Zhu Changle proudly lifted her chin toward her father, a gesture both playful and tempting enough to make one want to push it back down.
Thinking about how busy she had been every day, Zhu Maonian felt more concerned for her and found an excuse, saying, "Your grandmother hasn't been eating much these past few days. Don't go out today; spend more time with her and coax her to eat more."
"What? Didn't Tang Ming say grandmother was fine?" Realizing she hadn't spent much time with her grandmother since coming to Yunbei, she nodded repeatedly, "I won't go out then. I'll stay and have meals with grandmother."
Her easy compliance made Zhu Maonian's heart ache even more, and his tone grew gentler, "She might just be having trouble adjusting to the local conditions. She'll be fine once she adapts."
"Grandmother and mother haven't been out since we arrived here. Father, I want to take them to see the ocean. They've never seen it before. Perhaps seeing the sea will make grandmother feel better about everything."
Zhu Maonian didn't respond immediately, glancing at Luo Ding from the corner of his eye. Not just the women - even he hadn't ventured out alone for various reasons.
Zhu Changle asked innocently again, "Father, is it not allowed? I'll take good care of them."
Seeing that Luo Ding didn't raise any objections, Zhu Maonian smiled, "Of course it's allowed. However, you'll need to choose a day when the wind isn't too strong - your mother gets headaches in the wind."
"You really care for mother so much." Zhu Changle covered her mouth and giggled, "I'll tell her when I get back. She'll be so happy."
"Always up to such silly things." Zhu Maonian glared at her, "Didn't you say there's a sect planning to relocate here? Given their numbers, they'll need to register with the officials. I mentioned this to Lord Luo, and he has some concerns, so he wanted to ask you about it."
Luo Ding finally spoke up, "I wouldn't call them concerns exactly. I'm just curious since I've never dealt with such matters before. Could you tell me how they operate, and how their martial skills compare to yours?"
"Now that's a question right up my alley!"
Zhu Changle enthusiastically lifted her leg, about to crouch on the chair, but hearing her father's warning cough, she paused and instead crossed her legs in the chair. Though still not entirely proper, Zhu Maonian found it preferable to crouching.
After sneaking a glance at her father and seeing his apparent satisfaction, she too was pleased and continued animatedly, "Though they might seem formidable compared to ordinary people, few actually dare to break the law with their martial arts. Those who do, well, you wouldn't be able to catch them anyway..."
"Ahem!"
"Father, you must let me speak the truth!" Zhu Changle pointed to herself, "If I wanted to do something, not only would you not be able to catch me, I could go to the capital and back without anyone even noticing!"
Zhu Maonian was getting a headache, "Even if you did such things, you shouldn't broadcast it. The capital is different from other places."
"But we're all family here, aren't we, Uncle?"
Luo Ding stroked his beard, seeming both contemplative and sighing deeply, "Yes, we're family."
"See, Father? Uncle says we're family. If you interrupt me again, I won't continue!"
"Now you're threatening your father? How improper!"
"Well, will you let me speak or not?"
Zhu Maonian rubbed his forehead, "Fine, say whatever you want. Happy now?"
"That's more like it." Zhu Changle was pleased and continued, "Every sect has its own rules, generally based on being good people. If any of them bully common folk, make no mistake, they're the bad ones. Such people either get dealt with by vigilantes or handled by officials. Of course, if the officials are in cahoots with them, that's another matter entirely. Father, hold your tongue - this is the truth, and you can't interrupt me!"
Not just Zhu Maonian, but even Luo Ding, despite his hidden thoughts, couldn't help but laugh at this... well...
"Hehe." Having successfully silenced her father, Zhu Changle continued happily, "The sect that's moving here is called the Dragon-Breaking Sect - doesn't the name sound impressive? And they actually are quite impressive. They have over fourteen hundred members, and their leader is highly skilled, just a tiny bit less skilled than me."
She made the "tiny bit" gesture again, remembering she'd learned it from Qiuli, and turned to flash him a grin.
"Uncle, don't think this means he's not formidable - it's just that I'm too exceptional for him to measure up. In truth, he's quite renowned in the martial arts world, and he's excellent at management. Such a large sect has never caused any trouble. Their relocation isn't due to any problems - it's simply because they've grown too quickly and run out of room to expand where they are. If they stayed, they'd have to fight other factions for resources just to survive, which would hinder their development. Their leader is a smart person who doesn't want to waste resources that way, hence the decision to move."
Her explanation was eighty percent truth and twenty percent fiction, but because the true parts were so logical and well-reasoned, the fictional elements seemed just as true.
Luo Ding stroked his beard and confirmed, "Fourteen hundred people, that many?"
"Yes, they previously absorbed two smaller sects, which disrupted the local power balance. If they don't leave, there's a hidden danger that they might become a target for everyone else, which wouldn't be good."
"Indeed. If other forces were driven to unite against them, regardless of who would win, the losses would certainly be significant."
"Exactly, Uncle, you've hit the nail on the head!"
After smoothly offering this compliment, Zhu Changle continued, "As for whether they might cause trouble due to survival needs, there's absolutely no need to worry. They've already picked out their location, on a mountain outside the city - the one with the flat top. I've been hunting there these past few days, and game is plentiful. Also, according to Ban Lian, they have skilled shipwrights. In a coastal area, if you have ships, you'll never go hungry. Uncle, rest assured, this sect that I've persuad- I mean, brought here - I'll make sure they follow proper rules and won't affect the lives of ordinary citizens."
"I'm curious, are they all as formidable as their leader, or is he uniquely skilled?"
Noting his interest in this particular question, Zhu Changle smiled, "If they were all that powerful, that would be something else entirely - fourteen hundred expert fighters could accomplish too much. The leader is naturally the strongest, with others decreasing in skill level from there. However, I can guarantee that even their lowest-ranked members are tougher and more capable fighters than ordinary citizens."
"I see." Luo Ding immediately followed up, "When will they arrive?"
"Moving a large group isn't easy, but they can't afford to delay either. They'll come as soon as possible."
"The sooner the better, the sooner the better."
Luo Ding's breathing became somewhat urgent. Realizing he seemed too eager, he stroked his beard, noticed his hand was shaking, and tucked it into his sleeve. "Yunbei has been lifeless for too long. We desperately need some energetic people like you, Changle."
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll definitely bring Yunbei back to life."
Zhu Changle tilted her head, delivering this line with innocent charm. Luo Ding couldn't tell whether she was being intentional or genuinely naive.
