Li Qiushui didn't believe it was just that.
There had to be something wrong with this.
She stared for a while in the direction Li Daoqiang had left, then gritted her teeth and reluctantly departed.
She would investigate first before saying anything more.
Li Daoqiang returned to the convoy alone, and Wu Xingyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
That bastard hadn't sold her out just because that wretched woman was closer to him.
After a moment of hesitation, suppressing some reluctance, Wu Xingyun said seriously, "Thank you, Chief."
"Heh, no need to be polite,童姥. After all, you'll soon be one of my people at the Stronghold. It's only right." Li Daoqiang said with a calm smile.
He paused, then added, "But I should also remind童姥 to keep certain little schemes to a minimum.
What I know might be far more than you think.
I can still tell very clearly who is truly close and who is distant.
As long as童姥 follows the rules, I will never let you down."
Wu Xingyun's mood soured.
Though what he said was good for her, it was hardly pleasant.
It made her extremely uncomfortable.
It felt like a warning, even a reprimand.
So she didn't respond, falling silent.
Li Daoqiang didn't mind. The strong could have some privileges—that was a truth everywhere.
As for the words Wu Xingyun disliked, he had said them deliberately.
Wu Xingyun was proud, domineering, and carried a fierce, rebellious edge.
If he didn't rein her in, how could she ever obey?
As for Li Qiushui.
Just as he said, he knew very well who was truly close and who was distant.
Li Qiushui was the Imperial Consort of Western Xia. Unless Western Xia was about to fall, she would never join the Black Dragon Stronghold.
So even though she was Yuyan's grandmother, it didn't matter much.
They were all adults, and with little familial affection to speak of, relationships were always based on interests.
Between Li Qiushui and Wu Xingyun, he knew whom to choose.
Of course, given Li Qiushui's connection to Wang Yuyan, he would show some respect.
He wouldn't actively harm her, and getting along was fine.
But that would wait until after Wu Xingyun officially joined the Black Dragon Stronghold and the bandit points were secured.
The journey that followed was very peaceful.
Over ten days later, they returned to the Black Dragon Stronghold.
First, he called for Su Xinghe. With him as a witness, Wu Xingyun quickly confirmed what Li Daoqiang had said.
Only then did she learn the true cause of Wu Yazi's death.
After another moment of dazed loss, her eyes slightly red, she looked at Li Daoqiang and said coldly, "A man like Ding Chunqiu, and the Chief still takes him under his wing?"
"I take him as a slave and a dog. That's punishment enough. Living is sometimes harder than dying." Li Daoqiang said lightly.
Wu Xingyun gritted her teeth. She knew Li Daoqiang was just making excuses.
He kept Ding Chunqiu because he was still useful, and didn't care much about Wu Yazi's vendetta.
But she was in no position to argue, so she calmed down and didn't press the matter. Instead, she said solemnly, "Where is the new leader of my Carefree Sect? I want to see her."
As she spoke, she shot a glare at Su Xinghe as if venting her anger.
Useless.
"Yuyan will be here soon. Don't rush,童姥." Li Daoqiang said with a faint smile.
After a while, Wang Yuyan entered the Assembly Hall.
"Husband, you're back!"
Seeing Li Daoqiang, she was overjoyed, as if she couldn't see anyone else, and rushed over to him.
Li Daoqiang gently embraced her and said tenderly, "I'm back. Did Yuyan miss her husband?"
Wang Yuyan blushed, shyly lowering her head, but still gave a soft "Mm."
"Good, Yuyan is obedient." Li Daoqiang said with a satisfied smile.
Beside them, Wu Xingyun, who had been staring at Wang Yuyan since she entered, had a dark look on her small face, anger rising.
Her aura was scattered, her behavior naive, her mind full of men, oblivious to everything else.
This was the third leader of the Carefree Sect?
Had Wu Yazi been paralyzed for thirty years and gone blind?
She couldn't help but glare at Su Xinghe again, filled with dissatisfaction.
Su Xinghe was baffled but dared not object, only lowering his head in silence.
"Yuyan, come, let your husband introduce you." Li Daoqiang looked at Wu Xingyun.
Wang Yuyan followed his gaze, as if only then noticing her, and her expression turned surprised and fond. "What an adorable little girl. Husband, who is this?"
Wu Xingyun's face darkened further. Unable to hold back, she said coldly, "I am your grandfather's senior sister. I am your grandmaster."
"Ah!" Wang Yuyan was startled, blinking her innocent eyes, looking at Wu Xingyun and then at her husband, disbelieving. "Husband, is this little girl joking?"
"Heh." Li Daoqiang chuckled softly and said gently, "This is the童姥 of the Heavenly Mountain. She is indeed your grandfather's senior sister, your grandmaster."
Wang Yuyan was stunned, staring at the童姥 in utter disbelief.
The童姥 grew even more displeased, her brows twitching.
"Yuyan, greet your grandmaster." Li Daoqiang said with amusement.
"Oh." Wang Yuyan snapped out of it, still finding it hard to believe, and timidly bowed, saying, "Yuyan greets Grandmaster."
