Chapter 201: Serving as Slaves and Maids, Never to Regret, Only at the Stronghold Master's Command

"Hmm?"

Zhu Yaluan, who had intended to leave and not interfere in the internal affairs of Fenglei Stronghold, immediately furrowed her brows upon hearing Meng Yueqin's words.

"You say you have a slip; take it out and let me see."

Zhu Yaluan said immediately.

She was aware of this matter; Ningyang Stronghold had people in Yonghang, and she had once heard Ning Zhaozhu mention it. It seemed they were surnamed Jiang, and those who came to Ningyang Mountain to seek refuge would all be issued a letter of introduction to the stronghold stamped by this Miss Jiang.

"Exactly, if you have a slip, take it out and let the Alliance Leader see it?"

Zhai Dali's expression immediately turned joyful.

"You villain, the slips held by us sisters, as well as those held by many other martial arts brothers and disaster victims, were all confiscated by the people you sent. How do you expect us to produce them?" Meng Yuehua immediately retorted, unwilling to give in.

Having been exposed, Zhai Dali was not afraid; instead, he carried a trace of cold murderous intent.

A flicker of gloom passed through his eyes, and he immediately sneered: "Without a slip, on what grounds do you claim to be people seeking refuge from Yonghang? You lowly maids, stealing and still wanting to use this to escape punishment—do you really think Alliance Leader Zhu is a fool?"

Without evidence, even Zhu Yaluan could not take these two sisters away for no reason.

Otherwise, it would mean Yunxiao Stronghold and Fenglei Stronghold had completely torn off the mask of civility.

After all, this could be considered interfering in the internal affairs of Fenglei Stronghold! Fenglei Stronghold was situated within this Fenglei Mountain and had been managed for generations; its foundation was deep, and even if it could not compare to Yunxiao Stronghold, it was not something that could be looked down upon casually.

Zhu Yaluan furrowed her brows.

If it were in the past, she would indeed have to think it over carefully; hindered by social graces, it would have been almost impossible to take these two sisters away.

It was merely the life or death of a pair of sisters.

It was not worth tearing off the mask of civility with Fenglei Stronghold.

But now, Yunxiao Stronghold was weak, and she was representing Ningyang Stronghold on this trip, and these two sisters claimed to be part of the group seeking refuge at Ningyang Stronghold, so the situation was vastly different.

"Heroine, it is actually very simple. You only need to take us away, and then send a letter to Yonghang to check; we received slips, and there are records of them in Yonghang!"

Meng Yueqin knelt before Zhu Yaluan and said immediately.

"If after checking, there is no information about us two sisters, then I will leave it to the heroine to dispose of us. If the heroine is worried about offending Fenglei Stronghold, you can send us sisters to Fenglei Stronghold then; whether we live or die, we sisters will absolutely not resist!"

Meng Yueqin pleaded bitterly, using a small tactical maneuver in her words, attempting to use the fear of offending Fenglei Stronghold as a lead-in to intentionally provoke Zhu Yaluan.

But she did not dare to say too much, just touching upon it lightly.

"You lowly maid, I will kill you right now!"

Hearing Meng Yueqin's words, Zhai Dali and Su Yueqiao were completely panicked.

Su Yueqiao immediately raised her palm, intending to strike the Meng sisters dead under her hand.

At the critical moment.

Zhu Yaluan lunged forward, blocking directly in front of the Meng sisters, her brows knitted and her expression cold as she said: "Madam, stay your hand!"

"Alliance Leader!"

"Alliance Leader Zhu, this woman is cunning, do not be deceived!"

Zhai Dali and Su Yueqiao both changed their expressions, and Su Yueqiao also withdrew her hand in time.

If Zhu Yaluan were to die here, it would not only offend Yunxiao Stronghold, but also the unfathomable Ningyang Stronghold, which was as solid as an iron barrel.

"What this woman says is not without reason. I will take these people away. If these two are indeed as Stronghold Master Zhai and his wife claim, three days later, I, Zhu, will personally send them back to apologize!"

Zhu Yaluan glanced at Meng Yueqin, then said coldly to Zhai Dali and Su Yueqiao.

Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua exchanged a look, both feeling a lingering fear as they breathed a sigh of relief.

At last, they had saved their little lives.

"Alliance Leader Zhu, you cannot!"

Zhai Dali immediately shouted in a deep, angry voice.

"Is this move by Alliance Leader Zhu intended to interfere in the internal affairs of my Fenglei Stronghold? Even if you are the Alliance Leader, I think even the other stronghold masters of the Three Mountains and Four Ridges would not agree to such conduct!" Zhai Dali rebuked angrily.

At such a critical moment, how could he let Zhu Yaluan take the Meng sisters away! Even if it meant offending Zhu Yaluan and offending Yunxiao Stronghold, he would not hesitate.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yaluan did not get angry but laughed instead.

She flicked her sleeves, signaling the Ningyang Stronghold attendants who had come with her to help Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua up and protect them.

She then looked at Zhai Dali and sneered: "Today, I, Zhu, represent only Ningyang Stronghold. Since these two are related to Ningyang Stronghold, then I must take them away!"

"If Stronghold Master Zhai insists on blowing this matter out of proportion, I will accept the challenge."

"You may notify the other stronghold masters to settle this matter."

"But I remind you two: three days from now, if you refuse to return the personnel that belong to Ningyang Stronghold, then do not blame me for not showing mercy. At that time, I will coordinate with the True Person martial artists stationed at Ningyang Stronghold and personally lead the troops to your door!"

The voice fell.

Zhu Yaluan gave a cold snort, then flicked her sleeves and looked at the two attendants from Ningyang Stronghold, saying: "Let's go!"

Watching Zhu Yaluan and her party leave with the Meng sisters, stepping out of the assembly hall.

Zhai Dali and Su Yueqiao both had grave expressions.

"No, I'm going to kill them!"

"We absolutely cannot let these two lowly maids leave!"

Su Yueqiao gave a cold snort and was about to rush out to finish off the Meng sisters right in front of Zhu Yaluan.

But.

Zhai Dali, with a gloomy expression, reached out and grabbed her directly.

"Madam, wait!"

"You must not be so reckless; the martial arts world is not just about killing!"

"Acting like this would only make us look guilty, and it will inevitably provoke resentment from Ningyang Stronghold and Yunxiao Stronghold; if things go wrong, it could lead to the destruction of our stronghold!"

Zhai Dali analyzed coldly.

"But if we don't do this, how is the result any different?"

Su Yueqiao frowned and snorted coldly, "Does my husband realize that these two lowly maids know everything about the Salt Well? If they leak this matter, Fenglei Stronghold will not be able to survive either!"

"Not necessarily!"

Zhai Dali shook his head.

Su Yueqiao knitted her brows; what she detested most was human hypocrisy.

Some matters could clearly be resolved directly, yet people insisted on going in circles, only for the end result to be the same.

But since she was living under someone else's roof, she waited patiently for Zhai Dali's explanation.

"My wife, the matter of the Salt Well has reached a point where it must be leaked. Right now, it is not just this one outcome; in fact, there is another possibility!"

"We can contact other Mountain Strongholds in advance and unite to share this Salt Well, but my Fenglei Stronghold will occupy the lion's share. Such a union could improve efficiency and even allow us to sell private salt far and wide."

"And once this happens, with the addition of the other strongholds of the Three Mountains and Four Ridges, even Ningyang Stronghold and Yunxiao Stronghold will have to carefully consider whether they want to make an enemy of the entire Xima Mountain!"

"With the profit returns from the Salt Well, the other strongholds will inevitably stand with us. By then, my Fenglei Stronghold can replace them and become the Alliance Leader of this Xima Mountain, and Yunxiao Stronghold and Ningyang Stronghold will have no choice but to swallow their pride and endure it!"

"Otherwise, they will become the target of public criticism!"

