How to Properly Use the Sect Leader, Part 1

After Su Qing spoke, the scene fell into a silent atmosphere.

Wang Quan, with a half-smile, didn’t respond, and the onlookers didn’t leave either.

Su Qing thought to herself, Good thing I didn’t raise a finger and pull a ‘Your concubine demands justice’ act, or this would be even more awkward.

Compared to that kind of embarrassment, this was nothing. She coughed lightly, acting unfazed.

Seeing Wang Quan still silent, she maintained her composure and prompted, “Sect Leader?”

Shouldn’t he give some reaction?

Wang Quan sighed faintly. “You’ve beaten me to the punch.”

He was used to being the one to play the victim first, never expecting to be outmaneuvered.

“Fine.” He closed his fan with a frail air, tapping her stall with the fan’s frame. “Come with me to Clear Spring Pavilion.”

It was like a principal summoning her to the office.

Su Qing’s mind sprouted a question mark. “Why?”

Wang Quan smiled calmly. “To have a heart-to-heart.”

A heart-to-heart? They barely knew each other. What heart? What talk?

In her past life, her only interaction with her principal was stuffing complaints into the suggestion box. She vaguely recalled his name, but he had no clue who she was.

Now, transmigrated, she’d somehow landed the treatment of complaining to the sect leader and getting dragged for a talk.

She glanced around. Everyone had paused, some sneaking peeks, others openly gawking.

Su Qing, loyal to one faction, didn’t know how other sects’ leaders or elders behaved. Leaving the secret realm, she’d seen Yan Yi Sect and He Rong Faction elders—stern, imposing, with disciples trailing respectfully, absorbing their teachings.

But Sword Sect? Things were weird.

Her sect leader was a sickly figure everyone mocked.

Rumored to lack the strength to truss a chicken, he’d fall to a breeze, weaker than a Qi Refining child.

With such a frail body, his cunning, sharp-tongued nature made him a target.

Without Xiaoyao Immortal’s Tai’a Sword protecting him, he’d have been sacked and beaten in an alley long ago.

Since he never put on airs, Sword Sect students didn’t fear him. Roasting him on the confession wall was routine. This month alone, the contribution point issue had fueled a thousand posts cursing him.

Now was no different. Students from various factions didn’t bother hiding their curiosity, eyes wide as bells.

Su Qing had never seen them this lively in class. A familiar stall owner even mimed slitting a throat.

She couldn’t read their signals. Kill the sect leader? Surely not.

They cursed him privately, but publicly, everyone gave him face.

She couldn’t exactly dethrone him.

Su Qing pocketed her disciple tablet, stuffing her herbs into her storage bag. Wang Quan watched her guarded movements with a smile, saying nothing. When she was nearly done, he flicked his fan open.

A breeze hit, and Su Qing’s vision blurred. Next moment, she was mid-air in an unfamiliar room, about to crash. Twisting in mid-air to land gracefully, she saw a wicker chair scrambling beneath her on its four legs.

She landed smoothly in it, jolted. Looking up, a plaque read: Clear Spring Pavilion.

The fan tapped the desk again. Su Qing’s gaze snapped forward. Wang Quan sat across, white sleeves billowing like a crane in snow. His striking features and clear eyes gave him an ethereal air.

But then he spoke, ruining it.

“How much benefit will you give me?”

Su Qing caught his subtext: I’ll back you, but what’s my cut?

This…

Aren’t you the Sword Sect leader? A student complains, and your first thought is a bribe?

No wonder he didn’t say it publicly—he dragged her to Clear Spring Pavilion for this “heart-to-heart”! @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Not a shred of a sect leader’s dignity. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Su Qing opened her mouth but couldn’t name a figure. Her small business wouldn’t impress him even if split in half.

If she couldn’t name a price, she wouldn’t. This was a rare chance. Sitting straighter, leaning forward, she countered, “How much do you want?”

“If I say we’ll give you more than the Song Family—whatever they offer, we’ll add ten percent.”

