After Transmigrating as an Immortal Master, I Hold a Group Meeting - Chapter 90

For Ning Mingmei, that glance was just a glance.

For the other person, it was a world-shaking moment.

“Alright, I’m not exactly a professional when it comes to construction,” Ning Mingmei said indifferently, shifting his focus back. “Let me just list a few core requirements first.”

He picked up a brush and wrote his needs on a bamboo scroll brought by the Workers Hall’s master.

The first was the land area, the second was the building height, the third was the functional zoning, the fourth was the green spaces, and the fifth was the plaza area.

Ning Mingmei explained, “My ultimate goal is to create a complete Misty Complex. Each building will have offices for disciples specializing in different fields, dedicated research labs, classrooms, and workshops for hands-on experimentation.”

The Workers Hall’s master was deeply moved. “Peak Lord Ning cares so much for his disciples! Such foresight and devotion to their future!”

Ning Mingmei sighed, “Unfortunately, I don’t have enough money right now, so I’ll start with Administrative Buildings A and B.”

The hall master hesitated. “What are Administrative Buildings A and B?”

Ning Mingmei answered without hesitation, “Administrative Building A will include three luxurious assembly halls, multiple high-end conference rooms, a grand history museum, a Hall of Peak Fellowship, an academic exhibition center, and a Peak Achievements Hall. This building will showcase Misty Peak’s outstanding academic atmosphere and spirit.

“That way, disciples from outside the peak will be desperate to join, and the ones inside will develop a strong sense of collective pride, so much so that they will willingly and enthusiastically work for me for free.”

Graduated disciples would also be willing to donate money and spend millions just to secure a meaningless yet honorable spot in Building A.

Even though the hall master didn’t fully understand those ideas, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were somewhat sinister.

“…Then what about Administrative Building B?” he asked.

Ning Mingmei replied, “Administrative Building B will have a café, a restaurant, a water bar, a gym, a screening room, an indoor hot spring, a dance studio, a private library, a reception room… and luxurious offices.”

The hall master: …

Why did the tone shift so drastically?

Ning Mingmei continued, “Hmm, the first floor of Building B should just be regular offices. The second floor should have slightly better offices. As for the facilities I just mentioned, they should all go on the third floor.”

The kind of floor that only high-level administrators could access with a key card.

“Besides that, leave some space in the courtyard for planting trees, placing benches, arranging decorative stones, and engraving memorial plaques,” Ning Mingmei said, his glasses flashing coldly.

That way, people nostalgic for their youth at Misty Peak would be willing to spend a large sum of money to plant a tree and have it named in their memory.

Ning Mingmei figured that his third disciple, Gui Taoran, would definitely be willing to pay for this. Since that was the case, he needed to add another rule: the trees must be at least Earth-grade spiritual trees, none of those inferior Black or Yellow grades. And the disciples had to pay for their own tree adoption.

What if no disciples wanted to adopt a tree?

No problem. Misty Peak had a long history and he could just make up some names of past disciples to ‘adopt’ the trees. If that wasn’t enough, he could throw in Fang Wuyu’s name too.

Only those who adopted trees and donated money to Misty Peak every year could be recognized as ‘Peak Fellows.’ Other graduates wouldn’t count as Peak Fellows but just as part of the general human resources pool.

And only the descendants of Peak Fellows would have priority admission!

Since Ning Mingmei was currently a rising star in the Supreme Clarity Sect, the Workers Hall’s master promised to prepare seven different design proposals within half a month. Ning Mingmei discovered that, in the cultivation world, he didn’t even have to pay design fees to the sect’s hall masters, which made him even more satisfied. He adjusted his glasses and left.

After he was gone, a young girl in a purple dress, standing among a few senior brothers and sisters, blinked thoughtfully and asked, “Who was that immortal just now? He’s really good-looking.”

One of the senior brothers replied, “That was Ning Mingmei, the Elder Swordbearer of Misty Peak. He’s quite famous in the sect these days.”

The girl’s bright eyes shimmered like fluttering butterflies. “I just heard Senior Sister Liang say that it’s really hard to become Peak Lord Bai’s disciple. Then, is it just as difficult to become Peak Lord Ning’s disciple? He’s even more beautiful than Peak Lord Bai.”

