Chapter 303: That Pair of Bickering Lovers

Chu Fan’s face turned ashen after hearing all this.

“Are the government and military positions in every county of Great Xia fully staffed?” Chu Fan asked.

“They are. In fact, all positions were filled three years ago. But over the last two years, the economy has been booming, with all sectors of society thriving. The Court adapted by establishing several new ministries. A year ago, the officials specially trained by the Court began to graduate and take up their posts in the various county Government Offices. Many of the previous, less-qualified officials have since been replaced.”

“What about the Empress? Has she not yet begun her Cultivation?”

“Chu Hong drank the Drunken Immortal Brew only two and a half years ago. She has not yet woken.”

Chu Fan nodded. “Give me a brief overview of the forces the eight of you now command.”

“The Celestial Heart Hall has a total of 23,000 members. However, per your instructions, my lord, over 10,000 of them are focused on training soldiers for the Great Xia Kingdom. The core disciples of the Celestial Heart Hall include thirty-eight at the Nascent Soul Realm and over 1,900 at the Golden Core Realm, with the remainder at various other Realms. Among the nine Elders, six have reached the Integration Realm, while three are at the Divine Separation Realm Late Stage. Of our thirteen Steward Elders, three are at the Divine Separation Realm Middle Stage, with the others at the Divine Separation Realm Early Stage. Finally, of our eight hundred-plus Mentors, over five hundred are at the Soul Emergence Realm and more than three hundred are at the Nascent Soul Realm.”

“The Earth Universe Pavilion also has over 20,000 members. However, a large portion of them—more than half—are orphans we’ve taken in from various places. The cultivation levels of the others are comparable to the Celestial Heart Hall.”

“The Profound Wind Mercenary Corps hasn’t focused on increasing its numbers these past few years; they have about 8,000 members. They prioritize improving the individual Combat Power of their members. In recent years, several of the Vice Commanders have reached Integration Realm Peak. They have over sixty members at the Divine Separation Realm, with the majority at the Soul Emergence Realm. The rest are all at the Nascent Soul Realm.”

“The Yellow Storm Mercenary Corps is slightly weaker. Due to the composition of its founding members, most have mediocre talent. They have only half the number of experts at the Soul Emergence Realm and above compared to the Profound Wind Mercenary Corps. The majority of their members are in the Nascent Soul and Golden Core Realms.”

“As for Che Dagui, his wealth could now rival a nation’s. After all, Da Yu Department Store is your enterprise, my lord. The people of the Eastern Domain have experienced the benefits of the new policies and are grateful for your benevolence. To return the favor, they always consider Da Yu first when they need to purchase goods.”

Hearing this, Chu Fan frowned. ‘It’s better for a hundred flowers to bloom than for one to stand alone. If Da Yu Trading Company operates this way, aren’t they cutting off the livelihood of many other merchants?’

Chu Fan temporarily set the matter aside in his mind. He would deal with it after handling the bandits at Celestial Wave Lake.

‘For the Empire to be strong, its wealth must lie with the people.’

“Mr. Hong’s Auction House now has branches in every County City in the Eastern Domain. However, Liu Yicai has chosen to focus exclusively on the high-end market, dealing only in premium items. The frequency of auctions in each County City has been gradually reduced, with even the most active locations holding one only once a year. Some of the more remote auction houses haven’t held a single auction in two years. But even so, with over three hundred counties in the Eastern Domain, there’s always an auction happening somewhere every ten days. The schedule of auctions for the upcoming month, along with their main lots, is announced a month in advance.”

Chu Fan nodded. ‘Liu Yicai’s arrangement is sound. After all, this is no longer the initial period of rapid expansion. It’s time to consolidate.’

“As for Bufan, he has already spread his network of contacts to the other four domains. The results seem promising so far, with the only difficulty being the Central Domain. Bufan also mentioned this was your intention, my lord.”

“That’s right. A few years ago in Jianye City, I met one of Bufan’s subordinates and had her pass on the message. Regarding the Central Domain, I’ll speak to Bufan about it myself when I see him.”

“Regarding the Dark Night Envoys, Ying Xiao’s philosophy is to recruit only the elite. So, after several years of development, they only have a little over three hundred assassins. All of them have a Cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm or higher: over eighty are at the Soul Emergence Realm, over fifty at the Divine Separation Realm, and seventeen at the Integration Realm.”

Chu Fan nodded, then changed the subject. “And what of my two disciples?”

