Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 198: Bestowal of Marriage

Li An and the others waited in the valley for three days before the Misty Valley formation finally opened.

Outside the valley, along with Lady She's return, there were also two demon generals dressed in golden armor!

"Under the command of the Vermilion Bird King's decree, as of today, She Anrong shall inherit the position of the White Mountain Lord. All those under the White Mountain Lord's sect shall be under the command of She Anrong!"

One of the golden-armored demon generals announced the Vermilion Bird King's order.

Everyone in the valley had complex expressions.

Those who had other ideas before were now completely disheartened.

Since the Vermilion Bird King had already acknowledged it, no one could stir up any trouble from now on.

"We pay our respects to Lord She--"

Someone spoke up, and immediately, everyone in the scene bowed.

In reality, for most people, it didn't matter who became the mountain lord.

But there were also a few people who were extremely fearful.

For example, Zhou Libai's face was extremely ugly at this moment!

Before this, she had been arrogant and oppressive towards Lady She, relying on the favor of the Lizard Demon. Now... Lady She had directly taken over as the mountain lord?!

Their days in the future would be so difficult...

"Everyone, return to your positions. From now on, we must all work together for the Vermilion Bird King!"

Lady She smiled faintly.

...

In the following one or two months, Lord She used an iron-fisted approach to rectify the White Mountain Lord's sect.

Xiao Li and Xiao Ying stayed behind to continue serving the new mountain lord, while the Lizard Demon unexpectedly died.

Everyone knew why the Lizard Demon died, but no one cared.

When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Lord She needed people, but she wouldn't use just anyone. She wouldn't let go of anyone who deserved to be struck back at.

Zhou Libai and the others were assigned to very poor spiritual veins.

And the confidants who followed them at that time naturally received preferential treatment.

Li An first received a large reward of spiritual stones, a total of three thousand high-grade spiritual stones!

There were also many third-grade materials for refining tools, treasures, elixirs, and so on.

The consumption he had in the secret realm was all recovered, with interest.

The spiritual vein was also replaced. As of today, Li An officially returned to Lingjing Peak to cultivate.

In addition, Li An and the others were all appointed as commanders, each with twenty to thirty true pill cultivators under their command.

After becoming commanders, they were considered part of the rulers of this mountain range.

Li An couldn't help but sigh. This was the benefit of following a rebellion.

When the emperor ascended the throne, the pigs and dogs who followed him naturally became human and then oppressed other pigs and dogs.

...

Returning to Lingjing Peak.

"Commander Lin, from now on, we will all follow you. Please give us your guidance, sir--"

More than twenty true pill cultivators were already waiting for him here, and the leader was unexpectedly Gu Xuanti, who had a face full of flattery and enthusiasm.

Li An glanced over and even Zhou Libai was here!

Obviously, this was deliberately arranged by Madam She. It is well known that Li An and Zhou Libai have a grudge. This can be considered as a gift from Madam She, giving Li An the opportunity for revenge.

In the crowd, Zhou Libai looked haggard. In just a few days, she seemed to have aged ten years, her heart was dead, silently waiting.

Since being incorporated into the Vermilion Bird Army as a servant soldier, the scattered cultivators in the Tiansha Mountains are no longer as free as they used to be. Before, the mountain lord and other cultivators were like landlords and tenants. If the tenants didn't want to rent anymore, they could leave, and the mountain lord had no way to stop them. But now, everyone who is willing to stay has joined the demon army, and the demon army is undergoing reforms. In a short time, all human cultivators no longer need to pay rent and can even receive resources such as spirit stones.

With this, the constraints have become stricter, and the relationship between superiors and subordinates has become more distinct.

Now, under the control of the demon army, the Tiansha Mountains are heavily guarded everywhere. If you want to leave the Tiansha Mountains, you need a route provided by the demon generals, otherwise you will be intercepted and killed.

Because of this, people like Zhou Libai have no choice but to continue staying. Otherwise, if the Lord Bai falls and the Tai Lizard Demon is killed, she would have run away long ago.

