Seeing Qian Renxue choose to help him without hesitation, Lin Beiya felt a surge of emotion in his heart.
No matter how strained his relationship with Spirit Hall became, this woman's feelings for him were genuine.
"I want to establish my own power in Saliker Province."
"This is also the content of the first trial, which will be determined by the prosperity of the power."
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue immediately exclaimed,
"Sarikel!"
It wasn't Lin Beiya's idea of establishing a power that shocked her, but rather how dangerous the place of Sarikel was.
Due to its proximity to the entrance of Slaughter City, the density of Evil Soul Masters here was more than ten times higher than in other places.
Many Evil Soul Masters, driven to a dead end by Spirit Hall, would choose to enter Slaughter City from the easternmost part of Sarikel to survive.
With a large number of Evil Soul Masters, the urban construction of Sarikel was self-evident.
It could be said to be quite poor.
Except for the capital, other areas were basically occupied by Evil Soul Masters or criminals, making it impossible for ordinary residents to survive, and merchant caravans dared not risk coming here to do business.
It could be said that the livelihood of the entire province relied on assistance from the Heaven Dou Empire.
And Sarikel had always been a hot potato in Xue Ye's heart; he dared not abandon it, risking universal condemnation.
However, the disproportionate annual expenditure to tax revenue gave him a headache, not to mention having to send troops from time to time to clear out the saturated number of Evil Soul Masters.
"Why choose Sarikel? It's really too dangerous."
"And there's basically no development potential there; any power established would hardly grow."
Lin Beiya naturally understood what Little Angel said; in reality, he wanted absolute control over Sarikel.
If it were any other territory, Xue Ye would naturally not agree, but there was a high possibility of taking over Sarikel, a territory already disliked.
Another point was that Sarikel was the only way to Slaughter City.
Since he might very well confront Tang San in the future, preventing him from entering Slaughter City was also a very good option.
"Xue'er, precisely because there's not much development potential there, isn't it easier to gain control from Xue Ye's hands?"
"This..."
Qian Renxue was momentarily speechless, but she was still unwilling for her man to develop in that barren land.
"Have you really thought it through?"
"Even if Xue Ye agrees to hand over this place for you to manage, the news of you not being dead will be exposed, and then Bibi Dong might send people to bring you back."
A hint of helplessness flashed across Lin Beiya's face, and he said ingratiatingly:
"Hehe, so I came to you for help, didn't I?"
"Do you have any trustworthy Spirit Saint-level powerhouses under you? We can use his name to acquire the management rights of Sarikel; I won't show myself directly."
Qian Renxue did not answer directly, but after some thought, she said:
"An unfamiliar Spirit Saint-level powerhouse isn't the problem, but how will you make Xue Ye transfer control of Sarikel?"
"Even if Xue Ye doesn't want that place, he can't abandon territory without a good reason."
Upon hearing this, Lin Beiya pulled out a ganoderma-like plant from his spirit tool.
"This is an Ancient Ganoderma; after consumption, it has the effect of strengthening the body, and most importantly, it can greatly increase lifespan."
"I think Xue Ye will be interested."
The Ancient Ganoderma was something Lin Beiya casually picked when he was shaking down Dugu Bo; now it was just right to exchange it with Xue Ye for the management rights of a useless piece of land.
Although this ganoderma was not an Immortal Herb, the effects it brought were more suitable for dignitaries like Xue Ye.
"Moreover, we are not asking Sarikel to secede from the Heaven Dou Empire; we just need absolute management rights. I believe he won't refuse."
Taking the ganoderma, Qian Renxue didn't ask much; she also felt that Xue Ye had a high probability of agreeing.
After all, the other party had complained to her more than once about how much Sarikel was draining his funds.
"Alright, I'll go see Xue Ye tomorrow to explain this matter. You can stay here for a night first."
Lin Beiya naturally had no reason to refuse. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Qian Renxue with a mischievous smile, making her feel uneasy all over.
"What are you looking at? Get some good rest, don't think about doing anything bad!"
"What bad things?"
Seeing Lin Beiya's expression of 'I don't know what you're talking about,' Little Angel immediately ground her teeth in frustration. It was bad enough that he disappeared for half a year, but he comes back and annoys her?
Knowing that he was suspected of taking advantage and then acting innocent, Lin Beiya immediately changed his smile.
With a Teleportation, he appeared in front of Qian Renxue, and amidst Little Angel's surprised cry, the two disappeared into her boudoir.
Tens of seconds later, Qian Renxue's laughing scolding could be heard in the secret room, which then slowly transformed into a siren's song.
The silent night stretched long.
It wasn't until morning that the refreshed pair emerged from the secret room.
Qian Renxue gave her man a glare and said:
"After breakfast, I'll go see Xue Ye. You can do whatever you want and wait for me to come back."
"Okay, thank you, Xue'er."
"You rascal!"
...After breakfast at the Princes Mansion, Lin Beiya began to wait patiently.
It wasn't until noon that Qian Renxue returned.
And the development of the matter was unexpectedly smooth; Xue Ye, who already disliked Sarikel, readily agreed to the request of the Spirit Saint under Qian Renxue.
Of course, that Ancient Ganoderma also truly came in handy. Xue Ye couldn't stop smiling when he heard about the miraculous uses of the ganoderma.
Although the lifespan of a Spirit Master was longer than that of an ordinary person, Xue Ye, whose Cultivation talent was not outstanding, could not live many more years than the average person. This ganoderma would undoubtedly allow him to enjoy imperial power for longer.
The price was merely giving up a barren land he already wanted to abandon, and the other party also promised not to secede from the Heaven Dou Empire.
He could save a lot of military expenses and material aid, and also gain a ganoderma that extended his life for free. Why wouldn't he be happy?
That damned Spirit Hall drove all the Evil Soul Masters into Sarikel and then ignored them, ultimately leaving the Heaven Dou Empire to clean up their mess. Now, he could finally throw away this hot potato without damaging his reputation.
Xue Ye was too happy to refuse!
"You guessed it; Xue Ye didn't hesitate for a second and agreed to transfer the management rights of Sarikel."
"Heh, that's not hard to guess; he saves money and gets benefits."
"Do you need my subordinate to go to Saliker Province with you?"
Lin Beiya knew she was referring to the Spirit Saint who appeared before Xue Ye and refused:
"No need, as long as he doesn't appear before Xue Ye again, that's fine."
Qian Renxue did not insist, but asked with some concern:
"You only have three people; how exactly will a power be established?"
"I have my own plans for that. Firstly, Ming Xin's third Spirit Ability can perfectly solve the problem of insufficient manpower. Secondly, I don't have much management experience, and too many people would be difficult to manage."
"Third Spirit Ability?"
Qian Renxue was a bit curious about what kind of Spirit Ability could solve the manpower problem.
"His third Spirit Ability can imbue inanimate objects with Soul and perfectly control them. Those objects imbued with Soul can then be used as soldiers for the main city."
"Oh, and Xue'er, I'll also need your help in crafting a few hundred sets of armor and matching weapons."