In a forest several miles from Black Dragon Stronghold, a figure in white robes appeared, gazing toward the stronghold with a distant look in her eyes. A hint of complexity was faintly concealed within.
"Imperial Consort, visiting my Black Dragon Stronghold late at night—is there an urgent matter?"
Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded.
Li Qiushui's gaze sharpened slightly, then she let out a sweet, charming laugh. "Chief Li, or rather, grandson-in-law."
"Heh heh."
Li Daoqiang also smiled, his tone even warmer. "It seems the Imperial Consort has already investigated thoroughly."
"Indeed. It's been so many years since I've seen Qingluo and Yuyan. As a mother and grandmother, I've failed them. I owe them." Li Qiushui's expression turned somewhat melancholic, looking pitifully alluring under the moonlight.
"As long as the Imperial Consort recognizes her mistake, that's good. I believe my mother-in-law and Yuyan won't hold it against you." Li Daoqiang's smile remained unchanged.
Li Qiushui's face stiffened briefly before she forced a smile. "I hope so."
"Imperial Consort, is there something you came for?" Li Daoqiang asked proactively.
"Chief, since we're family, I'll speak plainly." Li Qiushui's expression grew serious and sincere.
"Please, go ahead." Li Daoqiang matched her seriousness.
Li Qiushui narrowed her eyes and said solemnly, "That old witch Wu Xingyun is ruthless and unruly, and I have an irreconcilable enmity with her. Now that Yuyan is the leader of the Carefree Sect, and she's my own granddaughter, that old witch will surely harbor ill intentions toward her. She might seem obedient now, but it's all a facade. Once she recovers her power and gets a chance, she won't spare Yuyan and will definitely betray you. So, it's best to eliminate her early."
Li Daoqiang's expression turned cautious. After a moment of thought, he said seriously, "Imperial Consort, rest assured. I will guard against her and never let her harm Yuyan in the slightest."
Li Qiushui's face stiffened again. She blinked her captivating eyes and smiled. "Chief, do you not intend to eliminate Wu Xingyun early?"
"Forgive me, Imperial Consort. She is now a member of Black Dragon Stronghold. Without her committing any wrongdoing, how could I act against her?" Li Daoqiang replied earnestly.
"It's fine. I can do it on your behalf. You just need to turn a blind eye." Li Qiushui persisted.
"Heh heh, Imperial Consort jokes. No one kills my people except me." Li Daoqiang chuckled.
Li Qiushui fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile. "Chief, do you not trust me? We're family."
"Of course. The Imperial Consort is Yuyan's biological grandmother; we're certainly family. But family matters and official matters shouldn't be mixed." Li Daoqiang explained patiently and gently.
A surge of frustration rose in Li Qiushui's heart. She was now certain that Li Daoqiang was just stringing her along.
"Giggle~!"
A silvery laugh rang out. Li Qiushui showed a bright, gentle smile and said warmly, "Chief is right. Let's not talk about Wu Xingyun. We shouldn't let an outsider affect our family relationship."
"Exactly. We're family, and Black Dragon Stronghold and Western Xia are one family too. We should visit each other more often." Li Daoqiang cooperated with a smile.
"Naturally." Li Qiushui nodded, then paused, her expression turning slightly guilty. "Chief, you know, I haven't seen Qingluo and Yuyan in so many years. Could you please not tell them about me for now? I want to wait for the right time to tell them myself and make up for my shortcomings."
"Agreed. The Imperial Consort can tell them whenever she wishes." Li Daoqiang agreed readily.
Li Qiushui breathed a silent sigh of relief. After a few more warm words, she turned and left.
Li Daoqiang watched her go, his smile fading.
As expected, she's lived this long and holds great power in a kingdom. Her cunning can't be underestimated. She only loses control a bit when facing Wu Xingyun. Otherwise, Li Qiushui is a clever woman.
He liked dealing with clever people.
A simple test, with mutual understanding, had established a friendly connection between Black Dragon Stronghold and Western Xia. Both sides wanted this.
At the same time, neither Li Qiushui nor he wanted Yuyan to know about this. He didn't want to disrupt the current relationship. Since Li Qiushui wouldn't join Black Dragon Stronghold, why risk causing trouble with Wu Xingyun? As for Li Qiushui, perhaps she felt embarrassed, or more likely, she couldn't abandon Western Xia and didn't want their relationship publicized.
So, aside from Li Qiushui's desire for him to kill Wu Xingyun, the two had a good, tacit understanding. This was why he liked dealing with clever people—it reduced trouble and saved effort.