At her words, the disciples looked at each other with troubled expressions. They hesitated, as if unsure how to answer.

“Junior Sister, you’ll definitely make it into the inner sect.”

“If you do get in… well, in the past, joining Misty Peak wasn’t hard at all. For inner sect disciples who could become personal disciples, Misty Peak was actually the least desirable choice.”

“But now… it’s hard to say.”

The girl asked, “Why is that?”

The disciples exchanged glances again.

“Misty Peak isn’t what it used to be. Elder Ning no longer spends all his time in seclusion. He’s focusing on his disciples now… You’ll understand soon enough.”

The disciples were soon called away to their tasks. The girl remained standing under a flowering tree at the entrance, her expression still bright and innocent, but her gaze lowered in contemplation.

“So that was Ning Mingmei…” she murmured softly.

This girl, who had taken the alias Yu Zi, was actually A’Dai from the Rebirth. She had infiltrated the Supreme Clarity Sect with one goal: to make Ning Mingmei deeply regret ever crossing her.

Yu Zi had already been in the Supreme Clarity Sect for two months. By now, many people in the outer sect knew about the sweet and intelligent new junior sister. But no matter how she searched, she hadn’t been able to find any trace of the cultivator who had deceived her.

Now that Ning Mingmei had finally appeared before her, she wouldn’t miss any chance to get close to him.

She would make him take her as his disciple, gain his trust completely, and then, at the moment he trusted her most, she would betray him and abandon him without mercy!

The idea was beautiful, but Yu Zi hadn’t yet figured out how to execute it.

At that moment, voices of frustration from the hall master and the stewards echoed through Workers Hall.

“Peak Lord Ning said we need to deliver seven proposals to him this month. Tell me, how exactly are we supposed to design this?”

“I have no idea… A lot of these requests are things I’ve never even heard of!”

How should the buildings be constructed?

Wasn’t that exactly what A’Dai, who had grown up in the lavish Melting Gold Tower, was best at? After all, many of the elegant architectural designs that had awed foreign poets in Silver Flower Alley were built under A’Dai’s watchful eye.

“Peak Lord Ning wants to construct buildings… If that’s the case, he’ll definitely have a lot of dealings with the Workers Hall in the future, right?” Yu Zi’s eyes flickered with thought. “And if that’s the case, isn’t this the perfect opportunity to showcase my talents and get into Misty Peak?”

Just then, a senior brother walked up to her. He held a prestigious position in the Merit and Virtue Hall, a role that made him look down on the Workers Hall disciples.

However, when speaking to Yu Zi, his arrogance was tinged with flattery. “Junior Sister, have you decided where you want to go? If you want to join Merit and Virtue Hall, just say the word. Tsk, look at this shabby place. I’ve only walked a few steps and my brand-new robes are already covered in dust.”

The Workers Hall disciples standing nearby: …

The arrogance of the Merit and Virtue Hall people was truly insufferable.

Yu Zi smiled. “Senior Brother, I’ve already decided!”

The senior brother lifted his chin proudly.

Yu Zi continued, “I’m staying in Workers Hall!”

Wait… what?

Yu Zi beamed. “I love building! I really, really love building! My whole life, I’ve loved construction and architecture more than anything. Hehe!”

…??

Not only was the senior brother dumbfounded, but even the Workers Hall disciples were stunned.

Was there actually someone so passionate about construction in this day and age?

***

Meanwhile, Ning Mingmei remained blissfully unaware of the scheming behind him. He also had no idea that by committing a simple act of underhanded maneuvering, he had ended up securing a professional construction team and a highly skilled designer for his grand building project.

It just went to show that being a villain often led to great rewards.

With his tasks for the day complete, Ning Mingmei leisurely flew back to Misty Peak. As soon as he arrived, he received a message from Gui Taoran.

“Master, I’ve planted the Moon Palace’s Osmanthus tree along with my eight house servants.”

Since Ning Mingmei placed such high expectations on him (the learning workload was too intense), Gui Taoran was deeply moved. He immediately sent a request to his mother, asking for additional servants.

His mother was equally moved. Her once idle and carefree son was now valued by his master and had developed ambition! Without hesitation, she sent over four more expert servants.

Each one was an elite from the Brilliant Blossom Valley.

