Yuyang Daozi was still somewhat puzzled, but then he saw Chu Xingchen casually pull out two tokens.
One was rather ordinary in quality, inscribed with the characters Xuanwu... it looked rather like a token from some mortal dynasty.
Yuyang Daozi searched his memory for a moment, but truly couldn't recall any dynasty in the Central Plains associated with the name Xuanwu.
It was most likely some obscure kingdom from some remote backwater.
The other token, however, was rather renowned — the Tianyan Token of the Tianyan Sect.
Yuyang Daozi pondered briefly, and soon understood what Chu Xingchen meant by a "face-saving token."
Yuyang Daozi suppressed a smile at the corner of his lips. Aside from being infuriating, Chu Xingchen's words were sometimes genuinely amusing.
He could take the most serious matters and express them in the strangest ways — cutting straight to the point, yet never losing his sense of humor.
Still, a Taodao Token of the same tier as the Tianyan Token was something Yuyang Daozi could provide. After all, barring any surprises, Yuyang Daozi was the next sect master of the Taodao Sect.
But such a token was far more than just a matter of saving face.
Li Xingtian had once leveraged a Tianyan Token given by Bai Xuanling to mobilize an entire squad of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Tianyan Sect.
Yuyang Daozi transmitted his voice in reply: "You can use the Tianyan Token, but I can't exactly hand out a Taodao Token."
Chu Xingchen gave him a look that was difficult to read, his gaze skeptical as he studied Yuyang Daozi — was this kid dreaming a little too big?
What if Li Junzi actually became a Sub-Sage someday?
Confucian cultivators might not command much respect among ordinary cultivators, but a Sub-Sage was an entirely different matter.
A Sub-Sage was essentially a walking weapon of karmic annihilation, carrying the destiny of the entire human race upon their shoulders.
In future conflicts, forget about anything else — just standing at the front of their own camp without saying a single word, that righteous aura would be overwhelming enough on its own.
They would embody the moral authority of the entire world.
Granted, Li Junzi was still a long, long way from becoming a Sub-Sage, and it was hard to say whether he could reach that realm in this lifetime.
But in Chu Xingchen's eyes, if Li Junzi could truly achieve enlightenment, he would naturally have a chance at becoming a Sub-Sage.
Unfortunately, Yuyang Daozi was still young after all, his mind filled with nothing but cultivation. He didn't yet understand that righteousness had always been what won people's hearts.
"Who wants your Taodao Token? I've been keeping a low profile these past few years, so not many people know me. Taking my token out would only leave people baffled," Chu Xingchen continued via voice transmission.
"Unlike your reputation as the invincible cultivator of your generation, Yuyang Daozi — I just need something intimidating. When it comes to actual business, I'll naturally use the Tianyan Token."
Yuyang Daozi didn't hesitate at these words. If that was all he needed, it was naturally no problem. He casually produced a pale white jade tablet inscribed with the characters Yuyang.
This token had no specific function — by any practical measure, it was essentially Yuyang Daozi's personal calling card.
Whenever he met someone he found agreeable, he would casually hand one out. The bearer could use it to visit the Taodao Sect and seek him out for a chat.
After all, without such a token, an outsider trying to climb the mountain was essentially wishful thinking.
Even passing along a message depended on whether your cultivation was high enough to warrant attention.
They couldn't very well have some random Foundation Establishment kid demand an audience with Yuyang Daozi by name and actually have the Taodao Sect disciples at the gate relay the request, could they?
Beyond that, the token couldn't be used to demand money or order people around.
However, given Yuyang Daozi's prominent reputation, carrying this token would generally deter anyone from deliberately causing trouble.
Chu Xingchen examined the jade tablet in his hand, struck by the thought that the Eighteen Immortal Sects really did carry themselves with prestige. Even their calling cards looked expensive.
Once he made a name for himself in the Central Plains, he'd have some of these made for himself too.
It was about time he issued his own personal face-saving tokens.
Wanhua Ridge.