“Wen Ang and Cailing are both very diligent. They are constantly competing to see who is the senior disciple, spurring each other on. In their race to improve, both have now formed their Golden Cores.”

Chu Fan was inwardly stunned by this news.

‘Just how old are they? When he left four years ago, Wen Ang was eight and Cailing was only seven. Now, Wen Ang is twelve, and Cailing is only eleven.’

‘They’ve already formed their Golden Cores. How could Chu Fan not be shocked?’

‘How old was Chu Fan when he formed his Golden Core? Twenty-one. A full ten years older than them.’

“With the Empress of Great Xia in seclusion, who is in charge?”

“I am. However, most matters are decided through discussion among the Three Provinces and Six Ministries.”

“Alright. You may return to your duties. I’m going to see my two apprentices first.”

“My lord, who is this…?” Only now did Jing’an dare to ask about the identity of Bai Yun, who was standing beside Chu Fan.

He had initially guessed she might be Chu Fan’s daughter, but looking at Bai Yun’s age, he realized it didn’t add up. Chu Fan had only been gone for four years.

“This is Bai Yun. I’ve taken her as my younger sister.”

“And your wife…?”

“Oh, Yun Xi is fine now. She had her own fateful opportunity and is now studying under several incredible masters.”

Upon hearing this, Jing’an said happily, “Congratulations, my lord.”

Chu Fan and Bai Yun left the auction house. Once outside the city, they flew directly toward the Celestial Heart Hall.

With his current Cultivation, it wouldn’t be difficult at all to slip past the people of the Celestial Heart Hall and enter the courtyard where Wen Ang and Cailing lived, even without using the Inner Binding Seal Divine Technique.

When he and Bai Yun arrived outside the courtyard, Wen Ang and Cailing were arguing.

“Wen Ang, do you really insist on competing with me?”

“I’m not! I’m older than you, so you should call me Senior Brother. Besides, my Cultivation is higher than yours now.”

“But your Sword Technique isn’t as good as mine!”

“Master taught me the Spear Technique.”

“But Master’s greatest skill is his Sword Technique! You’re the one who insisted on learning the Spear Technique, so who can you blame? Your Sword Technique is worse than mine, so you can’t beat me. I’m the one who has inherited Master’s true legacy.”

“Bullshit.” The boy was clearly no match for the quick-witted Cailing.

“See? You can’t win an argument against me. So what if you’re older than me? You’re not even as tall as I am!”

“I…”

Chu Fan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ‘The boy is still as clumsy with his words as ever.’

He immediately pushed open the gate and stepped inside.

Hearing the noise, they both turned their heads at the same time. Seeing Chu Fan, they both grew excited.

Wen Ang was more reserved. He stood there, a little unsure of what to do, and simply called out softly, “Master.”

Cailing, however, snapped out of it and ran straight for Chu Fan.

“Master, I missed you so much!”

She threw her arms around Chu Fan’s waist.

After four years, both had grown quite a bit. Perhaps because girls often have their growth spurts earlier, Cailing was half a head taller than Wen Ang, despite being a year younger.

Cailing now came up to Chu Fan’s shoulder, while Wen Ang only reached his armpit.

Wen Ang was no longer as chubby as he’d been five years ago; instead, he looked sturdy and strong.

“Bullying your junior brother again,” Chu Fan said, gently tapping Cailing on the forehead.

Cailing pouted with feigned anger. “Master, your disciple missed you so much, and the first thing you do when you see me is hit me.”

“Alright, stop acting cute,” Chu Fan said, pushing her away gently.

Cailing then noticed Bai Yun and was struck by how cute she was, but she also felt a sense of rivalry. She asked, “Master, who is she? Is she our new junior sister?”

Before Chu Fan could speak, Bai Yun cut in, “Of course not! I’m your master’s little sister, so you should call me Martial Aunt. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you called me Master’s Wife, either. I don’t think Sister Yun Xi would mind.”

Hearing her words, Chu Fan’s mind was filled with a single thought: ‘What the hell?!’

“You’re a shameless one, little girl. You’re so young and you already want to marry my master?” Cailing laughed.

“Cailing, if you don’t behave, your Martial Aunt will spank your bottom!” Bai Yun threatened, raising a small, delicate palm.

“You can’t beat me.”

However, the moment the words left Cailing’s mouth, Bai Yun slapped her on the rear. The sound was loud, but it didn’t hurt much. Cailing’s face, however, turned red with embarrassment.

It was mainly because she hadn’t even seen Bai Yun move.

‘She knew she had gotten too cocky.’