"Commander, currently within the army, we are searching for a place with extremely heavy demonic energy, looking for the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm. In my opinion, how about letting Zhou Libai carry out this mission?" Seeing Li An's attention on Zhou Libai, Gu Xuanting immediately spoke up.

He knew that Li An must want to suppress Zhou Libai and kill her.

So he took the initiative to help Li An propose it.

Going to a place with extremely heavy demonic energy is very dangerous.

But Li An pondered for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou..."

Zhou Libai looked at him blankly.

"I need to refine some treasures recently and need to seclude myself for a period of time. So I would like to ask you to temporarily take care of many mundane matters, how about it?"

When Li An spoke, everyone was surprised.

Aren't these two enemies?

Even Zhou Libai was somewhat stunned. Let her help manage affairs?

Shouldn't Li An's confidant do this kind of thing...

"Is it... appropriate for me?" she asked.

In her eyes, a glimmer of hope seemed to reignite.

"Appropriate," Li An smiled, "You and I are old friends, we have been together on Lingyun Mountain for many years, I trust you."

Hearing this, Zhou Libai was extremely grateful and quickly bowed to Li An, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li An, thank you, Fellow Daoist Li An!"

Li An helped her up and said, "In this Tiansha Mountains, I don't have many friends. I hope Fellow Daoist Zhou won't let me down! Don't let down Lord She!"

The reason he did this was simple.

As a manager, cultivating loyal subordinates is always the top priority.

Of course, he could choose Gu Xuanting or others.

But he could also choose someone who had fallen to the bottom.

The loyalty gained... would definitely be different.

And most importantly, Li An knew Zhou Libai inside out. This person is calculating and not difficult to control.

If it were Jiang Ribai, Chen Qingling, Xu Qiuhui, and others of that type, after defeating them, he would definitely not extend a helping hand, but instead take the opportunity to strike them hard.

Opportunities should not be given to ambitious people; they must be completely eliminated.

Zhou Libai does not have the ability and cunning of an ambitious person.

After Li An gave her this opportunity, she would definitely be loyal to Li An because she had no other choice besides Li An.

Managing subordinates requires art.

And Li An is not lacking in that.

"From now on, Li Bai will definitely serve as the leader under Lin's command, willing to go through fire and water without hesitation."

Zhou Li Bai felt grateful and indebted.

Li An asked Zhou Li Bai to leave and left alone with Gu Xuan Ting.

Gu Xuan Ting's face turned extremely ugly. He didn't expect to make a mistake in his flattery.

"Brother Gu, you are the person I trust the most," Li An calmly spoke, "There are a few important matters that I can only entrust to you. I don't trust anyone else."

Gu Xuan Ting was momentarily stunned, then a look of joy appeared in his eyes!

...

And at this moment.

"Master, I have already had someone investigate. This is a list of cultivators who have recently entered places with heavy demonic energy. There aren't many people."

In the main hall of Bai Mountain, where She Mountain Master had been replaced, She Xuan Ting respectfully presented a list to Tan Qing Xue.

Tan Qing Xue took the list and her delicate jade hand skimmed over each name. Suddenly, she pointed to a name, "Lin An?"

"He stayed in Yunqi Valley for so long?"

She An Rong said, "Yes, in order to test whether his bird was the Azure Flame Divine Sparrow, I sent An Qi and him to investigate Yunqi Valley. As a result, An Qi was seriously injured while saving him, and he brought An Qi back."

"This person is quite grateful. In order to repay An Qi's kindness, he stayed in Yunqi Valley for a long time, wanting to help An Qi find the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm, but in the end, he didn't gain anything..."

Tan Qing Xue suddenly said, "I'll go there."

Not long after.

She had already arrived at the entrance of Yunqi Valley and easily entered, while She An Rong could only wait outside.

Inside the mountain valley, layers of demonic energy piled up. Tan Qing Xue released her divine sense and carefully observed everything around her, but she gained nothing. Li An had cleaned up all traces before leaving.

But soon, she stopped in front of a pit.

This pit used to be a pool of water that connected to the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm. Before Li An left, he destroyed the entire pool and covered it with decaying leaves, so even during a full moon, no one could discover anything unusual.

