Chapter 19 The Shen Family:

Rong Xie hadn't expected Shen Bingsi to object so vehemently. He had anticipated that Shen Bingsi didn't want the Shen family involved, but they had no other choice when it came to hiring servants. The disciples of the Spirit Mirror Sect were indeed from good families and had clean hands, but they were there to cultivate and learn, not to do menial tasks. Borrowing them for a short time would be fine, but keeping them at the manor for a long time would damage Shen Bingsi's reputation.

The people sent by the Shen family, no matter what, were acting in the family's best interests, and the core of the Shen family's interests was Shen Bingsi, so they dared not do anything too outrageous.

“There are many children from poor families on that list who possess spiritual roots, but their families don’t have the money to raise them, so they can only send them to the Shen family manor. I think it’s reliable to invite these people to work here,” Rong Xie explained.

"You even investigated this?" Shen Bingsi's tone softened slightly.

"The list includes information such as family origin and spiritual root attributes. Would you like to take a look?" Seeing that Shen Bingsi's attitude had softened, Rong Xie hurriedly walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the organized list of candidates.

Shen Bingsi took the roster, flipping through it as she asked, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​doing this?"

It wasn't that Shen Bingsi was asking a redundant question; Rong Xie was simply too well-prepared. This large list was clearly the result of checking and screening many lists. There were even tiny annotations next to the people he was focusing on. Although there was a lot of content, the key points were highlighted and made clear at a glance.

Rong Xie thought to himself that he had been preparing for this for quite some time. It all started when Shen Bingsi suddenly sent a message saying that Fairy Xingmiao was coming to the manor and asked him to make preparations...

At that time, he not only prepared to receive guests, but also prepared to flee.

“Didn’t Miss Cui say that it’s best for me not to use spiritual power? There are so many things to do at the manor, I can’t manage without spiritual power. With the servants coming to help, even if they’re not very good at using spells and talismans, sweeping the floor and wiping the table shouldn’t be a problem.” Rong Xie smiled.

Rong Xie's words were impeccable, and Shen Bingsi couldn't think of a reason to refute them for a moment, and a surge of irritation rose up.

"Wait a little longer," he said, closing the register and handing it back to Rong Xie. "Cui Xingmiao's decision alone isn't enough. I've also arranged for other medical practitioners to come over in a few days and have them take a look before making a decision."

Shen Bingsi traveled to the three sects to find medical practitioners, who came to visit one after another over the next month. Everyone used their unique abilities, and the results were roughly the same: Rong Xie was not sick, but his aptitude was mediocre. He should use less spiritual power and just rest.

"You can take any of the rare and precious herbs in my storeroom at will, can't you take a look again?" Shen Bingsi grabbed the healer in a fit of anger, refusing to let him leave. "The world is full of wonders, how can you be so sure that there's no other way but to keep them alive?"

“There are definitely unorthodox methods, it’s just… it’s just…” When the healers were pushed to the limit, they also prescribed some unorthodox remedies for Shen Bing Si, “Find a furnace, and then…”

"Alright, get out of here!" Shen Bingsi pointed at the manor gate without any politeness.

When Rong Xie saw her off, he had to apologize profusely. He asked the senior medical cultivator not to take offense, saying that Shen Bingsi was just a bit short-tempered. He added that if she needed any help in the future, she should just give a shout and the manor would do its best to assist her.

The healers didn't take it to heart. If Shen Bingsi hadn't helped them first, they wouldn't have come to their door for a consultation.

After seeing off wave after wave of medical cultivators, Rong Xie's feelings went from a sliver of hope to numbness.

They're just ordinary people, with mediocre talents. They're healthy and free from illness and disaster—how can that not be a blessing?

Moreover, he had come to a realization: he liked Shen Bingsi and was willing to cultivate with her, so his aptitude was irrelevant, as long as he could establish his foundation before his spiritual root was exhausted.

As long as he uses it sparingly, he will have at least three to five years left after his spiritual root is used up. That's enough time for him to learn an internal cultivation technique.

