*Dong, dong*---
The sounds of morning bells broke out at dawn as a pale light was cast behind the mountains in the east.
These days, as usual, Li Longling was facing numerous paperwork and petitions in the main hall of the *Dragon Mansion*. Fortunately, with Xiao Yunluo's help, the reconstruction of the ***Dragon House*** was about to be completed.
On the streets, no one talked about the previous disaster of the red snow, as if everyone had forgotten about it. They practiced when they should practice and had fun when they wanted to chill.
Everything went much smoother than Li Linglong had expected.
Somehow, she had a feeling that there seemed to be a hidden force supporting her from the shadows.
Famine, material shortages, rebellions and casualties, plague, unrest... Although all of these were expected after a major disaster, they had little impact.
And all of this, surprisingly, could be attributed to the various chambers of commerce under the jurisdiction of the ***Dragon House***.
The chambers of commerce were the foundation of the circulation of spiritual stones and resources, but they always fought among themselves, checking and balancing each other. Moreover, they changed their course with the wind; there was no such word as "loyalty" in their dictionary.
Originally, Li Longling was worried that these chambers of commerce would want to leave ***Dragon House*** and find another home because their new leader was just a blind girl.
But unexpectedly, this time, they united and took the initiative to help her through this calamity -- selling elixirs and food at low prices to mortals and young cultivators, helping ***Dragon House*** guards and workers with subsequent repair work at low pay, helping the villages around the area affected by the disaster, tending the fields...
Li Longling still couldn't believe it.
She just couldn't figure out the motives behind these chambers of commerce's actions. What they were doing now was obviously unprofitable business.
Most importantly, this was not an isolated case; almost all chambers of commerce were involved.
--- Were they trying to please her?
--- But why?
--- What's the use for them to gain the favor of a new leader like her, who was blind and didn't even have a high level of cultivation?
--- Are they blind too?
If things seem unusual, there must be a devil hidden somewhere. Right now, feeling extremely puzzled, Li Longling used her fingers to repeatedly read the document that the ***Dragon House*** secretary had submitted. She even thought she was hallucinating.
[...Led by seven major chambers of commerce such as '***Dragon Slayers Society***', '***Hibiscus Group***', and '***Southern Sky Guild***', there are a total of 152 chambers of commerce. Twenty-one of them left the ***Dragon House***, and all the remaining chambers of commerce in the city have taken the initiative to contribute money to help rebuild a total of seventeen villages and three major cities. We suggest that the ***Dragon House*** Master offer rewards as a way to incentivize the chambers of commerce.]
"It's really strange..."
Still full of doubts, Li Longling picked up her jade seal and stamped it on the document, then put it aside. She turned toward Xiao Yunluo and asked, "Sister Xiao, do you also have memos about the chambers of commerce?"
"Yes, I read it, and I think it's quite strange." Xiao Yunluo stopped writing and looked up, replying, "I asked the guards to inquire about it, and it seems that the leader of a chamber of commerce called ***Dragon Slayers Society*** persuaded the others to stay. When I came here with the second... err, with Sister Feng, I also saw them helping ordinary people in **Duchun City**."
"Really..."
Li Longling frowned. "It seems that I will have to personally go to the ***Dragon Slayers Society*** later and thank their leader. That person is very shrewd, I feel like I can't see through him."
Xiao Yunluo shrugged. "I think so too. He's probably a sly old fox. Of course, we are grateful, but these businessmen are basically driven by profit. Although they have indeed done a lot of good this time, remember not to let your guard down, Sister Li. We don't know what schemes they might be plotting behind our backs..."
"True..." Li Longling nodded and asked, "What is Sister Feng doing these days?"
"Cheating at the gambling den."
?
Li Longling was stunned. "What? Cheating?!"
"Yes, she can guess the numbers on the dice every time without making a single mistake, and whether it is mahjong or playing cards, she has never lost. The day before yesterday, because she won too much, she got into a fight with the thugs from the gambling house. She beat more than a dozen people to a pulp, and even the guards of the ***Dragon House*** were called over. I had to fish her out of there."
"But the gambling halls are equipped with very powerful anti-peeping restrictions, and there are also spirit-sealing magic devices. How could Sister Feng..."
"I asked her, and she said she is lucky, but I don't believe her."
"..."
Xiao Yunluo pouted and complained. "This is ridiculous. She knows we're so busy, yet she still makes trouble. She doesn't even know how to behave."
Previously, Li Longling thought that Sister Feng was an elegant and cheerful young lady, but now it seemed that the "elegance" had disappeared, leaving only the "cheerfulness". As a disciple of a major sect, she actually frequented places like gambling dens every day.
After a pause, she still spoke for Feng Yu Die, saying, "It's not too bad to be free and carefree, truly like an immortal."
While they were chatting, Ling'er's voice came from outside. "Miss, the Master of the ***Dragon Slayers Society*** is requesting an audience."
"Huh?" Li Longling turned to face the door and asked, "***Dragon Slayers Society***? What's going on?"
Ling'er hesitated, then whispered, "He said he has a way to cure your eyes, Miss."
"Cure my eyes?" Li Longling frowned after hearing this, naturally thinking that it was probably a scam. However, she didn't say what she thought and just confirmed again. "Did he say he would cure me himself?"
"Well... I heard before that there seems to be a hermit cultivator living in **Dragon Valley** who can heal your eyes."
"A hermit cultivator..."
The more Li Longling listened, the more she thought he was a charlatan, but after all, the ***Dragon Slayers Society***'s contributions during this chaos were significant. After hesitating for a while, she still said, "Did he come alone?"
"There is also a young lady with him, his wife."
"Let them in."
Li Longling straightened her back and raised her head, putting on a demeanor befitted to the ***Dragon House*** leader. Sitting upright, Xiao Yunluo was also curious as to what kind of person the leader of the ***Dragon Slayers Society*** was and looked toward the door.
"Sister Li, what kind of person do you think he is?"
"Well... I think he should be..."
Beyond the door, Ye Anping, dressed in a black brocade robe, relying on his excellent hearing cultivated through hard practice, caught their whispered conversation. He stepped over the threshold and interrupted them. "It's me."
?!!!
As soon as this familiar voice rang out, Xiao Yunluo shrank her neck. The scenes in the spirit pool from a few days ago flashed through her mind, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Ye, Ye, Ye..."
"Ye?" Li Longling was stunned. "Could it be... Young Master Ye?!"
"That's right." Ye Anping replied in a cold voice.
Li Longling immediately raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, and there was a hint of shyness on her face. Then, she came to her senses, shook her head, and asked, "But... aren't you a disciple of the ***Black Star*** Sect?"
"I am."
"Sister Xiao said that you are also the young master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect."
"That's me."
"And the leader of the ***Dragon Slayers Society***..."
"Still me."
"What about the younger brother of Miss Yun from the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect..."
Ye Anping hesitated shortly and replied, "It's not me... for the time being."
?
What do you mean by *'not for the time being'*... Li Longling tilted her head, but at least there was a 'no'.
She was stunned for a while before she asked again, "Then, Ye...?"
"Young Master is fine."
"Oh, Young Master Ye, why did you come here today..."
"To treat your eyes."