That was when Gui Taoran had an epiphany; learning to manage downward (delegating academic work to his servants), learning to manage upward (reporting the servants’ academic progress to Ning Mingmei), and mastering self-management (collaborating with Ning Mingmei on research, taking on more projects, and efficiently distributing tasks among his eight servants) created a perfect balance.

By handling both upper and lower management well, not only could he earn Ning Mingmei’s praise, but he could also squeeze more money out of his mother.

A true win-win!

It was proof that talent could be found everywhere, especially on Misty Peak. Take Gui Taoran, for example. He had quickly grasped the principles of outsourcing, the distinction between internal employees and external contractors, and, most importantly, the fact that outsourced workers were always paid less than in-house staff.

Ning Mingmei nodded approvingly. “Good. From now on, you and your servants will be responsible for taking care of the Moon Palace’s Osmanthus tree. This will be your exclusive research project. As for the Heaven-Reaching Vine, I’ve planted it next to the Moon Palace’s Osmanthus tree. Be sure to tend to it carefully, it requires a lot of spiritual energy to thrive.”

Gui Taoran’s eyes lit up. He saw another opportunity to build his credentials and declared enthusiastically, “Leave it to me! If the spiritual energy isn’t enough, I still have plenty of spirit stones. I’ll pour it all into the Heaven-Reaching Vine if necessary!”

As the saying goes, if you want a rich young master to commit to academic research, you either appeal to their dreams and sense of accomplishment, or you negotiate with their parents about allowances and benefits.

Ning Mingmei adjusted his glasses. “I hope that within three years, this snowy field will have transformed into a vast osmanthus forest.”

Gui Taoran grinned. “No problem!”

Once Gui Taoran left, Ning Mingmei took another look at Misty Peak.

These days, Misty Peak was bustling with activity.

Not only were the peak’s own disciples present, but so were disciples from Hidden Sage Peak and Clear Snow Peak. With a quick glance, Ning Mingmei realized that there were disciples from at least six other main peaks gathered there. Apart from the disciples under Qi Miancheng, Fang Wuyu, Yin Xisheng, Fu Weidao, and Liang Jiansu, even the peaks with the least presence had sent several disciples each.

Especially the disciples of Chang Feichang and Zhang Zhizhen, they were particularly enthusiastic. Ning Mingmei felt like nearly all the disciples from those two peaks had come over, blending in with Misty Peak in their pursuit of knowledge and discipline.

“Eleventh Senior Brother, Fifteenth Senior Brother, how was your experience at Liuyue Lake this time?”

“Last time, Second Senior Brother was there for seven days and held four lectures. You two stayed for two months, shouldn’t that mean you held thirty-two?”

The system: [I have never seen such chaos in a cultivation novel.]

Ning Mingmei: “I’m quite pleased. The disciples have learned to push themselves without me even needing to intervene.”

The system: …

Outside, the atmosphere was just as lively.

With the grand conference between the Supreme Clarity Sect and the Smoky Cloud Tower coming up at the beginning of next month, word had it that the remaining disciples from the Smoky Cloud Tower would be arriving soon.

Ning Mingmei thought for a moment and summoned Lin Heting.

Not only did he need Lin Heting to notify the disciples about an impromptu morning meeting tomorrow since there was an important announcement to be made, but he also wanted to check on the progress of the peak song that the Smoky Cloud Tower disciples were composing for them.

Additionally, he wanted Lin Heting to check in on the two talisman cultivators from Ice Quenching Pavilion. Since returning, Ning Mingmei had been busy, so he had casually tossed the two talisman cultivators to Wen Siheng, instructing him to prepare an empty room for them in the small pine forest.

With the Misty Peak disciples spending their nights buried in the library, there were plenty of vacant rooms.

As for the peak song, since the conference was just around the corner, it was time for Misty Peak to make an entrance. The disciples would march in formation, waving flags, presenting a display of youthful vigor, tradition, and modern spirit.

For example, they could chant ‘United as one, striving for excellence, showcasing style, displaying skill, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four!’

Something along those lines.

And when passing the main stage, they could sing the peak song for a moment.

This was all part of the plan.

Now that Misty Peak’s disciples were used to weekly group meetings, it was time to introduce them to the joys of sudden administrative meetings, especially those announced only an hour in advance.

