Chapter 36: Cold as Snow's Decision!

  Leng Ruo Xue sat in the main seat, thinking for a long time. Then, her gaze wandered back and forth over the robbers in the center of the hall...

  The robbers in the hall, including the butler and the second butler, couldn't guess what was on Leng Ruxue's mind, but each of them had some unease in their hearts, as if their fate was about to undergo some kind of change, which made their hearts feel very unsteady.

  "Great leader, I don't think I know your name yet?" After a moment, Leng Ruoxue asked with a hint of amusement, looking at the group of robbers who seemed somewhat uneasy in the grand hall.

  "Miss, my surname is Wang and my name is Long, I'm 55 years old, unmarried, with no bad habits, height..." The butler heard Cold Ruo Xue ask his name and was about to introduce all eight generations of his ancestors, but was stopped by Cold Ruo Xue.

  "Stop! I'm not asking you to marry me, you don't have to be so clear about it." Leng Ruoxue said with a few black lines on her forehead, somewhat helplessly.

  "Huh! I thought Miss would know better!" Wang Long said with some embarrassment, glancing at the group of robbers who were covering their mouths and snickering, feeling a bit annoyed in his heart... Ugh, he's lost face again!

  "I just need to know your name, Second Master, and you?" continued Leng Ruoxue.

  "Miss, I'm Wang Ren. Although both the steward and I share the same surname, we are not related by blood; it's just a coincidence!" The second steward said with a smile.

  "Got it." Leng Ruo Xue was somewhat speechless, she had discovered that these bandits were so foolish, alas! With two such unorthodox leaders, how could these bandits be clever?

  "Housekeeper, arrange a quiet place for us to stay. We don't like to be disturbed!" Leng Ruoxue continued to instruct.

  "Miss, the back mountain is indeed very quiet, but... it's been a long time since anyone lived there, so..." The steward said with a difficult expression, only half of his words were spoken before he dared not continue.

  "Has it been abandoned?" asked Leng Ruoxue calmly.

  "Yes, it has been abandoned for a long time." The housekeeper said truthfully. Since the back mountain often had beasts coming to make trouble, over time, no one lived in the back mountain anymore.

  "It doesn't matter, there are so many of you, it'll be over soon." said Leng Ruo Xue disapprovingly.

  "Alright then!" The butler replied, although he didn't want Cold Snow and the others to live on the desolate back mountain, but since Miss wanted to stay, he couldn't very well refuse her.

  "Miss, it's a bit late today, why don't you all just stay here for the night and tomorrow morning I'll take them to collect their things, then you can move over there?" After thinking about it, the housekeeper carefully sought Cold Snow's opinion.

  "En, can." Leng Ruoxue nodded her head in agreement.

  "Hehe, young lady and gentlemen, please follow me." The butler bowed and said respectfully.

  Leng Ruo Xue and others followed the housekeeper to their residence. After arranging everything for them, the housekeeper tactfully withdrew.

  In the room as cold as snow.

  After Da Guanjia left, Leng Qingtian and others came here without exception.

  "Xue Er, the burden of these bandits is not small!" Leng Qingtian said with some helplessness, although he had been here for less than an hour, but he also had a general understanding of the situation here.

  "Girl, you're not thinking of supporting these people for nothing, are you?" The old man couldn't help but ask.

  "I'm not a savior, and I don't have any relationship with them, why should I support them for free?" Leng Ruo Xue said somewhat helplessly. She herself had a hard time making ends meet, let alone taking care of others. And what she hated the most were people who wanted to reap benefits without putting in any effort. So, those people could forget about relying on her. However, she was willing to think of ways for them to make money, which would also allow them to prove their own abilities. After all, robbery wasn't a lucrative business anymore!

  "Girl, haven't you already subdued them?" The old man asked somewhat puzzled, in his opinion, subduing should mean making them one's own people, right? How come the girl's meaning seemed different from what he thought?

  "I'm talking about taking them in, this place is so big, we can't even use it all ourselves, and they have nowhere else to go, so I took them in and let them continue living here." Leng Ruoxue explained, although those bandits were all Xuan Masters, their strength wasn't bad, and having such a powerful force wasn't something to be taken lightly, but she wasn't too satisfied with those people, because on the bodies of those bandits, she couldn't see the qualities of being a strong person or wanting to become one!