A light of wisdom flickered in Zhai Dali's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel impressed by his own quick thinking! "As for the True Person martial artist that Zhu Yaluan mentioned earlier, it is just as I expected. To be able to make a woman as proud and arrogant as Zhu Yaluan submit as a hostage, Ningyang Stronghold truly has a True Person. This person can only be left for you, my wife, to deal with!" Zhai Dali cupped his fists in a salute, his attitude softening slightly as he smiled.

This was also a strategy for when there was no other choice.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be wonderful to swallow the profits of the Salt Well alone?

But now, he could only unite with the other Stronghold Masters to make Zhu Yaluan and Ningyang Stronghold wary.

Su Yueqiao couldn't help but frown.

She had come to hide in the human territory precisely because she did not want to reveal her tracks.

She wanted even less for people to know that she was a fox demon.

And right now, this plan of Zhai Dali's might not only expose her true strength but also lead people to discover that she was not human, but a fox demon.

But after much thought.

It seemed that in her current situation, only this plan of Zhai Dali's was the most reasonable and effective.

She had no choice but to temporarily suppress her murderous intent and nodded in agreement. "Husband, rest assured. If there really is a True Person expert, there is nothing to fear. Besides, how noble are human True Person martial artists? How could they possibly turn to banditry? They are likely just some powerful Grandmaster in the Sitting Reflection Realm. If my husband absorbs more Pure Yin over these two days, perhaps you can break through to Sitting Reflection, and then you will have a bit more security!"

Su Yueqiao put on a smiling face, looking at Zhai Dali with flattery.

Zhai Dali's expression brightened, and he immediately seized the opportunity, eagerly saying, "Wife, since that is the case, why don't we share a room tonight? If we perform Double Cultivation, our cultivation points will surely increase greatly!"

Zhai Dali looked at Su Yueqiao with longing eyes.

A flash of disdain crossed the depths of Su Yueqiao's eyes.

However, she still revealed a brilliant smile as warm as a spring breeze and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Why is my husband so impatient? Didn't I say that the technique I practice cannot be broken before reaching the Saint-Following Realm, or I will lose my Pure Yin and my cultivation points will plummet? Can my husband not even wait for this?"

"Besides, don't I send fresh women to my husband every day?"

"As husband and wife, we should work together. When you eventually step into the Divine Origin, or even surpass me and step into the Saint-Following Realm, we will live together in this vast world, free and unfettered. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Su Yueqiao spoke in soft, gentle words.

This beautiful future she painted immediately made Zhai Dali feel regretful, yet he was also overjoyed beyond measure.

In the past.

She had drifted here in a heavily injured state and gained Zhai Dali's sympathy.

Later, she used her technique as an excuse to prevent Zhai Dali from overstepping his bounds.

Along the way, she used all sorts of promises and flattery, combined with concrete actions—giving him Double Cultivation techniques and scouring for beautiful women to provide Zhai Dali with pleasure.

In just a few short years, she had firmly grasped this man.

For several days in a row.

Ningyang Stronghold was very peaceful.

Every day, besides 'inspecting' Wei Youqing's recitation of the *Admonitions for Women*, Ning Mu would take the women to the platform behind the mountain to get busy, clearing out hot spring pools and building wooden huts for shade.

Of course.

During the inspections, Wei Youqing would inevitably receive his overflowing love.

These past few days, Wei Youqing's Loyalty had increased very rapidly.

But no matter what, that final step could simply not be broken through.

Wei Youqing was too ashamed, and coupled with the constraints of moral education, she always believed that not giving away that final purity meant she had kept her chastity.

And letting Ning Mu paint and draw on other parts of her body was a sign of loyalty to the person she admired.

And under the devoted care of Liuli Shitai.

Ye Qingxian's injuries also recovered extremely quickly.

Only three days had passed, and she was already able to walk on the ground normally, though the wounds had not completely healed and needed to be wrapped in bandages.

And during her quiet cultivation over these three days, her cultivation points had also gradually stabilized.

Ning Mu also learned about the Salt Well from the sisters Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua.

Upon hearing it for the first time, Zhu Yaluan locked her brows tightly.

No wonder that Zhai Dali was so vigilant.

