There was shyness, grievance, panic, and bewilderment, along with a trace of reassurance. After a long moment, all of this turned into confusion. A strong wave of drowsiness struck. Her face flushed, she tidied up and went to rest.
At this time, Li Daoqiang's thoughts had already shifted to the affairs of the stronghold. The Black Dragon Stronghold had now reached about fifteen thousand people. Among them, there were nearly ten thousand able-bodied young men, not counting the widespread intelligence network. Naturally, there were many various matters to handle. Although most of them were delegated to subordinates, there were still quite a few that required his personal decision. Coupled with the intelligence collected at all times, as long as he wanted and was willing, Li Daoqiang could constantly have numerous things to review and inspect. There was never a moment of leisure.
Sometimes he couldn't help but think: a Black Dragon Stronghold, with only about two thousand people, had so many affairs. If it were a country, how many matters would there be? No wonder wise rulers have been hard to come by throughout history—there were simply too many things to handle. If you didn't personally attend to everything, immense power would arise from the gaps, leading to corruption and loss of authority. But if you did handle everything yourself, even with countless capable ministers and officials, the workload would be endless. Compared to the monotonous, years-long grind of managing affairs, weren't beautiful women and entertainment more appealing? Thus, it was only natural for incompetent rulers to appear.
After spending half an hour reviewing the recent affairs of the Black Dragon Stronghold and some major intelligence gathered from various regions, Li Daoqiang summoned Wang Lin and said calmly, "Is there any movement from the Deaf-Mute Valley?"
"Reporting to the Chief, from half a month ago, the number of people coming and going from the Deaf-Mute Valley has noticeably increased. According to our investigation, it seems the Deaf-Mute Master has summoned his disciples back to the valley. So far, there hasn't been any other activity," Wang Lin immediately replied. This matter had been explicitly ordered by the Chief, so he remembered it clearly.
"Report to me immediately if there's any movement," Li Daoqiang instructed.
"Yes."
With a casual wave, he dismissed Wang Lin. Li Daoqiang's eyes showed contemplation and anticipation. He was determined to go to the Deaf-Mute Valley, and he was set on obtaining Wuyazi's skills and the inheritance of the Carefree Sect. Besides these fixed gains, there were also variable ones, such as Ding Chunqiu and others. So, although he had already married Wang Yuyan, he didn't take her there immediately. He wanted to wait, using Su Xinghe as bait to catch more fish. With his current strength, he was confident he could handle the situation involving the Carefree Sect's inheritance.
After refining his thoughts, he silently resumed his cultivation, focusing mainly on the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill.
By evening, Li Daoqiang finished his practice, picked up the somewhat gloomy Wang Yuyan, and headed toward Qi Fang's courtyard. Glancing at the girl beside him, whose downcast face practically screamed "unhappy," he felt amused but didn't mind—she was still young at heart. He believed Wang Yuyan and Qi Fang would get along well. Over time, she would realize how wonderful it was to have a good friend in the Black Dragon Stronghold, someone to talk to and alleviate the boredom.
Arriving at Qi Fang's place, she had already been informed in advance and was waiting with a mix of emotions. "Husband, Sister Yuyan," she said, clasping her hands nervously at her stomach, her tone gentle. This form of address was naturally something Li Daoqiang had arranged beforehand. With Huang Xuemei, he couldn't have Qi Fang call her "sister," but with Wang Yuyan, it was fine. This was also a way to quickly bring them closer.
Hearing this, Wang Yuyan, who had been looking down, couldn't help but nervously lift her head. Seeing that the other woman, Sister Qi Fang, was also nervously watching her, she felt a bit more at ease, less tense, and her resistance diminished slightly.
"Yuyan, this is your Sister Qi Fang," Li Daoqiang said with a smile.
Wang Yuyan nodded slightly, gave a small bow, and said obediently, "Greetings, Sister Qi Fang."
"Sister Yuyan," Qi Fang replied, flustered as she returned the gesture.
Li Daoqiang chuckled at their nervousness, took one hand of each without further ado, and led them into the house. "Come on, let's go inside. We'll eat and chat."
Being pulled along in public like this, both women blushed and tried to free their hands, but to no avail. He sat them down at the round table and ordered the maids to serve the dishes. Looking happily at the two women who refused to lift their heads, he said with a smile, "Now that you know each other, from today on, we're the closest family. No need to be formal. Fang Mei, Yuyan, you must get along well, like real sisters, understand?"
