Chapter 346: The thousand dao city 16.

The third major issue concerned rare spirit herbs.

Purple Heaven Valley proposed a controlled distribution system.

They wanted exclusive rights to cultivate certain extremely rare healing herbs within city territory.

Their reason was that improper harvesting could destroy the plants permanently.

This time the opposition came from several sects that wanted access for their alchemists.

The debate became unexpectedly sharp.

Some sects accused Purple Heaven Valley of trying to monopolize medicine.

Yu Lan responded calmly.

"We are not asking to own every medicinal herb. We are asking to protect six species that take more than five hundred years to mature. If everyone harvests them freely, there will be nothing left for the next generation."

Her argument was difficult to refute.

Still, the Heavenly Sword Sect representative asked whether the valley was willing to share cultivation techniques with other sects.

Yu Lan smiled.

"That is another discussion."

Mo Yuxin quietly said, "She is good."

Su Yubing nodded.

"Very."

Then came Cangming Palace.

They requested expanded control over several shipping routes connecting Thousand Dao City to the southern coast.

Their argument was that the Palace had the largest fleet of spiritual ships and the best understanding of maritime dangers.

Again, the proposal was reasonable.

Again, everyone had a reason to object.

By midday, the assembly had barely progressed through half the agenda.

Luo Qinghe returned to their side with an exhausted expression.

"This is why I hate politics."

Su Yubing offered her a pastry.

"Eat."

Qinghe accepted immediately.

"You are wonderful."

Mo Yuxin looked at Su Yubing.

"Where did you get that?"

"I bought it before we entered."

"You did not buy one for me."

Su Yubing stared at her.

"You ate three already."

Mo Yuxin thought about it.

"I still want one."

Su Yubing sighed, opened her storage pouch, and gave her another.

Mo Yuxin accepted it happily.

Qinghe watched them.

"You two really are like this all the time?"

"Like what?" Mo Yuxin asked.

"Like you are the only two people in the room."

Su Yubing laughed.

"She does that."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"I like focusing on my wife."

Qinghe smiled.

"That is actually sweet."

Ning Shuyue appeared behind her.

"She has been telling everyone about your marriage."

Qinghe turned.

"Because it is cute."

Ning Shuyue said nothing.

Qinghe leaned against her.

"You would also tell everyone about us if you were less shy."

Ning Shuyue glanced at her.

"I am not shy."

"You are."

"No."

"You held my hand under the table for two hours yesterday because you were embarrassed to do it in public."

Ning Shuyue’s ears became slightly red.

Mo Yuxin smiled.

Su Yubing looked delighted.

"You two are adorable."

Luo Qinghe immediately nodded.

"Exactly."

For a little while, the politics of the great sects seemed far away.

Then the Battle Maiden Sect’s turn arrived.

The topic was resource distribution.

Specifically, the allocation of the **Moonfall Spirit Vein**, one of the largest shared cultivation territories in the central region.

The spirit vein was exceptionally valuable because it contained water and earth spiritual energy in unusually balanced quantities. It was ideal for many forms of cultivation, especially body refinement and combat techniques.

The Battle Maiden Sect had used part of it for generations.

Their existing agreement gave them access during certain seasons.

Ye Qinglan stood.

Her voice was calm.

"The Battle Maiden Sect requests renewal of the existing seasonal allocation and equal access to the secondary cultivation grounds."

There was a pause.

A man from Golden Mountain Sect shook his head.

"The current agreement was created when the Battle Maiden branch had considerably greater strength."

Ye Qinglan looked at him.

"The agreement is not based on the number of disciples we currently possess."

"It was based on the contribution each sect made to the protection of the territory."

"And we have fulfilled our obligations."

The man smiled.

"Have you?"

Mu Qingru’s eyes hardened.

"Watch your words."

The man remained calm.

"I mean no disrespect. But your sect has requested emergency assistance from the city three times in the last two years. You have lost several affiliated resource routes. Your younger disciples are performing below previous standards. Your defensive formations are visibly deteriorating. Under those circumstances, it is reasonable to question whether your sect can still contribute equally."

The hall became quiet.

Ye Qinglan’s expression did not change.

But Mo Yuxin saw the smallest movement in her hand.

Her fingers had curled into a fist.

Ji Ruyan’s eyes also darkened.

Su Lian quietly touched Ruyan’s sleeve.

A reminder to stay calm.

Another elder spoke from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

"The Battle Maiden Sect has already received enough privileges."

That sentence carried more weight than the others.

Several representatives nodded.

The elder continued.

"Their position in the Southern Continent has been protected for generations because of old respect for their founders. But the younger generation cannot live forever on the achievements of their ancestors."

Ji Ruyan’s face changed.

Su Lian grabbed her hand beneath the table.

Ruyan squeezed back.

She stayed silent.

Ye Qinglan answered calmly.

"We have never asked anyone to respect us because of our founders. We have asked to be judged by the same standards as everyone else."

A different elder laughed quietly.

"Then perhaps you should accept the same standard."

"We are."

"Then you should accept that the allocation should be reduced."

Ye Qinglan looked around the hall.

"Based on what evidence?"

The elder from Azure Cloud Sect stood.

This was Qin Shuying, the formation elder Mo Yuxin had noticed earlier.

She carried a jade tablet.

"We have reviewed the resource agreement and the contribution records of the last twenty years. The evidence indicates that several defense commitments from the Battle Maiden Sect were not fulfilled."

The tablet floated into the air.

Images and records appeared.

There were lists of missions.

Dates.

Names.

Formation reports.

Contribution figures.

The data appeared clean.

Too clean.

Mo Yuxin watched the projection. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Su Yubing leaned closer.

"You see something."

"Yes."

"What?"

"The dates."

"What about them?"

"They were modified."

Su Yubing looked at her.

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TO BE CONTINUED.