Yes, the key point is that he must treat dual cultivation as a proper internal energy cultivation method. He must put aside his shame and learn and improve together with Shen Bingsi...

Overcoming shame is the biggest challenge for Rong Xie right now. Overcoming this challenge takes time, as does learning and improvement. Therefore, Rong Xie's top priority is to delegate the daily affairs of the manor so that these trivial matters do not consume his spiritual energy and time.

As for the ending after three thousand chapters... Rong Xie has already come to terms with it. Life is like a journey, and what matters is the scenery along the way, not the result. He enjoyed the happy life of three thousand chapters, so it is only reasonable to pay a price.

“...It seems like we’re back to the same old path.” Rong Xie muttered to himself.

The protagonist in "Offering the World to a Proud Dragon" did just that, ultimately leading to his wife's murder as a means of enlightenment. When Rong Xie first learned of this, he couldn't accept it and only wanted to run away. Now, after calming down, he thought about it and realized that being able to be with the person he loved, living in the Huanxue Manor built entirely according to their wishes, and spending many years together—what could be happier than that? One should be content.

"There's nothing wrong with the old road. It's flat and wide, and you can see the end of it at a glance. There won't be any accidents," Rong Xie muttered to himself, trying to reassure himself.

"What old Lu?" Shen Bingsi's voice came from behind. He had been looking sullen lately and was particularly irritable. "Let me see that roster again."

"Okay!" Rong Xie regained his composure, went to the desk to get the roster, and walked briskly toward Shen Bingsi.

"Why do I feel like you're so happy about hiring people?" Shen Bingsi took the roster. "Didn't you used to hate having a lot of people? Once we hire people, our front yard, back yard, study, and bedrooms will be packed with people. Everyone will be watching what we're doing. Let's see if you can still smile then."

"Don't worry about that. The first thing they'll do when they arrive is to agree on the area where they'll be active. They can just keep them away from any places you don't want them to go," Rong Xie said with a gentle smile.

Shen Bingsi used to love Rong Xie's gentle smile the most, but now, he felt like he couldn't get out of his anger, as if he had punched a cotton ball.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him: Did Rong Xie originally intend to fill the study and bedroom with people? That way, he wouldn't have to be alone with him.

With this thought, Shen Bingsi suddenly understood.

No, he's not cheerful at all; he's withdrawn.

"I'm leaving this matter entirely to you." Shen Bingsi handed the roster back to Rong Xie and walked away with a blank look in her eyes.

"Huh? But..."

"I'm a little tired. Just let me know if you need any of my space." Shen Bingsi waved her hand with her back to Rong Xie.

“…Okay.” Although he didn’t know why Shen Bingsi, a Nascent Soul cultivator, would get tired just looking at a list, the fact that he had something to say meant that he hadn’t abandoned the project. With that, Rong Xie could proceed with the project with peace of mind.

Rong Xie sent the shortlisted list to the Shen family. Seven days later, a falcon raised by the old master of the Shen family flew to the Lingjing Sect, and the Shen family's reply arrived.

The reply slip was placed in a vermilion-lacquered, gold-sealed letterbox. The envelope was sealed with wax and had several layers of magical incantations that could only be opened by members of the Shen family. If an outsider forcibly opened it, it would explode.

Rong Xie held the solemn family letter in both hands and presented it to Shen Bingsi's desk.

"These people from the Shen family are really interesting." Shen Bingsi tore open the envelope, and Rong Xie also came over. Inside the envelope were two large stacks of letters, including a handwritten note from the old master, a report on the honor of the male members of the family line, and a long article from the head steward of the Shen family about the selection of a page. The gist of the article was that Shen Bingsi had finally realized that this matter was of great importance and that they would cooperate fully to select a qualified successor to the head steward of Huanxue Manor.

"You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth," Shen Bingsi commented.

"How could that be? It looks like the whole thing is made of ivory," Rong Xie said with a slight smile.