Li Yingling sat steadily in the central command tent, furrowing her brow slightly as she picked up her brush to run through some calculations. Suddenly, she asked Zhang Miaoyu, who was organizing things nearby:
"Has Master replied from the Xuanqing Heaven Sect?"
Zhang Miaoyu swept her divine sense over the pile of envelopes before her and quickly answered:
"The lead escort hasn't spotted one, miss..."
Li Yingling sighed softly at this, then asked instead: "Has any news come back from Junzi Mountain?"
Zhang Miaoyu scanned through the pile once more, then replied in a low voice:
"There's one letter delivered by Golden Sparrow Wing Feather. It arrived just today."
As her words fell, Zhang Miaoyu handed the letter over to Li Yingling.
Li Yingling opened the envelope, skimmed through its contents, and then let out a breath of relief. She couldn't help but complain:
"Master really is too much — running over there in person and not even sending word to let me know. He just loves making me worry."
"He dumps this entire sect into my hands to manage, while he swans off being a hands-off sect master. Must be nice."
From outside the tent came a voice Li Yingling knew extremely well.
"Who told my eldest disciple to be so reliable and hardworking?"
Li Yingling looked up quickly toward the entrance.
She saw Chu Xingchen striding forward with his disciples behind him, among them an unfamiliar young man. However, this stranger's aura was remarkably composed — clearly a formidable expert at a glance.
He was probably not a newly recruited disciple of Master's, but rather a friend from somewhere.
Watching Chu Xingchen approach with a smile on his face, Li Yingling's somewhat stern expression softened. Her tone was no longer the calm detachment of recent months, carrying instead a hint of petulant warmth:
"That's still no excuse for Master to exploit his disciple."
Chu Xingchen nodded with an understanding expression, then deftly retrieved some exquisitely crafted trinkets from his spatial ring.
Among them were jade hairpins with remarkably fine carving, small accessories, and dainty earrings.
Though Li Yingling could be rather sly, as a woman she had always loved beautiful things. She had specifically purchased three cabinets for her room, dedicated solely to storing clothes.
Yet although she loved buying clothes, she preferred cheap goods from the mortal world, never purchasing the more resplendent garments crafted by immortal artisans.
Naturally, this might also be because she was considerate of her master's difficulty in earning spirit stones.
She was the very model of spending where it mattered and saving where it didn't.
When unsure of what to gift Li Yingling, these pretty little accessories were always a safe bet.
Chu Xingchen hadn't been stingy this time either. He'd been fairly well-off lately, so everything he'd bought was genuinely good — sourced from the Suya Immortal Pavilion.
Proper top-tier immortal goods.
Take the jade hairpin, for instance. Not only was it exquisitely crafted, but it had been imbued with spiritual energy and inscribed with some sort of Starlight Technique. Under moonlight, it would shimmer faintly in resonance with a corresponding star in the heavens.
Chu Xingchen had tested it himself — the glimmer was indeed like scattered fireflies, not the garish brilliance of wearing a lantern on one's head. And it genuinely did correspond to a specific star in the sky.
It even possessed some defensive capabilities against illusions.
Chu Xingchen had to admit — it was genuinely beautiful.
But this thing was a bit of an idiot tax — meaning it was absurdly expensive.
Still, considering how diligently his eldest disciple had worked all this time, Chu Xingchen steeled his heart and bought it.
He was also buttering her up in advance so he could be a hands-off sect master later.
One more thing worth mentioning — Yuyang Daozi's face was apparently quite useful. Just showing up had gotten him a twenty percent discount.
Next time he went to a major shop, he'd definitely bring Yuyang Daozi along.
Chu Xingchen put on a stern face, waved the items in his hand, and raised an eyebrow:
"Exploit?"
The moment Li Yingling's eyes fell on the jade hairpin in Chu Xingchen's hand, her expression softened instantly.
"Master must have misheard. Everything inside and outside the sect depends on Master's hard work and labor. I've merely done what little I could."
Chen Baiqing, following closely behind her master, smiled at these words and cast an amused glance at Chu Xingchen.
It really had to be Master.
Cui Hao rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
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