Both women felt shy and a bit conflicted, but they nodded in agreement, giving him face. Satisfied, Li Daoqiang began the meal. During dinner, he didn't say much, just kept adding food to their bowls, his demeanor gentle and warm.
After the meal, they sat for a while before he sent Wang Yuyan back to her courtyard. Staying behind, he gently pulled Qi Fang into his arms and said softly, "Fang Mei, Yuyan just arrived. She's gentle and kind by nature. As the older sister, you should take good care of her. Show her around the stronghold, inside and out. She has no siblings, so treat her like your own little sister."
The term "Fang Mei" was his latest adjustment, as he found it the least awkward and most pleasant to the ear. Hearing this, Qi Fang instinctively pressed closer into his embrace, a hint of melancholy in her eyes, and replied softly, "Mm, I understand."
"Are you jealous?" Li Daoqiang asked, noticing her expression with a light laugh.
Qi Fang blushed and shook her head adorably.
"Alright, I'm actually quite pleased that my Fang Mei can be jealous. But Yuyan has a good nature; you'll get along. I'm entrusting her to you—don't let me down," he said with a hint of affection.
"I won't let you down," Qi Fang replied earnestly.
"Mm, I believe you," he said gently. After chatting a bit more, making Qi Fang's cheeks flush with shy smiles, he added, "Yuyan just arrived, so I'll stay with her for the next few days. After that, I'll come and love you properly."
This made Qi Fang even more bashful, burying her face in his chest and murmuring a soft acknowledgment.
Li Daoqiang felt a surge of contentment. Women like Qi Fang and Wang Yuyan, gentle and kind, were easy to soothe. The more he spent time with them, the more he wanted to treat them tenderly. No wonder it was said that a gentle bed is a hero's grave—it was true. Even he couldn't resist their softness, and his attitude had subtly shifted over time.
After lingering with Qi Fang for a while, he went to Wang Yuyan's courtyard.
"Hus... husband, why are you here?" Wang Yuyan stammered, unused to the title, looking surprised.
"Silly girl, we just got married. Of course, I'll be with you every night for these first few days," he said with amusement.
Wang Yuyan immediately thought of the previous night, feeling both shy and a little scared. She lowered her head, unable to speak. Li Daoqiang didn't catch her mood at first and didn't think much of it. It wasn't until bedtime, seeing her bashful, fearful expression, that he realized. With a surge of desire, he said softly, "Yuyan, if you're not feeling well, let's try another way. This way, you'll definitely be able to handle it."
Wang Yuyan looked at him with wide, innocent eyes, confused.
The next day, Wang Yuyan's gaze toward Li Daoqiang was even shyer, almost avoiding him entirely. But he could clearly feel that her closeness to him had grown. He resolved to repeat this as often as possible.
Meanwhile, in the distant Ming Dynasty's Jiangnan region, at the famous Seven Star Pond's Murong family estate, the head of the family, Murong Zheng, sat in his study. Known as a great chivalrous man, his face was solemn, tinged with a hint of regret as he looked at the figure before him. That figure appeared delicate and fragile, truly a refined lady from a noble family. Her slender form swayed like a willow, captivating to behold. Her stunning beauty was gentle, elegant, and carried an air of nobility, with a faint, ethereal quality. Anyone who saw her would have to admit she was one of the rarest beauties in the world. She was Murong Zheng's daughter, the famed beauty of Ming's Jiangnan, Murong Qiudi.
"What exactly are you thinking?" Murong Zheng spoke, his tone heavy, with a trace of helplessness.
Murong Qiudi's flawless face remained unchanged, but a flicker of complexity and struggle passed through her starry eyes. Then, she stayed silent.
After waiting a few breaths, Murong Zheng grew increasingly angry. "What do you want? Marry or not? You need to give me an answer today."
Murong Qiudi slowly closed her eyes, hiding the turmoil within.
Seeing this, Murong Zheng grew even more furious. "Murong Qiudi, what exactly do you want? You were the one who stopped this matter, and now the four families are waiting for you, but you won't give an answer. What are you trying to do? Has it been over seven years, and you still can't forget that scoundrel?"
Murong Qiudi's delicate hand clenched tightly within her sleeve, but her face remained calm, as if she hadn't heard a thing. Though Murong Zheng knew his daughter's temperament well, he was still furious. With a heavy snort, he said coldly, "Fine, I'll give you one last day. If you still don't give an answer, consider it your decision to give up. Then Xiao Jiu will marry Li Daoqiang."
With that, he stood and turned to leave.
(Chapter 1.)