Everything seemed to be in Gong Xue’s control, but in reality, each of the three had their own thoughts.

An Wanggui and An Cheyan did indeed like Gong Xue.

But neither of them were fools; they could somewhat see that Gong Xue had an agenda in approaching them.

Gong Xue wanted to use their deep cultivation to seek revenge, and that much was true.

But she was also aware that they both had suspicions about her.

They all knew that the other party had impure intentions, yet they each chose to deceive themselves.

Gong Xue was filled with hatred; she didn’t consider herself worthy of or allow herself to be soft-hearted. She repeatedly warned herself that she was just using An Wanggui and An Cheyan and couldn’t afford any unnecessary emotions.

Once they agreed to cooperate in the act, and once they chose to feign ignorance, they had already deeply fallen into the situation.

Yiqu Liushang had a leader and two great Elders.

The leader was undoubtedly Gong Xue.

The two Elders were Lin Chi and Wen Yi, as mentioned by Gong Xue.

Why was the power distributed this way?

This had to be explained by the first time Gong Xue became a hands-off manager.

Yiqu Liushang was indeed founded by Gong Xue; initially, she was its only member.

Gong Xue wanted revenge and thus began to build her own force, searching across the three realms for those oppressed by Liao Sixin.

Liao Sixin, in his ambition to build Qingjue Sect, subjugated some scattered sects with his odd practices, leaving many dissatisfied. However, with Meng Yi by his side for protection, those people could only bear their anger in silence.

Gradually, those people were found by Gong Xue and became her allies.

While developing her forces, Gong Xue witnessed the brutality of the three realms.

Many ordinary folks were displaced, living as beggars. Gong Xue, kind-hearted as she was, impulsively brought these people back to Yiqu Liushang.

She gave them land, shared some food, and built houses for them.

People from all over the three realms mixed together; slowly, Yiqu Liushang became lively, and Gong Xue’s force grew gradually stronger.

Gong Xue was adept at managing extraordinary individuals, but handling the mundane affairs of distant relatives and neighbors was a headache for her.

So, Gong Xue decided not to deal with it, instead appointing two Elders to take care of these trivial matters.

The two old fellows often had differences of opinion, frequently engaging in endless arguments and even fights countless times.

But this time, they had harmed the common people, and this matter was a bit excessive, requiring Gong Xue herself to step in and resolve it.

Yiqu Liushang.

When Gong Xue and the others arrived, it was already late at night.

A full moon hung over the deep mountains, with a few chirps marking the waves of clouds.

Yiqu Liushang, situated at the junction of heaven and earth, was not the dark and damp place one might imagine. Instead, it resembled a small village in the Mortal Realm, peaceful and pleasant.

By the moonlight, one could see the neatly arranged houses with tiled roofs. The faint glow of lanterns in this night was quite ordinary, yet it always brought warmth to the heart.

Walking along the cobblestone path, the three saw a patch of bright light ahead. Perhaps because of the many gathered candles, the path was as bright as day.

The chaotic noise ahead broke the peaceful night of the small village.

They walked closer and saw many people holding lanterns, gathered as if watching a spectacle.

“The Mistress has arrived!”

Hu Xingtang’s loud voice rang out. In an instant, everyone in front turned to look, and upon seeing Gong Xue, they respectfully called out, “Young Mistress,” then made way for her.

Gong Xue walked boldly through the narrow path, with An Cheyan and Hu Xingtang following behind.

An Cheyan glanced at the people standing on either side. Some were demons, some humans, and there were ghosts and minor immortals as well. Most of them were elderly, women, and children.

An Cheyan found it quite amazing that people from the three realms could truly live together in peace and harmony.

In any other place, this would be impossible.

But this was Yiqu Liushang, a place founded by the girl walking ahead. A place of such harmony, from ancient times to the present, from heaven to earth, who else could achieve this?

Only she had done it-the girl he liked, this miraculous girl. For the first time, An Cheyan felt proud of his affection for Gong Xue.

As they reached the front, they finally saw what had happened there.

As they approached, two old men walked over.

One had white hair and a beard, dressed in a blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns. His eyes were a bit small, but his eyebrows exuded sharpness. He had a rather mean-looking face. The other had his hair tied up in a bun, with strands of white starting to show. His clean-shaven face was free of stubble, but his skin was slightly loose and lined with deep wrinkles.

He didn’t look as mean as the first; rather, he seemed a bit kind.

The mean-looking old man: “Lin Chi.”

The kind-looking old man: “Wen Yi.”

“Greetings, Young Mistress.”

Upon seeing Gong Xue, the two old men were still very polite and respectful.

Gong Xue narrowed her eyes at them, her expression cold. Her gaze passed over them to the scene behind. An old woman in coarse cloth and hemp sat on the ground, with two people engaged in a physical struggle nearby. Even upon seeing Gong Xue approaching, they showed no sign of stopping.

“Granny Xie, why are you on the ground again? What happened this time? What’s displeasing you now?”

The old woman on the ground, upon seeing Gong Xue, amped up her performance, lying there and wailing in a loud, melodramatic voice: “It’s unfair—How can anyone live in this world—”

She acted like an unruly scoundrel, kicking up a fuss.

The thinner, younger man involved in the brawl spoke up: “Granny Xie, no one can be this shameless! We generously helped you pick the tea, yet you’re still demanding payment even though it wasn’t our fault the tea field got destroyed!”

The slightly older, middle-aged man next to him let go and, still disgruntled, retorted: “Why should we? We’re victims too! My mother is this old, and our family also depends on that tea field for a living. Now that it’s destroyed, my wife is bedridden at home, her life hanging in the balance. We can’t even afford her medical expenses, let alone anything else! The tea field is gone, and we’ve lost our year’s entire income!”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man started crying, snot and tears running down his face.

The lamenting, the crying, and the bickering made it seem like a full-blown drama unfolding. Annoyed by the commotion, Gong Xue shouted loudly, “Enough! Quiet, all of you!”

The chaos instantly fell silent.

Gong Xue turned her stern face towards the two Elders and demanded, “Explain the trouble you’ve caused here. How do you propose to handle this?”