After confirming Li Qiushui had left, Li Daoqiang returned to Wang Yuyan's room.
He took off his clothes, held her soft, fragrant body again, and closed his eyes to rest, as if nothing had happened.
Wang Yuyan, a top-tier expert, groggily opened her eyes to glance at Li Daoqiang before falling back asleep.
Li Daoqiang smirked helplessly. This alone showed how far Wang Yuyan was from fully mastering her power and becoming a true top-tier expert.
Elsewhere, Li Qiushui sped through the night, her expression dark.
Li Daoqiang had flatly refused her request to kill Wu Xingyun. This rare opportunity might slip away. The more she thought about it, the more unwilling and angry she grew. But she had seen Li Daoqiang's attitude. There seemed to be no way.
After a moment of brooding, she exhaled and calmed down.
No matter what, I'm Yuyan's grandmother, closer in relation. Li Daoqiang won't let me kill Wu Xingyun now, but there might be a chance later.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes as her thoughts shifted to the bigger picture.
Li Daoqiang was a prodigy, now a peerless expert. With Yuyan as a link, she had to quickly secure a close connection.
First, return to Western Xia to discuss.
...
In the following period, Li Daoqiang focused mainly on cultivation and integrating the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves.
Due to distance, Black Dragon Stronghold couldn't directly control the territories of the Carefree Sect and those islands and caves. Remote control was the only option. This required careful and thorough planning, incorporating the real situations and opinions of Wu Laoda and others.
A month or two passed in the blink of an eye.
The initial integration was complete, with finer details to be handled over time.
With the integration of the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, Black Dragon Stronghold's mid- and lower-tier strength had greatly increased, supporting a major step forward.
Now, Li Daoqiang was still troubled by an old problem: the lack of a qualified intelligence team leader.
He valued intelligence far more than expanding Black Dragon Stronghold's territory. After all, no matter how well the territory developed, the bandit points gained were limited, and it was more for long-term growth. Intelligence was different. With his knowledge of the "original content" and his strength, timely intelligence could help him seize opportunities, yielding far greater and faster returns than territorial expansion.
Wang Lin was far from meeting the stronghold's current needs, but finding a suitable candidate across the entire stronghold was difficult. Without a good fit, he had to make do.
This position was too critical to give lightly.
In his study, Li Daoqiang was reviewing intelligence from various regions, looking for worthwhile opportunities.
After reading everything, he frowned slightly. Perhaps due to the weak intelligence system, he hadn't found any good opportunities. Of course, it might also be that this world was too chaotic, and his limited "original" knowledge fell short of this real world, preventing him from spotting true chances.
"Chief, Ding Chunqiu requests an audience."
Just then, a maid stepped in lightly and reported respectfully.
"Let him in." Li Daoqiang said indifferently.
Two breaths later, Ding Chunqiu entered with utmost reverence. "Greetings, Chief."
"What is it?" Li Daoqiang asked casually.
"Chief, I've found traces of my disciple, A'zi. She's exceptionally beautiful, and as a token of my loyalty to you, I hope you'll allow me to leave the stronghold and bring her back to serve you." Ding Chunqiu said with a loyal expression.
Li Daoqiang showed a flicker of interest. "Where?"
"Near Xiangyang." Ding Chunqiu replied promptly.
Xiangyang. Li Daoqiang mused over this familiar region. Suddenly, a thought struck him.
The hero assembly hosted by Guo Jing and his wife—had it happened yet? With the year's end approaching, maybe it would be next year.
Thinking of this, more ideas surfaced.
What about Xiao Longnü? With Wang Chongyang still alive, he didn't believe the "dragon knight" incident would occur. What he wanted was how to reap more benefits.
The more he thought, the more his mind raced.
After a few seconds, he said calmly, "Keep an eye on her first."
Ding Chunqiu was puzzled but obediently agreed.
After dismissing Ding Chunqiu, Li Daoqiang immediately ordered surveillance on Xiangyang City, reporting any movement at once. After a moment's thought, he also ordered monitoring of the Zhongnan Mountain area for any trace of a stunningly beautiful woman in white.
With these orders, Li Daoqiang began to feel anticipation. Perhaps the next big opportunity lay in Xiangyang.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
After a while, he set these thoughts aside and turned to the New Year's preparations.
A headache arose. This New Year would be tough, mainly because of Huang Xuemei and He Qinghua.
After some deliberation, he made a decision.
A few days later, Li Daoqiang sent another group to the Qing Kingdom. Matters there were on track and could be developed further. If all went well, within a year or two, he could make a trip to the Qing Kingdom for maximum gain.
(Chapter 2, thanks for the support.)