But she stood there for a long time.

"It's really you." Under her long eyelashes, a hint of inexplicable joy seemed to bloom in her eyes.

She walked out of the mountain valley.

"Master, did you gain anything?"

She An Rong respectfully asked.

Tan Qing Xue didn't answer, but asked, "Does this Lin An have a good relationship with your sister?"

She An Rong said, "Quite good. I won't hide it from you, An Qi... seems to have developed feelings for him."

Tan Qing Xue's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at She An Rong, "And how does he feel about your sister?"

"Also very good. After An Qi was injured in Yunqi Valley, this person repeatedly made beauty pills for An Qi. Later, in the Misty Valley, I also asked An Qi to seek his help, and he readily agreed and performed well."

"Beauty pills? It seems he cares a lot about your sister's appearance..." Tan Qing Xue's words were filled with a deep meaning. She fell silent and looked back at Yunqi Valley for a long time before saying,

"In that case, he should like your sister... then, let them be together."

She An Rong looked somewhat puzzled. Why would the master be concerned about She An Qi's marriage... and the expression on Tan Qing Xue's face at this moment, she had never seen before, it seemed melancholic, relieved, and lost...

"Yes." She An Rong spoke up.

...

In just two short months, Li An had already managed his subordinates very effectively.

Gu Xuanting and Zhou Libai had become his confidants, and their performance satisfied Li An greatly. They carried out their tasks with great dedication.

With these two people around, Li An could save a lot of mental energy on administrative matters and focus on cultivation.

"Commander Lin, the Mountain Lord is looking for you--"

On this day, one of Sha Shanzhu's attendants arrived, his face filled with joy.

"Brother Cao, I wonder what the Mountain Lord wants from me?" Li An asked.

A mysterious smile appeared on the attendant's face. "Good news, Brother Lin, let me congratulate you first--"

Li An became even more suspicious, but he had no choice but to follow along.

They arrived in front of the former grand hall of Bai Shanzhu.

"You're here, Sha Shanzhu has been waiting for you for a while," Little Sakura was still there. She hadn't been killed, but had also become one of Sha Shanzhu's people. However, she seemed visibly unhappy.

"Here, have this. I'll bring Xiaohong to play with you in a while," Li An smiled, handing her a bag of spiritual food, and then he entered.

He entered the grand hall.

Behind the bead curtain, the former Bai Shanzhu had been replaced, and Sha Anqi was already sitting there, waiting.

She wasn't wearing a veil today. Li An glanced at her and saw that her skin was as smooth as jade, her appearance fully restored, even more delicate than before.

When she saw Li An come in, her face seemed to blush inexplicably. Then she lowered her head and left without saying hello.

Li An bowed, "Lin An pays respects to the Mountain Lord."

"Lin Daren, no need for formalities," Sha Shanzhu said calmly. "I asked Lin Daren to come today because I have something to discuss with you."

"Please tell me, Sha Shanzhu," Li An said.

Sha Shanzhu smiled, "What do you think of Anqi?"

Li An was taken aback. What did Sha Anrong mean by this?

Could it be that he wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Sha Anqi?

After thinking it over, Li An replied, "Anqi Fellow Daoist has always been respected by Lin An, and Lin An has great admiration for Anqi Fellow Daoist."

This was a response that allowed him to both advance and retreat.

Madam Sha said directly, "Besides admiration, if Anqi were to be betrothed to you, would you be willing?"

Very straightforward.

Li An was suddenly stunned.

He quickly thought it over in his mind. In fact, he had considered this matter before and weighed the pros and cons. He had already prepared himself mentally.

As long as marrying Sha Anqi would benefit his cultivation, Li An had no objections. Selling himself was no big deal, after all, it was just a means of using someone.

But now he felt inexplicably cautious in his heart. He lightly sensed it and suddenly realized that there was not just Sha Anrong behind the bead curtain!

Tan Qingxue was also there!

Was this Sha Anrong's idea, or Tan Qingxue's?

What exactly did Tan Qingxue want to do?

Li An suddenly felt like he was on the edge of an abyss.

...

(End of this chapter)