"Hmph." Wu Xingyun snorted, glanced at the smiling Li Daoqiang, suppressed her anger, and said solemnly, "Wu Xingyun greets the Sect Leader."
Wang Yuyan shook her head in confusion, looking at Wu Xingyun with both curiosity and fear.
Then she pressed closer to Li Daoqiang.
Wu Xingyun felt the urge to pull Wang Yuyan away and give her a harsh scolding.
How could the leader of the Carefree Sect have no presence at all?
She was like an innocent little girl.
Outrageous.
Wu Yazi was even more outrageous.
And Li Qiushui—truly, she was Li Qiushui's granddaughter.
"Alright, there will be plenty of time to catch up later. Yuyan, Su Xinghe, you two go back first. I have matters to discuss with童姥." Li Daoqiang said gently.
"Yes."
Su Xinghe immediately responded. Wang Yuyan reluctantly agreed, gave Wu Xingyun another curious glance, and slowly left.
"Yuyan has a kind and gentle nature, and hasn't experienced much, so she's a bit naive. In the future, I'll rely on童姥 to guide her." Li Daoqiang said meaningfully.
Wu Xingyun, forgetting her anger, frowned at Li Daoqiang and said skeptically, "The Chief truly wants me to instruct Yuyan?"
"Of course." Li Daoqiang affirmed.
For Wang Yuyan to grow, she needed a good teacher.
Wu Xingyun was the best choice.
"Good. If the Chief is willing, I will certainly train a qualified leader for the Carefree Sect." Wu Xingyun said after a moment's thought, with a pointed tone.
"Then I thank童姥 in advance." Li Daoqiang said with a sincere smile.
Wu Xingyun felt a bit strange. Was Li Daoqiang really so willing to let Wang Yuyan grow?
If Wang Yuyan became a qualified leader, he wouldn't be able to manipulate the Carefree Sect so easily anymore.
Was he that confident?
She was puzzled, but she had no intention of refusing.
The current leader of the Carefree Sect was utterly unqualified.
It made her want to slap her to death.
Since Li Daoqiang dared to let her teach, she would teach.
A cold sneer flashed through her mind.
"童姥, now that you've seen I'm not lying, it's time to fulfill our agreement." Li Daoqiang's expression grew serious.
Wu Xingyun was silent for a moment, then bowed solemnly: "Wu Xingyun greets the Chief."
"No need for formalities,童姥." Li Daoqiang said with a smile, reaching out.
At the same time, he glanced at the Big Bandit System.
The increase in bandit points made his smile even brighter.
"童姥, rest well and recover. Don't worry about anything." Li Daoqiang's attitude grew warmer.
Wu Xingyun snorted inwardly but remained silent.
After personally arranging Wu Xingyun's quarters, Li Daoqiang carefully examined the new bandit points.
They had increased by about twenty-nine million in total.
Wu Xingyun alone contributed twenty-five million.
And perhaps because the people from the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves feared Wu Xingyun more, once she officially joined the Black Dragon Stronghold, their bandit points also appeared.
The Big Bandit System's calculations were sometimes strange.
He didn't dwell on it. The Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, along with the Spirit Vulture Palace, had nearly a hundred innate realm experts, contributing about two million bandit points.
Finally, the territories of both added another two million or so.
It was undoubtedly a huge windfall, adding a top-tier expert and nearly a hundred innate realm fighters.
These nearly a hundred innate realm fighters immediately filled the gap in the Black Dragon Stronghold's mid-level strength.
The Stronghold's power had greatly increased.
And the territories under the Spirit Vulture Palace and the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves would provide a steady stream of income.
With these gains, the Black Dragon Stronghold could take a big step forward.
Li Daoqiang was already thinking about how to expand further.
But first, he needed to organize the people from the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves.
After some thought, he focused on practicing the Heavenly Mountain Six Yang Palm.
He needed to master the Life-and-Death Talisman as soon as possible to move forward smoothly.
Three days later.
People from Tubo arrived, bringing the fifteen million taels of silver that Jiumozhi had promised.
Li Daoqiang personally saw Jiumozhi out of the Black Dragon Stronghold.
"Master, the Black Dragon Stronghold always welcomes you to join." Li Daoqiang said sincerely.
"Thank you for your kindness, Chief. I will remember my promise." Jiumozhi said solemnly.
"Haha, good. I'll be waiting for you, Master." Li Daoqiang laughed.
"I take my leave." Jiumozhi bowed and left with a few men.
Li Daoqiang watched their retreating figures for a moment before returning to the stronghold.
The seed had been planted. He just had to wait patiently for it to bloom.
At a training ground in the stronghold.
"童姥, sorry to keep you waiting." Li Daoqiang said politely.
Wu Xingyun said expressionlessly, "No need for formalities, Chief. Let's continue practicing the Life-and-Death Talisman."
Li Daoqiang nodded, signaling her to begin.
Since yesterday, he had been learning the Life-and-Death Talisman from her.
He had mostly grasped it by yesterday but wasn't yet proficient. Today was for consolidation.
Wu Xingyun began explaining.
After a while, once Li Daoqiang had asked a few more questions, they started practical application.
(Chapter 2, thanks for your support.) ······