A Salt Well, and one on a scale requiring hundreds or thousands of people to mine—one could imagine that this was a gold mine! Who wouldn't covet it? Zhu Yaluan even felt some regret; if this Salt Well were in the hands of Yunxiao Stronghold, couldn't the strength of Yunxiao Stronghold have reached a higher level? But now, it was too late to say anything.

After all.

She was already Ning Zhaozhu's person.

Even, like Ning Xiaoxiu and Yang Yanqiu, at that moment of Yin and Yang convergence, she had called out titles like 'Master'.

She was already this guy's Female Slave.

Ning Mu incorporated Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua under An Xiaoxi, making them members of the Stronghold Guard Team.

The three-day deadline passed.

Early that morning.

Ning Mu finished his breakfast and arrived at the high platform in front of the hall.

Liuli was currently organizing the personnel.

Before the railing on the platform, the guards on duty, the sisters Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua, immediately saluted upon seeing Ning Mu arrive.

"Stronghold Master!"

Meng Yueqin's expression was respectful.

"Mm." Ning Mu nodded and said, "Are you getting used to things?"

"If there is anything you are not accustomed to, or if you have any thoughts, you can tell me. Whatever can be resolved, this Stronghold Master will resolve for you sisters; if it cannot be resolved, we will think of a way together."

Ning Mu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the Meng sisters, whose gaunt faces had gradually recovered after these three days of recuperation, and said with a smile.

"We are, we are. We sisters will keep the Stronghold Master's kindness in our hearts and will surely repay it with our lives!"

Meng Yueqin was immediately filled with gratitude and replied, feeling flattered.

Meanwhile, Meng Yuehua, who was standing beside her, had a look of panic and unease, and there was always a hint of wariness hidden in the eyes with which she looked at Ning Mu.

She always felt that this seemingly warm, gentle, and refined Stronghold Master.

Always gave off a feeling that made one's heart flutter with panic.

It was as if he were the natural predator of her and her sister.

This feeling was absurd.

But it was very real.

Therefore, she always harbored a bit of resentment.

Ning Mu waved his hand with a smile and said, "No matter. You came to seek refuge, but I failed to welcome you immediately, and instead let you be abducted and suffer; that was my dereliction of duty."

"Rest assured, today we shall completely eradicate them!"

Ning Mu's expression was gentle and his attitude was amiable; these words were spoken so flawlessly that they immediately moved both Meng Yueqin and Meng Yuehua deeply.

Unable to restrain their emotions.

Meng Yueqin suddenly knelt on the ground.

"What is this for? Get up quickly." Ning Mu hurriedly reached out to help them up.

But Meng Yueqin did not rise; instead, she pulled her stunned younger sister, Meng Yuehua, to kneel down with her, and after they kowtowed to Ning Mu.

She then raised her head, her small face sorrowful, and said, "Stronghold Master, Yueqin has a presumptuous request!"

"Speak!" said Ning Mu.

"Please, Stronghold Master, avenge my sister and me!"

Meng Yueqin's gaze was firm as she looked at Ning Mu with longing.

Over these three days at Ningyang Stronghold, she had personally experienced and felt the harmony within this stronghold.

She had also vaguely learned from other colleagues about the true strength of this seemingly simple Mountain Stronghold!

She heard that the Stronghold Master's two wives were actually True Person powerhouses.

Even the maids in the backyard were at least experts of the Meridian Opening or Zhou Tian Realm.

This thought immediately arose in her heart.

Hearing these words, Meng Yuehua's expression was also touched, and a trace of sadness welled up on her small face.

Immediately, the two sisters recounted the tragedy of their clan's extermination to Ning Mu.

By the time they finished, the two sisters were already tear-streaked, their eyes red.

Hearing that this pair of sisters had such a tragic experience, Ning Mu could not help but be moved.

And just as he was feeling emotional.

He saw Meng Yueqin kowtow again and say firmly, "Stronghold Master, as long as this revenge can be avenged, my sister and I will never marry for the rest of our lives, will serve by the Stronghold Master's side forever, will repay your kindness like a dog or horse, will be your slaves and servants, and will never go back on our word; we await only the Stronghold Master's command!"

(End of chapter)