Zhu Xing’er had told her Tianque City had few spirit fields, unable to grow spirit plants. Sword Sect owned them all. The Song Family, dealing herbs in Tianque City, relied heavily on Sword Sect, though they had other sources.

They dared steal her business? She’d take it back—and more.

A herb trade? No big deal.

Wang Quan didn’t bite, asking leisurely, “What’s your basis for saying that?”

“No basis,” Su Qing said, switching terms. “A pawn.”

“Sword Sect can use us as a test. You invest nothing, just let my herbs be the bait to see how much profit my friends and I can make. If we succeed, will you grant us ten percent more supply to keep testing?”

Wang Quan blinked slowly, silent.

Profit didn’t sway him. To move him, inducements wouldn’t work.

With a smart opponent, hiding cards was futile. The weaker side had to show their hand first.

Summoning courage, Su Qing took a risk.

“The Song Family is the Song Family, but I’m a Sword Sect student.” Her tone was slow, steady. “Different stance, different actions.”

Wang Quan’s smile vanished. A constant smiler turning serious was striking.

He set the fan aside, asking coldly, “Do you know Tianque City’s Song Family is a distant branch of Shenzhou Plain’s Song Family? Though the bloodline’s thin, Song Huiyi and Song Huisi, sisters from the main family, studied here a generation ago. How do you know they won’t leverage that connection?”

Pressing harder, “You’ve offended the Qi Family. Even with Qi Tianning’s protection, it’s only because they see you as weak, not worth crushing. You’re on a cliff’s edge—one misstep, and you’re done. Crossing the Song Family now—what’s in it for you?”

He didn’t ask, but he wondered: How does this unremarkable yet bold student know I’ll back her? What gives her such confidence?

Wang Quan knew his reputation well.

Su Qing was resolved—she’d see this through. His shift didn’t scare her; it ignited a spark.

She didn’t flinch. “I’m a Sword Sect student. You won’t throw me to the wolves!”

Her words carried more force than she expected.

This belief drove her to join Sword Sect, to turn to her friends, seniors, and teachers in times of need.

She had eyes. She could doubt Wang Quan’s stance, but not that a Sword Sect leader loved the sect.

When Guan Jiayu died, those tied to him fell one by one, yet the mastermind Liu Xiaofeng escaped. Su Qing didn’t believe Sword Sect had no hand in it.

Wang Quan went silent, then smiled—a real smile, his eyes warm with amusement.

“That’s the benefit I want.”

Su Qing’s eyes lit up. A deal?

Testing, she asked, “Can you front some goods?”

Wang Quan leaned back, twirling his fan, and in her hopeful gaze, coldly said, “No. No money.”

Her smile froze. She stopped smiling too.

She wanted to tear his fan apart!

Wang Quan eyed her warily. “Are you cursing me in your head?”

“Not at all,” Su Qing said blankly. “I can swear a heart demon oath.”

The phrase sounded familiar, so Wang Quan was certain. “You definitely cursed.”

“…Whatever makes you happy,” Su Qing muttered, forcing a smile. “What about my Honey Spirit Tea?”

Wang Quan smiled back. “Depends on my mood.”

His mood?

Su Qing gritted her teeth, daring not to snap, cursing inwardly: Dog thing.

…

Post-Clear Spring Pavilion, Su Qing got nothing from Wang Quan, but her herb-trading sideline was greenlit. She’d exploited a loophole, diverting some of Sword Sect’s profits to herself.

She knew Wang Quan wasn’t one to take losses—he’d come for his share later. But as a mere Qi Refining student with some wealth, binding herself to a titan like the Sword Sect leader was her gain.

If this deal worked, business would keep coming.

Wang Quan had told her, “Do you know where Sword Sect’s spirit plants come from? Some from our herb fields, but most from back-mountain trades. You know your edge, don’t you?”

After gathering the herbs, Su Qing handed them to Zhu Xing’er. Though trusting, Zhu Xing’er hadn’t expected such swift success.