Ning Mingmei: “After all, this too is part of academia.”

The system: …I am speechless.

Lin Heting rushed over.

Before he could say much, a little girl came running from the back of the mountain.

Ren Miao.

Her face was flushed from running and she clutched her knees, panting heavily. Clearly, something urgent had happened.

Lin Heting was surprised to see the girl.

Ning Mingmei remained calm. “Starting tomorrow, she’ll be your junior sister.”

Lin Heting: “Oh… huh?”

Huh???

Ning Mingmei: “Nothing to be surprised about. Now go.”

As a mentor, he had the absolute authority to recruit students as he pleased. In the cultivation world, he didn’t even have to consider a committee’s opinion, nor did he need to co-author a few SCI papers with the kid just to justify her admission. |38|

It was fantastic.

Lin Heting, still dazed, left.

Ning Mingmei poured a cup of tea for the little girl and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The girl hesitated until Lin Heting had left and then spoke. “Master, Miss Xue seems off today. She refuses to eat or drink and looks extremely upset. Could you go talk to her?”

Miss Xue was the alias of Gui Ruoxue.

Ning Mingmei replied, “I’ll go take a look. You don’t need to follow me.”

The little girl looked at him expectantly.

Ning Mingmei: “What are you staring at me for? Have you memorized today’s 200 words? Have you studied phonetics? Have you recited your poetry? Did you think joining Misty Peak meant you were here to play?”

…The little girl sniffled, took her book, and trudged away.

After scolding his future email manager, Ning Mingmei changed into his signature black brocade robe with gold flecks, slipped on his wooden clogs, and headed toward the back of Misty Peak.

Misty Peak had always been the residence of the sect’s Elder Swordbearers throughout history. Although it was more desolate and rundown compared to other peaks, aside from the Snow Ruling Hall, there were still a few buildings. For example, Gui Ruoxue was currently residing in the Pure Serenity Hall at the back of the mountain.

Additionally, each main peak had its own dungeon for detaining disciples who had committed offenses. On Misty Peak, those took the form of snow caves, something Ning Mingmei only discovered after his return. Right now, Wu Yun and Hu Yang had each been thrown into a separate snow cave by him.

At the same time, Ning Mingmei made an exciting discovery: Misty Peak was surrounded by intricate formations that only the peak lord could activate. For instance, at this very moment, he had activated the formation in the back of the mountain and without his permission, no one could leave.

Even if a Body Integration cultivator arrived, they would be powerless to do anything. Let alone Gui Ruoxue.

To ensure their conversation would proceed smoothly, Ning Mingmei casually waved his fingers before heading over, sealing off the entire back of the mountain.

He didn’t go to see Gui Ruoxue right away. Instead, he took a slow walk around the back of the mountain. Eventually, he found him behind the Pure Serenity Hall.

Behind the hall was a frigid pool of water, its icy air cutting to the bone. Gui Ruoxue was sitting beside it, head lowered, long hair cascading down, his entire posture exuding exhaustion, the kind that came from a mix of madness and sheer fatigue.

He was even dressed in men’s clothing.

Not bad. Despite his breakdown, he still remembered to change back into men’s attire. That meant his rationality was intact and negotiation was still possible.

Ning Mingmei stood beside him. Gui Ruoxue didn’t lift his head, radiating an aura of coldness.

Ning Mingmei looked up at the sky. “Look at this beautiful scenery, the lake and the mountains. Don’t you feel at peace?”

“…”

Ning Mingmei continued, “Life is so wonderful. Seeing you sitting by this icy lake, you still have so much to accomplish. Don’t be in such a hurry to give up on your life.”

Gui Ruoxue: …

The cold and thoroughly punchable remark finally got Gui Ruoxue to speak. “Me? Give up on my life?”

Ning Mingmei: “Yes.”

Gui Ruoxue: “The only life I’ll take is yours.”

His voice was colder than the winds atop Misty Peak in midwinter, laced with snow and hail. He said icily, “This is what you meant when you said Misty Peak has everything?”

Ning Mingmei: “There’s a saying, ‘From one comes two, from two comes three, and from three comes all things.’ Have you heard it before?”

Gui Ruoxue didn’t even blink. “Speak like a normal person.”