Bai Choufei had always been a man of heavy thoughts.
The background Zhu Xiaoyao had revealed was precisely the series of attempts he'd made in his early years to seek fame and fortune.
During their casual conversation on the river before entering Bianjing, every word he spoke had been true.
If a man could not establish an everlasting legacy and make his name known, what difference was there between that and never having lived at all?
As the late Master Fan Zhongyan once said, a man like him would rather "die crying out than live in silence."
Thus, unlike Wang Xiaoshi, who still retained the chivalrous idealism and naivety of a young man newly entering the martial world—
Bai Choufei not only sought to rise above others but to become a man of great wealth and status.
Shi Qingruo's words about an "irreplaceable position" struck like the most precise arrow hitting its mark.
She continued speaking.
"The Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower has been established for years. Even if we only count from the time Master Su took over, there are already countless trusted followers under his command. The five division leaders of the Tower, each with their own strengths, command their respective factions. The Six and a Half Halls, born from the Jiangnan Thunderbolt Hall, has long held a prestigious reputation in the martial world. Each of its hall masters is a prominent figure in the capital's martial circles."
"Without some twist of fate, why would they choose outsiders like you as their trusted aides? Entrusting matters to their own confidants would naturally be more suitable than relying on you."
However.
"But I am different."
The more Wang Xiaoshi listened, the more he felt that the transformation in Miss Shi was truly unimaginable.
Even now, with no other members of the Mystic Sky Alliance present, Shi Qingruo spoke with the commanding presence of a leader.
So much so that it made one overlook one crucial fact.
What she described as her advantage in recruiting talent was, in truth, also her greatest weakness.
Her foundation was still far too shallow.
Yet, as she had said, this very shallowness made her offer uniquely valuable to Bai Choufei and Wang Xiaoshi.
"Many of the skilled fighters in the Mystic Sky Alliance gathered here because of my husband. But after his misfortune, the alliance fell into disarray. Now, as we start anew, we need individuals with both martial prowess and strategic minds to rise to the occasion. If Bai Gongzi and Wang Gongzi would deign to join us, the Mystic Sky Alliance will demonstrate its sincerity in recruiting you."
She paused, her expression softening slightly. "Moreover, even setting aside alliance matters, the two of you once saved my life. It is only right that I repay you."
Her words were undoubtedly sincere, though whether it was due to her changed status, Wang Xiaoshi quickly waved his hand in response. "There’s no need to bring up the past. If anything, Miss Shi—"
"It’s Madam Shi now," Shi Qingruo corrected firmly.
Wang Xiaoshi awkwardly continued, "Madam Shi has already helped us a great deal."
His recklessness and Bai Choufei’s arrogance had left much of the work in settling the rescued children to Shi Qingruo.
Even then, he had noticed that her demeanor was refined—hardly what one would expect from a simple country girl...
But dwelling on that now was pointless. The present mattered more.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "I won’t question how Madam Shi—"
"Madam Shi," she emphasized again.
Wang Xiaoshi cleared his throat. "How Madam Shi can represent Holy Master Guan in recruiting us for important roles. I only wish to know—given that we’ve merely crossed paths by chance—why do you believe we can be of great use to you?"
Lineage and martial skills alone were not enough to judge a person.
Otherwise, he and Bai Choufei wouldn’t have faced so many obstacles in Bianjing.
Shi Qingruo’s eyes curved into crescents. "If you’re asking that, does it mean you’re willing to accept my invitation?"
Wang Xiaoshi didn’t answer.
But in his heart, he already had one.
Had it been anyone else—someone without their shared history—he would have asked far more questions before pledging allegiance to a faction.
The Mystic Sky Alliance, leaderless for years, had become a den of mixed characters, deterring truly capable individuals from joining.
Yet now, at the very least, he knew Shi Qingruo’s character.
Because of this, gauging Wang Xiaoshi’s stance wasn’t difficult for her either.
His question, though framed as cautious probing, revealed his interest. Had he no desire to stay, he wouldn’t have bothered asking about their potential roles.
The extraordinary sword strapped to his back, Liu Jian, stood among the finest blades in the martial world—comparable to Lei Sun’s Unanswerable Blade and Su Mengzhen’s Sleeve-Reddening Saber. With it, breaking free from the Mystic Sky Alliance would be effortless.
Yet he hadn’t moved. Instead, he asked what purpose they could serve.
Shi Qingruo replied, "Your roles in the alliance remain to be seen. Before formally joining, there is one test you must pass. Succeed, and you’ll not only silence the skeptics but also clarify your own path forward."
Bai Choufei followed Shi Qingruo’s gaze as she lazily swept her eyes across their surroundings.
The unspoken message was clear: with no eavesdroppers nearby, the matter at hand was significant.
His expression remained neutral, but his heartbeat quickened once more.