Gripping Su Qing’s hand, she exclaimed, “Thanks to you! Now it’s my turn. Wait to count the money!”

That day, she led her caravan toward Yinlan City.

Su Qing stayed at Sword Sect, cultivating and plotting to reclaim Honey Spirit Tea.

Relying on mountains or rivers was shaky; relying on the sect leader just brought grief. In the end, she relied on herself.

Warned by Wang Quan about the Song Family’s ties to Shenzhou Plain’s main branch, Su Qing grew cautious. His words were infuriating but true. Tianque City’s Song Family was already a giant within her reach; if the main branch noticed her, she’d be crushed.

So, she planned a long game, waiting for Zhu Xing’er’s results to pressure Tianque City’s Song Family.

But fate had other plans. Three months later, Honey Spirit Tea was hers again.

By chance.

That day, a ragged, travel-worn group entered Tianque City, their journey’s hardship evident.

Planning to grab a meal at West Market, one remarked, “When did this place get a spirit tea shop?”

Thanks to Su Qing’s eye-catching shop design, it drew attention instantly.

Someone suggested, “We’ve got time. Why not try it? Looks unique and affordable.”

With one leading, others agreed, entering Honey Spirit Tea.

It was routine. They ordered happily, but when paying, the sisters glanced at each other in turn. The youngest, dismayed, cried, “I lost my storage bag in the realm!”

“My entire fortune!”

Losing everything was bitter, prompting her sisters to console her.

“No big deal. You couldn’t scrape together a hundred spirit stones anyway.”

“You used the good stuff for body refining. What’s left wasn’t worth much.” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

“Honestly, sometimes I wonder why you carry a storage bag. It’s empty—pretending to be rich?”

Their heartfelt comfort deepened her despair.

“Can we pay later? We’ll settle tomorrow.”

Su Qing, helping in the shop, had a hunch about their identities. She said, “It’s fine, not much money. This one’s on me.”

They didn’t protest, thanking her generously, sitting to chat over tea. All normal.

Until a young male cultivator came to buy tea for his junior sister. “Weird. Didn’t you have a shop in East Market? Why’s it Song Family’s now? My sister said your business was booming, with half-day lines. I went today and saw their sign.”

Before Su Qing could speak, Jia Song snapped, “Transferred? Stolen! Robbed!”

He spat “robbed” with venom, as if he’d devour the Song Family.

The five tea-drinkers perked up, eavesdropping. It wasn’t a secret—the Song Family’s actions were shady. Su Qing saw no reason victims couldn’t speak out, so she let Jia Song rant again.

She’d grown numb to his repetitions.

But Jia Song was still fired up.

The five women were even more so, outraged. “How can this happen under Sword Sect’s watch?!”

Perhaps because Su Qing treated them, they wanted to right her wrong. “Didn’t you appeal to Sword Sect?”

Su Qing thought, Appeal? I went straight to the sect leader!

He said it depended on his mood. What could she do?

Seeing their indignation, she said gently, “Sisters, I’m a Sword Sect student. If I’m right, you’re from Body School. I’m a first-year, your junior sister.”

She knew most second-year Body School students, but these five were new faces.

Likely third-year Body School seniors, back from their first off-campus training.

She guessed right. The five were thrilled, calling her “junior sister,” pinching her muscles, praising her training.

Praising her muscles made Su Qing grin and treat them again.

The lead senior said, “Great job. True Body School spirit.”

But after the sisterly bonding, their resolve to fight for Su Qing grew.

She hinted, “I’ve asked the sect leader for help, but he’s busy, maybe too tied up to act.”

The sisters exchanged looks, as if holding back choice words—too crude for their junior sister.

Finally, one sighed, “Why pick the least reliable guy for justice? Any clerk would be better.”

The lead senior disagreed, smiling confidently. “He’s not weak—you’re just using him wrong.”

“Junior sister, watch. I’ll show you how to handle the sect leader!”