The appointed day for meeting arrived.

Rong Xie went to the entrance of the mountain-protecting formation early in the morning to pick up people, but he didn't expect that the head steward of the Shen family would arrive even earlier than him. When he arrived at the entrance, he saw a huge crowd of black-haired children, all of whom were about half a generation old.

The children stood in four neat rows, each one like a startled quail. At the very front of the line, a tall, thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man was negotiating with the guards of the mountain-protecting formation.

"We can't let so many children in! No one's handwriting is allowed!" The guards raised their spears and paused on the ground.

"This is for the selection of servants for Shen Bingsi, the master of Huanxue Manor and one of the three great adjudicators of the cultivation world. If anything goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?" The head steward of Shen said arrogantly, shaking the letter in his hand.

"That won't do! The quota approved from above is twelve people, not even one more!" The guards were very principled.

"Who's in charge here? Tell your supervisor to come and talk to me!" When Steward Shen realized that putting on airs was useless, he became furious. "You people who don't know what's important, let me tell you, without you doing things the way you do, the future of the Spirit Mirror Sect will be ruined in your hands!"

Seeing that Steward Shen and the guard were getting into a fight, Rong Xie quickly went over and separated the two.

Butler Shen did not thank Rong Xie for his appearance.

"Xiao Rong, what are you doing? Why were we stopped by the guards? Didn't you coordinate beforehand?"

Rong Xie was not surprised by Steward Shen's act of turning the tables. He smiled and said, "Uncle Shen, the preliminary list for the Second Young Master only has eleven people. We only applied for twelve spots."

"Don't try to fool me. Others may not know you, but I know you too. That list was definitely drawn up by you. Do you think the Second Young Master would care about such trivial matters?" Steward Shen sneered.

Rong Xie took a deep breath and told himself that if he wanted to deal with the Shen family, he would have to put up with some trouble. They never listened to others and only did things their own way.

These people are, after all, of the same blood as Shen Bingsi, so it's best not to offend them. Let's stick to the facts. Once the selection of pageboys is over and this big shot is sent away, he can proceed with the next step of his plan.

“Uncle Shen, you misunderstand. I don’t have that much power. The preliminary list was decided by the Second Young Master. The letter you have has his seal on it. He takes this matter very seriously,” Rong Xie said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Steward Shen's expression immediately improved. He smoothed the corner of the letter, admired the seal of the Registrar of the Cultivation Realm (which Rong Xie had specifically requested Shen Bing Si to stamp), and carefully put it into his breast pocket. "Since it's the Second Young Master's wish, then we'll do as he says. But these children are all very outstanding; he really doesn't need to look at them..."

“We can arrange for them to stay at an inn in Yingbin Town at the foot of the mountain first,” Rong Xie interrupted Steward Shen before he could finish speaking. “I’ll take care of that. Uncle Shen, you can take the men in first.”

Butler Shen was slightly displeased, but Rong Xie had given him a way out, which he couldn't refuse. For some reason, he felt like he was being manipulated by this young steward: "...Alright, the bigger picture is more important."

A short while later, Steward Shen led eleven candidate pageboys to the gate of Huanxue Manor. Everyone was shocked by the scale and grandeur of the manor and stood outside the gate for a while in a daze.

"Such a large manor, yet there isn't a single person to answer the door and deliver messages." After waiting for a long time without seeing anyone come out, Steward Shen remembered that the last time Granny Wang brought her youngest son back from Huanxue Manor, she had been turned away. She told everyone how big and wonderful the manor was, but it was empty inside, without even a servant. The Second Young Master's meals were all eaten by Rong Xie alone.

At the time, Steward Shen thought that Granny Wang was just talking nonsense after hitting a wall. How could such a big manor not have a single person to answer the door? Even if the Second Young Master did not accept the Shen family, the Lingjing Sect should have sent some servants to serve their young adjudicator.

Now it seems that Granny Wang wasn't lying. When they get to the Second Young Master, he'll have to have a good talk with her.