  "Oh, that's good." The old man felt relieved. To be honest, those people still couldn't enter his eyes, even if their strength was above his.

  "If it's Snowy, then what are you going to do with these people?" Lin Liang couldn't help but ask.

  "Tomorrow I'll ask the steward about the situation in Wanshan City and then make a decision!" Leng Ruoxue thought for a moment, as the old man had only told them a general idea of Wanshan City before he left, so she still needed to ask the steward about the specific circumstances.

  "Alright, let's all get some rest early today!" Leng Qingtian said, and with that, he was the first to leave Leng Ruoxue's room, followed closely by everyone else.

  After Leng Qing Tian and others left, Leng Ruo Xue took Yao Jiao into the ring.

  "Hehe, Xue'er, those bandits really aren't suitable for you." Wu appeared in front of Leng Ruo Xue and Yao Jie, smiling lightly.

  "Yes!" Leng Ruo Xue also had some regrets, those bandits weren't her cup of tea, but since she had already taken them in, she couldn't just drive them out now!

  "Xue Er, you want to know about Wan Shan Cheng's situation? I can tell you something." Wu said with a smile.

  "Tell me about it." Lan Ruoxue's curiosity was piqued.

  "Wanshan City is very mysterious, no one knows how this city composed of mountains appeared. However, Wanshan City has its own rules. For thousands of years, countless families have wanted to monopolize Wanshan City, but none have succeeded. As a result, there are many and varied forces within Wanshan City. Like the bandits on this mountain now, their strength is not bad, but their influence in Wanshan City can only be considered as unremarkable."

  Every year, there will be strong people or Xian Shi coming to Wanshan City. Some of them are for the opportunities in Wanshan City, while others are here to escape because they have offended some aristocratic families. The terrain is very complex here, so even if those aristocratic families stretch their hands far and wide, it's not easy to find someone in Wanshan City.

  "All the business in Wanshan City is monopolized by the five major forces. If other forces want to survive, do they have to rely on the five major forces?" Leng Ruoxue thought for a moment and asked.

  "It should be, these five major forces have been operating in Wanshan City for many years, and their influence has long been deeply rooted. That's why they can stand tall in Wanshan City for many years without falling. Hehe, little girl, you don't want to replace them, do you?" Wu asked with a slight raise of her eyebrow, calm and composed.

  "I had this idea, but I don't know if those robbers have the courage for it." said Leng Ruoxue with a light smile.

  "They definitely didn't, otherwise they wouldn't be living such a mediocre life. It's a pity! They're wasting their talent!"

  "Tomorrow, I'll have a talk with those two stewards. If they still want to loaf around like before, then don't blame me for washing my hands of them." said Leng Ruoxue coldly.

  "It's good to talk with them, but I hope they know how to seize the opportunity." There was no agreement in his words, and a faint smile hung on his extremely handsome face.

  "Hmm, let's take a rest first." Leng Ruoxue said, and then pulled the demon into the Purple Bamboo House.

  The day after tomorrow.

  Early in the morning, the two stewards led a group of strong men to the back mountain to help Leng Ruxue and others clean up their dwellings.

  After nearly a day's effort, I finally managed to tidy up a few decent rooms.

  After collecting everything, the housekeeper took Cong Ruo Xue and others to the back mountain. After leading them around for a circle, the housekeeper opened his mouth with some tension and asked: "Miss, are you satisfied?"

  "Alright, let's make do!" Leng Ruo Xue looked at the barren hillside and the thatched cottages on the mountain, then glanced at the steward's expectant gaze before reluctantly speaking up. Alas! This hillside is indeed unusually desolate! The houses are actually covered with straw, can they be sturdy?

  "Miss, time is too tight and can only make do for now, but don't worry, I've already asked the servants to find wood." The steward assured.

  "It doesn't matter, just make do with this house!" said Leng Ruoxue indifferently, anyway they wouldn't really live in this room.

  "Miss, you will temporarily stay here for now, and I'll have someone send over food." The butler said.

  "Don't worry about our food, but I do have some things to say to you two." Leng Ruoxue said, glancing at the two stewards.

  "Ah! Miss, please speak." The butler said respectfully, but his heart was racing because he really didn't know what Leng Ruo Xue wanted to say to him. He had no idea what she was thinking!

