"Tang Xiaoyu, give Sister a smile. Sister hasn't even kissed a man's mouth in over twenty years. Let Sister have a kiss," Liu Xuning said.
Tang Xiaoyu was speechless: "So you're actually the biggest female pervert."
"What's wrong with lust? Why else are there men and women if not to do naughty things?"
"Sister just wants a peck. Sister also wants to taste the flavor of love."
Liu Xuning and the others didn't try to stop her. Instead, they craned their necks, waiting for the two to lock lips!
Tang Xiaoyu looked at them and said, "Fifth senior brother is clean and handsome. Go kiss him."
Everyone looked at Fifth Senior Brother with disgust.
Liu Yuxin shook her head. "No way would I kiss that sissy! I'd rather kiss my own hand!"
Fifth Senior Brother struck a macho pose under everyone's gaze.
Tang Xiaoyu sent Liu Yuxin sprawling with a chop.
"Hurry and take this female pervert back to her room!" Tang Xiaoyu said, wiping his hands with distaste.
The eldest and second senior sisters carried Liu Yuxin back to her room.
The group went back to drinking and chatting animatedly.
"Disciple, any events happening tomorrow?"
Tang Xiaoyu said impatiently, "We're clearing and landscaping the surroundings tomorrow, especially those broken shacks you built."
"What about the day after?"
"The day after, we dig a fish pond. Everyone has to pitch in—no slipping away!"
"And two days later?"
Tang Xiaoyu said impatiently, "No more questions! We'll be remodeling and rebuilding Falling Leaf Peak for the next month."
"I'm telling you, no slacking off this next month!"
Liu Xuning said unhappily, "I'm your master. They're your senior martial siblings."
Tang Xiaoyu said with arms crossed, "Oh? Just because you're senior, you get to sit back and relax? I'm not falling for that! Anyone who dares to play hooky will regret it!"
What made Tang Xiaoyu frightening wasn’t that he was intimidating, but that he was highly disciplined and turned his thoughts into actions.
Tang Xiaoyu woke right on time the next morning and started the day's labor.
Liu Xuning and the other seniors followed reluctantly behind him.
"First, tear down these houses," Tang Xiaoyu said.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud crash rang out. The shacks had turned to splinters.
Seeing this, Tang Xiaoyu waved them away: "You guys can head back. I'll take care of this myself."
"Bunch of people who don't understand the joy of labor—you're not fit to work alongside me."
It was true men feared trouble, but when they found something that piqued their interest, they could play with a wooden stick all day. Tang Xiaoyu's current joy was building his imagined utopia.
"Weren't those your words? Then we'll be heading back," Liu Xuning said.
Tang Xiaoyu shooed them away. "Go on back!"
He muttered to himself, "I was planning to salvage those planks for reuse. Now I have to haul away garbage too."
Liu Yuxin stumbled out of bed, swaying. "What embarrassing thing did I do last night?"
Seeing the busy Tang Xiaoyu through the window, she went downstairs and asked, "Tang Xiaoyu, I didn't do anything mortifying last night, did I?"
Without turning his head, Tang Xiaoyu said, "Nope, you just wanted to taste the flavor of love."
"I want to die!" Liu Yuxin ran off covering her face.
Tang Xiaoyu couldn't be bothered with such people. He busied himself with construction.
Digging a pond, fixing roads, planting flowers and fruit trees—wherever displeased him, he took care of it.
Seeing his accomplishments, Tang Xiaoyu nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect!"
Just then, the voice transmission jade talisman in his storage ring reacted. Tang Xiaoyu looked around before taking it out.
"Xiaoyu, how's it going over there?" Zhang Huizhu’s voice came through.
Glancing at his progress over this period, Tang Xiaoyu said, "Things are going very smoothly. I'll be able to get a clear picture of the Middle State's power distribution and the individual strengths and vested interests of the forces soon."
"Excellent. No need to rush—we still need time to prepare on our end. Fifty years at least, maybe one or two hundred years."
Stupefied, Tang Xiaoyu said, "Are you kidding me? It'll take that long to prepare?"
Zhang Huizhu explained, "Of course it takes that long! You think we took Eastern State so smoothly relying only on ten years of prep? We started over a hundred years ago."
"So to smoothly take over the stronger Middle State, we naturally need more time, while consolidating our gains this time."
"All right, enough. Have fun over there and be safe—we'll miss you!"
Helplessly, Tang Xiaoyu said, "I know, just hurry it up on your end!"
"Don't worry. Holler if you need anything— I'll send someone with supplies!"
"I'm not lacking anything. Just focus on picking up the pace!"
"Got it. I'm about to leave Eastern State just to contact you! Without anything major happening, I won't disturb you again. It's tiring making the trip."
Tang Xiaoyu nearly fainted. "So you mean we can only communicate one way from now on?"
"Don't fuss over such details. This is safer! Gotta go."
Tang Xiaoyu barely kept himself from smashing the talisman. Still feeling glum, he heard the assembly bells ringing.
Liu Xuning walked out mid-yawn. "Let's go to the square."
"Tang Xiaoyu! Master's summoning us to the square!" Liu Yuxin yelled toward Tang Xiaoyu.
"Coming!"
The group headed toward the square and lined up.
The sect leader began speaking. "News recently came that Eastern State has fallen to demonic cultivators who massacred all the righteous sects."
"The Holy Land has ordered all Middle State sects to prepare for battle, to resist the demonic cultivators’ invasion at any time."
"Disciples of all peaks, avoid leaving the sect without due cause, lest you encounter danger."
"Yes, Sect Leader!" everyone acknowledged.
Back at Falling Leaf Peak, the group chattered about this news. Liu Yuxin asked, "Tang Xiaoyu, have you seen demonic cultivators before?"
Tang Xiaoyu shook his head. "Never seen any."
Nervously, Liu Yuxin said, "I heard they're monsters who eat human flesh, drink blood, and have fangs all over their mouths. Their nature is cruel—even their own parents aren't spared!"
Curious, Tang Xiaoyu asked, "Who'd you hear that from?"
"Everyone says so!"
Eldest senior sister cut in, "Yuxin isn't lying to you. I've witnessed it with my own eyes."
Instantly losing interest in conversing with them, Tang Xiaoyu said, "If it makes you happy." He headed off, "I'm going to get busy."
Since nothing would happen in fifty years anyway, Tang Xiaoyu decided to enjoy life for now.
"Hey, junior brother! I'm not lying to you, believe me or ask the sect leader!"
Waving her away, Tang Xiaoyu said, "You're absolutely right. I'm the ignorant one."
Watching Tang Xiaoyu leave, Eldest Senior Sister said to Liu Yuxin, "Yuxin, you have to clearly explain the terrors of demonic cultivation to him. Otherwise, he'll suffer for it in the future."
Liu Yuxin nodded. "Don't worry, Eldest Senior Sister!"