Chapter 32: Plan

Before long, after handing the newly-made pouch to Tietou, Lin Xiao looked at everyone.

Sun Yigao didn't really want to follow the trend, so he decisively refused, saying, "I'll go home this afternoon and bring some cloth to make my own."

Then, seeing Liu Yunan and the others eager to get theirs, he added, "I'll bring some cloth for you guys too. My family has plenty."

He seemed to have an air of someone who was carefree with money.

Before Liu Yunan, Qin Jianghe, and Lin Yun could refuse, Sun Yigao made the decision, saying, "Let's do it that way. I'll bring it all at once this afternoon, so we don't have to make extra trips."

Since Sun Yigao was so keen on being generous, no one declined, especially Liu Yunan, who only had two waistbands. If he gave one away, he'd have nothing to change into.

They gratefully thanked Sun Yigao, while Jiang Youfu and Hu Liang excitedly played with their storage bags.

As the day approached noon, realizing they had little time left, Lin Xiao quickly organized everyone to head upstream to continue their mud-digging project.

Of course, before that, Lin Xiao, Jiang Youfu, and Hu Liang had to hastily find some grass to tie their pants together, as they had given away their waistbands.

After finishing the mud-digging, the group returned to the sect for lunch, while Sun Yigao went back home to fetch the cloth.

When Sun Yigao returned, carrying an entire bolt of fabric, Lin Xiao immediately used it to make four more storage bags.

One of the bags, made with the most fabric and having the largest storage space, naturally went to Sun Yigao. The remaining three, of average size, were distributed among Qin Jianghe, Lin Yun, and Liu Yunan.

An ordinary day passed by quickly.

Before heading down the mountain at sunset, Lin Xiao discussed the division of labor within the sect.

Upon hearing that they were being appointed as elders, everyone was quite pleased.

Lin Xiao then addressed the only two who hadn't received positions, Liu Yunan and Jiang Youfu, saying, "These positions are mainly for leadership roles in the sect's current needs. Other roles will come as the sect grows and our resources increase, so don't feel bad."

Liu Yunan smiled and said, "Brother Xiao would never shortchange me; I'm not worried."

Jiang Youfu nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Brother Xiao will definitely keep me in mind."

With that, Lin Xiao informed everyone, "Tomorrow is the big market day in town, and I'm planning to go with my father to make some money for the sect."

Qin Jianghe, intrigued, immediately asked, "What are you planning to do to make money, Brother Xiao?"

Lin Xiao flashed his bright white teeth and said, "With this!"

"I plan to take some flour and sell it as a special tooth-cleaning powder. I'll demonstrate it on the spot. How about that? Not a bad idea, right?"

Tietou nodded enthusiastically. "If I had money in my pocket, I'd definitely be willing to spend it on that!"

The others also agreed. After all, the results of the teeth-cleaning method were indeed impressive!

Then Lin Xiao turned to Jiang Youfu. "Youfu, how's your purification spell practice coming along?"

Jiang Youfu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "It's… okay, I guess? I tried using it to clean my teeth this morning, but nothing really happened…"

Lin Xiao nodded.

Sun Yigao then said, "Brother Xiao, let me try that spell too."

It was then that Lin Xiao remembered he hadn't yet given the spells to the newly advanced Sun Yigao and Liu Yunan. He quickly retrieved the prepared copies of Purification Technique, Beast Speech, and Binding Technique from his private stash and handed them out.

After distributing them, he reminded everyone, "These spells are now yours. For those of you who haven't reached the first level of Qi Refining, focus on your cultivation first. Once you advance, you can practice the spells in your free time. But don't lose sight of the bigger picture—higher cultivation levels allow us to use more spells."

He then gave some additional advice on practicing spells and turned to Qin Jianghe, saying, "Jianghe, as the newly appointed finance elder, can you come with me to town tomorrow?"

Qin Jianghe nodded excitedly. "Of course! My mother is going to the market too, so we can go together!"

Seeing that Tietou and Jiang Youfu also looked eager to join, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "You guys should stay here. We don't need too many people for this. Focus on your cultivation."

Jiang Youfu looked frustrated. If only he had mastered the Purification Technique, he could have been part of tomorrow's trip.

Seeing Jiang Youfu's expression, Lin Xiao immediately knew what he was thinking and said, "Youfu, don't get too caught up in this. The higher your cultivation, the easier it will be to learn and use spells. If I find out you're neglecting your cultivation just to focus on spells, I'll have to give you a good beating."

Jiang Youfu quickly shook his head, his cheeks wobbling as he promised, "Don't worry, Brother Xiao! I'll definitely focus on my cultivation."

After discussing their plans, they bid farewell to their friend, Little Luan, and headed down the mountain together.

When Liu Yunan arrived home, he found his mother sitting by the stove, looking worried.

"Mom," he called.

Hearing her son's voice, Liu Yunan's mother snapped out of her daze and smiled weakly. "You're back?"

Liu Yunan walked over to the stove, checking the fire and noticing the food hadn't burned. He asked, "How's little sister?"

At the mention of this, his mother's face filled with worry again. "She's back, but she still has a fever. We went to the clinic in town, and after taking some medicine, she hasn't improved. The money I brought only covered the consultation and one dose of medicine…"

She leaned on her hand, exhausted, and said, "The doctor said that if her fever doesn't go down by tomorrow, it could be serious… I'm so worried she won't pull through…"

Liu Yunan felt utterly helpless. At just twelve years old, he wasn't strong enough to take on manual labor, and with his broken arm, even less so.

He clenched his fists and walked to his sister's room. "I'll go check on her."

Meanwhile, as Lin Xiao entered his home, he immediately sensed something was off. Looking up, he saw his father, Lin Dayou, sitting at the head of the table, arms crossed, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

Lin Yun sat beside him, upright and proper, waiting to eat.

Seeing Lin Xiao hesitating at the door, Lin Dayou found the situation amusing. He cleared his throat and said, "What's this? You had the guts to cut someone's tendons last night, but now you're acting all timid?"

Lin Xiao knew that with the village's fast-spreading gossip, his father was bound to find out.