If he let this opportunity slip—delivered by an old acquaintance—his next chance to rise would likely require far riskier, even self-destructive measures.
The mention of a test only solidified Bai Choufei’s conviction.
Before Wang Xiaoshi could respond, he stepped forward. "Might I ask what this test entails, Madam Shi?"
Shi Qingruo countered leisurely, "Based on your observations in Bianjing these past months, how does the Mystic Sky Alliance’s greatest weakness compare to the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower and the Six and a Half Halls?"
Bai Choufei froze.
He was no stranger to martial factions.
Analyzing a faction’s growth and the soundness of its commands was second nature to him.
Since arriving in the capital, he had indeed studied the strengths and weaknesses of various powers while peddling his calligraphy and paintings.
The Mystic Sky Alliance hadn’t been on his radar, so his scrutiny had been particularly harsh.
Before Shi Qingruo’s sudden rise and Guan Qi’s partial recovery of sanity, the alliance had been little more than a scattered mess.
Now, she wanted him to pinpoint its greatest flaw.
Meeting her deep, inscrutable gaze, he swallowed the word people that had sprung to his lips.
No—that wasn’t the answer she sought.
Take the Second Holy Master who had approached him and Wang Xiaoshi earlier, or Guan Qi himself, whose martial prowess was unmatched—the alliance lacked no talent. What it lacked was cohesion.
To put it plainly—
"Money," Bai Choufei answered.
The moment the word left his lips, Shi Qingruo rewarded him with an approving smile.
He continued with this answer: "The money I'm referring to isn't literal currency. Any influential faction that thrives must rely on its surroundings—mountains or rivers—to sustain itself. They need financial resources to support their members' basic needs, from food and shelter to medicine and weapons. If the gang grows larger, they might collaborate with salt merchants, water transport, or land-based escort services. At an even greater scale, they might lend manpower to the government for tasks like escorting military provisions or guarding borders. To become self-sufficient, they might even employ blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, and farmers for silk and crop cultivation. The Mighty Heaven Society has such manpower, but it's far from being well-organized."
"The Six and a Half Halls can already demand a three-and-a-half percent tribute from various guilds, while the Mighty Heaven Society... to put it bluntly, still has many members acting as river pirates."
Shi Qingruo clasped her hands in agreement. "Exactly as you said."
The wedding banquet hosted by the Mighty Heaven Society might appear grand, but as someone personally involved, Shi Qingruo couldn’t help but notice its many flaws.
If they couldn’t even manage their finances properly, no matter how thoroughly they purged spies from their ranks, they would struggle to establish a foothold in the capital.
This was something Guan Qi couldn’t resolve.
If someone told him, "We need to compete with Lei Sun for business," he’d likely interpret it as, "We need to fight Lei Sun."
"What does Madam Shi expect us to do?" Bai Choufei frowned after analyzing the situation.
Undoubtedly, matters of finance and operations couldn’t be resolved overnight.
Without a solid foundation, a faction’s rise would require too many coincidences.
His analysis even made him question whether the Mighty Heaven Society’s so-called "uniqueness" was worth his commitment.
As if sensing his doubts, Shi Qingruo calmly replied, "Young Master Bai, having sold paintings and calligraphy in the capital, you must understand this principle: no matter how outstanding your artwork is, if local dealers conspire to exclude outsiders, you’ll never fetch a fair price. The same applies to a gang’s livelihood."
"Take the salt trade, water transport, land escorts, blacksmithing, taverns, and teahouses—over the years, the Six and a Half Halls and the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower have divided these industries, leaving little room for newcomers. If the Mighty Heaven Society rashly steps in, it won’t generate income or assign roles to members. Instead, it’ll only stir up trouble."
Besides, such endeavors couldn’t flourish overnight.
"Then what does Madam Shi propose—?"
Shi Qingruo handed a scroll from the nearby table to Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei. "Most challenges lie in the beginning. To solve the Mighty Heaven Society’s financial woes, the first step is to seek an unconventional windfall—one I’d like you two to retrieve."
Wang Xiaoshi unrolled the scroll as instructed, only to find, to his surprise, that it didn’t contain instructions but rather a portrait of a woman.
If the likeness was accurate, she could be considered a beauty.
But who was she?
"Her name is Shangguan Feiyan," Shi Qingruo explained.
"Recently, our... the Mighty Heaven Society’s informants discovered that she’s been presenting herself as a descendant of the Dapeng Kingdom, seeking to reclaim an old debt. However, our people also noticed that her connections are far from simple. Though she claims to be collecting a debt, she’s actually working for someone else."
"I’d like the two of you to investigate and uncover the treasure behind this scheme."
Wang Xiaoshi was puzzled. "But if, as you say, her background is complicated, isn’t it possible there’s no treasure at all?"
Though his own experience in the martial world was limited, his master had taught him enough to recognize a potential scam.
