they had so much to say, but upon seeing her, the words caught in their throats, turning to choked sobs.

The other members of the Xianyue Sect gazed at their leader, who stood before them like an Immortal, their faces alight with excitement.

Without the Matriarch’s orders, there would be no Xianyue Sect today, nor would any of them be here. Although they had never met the Matriarch, the Sect Leader always spoke of her to them.

The rule forbidding the trafficking of children alone was enough to convince them that the Matriarch must be a very good and kind person.

When they learned the Matriarch was a woman, their initial shock gave way to deep admiration. For a woman to be so capable and bold was astounding.

But they never imagined the Matriarch would be a girl of only fifteen or sixteen. By their calculations, that meant she was only six years old when she started all this...

To possess such boldness at only six years old... she was truly beyond compare.

They were utterly convinced!

"Young Miss." Luo Xuan wiped at his eyes.

"Crying in front of the children? Aren’t you afraid the disciples will laugh at you?" ’I thought he’d gotten more composed for a second there,’ she mused, ’but he’s already back to wiping his eyes.’

Luo Feng glanced to his left and right. The disciples allowed to leave the sect were all seventeen or eighteen, seemingly older than the Matriarch.

’Children?’

’Is the Matriarch talking about us?’

"Let them laugh then," Luo Xuan said, his voice thick with emotion.

It was the first time the members of the Xianyue Sect had seen their Sect Leader act like this. In their memory, the Sect Leaders were always cold and stern, rarely showing any other emotion on their faces.

Ye Qianning couldn’t help but smile. "Come on. Tell me about the Xianyue Sect’s situation over the past few years."

’Since I’m the Matriarch, I need to plan for the sect’s future.’

"Yes."

Luo Wen turned, dismissed the crowd, and followed Ye Qianning upstairs.

Luo Xuan and Du Ying followed close behind.

At the entrance, Du Yi watched the group follow the Young Miss upstairs, a bitter feeling rising in his heart. His master had warned him, and he dared not disobey, nor did he dare approach her.

’Does the Young Miss truly not trust me anymore?’

Upstairs, Luo Wen, Luo Xuan, and Du Ying stood in a line, ramrod straight at attention.

"There’s no need to be so formal. Please, sit down and let’s talk." ’They seem to have gotten even taller,’ Ye Qianning thought, observing their tall, well-built frames. ’They’re all nearly six feet tall.’

"We’re fine standing, Young Miss."

’How could we dare sit at the same table as the Young Miss?’

Seeing their determined expressions, Ye Qianning didn’t press the issue. She got straight to the point. "How many members does the Xianyue Sect have? What are its sources of income? And on which mountain is it based?"

"The Xianyue Sect is currently located on Changqing Mountain," Luo Xuan replied. "We have three thousand six hundred seventy-eight disciples, all of whom possess at least intermediate-level skills. For the first four years after its founding, the sect did not engage in any business. It was only about three or four years ago that disciples gradually began to leave the mountain for training. Young Master Qian Yunting would often take them along on escort missions. Later, Boss Gu needed enforcers for his Immortal Sea Building, so our more skilled disciples were sent to his various establishments to maintain order. Since the construction of Dayu City, many disciples have been assigned there as well."

Ye Qianning nodded slightly. ’Over three thousand disciples is quite a number,’ she thought. ’The ones I’ve seen so far all have excellent aptitude. For them to have achieved this level of skill at only sixteen or seventeen is impressive.’

’With more training and practice, in a few years they’ll surely be on par with mid-level Hidden Guards.’

"Boss Gu and Young Master Qian have also established many academies in various regions. Many of the children there were rescued from human traffickers. Others were abandoned by their families due to natural disasters, or simply got lost. All of Xianyue’s disciples are selected from among these children."