  "Housekeeper, you and I will have a talk about the situation in this mountain stronghold. Besides what I've seen, I want to hear the truth." Leng Ruoxue pulled Yao Jiao along, found a clean spot to sit down, and then said to the housekeeper.

  "The...the..." The steward hesitated for a long time, unsure of how to begin.

  "Miss, let me say it!" The second housekeeper spoke up.

  "Good." Cold as snow, she nodded slightly.

  "Our entire mountain stronghold has over 1,500 people, basically relying on robbery and hunting to make a living...” The second housekeeper couldn't continue speaking because this was truly too embarrassing. A dignified Grandmaster would actually go hungry - if this got out, it would be laughable!

  "Is it a problem even filling our bellies?" Leng Ruoxue said, not unexpectedly. With so many people guarding a mountain, it's strange if they don't exhaust its resources!

  "Hmm! Sometimes I'll skip a meal or two." said the second housekeeper in a low voice.

  "Is it just occasional?" Cold-as-snow lightly raised her eyes and asked faintly.

  "No, I'm often hungry." The second housekeeper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke the truth, wooo... Miss gave him a lot of pressure, why is that? Miss's strength was clearly not as good as his.

  "Although I don't know why you've come to Wanshan City, I can tell you that as a Xuan Master, ending up like this is truly a failure." Leng Ruoxue said frankly. The status of Xuan Masters on the Haotian Continent was extremely noble, and with their abilities, they would have received good treatment no matter which aristocratic family they joined. However, now they could hardly even get enough to eat!

  "We were getting along just fine, but then more and more people started showing up at the mountain stronghold, so..." The second-in-command tried to make excuses, but his words trailed off halfway through.

  "Are there more and more people who eat idle rice? Don't tell me, those old men, children, and young women don't need to work, just waiting for food every day?" Leng Ruoxue guessed.

  "Of course they don't have to work, supporting the family is a man's job!" The second son-in-law said matter-of-factly, and on this point, he still shared the same idea as his elder brother.

  "Are their bodies so weak that they can't do anything?" Leng Ruo Xue said somewhat speechlessly. Among those people, although there were only a few Xuan Masters, all of them, including the children, were Ling Masters, and many were even Ling Gods. To think that in the Lingfeng Continent, Ling Gods were already the strongest, so how could they be so weak here that even self-sufficiency was a problem?

  "That's not it, but they're family members!" The second housekeeper couldn't help but explain.

  "Doesn't your family need you to support them?" Leng Ruo Xue was somewhat surprised, humph, did she have a problem with her understanding?

  "It's a man's responsibility to support his family." Er Guna said in a low voice, with a hint of weakness.

  "Is that right? Listen up, since I'm in charge here now, let me tell you, from today on, I won't be supporting them for free. If they want to live a good life, they must work hard." Leng Ruoxue was getting angry and said impatiently, she really couldn't understand the way these men thought, clearly unable to support their families yet still liked to put on a show of being rich.

  "Miss, this cannot be!" The steward hastily said.

  "In Wànshān City, apart from the five major powers, other forces find it very difficult to survive. Unless they attach themselves to one of these powers and become their vassals, they are not allowed to do business in Wànshān City at all. Even when we sell the prey we hunt to the shops belonging to the five major powers, we can't make much money." The steward continued to explain, sighing, "People who don't understand the true situation of Wànshān City won't know how hard it is to make a living on one's own in this city!"

  "So, are there still forces like yours?" Leng Ruoxue asked incredulously. These cultivators were also too easy to bully!

  "There are, actually many masters who came here hoping to create a business, but unexpectedly, survival is so difficult." The steward sighed and said that when he first arrived, he was also full of ambition, but time had worn away his edges. Now his greatest wish was for the brothers under him to live well, and he would be satisfied.

  "Have you ever had such thoughts?" asked Leng Ruoxue tentatively.

  "It has happened." The butler nodded, speaking honestly.

  "What if I gave you such an opportunity?" asked Leng Ruoxue with a faint smile.

  "Eh? I don't understand what you mean, miss?" The butler asked somewhat foolishly.

  "If I'm not mistaken, your greatest wish right now is for your subordinates to live a good life, isn't it?" Leng Ruo Xue said with some understanding.

  "Yes." The butler nodded.

