Listening to Fang Yu’s words, which seemed perfectly reasonable, Xin Fu found himself at a loss for words to refute.
Yes indeed, for us Xuan Sect people, anyone with a little ambition, when has it ever not been dangerous?
Getting injured during training and experiences outside, that’s just routine, and even dying out there isn’t a rare occurrence.
Looking at Yun Ran standing silently, Fang Yu didn’t know why he suddenly felt inexplicably nervous.
There was an underlying voice in his heart telling him that if he missed this opportunity, he might struggle for a lifetime, stuck in such a small place like Licheng.
"Temple Master Yun, rest assured, we will sign the life-and-death contracts in advance and absolutely won’t bring you any trouble!"
The others quickly echoed: "That’s right, Temple Master Yun, we’re all willing to sign the life-and-death contracts..."
Fang Yu and the others, though they might just tag along and do some grunt work, at least had the qualifications to do so.
Xin Fu glanced at Yun Ran, obviously waiting for her decision.
Yun Ran did not directly refuse: "Let’s talk after you go back and report to your elders."
The chance to train in a place like Death Mountain with someone powerful greatly reduces the mortality rate, and such opportunities are hard to come by.
"Temple Master Yun is right, we’ll go back and inform our elders at once."
Saying this, Fang Yu left two companions to continue hosting Yun Ran’s group while he hurried back with several others.
Not wanting to disappoint Fang Yu and the others, Yun Ran thoroughly enjoyed the pre-arranged hospitality before comfortably going back to rest.
Early the next morning, Yun Ran had just gotten up when Ginsengfruit informed her that not only had Fang Yu come with the life-and-death contracts, but even one of Fang Yu’s mentors had come along.
"Host, I think they want to bask in your glory and gain some experience points~"
Yun Ran tidied up briefly before heading to the reception room to meet them.
At the sight of Yun Ran, Fang Yu and his companions quickly stood up, their attitude a bit more respectful and reserved than before.
Fang Yu tactfully introduced, "Temple Master Yun, this is my mentor, Du Jun, who was also one of the personnel previously responsible for guarding the outskirts of Death Mountain."
Du Jun smiled brilliantly, leaning forward slightly: "Temple Master Yun, your visit here truly brings glory to our Sihui Sect..."
Hearing this, Yun Ran knew that the people from Sihui Sect must have figured out her background overnight.
"So it’s Senior Du, please have a seat."
Du Jun sat down, but only took up one-third of the seat.
"Temple Master Yun, you’re too kind. There’s no need for you to call me senior. If you’re willing, just call me Old Du."
No kidding, although he was older than Yun Ran, in her presence he didn’t dare to assume any seniority, nor dare to boast.
Last night, when they hurriedly inquired about Yun Ran’s identity, they were shocked, as she was a confidant of Director Xie.
Even though she is no longer at the Special Administration Bureau, Du Jun was sure that Yun Ran’s word carried more weight than many of the ministers there today.
Not to mention, despite her young age, Yun Ran had managed to gain the bureau’s special permission to start an independent faction.
Even if the Sihui Sect were filled with bravado, they couldn’t act arrogant in front of Yun Ran.
Forget being called senior; even if Yun Ran called him Little Du, he would have to agree with a smile.
Yun Ran can be quite amicable when she feels like it. Seeing how much face the Sihui Sect people were giving her, she naturally wanted to return the favor.
"Then I’ll call you Uncle Du. Might I ask, Uncle Du, if there’s any particular reason for your visit this time?"
Upon hearing Yun Ran call him Uncle Du, Du Jun’s impression of her improved significantly.
He quickly relayed the previously agreed upon matters.
"Death Mountain is indeed extremely dangerous. Even the locals there don’t dare to take any risks, and the terrain is complex and volatile..."
Towards the end, Du Jun occasionally glanced at Yun Ran’s facial expressions, trying to gauge if she was put off by them attempting to hitch a ride on her coattails.
Even after he finished speaking, Yun Ran’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, leaving Du Jun unsure of what to think.
He hadn’t expected someone as young as Yun Ran to be so composed.
But considering Yun Ran’s achievements, he felt it all made perfect sense.
"It’s alright if you want to come along, but let me be clear, those who enter must follow my instructions, or deal with the consequences themselves!"
To be honest, Yun Ran didn’t really need any extra help.
In the past, she wouldn’t have bothered whether these people wanted to gain experience, but now, she is the temple master of Qingfeng Temple.
So she needs to think about the temple’s reputation and earn some goodwill.
Of course, gaining a good reputation means complying with people she finds agreeable; if not, then they shouldn’t even think about getting involved.
"You should make more preparations; we leave tomorrow!"
Du Jun, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude, recognizing it as a rare opportunity to be led by someone so powerful.
Left in the room now were only Yun Ran and Ginsengfruit.
Ginsengfruit looked at Yun Ran, somewhat frustrated: "Host, if you are trying to make Qingfeng Temple well-known, what will we do if more people come to us in the future?"
Ginsengfruit actually didn’t want to bring people along, after all, bringing people also meant responsibility. They couldn’t just take people out and let them die there, could they?
"I’m not a saint, bringing whoever asks; I do have my conditions for helping people."
Ginsengfruit still seemed a bit dissatisfied, feeling somehow shortchanged.
Yun Ran poked Ginsengfruit on the forehead: "You are going to be the senior brother of Qingfeng Temple, you shouldn’t have such a sense of losing out.
In the future, Qingfeng Temple will be involved in many things, such as maintaining peace and doing justice.
But before doing these things, our temple must have a good reputation, at least in such a way that when people mention Qingfeng Temple, they think of fairness and justice."
Ginsengfruit muttered: "But that sounds too laborious, and it always feels like becoming a sucker, getting taken advantage of."
Yun Ran had no intention of forcefully changing Ginsengfruit’s mindset, responding straightforwardly: "But you can’t have people associating Qingfeng Temple solely with stinginess and parsimony.
I’ve emptied my pockets to establish Qingfeng Temple. What if my Junior Uncle finds out and scolds me?"
At the mention of Junior Uncle, Ginsengfruit, who was previously refusing to relent, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.