Chapter 365: The thousand dao city 34.

Ye Qinglan stared.

Su Yubing covered her face.

"Do not answer questions like that."

Mo Yuxin looked confused.

"It is true."

Luo Qinghe laughed.

Even Ye Qinglan smiled.

But the smile faded as the night deepened.

The next morning, the medicine storage was almost empty.

The spirit stone vault contained less than a third of what the sect believed it should have.

Two more affiliated merchants withdrew support.

Another outer disciple disappeared.

And a sealed message arrived from the city assembly.

The message accused the Battle Maiden Sect of violating another ancient agreement.

This time the document was even more convincing.

Mu Qingru crushed it in her hand.

"They are moving faster."

Ye Qinglan’s voice remained calm.

"Yes."

Ji Ruyan looked at the other disciples.

"What do we do?"

Ye Qinglan looked around the room.

For several breaths, she said nothing.

Then she answered honestly.

"We survive."

The words were not heroic.

They were practical.

And that was exactly what the sect needed.

That evening, Su Yubing found Ye Qinglan alone on the rooftop of the main hall.

The city stretched below them, full of lights and flying ships.

Ye Qinglan looked tired.

Su Yubing stood beside her.

For a while, neither woman spoke.

Finally Ye Qinglan said, "Our sect has spent decades pretending it was stronger than it was."

Su Yubing turned toward her.

Ye Qinglan continued, "We kept telling the younger generation that everything was fine. We hid the shortages. We refused to show weakness. We thought if everyone believed we were still strong, the other sects would hesitate to challenge us."

Her voice became quieter.

"It worked for a while."

Su Yubing did not interrupt.

Ye Qinglan looked out over the city.

"Then the resources began disappearing. The old alliances weakened. Our best disciples were sent farther and farther away to protect our remaining territory. We started using older formations because we could not afford new ones. Every year, we told ourselves we would recover next year."

She smiled sadly.

"Now there is almost nothing left to pretend about."

Su Yubing was silent for several breaths.

Then she said, "That does not mean you are weak."

Ye Qinglan looked at her.

Su Yubing continued, "You are still standing."

Ye Qinglan’s eyes softened.

"Is that enough?"

"For today, yes."

"And tomorrow?"

Su Yubing smiled.

"Tomorrow you stand again."

Ye Qinglan looked at her for a long moment.

Then she laughed quietly.

"You make it sound simple."

"It is not simple."

Su Yubing looked at the city.

"But sometimes complicated things become manageable when you stop trying to solve everything at once."

Ye Qinglan nodded.

"You are very different from your wife."

Su Yubing smiled.

"I know."

"She looks like she could walk into a battlefield and ask everyone why they are wasting her time."

Su Yubing laughed.

"That is accurate."

"And you?"

"I would probably ask them to stop first."

Ye Qinglan laughed again.

The conversation made her feel lighter.

Neither woman realized that Mo Yuxin was sitting on the roof one level above them, leaning against a chimney and quietly waiting for Su Yubing.

She had no reason to listen.

She just wanted to stay close.

When Su Yubing finally came back downstairs, Mo Yuxin immediately stood.

"Done?"

"Done."

"Can we go eat?"

Su Yubing smiled.

"Yes."

Mo Yuxin took her hand.

"Good."

They walked toward the dining hall.

The sect had a simple dinner that night.

There was rice, vegetables, roasted spirit chicken, and a small amount of fruit.

Mo Yuxin sat beside Su Yubing.

She quietly moved the best pieces of chicken onto Su Yubing’s plate.

Su Yubing moved half of them back.

Mo Yuxin moved them again.

Su Yubing stared at her.

"We are not doing this."

Mo Yuxin calmly said, "Eat."

"You need food too."

"I have plenty."

"You ate three plates yesterday."

"Exactly."

Luo Qinghe watched them from across the table.

She leaned toward Ning Shuyue.

"I think they are going to start sharing one plate soon."

Ning Shuyue replied, "They probably already do."

Su Lian looked at Ji Ruyan.

"Do you think we are like that?"

Ji Ruyan almost choked.

"Eat your food."

Su Lian smiled.

"That means yes."

Ji Ruyan’s ears turned slightly red.

By the end of dinner, everyone was laughing.

For a few hours, the sect felt almost normal.

But the next dawn brought a new crisis.

The message from the Golden Mountain Sect arrived just after sunrise.

The sect claimed that an important convoy had been attacked during the night.

The attackers were masked.

A Battle Maiden Sect insignia had been found at the scene.

The Golden Mountain Sect demanded an explanation.

And before Ye Qinglan could even answer, three other sects sent notices declaring their support for the Golden Mountain Sect.

The city was changing around them.

The conspiracy had reached the point where one more incident could turn political pressure into open war.

Ye Qinglan looked around the strategy room.

Mu Qingru’s expression was grim.

Ji Ruyan held the new notice in both hands.

Su Lian stood beside her.

Luo Qinghe and Ning Shuyue had come to help.

Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing were at the back of the room.

Mo Yuxin’s face was calm.

Too calm.

Su Yubing looked at her.

"What are you thinking?"

Mo Yuxin answered quietly.

"They just made their final mistake."

The words stayed in the room.

Nobody asked Mo Yuxin what she meant because everyone there had already watched the conspiracy tighten around them day after day. The important thing was that Mo Yuxin’s tone contained none of the excitement that usually came before a young cultivator made a reckless declaration. She sounded almost bored, as if someone had finally done something predictable enough to make the next move obvious.

Ye Qinglan folded the notice from the Golden Mountain Sect.

"What do you see?"

Mo Yuxin looked at the document. "They are done testing us."

Mu Qingru’s expression sharpened. "Us?"

"Everyone involved," Mo Yuxin said. "The people behind the attacks were willing to risk damaging Golden Mountain property.

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TO BE CONTINUED,