  "If you want them to live well, then there's only one way: become one of the five major powers or surpass them. Do you have what it takes?" asked Leng Ruoxue with a faint smile.

  "This I naturally know, but this is impossible, the five major powers are fundamentally irreplaceable." The steward said in astonishment, his face full of incredulity.

  "Remember, in this world, no one is irreplaceable. The fact that the five major powers have not been shaken so far only proves that those who want to replace them are not strong enough. Now, I can give you an opportunity like this. Whether you can grasp it or not depends on whether you have the courage." Cold Snow said calmly.

  "Miss!" The butler was about to speak, but was interrupted by Leng Ruo Xue.

  "You don't need to say anything now, I'll give you one day to think about it. If you've made up your mind, come find me here! However, if you still want to maintain the status quo, I won't force you. But those subordinates of yours, I won't raise them for nothing." Leng Ruoxue said, then leaned against the demon and closed her eyes, no longer speaking.

  "Yes, miss, I will consider it carefully." The housekeeper said and left with the second housekeeper.

  "Xue Er, do you think they will agree?" The two housekeepers left, and the demon asked with some curiosity.

  "I will." Cold as snow, she slightly opened her eyes and said with great certainty.

  "Why?" The demon was somewhat puzzled. Those people's strength was not bad, but they were like a plate of loose sand, used to being at liberty. If you wanted them to do something earth-shaking, it would probably be difficult!

  "Monster, you said that since survival is already a problem here, why do so many strong people still want to live here? With their abilities, they would be treated well in any noble family." asked Leng Ruoxue.

  "Xue Er, it seems that the old man is living quite well here, so this can only explain that it's not a problem with survival here, but rather there's something wrong with them themselves." The demon said thoughtfully.

  "Well said, so if they can recognize their own problems, there's still hope for them. Otherwise, just wait and see the mountain empty itself! Don't forget, I've already said I won't interfere with them." Leng Ruoxue lightly laughed and said.

  "Xue Er, with their current strength, it's probably difficult for them to be on par with the five major powers. However, they're not clear about our trump card. What if they retreat...?" The demoness intentionally said half of what she meant, leaving out the other half.

  "That can only mean they don't have that luck, but the big steward looks stupid and is actually very clever, so I'm sure he'll agree." Leng Ruoxue explained.

  "I hope so." The demoniac raised an eyebrow and said.

  "Monster, I'm sleepy." Leng Ruo Xue said, then closed her eyes again.

  The demoniacus shook his head somewhat helplessly, then picked up Leng Ruo Xue and walked directly into the room.

  The next day, as soon as it was dawn, the two stewards came to report for duty.

  In a room as cold as snow.

  "Miss, we've thought it through, and we're willing to fight for our future life. But, Miss, do you really have a way to help us?" The steward asked eagerly as soon as he entered the room.

  "All you need to do is believe me, and that's enough." said Leng Ruoxue calmly.

  "Yes." The butler replied, he had thought for a long time yesterday and also discussed with his brothers, finally making up his mind.

  "The first thing you have to do is to put all the nearby mountains into your pockets within three days!" Leng Ruoxue gave her first order.

  "Miss, this...this is very difficult!" The butler hastily said, almost scaring out a cold sweat.

  "What's the big deal? It's just a few divine beasts, isn't it?" Leng Ruoxue said nonchalantly.

  "Miss, it's not a divine beast, but a super divine beast. There are five mountain peaks in this area, and the masters of the other four peaks are all super divine beasts. So, dealing with them will be very difficult." The steward wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and explained.

  "Is it a ninth-level super beast?" asked Leng Ruoxue with some curiosity.

  "Hmm! That's not it, the strength of those few super divine beasts should be equivalent to that of a human Sovereign Emperor. So, in order to deal with them, I don't have full confidence." The steward said somewhat helplessly, sighing, "Ah, ninth-grade super divine beasts aren't that easy to encounter!"

  "What are you afraid of? I'll let Bai Xue go with you, that should be fine, right?" asked Leng Ruo Xue.

  "What about that white tiger? Ah! That's absolutely no problem." With the help of others, the housekeeper felt at ease. If he added that white tiger to deal with those few super divine beasts, there would be absolutely no problem.

  "Then you can set off now!" said Leng Ruo Xue as she summoned her beasts.