Shi Qingruo smiled meaningfully. "Who said the windfall must be the treasure itself? In the turbulent jianghu, when influential figures get entangled, ill-gotten wealth always surfaces. Right now, with the Sacred Master Guan just married, both the Six and a Half Halls and the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower are focused on the capital. That gives us the perfect opportunity to act elsewhere."
Before Wang Xiaoshi could press further, Shi Qingruo added, "I know Young Master Wang has his principles. Joining the Mighty Heaven Society doesn’t mean you must associate with parasites. You may act according to your judgment—I only have one request."
She fixed her gaze on the two men and spoke with utmost seriousness: "Though this is a test, once you leave today, you represent the Mighty Heaven Society. I won’t tolerate any disgrace to my name."
"Additionally, I have two warnings for you."
When Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei stepped outside, their expressions were slightly dazed.
What unsettled them wasn’t the task Shi Qingruo had assigned but her final words.
She had said that she, once a powerless orphan without martial skills, had risen to become the Sacred Master’s wife. Others they knew could also have hidden identities.
The not-so-gentle "Wen Rou," whose nature was plain to see, had quickly sought refuge with her senior brother—Su Mengzhen, leader of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower—upon arriving in the capital.
As for "Tian Chun," the young woman they’d rescued on the river, her true name was Lei Chun—the only daughter of Lei Sun, chief of the Six and a Half Halls.
The moment they joined the Mighty Heaven Society, they became, at least on the surface, enemies of those two. They must never do anything that could be seen as betrayal.
That was her warning.
......
"Do you truly believe they’ll become your right-hand men?" Zhu Xiaoyao asked as she watched the two figures disappear into the distance.
"From what I know of their backgrounds, Bai Choufei is too ambitious, and Wang Xiaoshi, though loyal, is a bit simple-minded..."
"I know," Shi Qingruo nodded.
She had already discerned this from her interactions with them before arriving in the capital.
Besides, Zhu Xiaoyao couldn’t possibly understand just how deeply Shi Qingruo knew these two.
In her first life—before transmigrating, when she had chosen to pursue Su Mengzhen—she had crossed paths with Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei countless times.
But in that timeline, they hadn’t joined the Mighty Heaven Society.
During the Six and a Half Halls’ assassination attempt on Su Mengzhen, Wang Xiaoshi and Bai Choufei had fought alongside him, earning his favor and brotherly regard.
The former had nearly succeeded Su Mengzhen as leader of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Tower after his death.
The latter, unwilling to remain subordinate, had turned against Su Mengzhen in his ruthless pursuit of power.
From this perspective, Bai Choufei was ill-suited to be a subordinate—his boundless ambition would inevitably drive him to defy all authority.
But so what?
For now, he was the perfect tool for Shi Qingruo’s next move.
"I only need one outcome. What happens afterward is my own concern," she replied. "There are just two things you need to do."
"First, keep an eye on Bai Choufei—make sure he doesn’t act prematurely and cause unnecessary trouble. And the second thing…"
Shi Qingruo’s sudden pause made Zhu Xiaoyao instinctively feel that what came next would be far more important than the first.
Yet the next moment, she heard: "Unlike you, I don’t have inner strength to stave off hunger. Have someone bring me lunch."
Zhu Xiaoyao was momentarily speechless. "...Understood."
With a flick of her sleeve, Shi Qingruo strode toward her quarters.
Now that Bai Choufei and Wang Xiaoshi had been dealt with, a weight had lifted from her mind. But she knew all too well that this alone wouldn’t secure her standing here.
She needed more capable subordinates. The question was whether her experience from those three cycles would help her find the right candidates—and whether the current state of the Mystic Sky Alliance could lure them to her side.
Difficult indeed…
Lost in thought, she pushed open the door to her pavilion.
But her movement halted abruptly as her sharp gaze snapped toward a shadowed corner. "Who's there?"
This had nothing to do with whether she possessed inner strength or not.
The moment she stepped inside, she had clearly seen a gray-clad figure darting toward the rafters. Though light-footed, the intruder couldn’t avoid stirring the air.
Someone had broken into her quarters!
At her shout, the Mystic Sky Alliance guards stationed outside rushed in.
Almost instantly, Shi Qingruo locked eyes with the figure perched on the beam.
It was a ragged beggar.
But even in the dim light, Shi Qingruo’s keen vision discerned that this was no ordinary beggar—it was a girl, no older than fifteen, in disguise.
And she was certainly no simple street urchin.
Beneath the grime on her face was skin fairer than most martial artists.
Even now, caught red-handed, her expression wasn’t one of embarrassment but of open admiration.
Only when she spoke did a hint of shyness slip through: "Sister, I heard there was a wedding feast here, but the leftovers… well, they weren’t very tasty."
Shi Qingruo’s lips twitched.
Tasty or not, she had clearly seen the girl trying to hide a piece of pastry behind her back.