  "Uh, miss, what's...?" The butler looked at the more than a dozen small and delicate, extremely cute beasts in front of him, somewhat dazedly asking, "Miss, what does this mean? He was confused!"

  "Silly big ones, we're going to cheer for you!" The baby leaned in Cold Snow's arms, smiling and saying, hehe, actually, they strongly demanded to go see the excitement.

  "Huh! There's even a cheerleading squad!" The steward was somewhat depressed, taking these lovely little animals to fight, did he have to protect their safety too?

  "Housekeeper, don't worry about them, they can take care of themselves." Leng Ruoxue saw the housekeeper's thoughts and comforted her, saying that her beasts were not just ornaments to be admired.

  "Yes, I understand." The butler replied, however, although he said it clearly with his mouth, in his heart, he still decided to protect these lovely little ones well, except for the white tiger that likes to disguise itself as a kitten.

  "Girl! You can't forget about us! We're going too." At this time, Lao Tou and others walked in from outside, looking at Han Xue with a hint of resentment.

  "Whoever wants to go can just go together!" Leng Ruoxue said with some helplessness, sighing! These old men are really afraid that the world is not chaotic enough!

  "Miss, are they going too?" The steward asked with a bitter face, uh... He found himself even more depressed. Taking care of these little beasts was not enough, now he had to deal with these old men as well, and they were all Miss's family members! If something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Miss!

  "Great steward, don't worry, we won't trouble you, we can take care of ourselves." The old man hastily comforted, alas! It seems they were considered a nuisance, I really don't know who is the real big nuisance!

  "Hmm, great steward, they don't need you to manage either." Leng Ruoxue said with a smile.

  "Hmm! I know." The butler said, but in his heart he couldn't help but think that if they didn't need him to take care of things, what would happen if they really encountered some danger?

  "Can we set off now? Butler, you only have three days! Hurry up!" The old man urged, looking like he was more anxious than the person himself.

  "Miss, let's get going." The butler said with a stiff upper lip, somewhat helplessly.

  "Hmm." Leng Ruoxue suppressed her smile and nodded.

  Then, the two stewards led a cheering squad consisting of many small animals and old men, and set off with a flourish...

  Their first destination was the mountain peak closest to their hideout, whose master happened to be a white tiger.

  At the foot of the mountain.

  Everyone and the beasts stopped.

  "Kitty! The master of this mountain is one of your kind, hurry up and call it out for me to admire!" Feng Zhan flew in front of Bai Xue with a hint of provocation, smiling slyly.

  "Get lost, you dead bird! I don't want to see you right now." Bai Xue said, somewhat exasperated. Being sent out by his master to do such a trivial task was already frustrating enough, and now he had to be mocked by this stinky bird, it was infuriating, no, it was infuriating for a tiger!

  "Hey! Stop arguing, let's go up the mountain and take a look!" The butler intervened, saying that the Super Divine Beast was different from humans. The peak where the Super Divine Beast resided had no guards, so as long as humans didn't accidentally intrude and disturb the beast, they wouldn't be in any danger.

  "No need to bother, just let this little kitty meow and it's done, hehe!" Feng Zhan said with a sly smile. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot have two tigers. If the white tiger in the mountains knew that there was a rival at the foot of the mountain, it would definitely come out without hesitation!

  "Hmph! You made me howl, so I'll howl! How humiliating for me." Bai Xu said with a twist of his small face, proudly.

  "Isn't that right? Hehe!" Feng Zhan didn't say another word, and directly spat out a ball of fire, burning onto Bai Xu's butt...

  "Ahh!" Without any mental preparation, Bai Xue let out a loud cry of pain. Instantly, the tiger's roar echoed throughout the entire mountain valley...

  The butler's forehead was immediately covered in cold sweat as he thought to himself, "No way! How dare that little red bird be so bold, actually burning the tiger's butt? Everyone knows you can't touch a tiger's butt, let alone burn it!"

  But before the big housekeeper could continue to think wildly, a loud roar came from the mountain: "Which little brother dares to come to my territory and make trouble?"

  Right after that, a white shadow as fast as lightning appeared in front of everyone and the beasts...

  Digression

  Thank you dear jenhui and Xiaoliu for sending flowers.

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  Thanks for voting for me yesterday, dear.