Chapter 353 - 348: Kneel and Sing ’Conquer

It took Du Youqian nearly half a year to fully recover from his injuries. Simultaneously, his Cultivation advanced to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, bringing him into the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

This was two or three months slower than he had planned.

The main reason, naturally, was that the Foundation Establishment Kun Cultivator, Wei Wei, was squeezing him dry, forcing him to pay a tremendous price every single day.

If Du Youqian hadn’t rushed to practice that Secret Technique, the Jielin Secret Cave Room Rejuvenation Skill, he truly might not have been able to keep up.

In this world, equal love between men and women was rare. Conquest and being conquered were the eternal rhythm of life.

It was, of course, impossible for Wei Wei to conquer Du Youqian.

And while Du Youqian didn’t yet have the power to conquer her, he had already gained the upper hand. He could now occasionally get her to cooperate with his plans and turn a blind eye to certain matters.

During this period, the Zouma Gang was already firmly in Du Youqian’s grasp.

Gang Leader Ma Cong and Vice Gang Leader Liu Jinlong were both under Du Youqian’s control, thanks to a Secret Technique. He could decide whether they lived or died with a single thought. Their very souls were laid bare before him, leaving them with no secrets whatsoever.

Even if they attempted a desperate, mutually destructive struggle, Du Youqian’s current strength was more than enough to withstand a sneak attack from two small-fry Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators. He had no fear of their betrayal.

As for the few Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Du Youqian mulled it over and decided to wait a while longer before bringing them under his control.

Du Youqian had not yet stepped into the limelight, continuing to operate under the title of Senior Steward and pulling the strings from the shadows.

Over the past few months, Du Youqian had Ma Cong lead the gang members on attacks in all directions, while having Wei Wei provide backup and secretly eliminate any troublesome figures from opposing forces.

The Zouma Gang swiftly conquered several small, nearby oases, bringing them all under its control.

The original cultivators of those small oases who were willing to submit were absorbed into the gang’s ranks. Those who refused were naturally turned into cultivation resources for the victors.

Such rapid expansion naturally came with its own set of problems.

However, for one, the Zouma Gang had enough Martial Force to suppress any issues. For another, Du Youqian had no intention of nurturing a long-term power. He was simply building this faction to plunder resources for himself. He couldn’t care less about potential problems, nor did he mind the conflicts between new recruits and the gang’s veterans. The faster the expansion, the better.

He was keeping Ma Cong and Liu Jinlong around for the sole purpose of being his scapegoats.

When problems arose later, he would first kill Liu Jinlong to appease the masses.

If more problems followed, he would have Ma Cong abdicate and atone for his "sins."

Whether he would personally take the stage at that point or prop up another Puppet would depend on the situation.

’Perfect.’

Just then, something unexpected happened.

The little girl had actually succeeded at Introducing Qi into the Body.

She was the same small, dark-skinned girl whom Zong Li had once promised to marry.

Because her Spirit Root was of the Lowest Grade, she was considered to have no potential for cultivation. Thus, the Zouma Gang hadn’t recruited her and simply left her to her own devices.

But this little girl, relying on nothing more than a shoddy, incomplete Cultivation Technique that circulated around the Oasis, had somehow managed to figure out Cultivation on her own and successfully completed Introducing Qi into the Body.

If that was all, it would not have been particularly noteworthy.

But this little girl was truly relentless. Without a word to anyone, she traveled on her own two feet to an Evil Pool over two hundred li away. Not only did she miraculously survive, but by using Evil Qi Body Tempering, she caused her Cultivation to skyrocket to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, entering the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage.

To be honest, the fact that she had even survived the two-hundred-li journey was surprising enough for Du Youqian. This was the Endless Desert Sea, after all.

This was no ordinary desert.

Beyond the scorching heat of day and the bitter cold of night, the Desert Sea was home to Alien Races, venomous insects, Horse Bandits, quicksand, and roving Evil Pools... Any one of these could be fatal to an ordinary person; even Qi Cultivation Cultivators were not guaranteed to survive.

But the little girl had managed it.

So, Du Youqian wasn’t surprised that her Body Tempering succeeded. ’With such incredible fortune, it would be stranger if she had failed.’

When the dark-skinned girl came before Du Youqian with an excited smile and declared she wanted to join the Zouma Gang, he truly saw her for the first time.

"Your name."

The girl froze. "What?"

"Your name."

"I don’t have a name. When my parents were alive, they always called me Xiaoya. You call me Xiaoya, too."

Du Youqian was speechless.

’No wonder she never got angry when I kept calling her "little girl."’

’Her real name actually *is* Xiaoya.’

Du Youqian thought for a moment. "I’ll give you a new name."

"Really?" Xiaoya said, delighted.

"From now on, you will be called... Li Fei." As he gave her the name, Du Youqian inexplicably found himself thinking of Master Wu Fei.

’Master Wu Fei has probably been reincarnated by now,’ he thought. ’Perhaps he’s even about to be born.’

"Li Fei..." Xiaoya repeated the name, savoring it as a brilliant smile spread across her face. "I like this name! From now on, I am Li Fei!"

"Good. Since you’re already at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, I was going to... ah, recommend you for the position of Senior Steward, same as me..."

The girl grew a little bashful, though her dark skin hid any blush. "How could I be the same as Brother Zong! I’d be happy with a position just a little lower than yours."

Du Youqian smiled gently. "You’ve only just joined the gang and haven’t made any contributions yet. You’re also young, and your Cultivation has just barely crossed the threshold into the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. If I were to make you a Senior Steward right away, I’m afraid many people would gossip. Why don’t you start as a Low Level Steward for now!"

Li Fei replied joyfully, "Okay! I’ll do whatever you say, Brother Zong."

"Well, well. This little girl seems utterly devoted to you, doesn’t she?"

An arm, as pale as a lotus root and seemingly boneless, wrapped around Du Youqian’s waist from behind. A dazzlingly beautiful face with a sultry gaze peeked out from behind his shoulder, sizing up Li Fei with a smirk.

Li Fei nervously lowered her head, stammering, "I just... I just..."

She had heard stories about this woman—a powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivator, temperamental and mercurial, for whom killing was as common as eating or drinking.

Now, experiencing the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator firsthand, Li Fei felt as if she had been plunged into an icy chasm.

"That’s enough," Du Youqian said, patting Wei Wei’s hand. "Don’t scare the girl."

"Just a girl? Fine, just a girl." Wei Wei couldn’t be bothered to squabble with this ugly duckling; it was beneath her dignity. She gave Du Youqian a sultry smile. "Come find me tonight."

"I’m busy. I need to cultivate," Du Youqian said coolly.

Wei Wei’s expression immediately turned cold. Her eyes narrowed into slits, glinting with a dangerous light. "Don’t push your luck! Are you trying to die?"

Du Youqian replied coolly, "I find it rather distasteful when people casually make threats they can’t deliver on. It’s brainless. Either you kill me right now and prove you mean what you say, or you apologize to me immediately. Otherwise, don’t come looking for me ever again."

Wei Wei’s face hardened, and the chill emanating from her made Li Fei tremble in fear.

Li Fei was so anxious she was practically hopping on the spot, wanting desperately to scream, ’Brother Zong, just apologize! This woman will actually kill you!’

But she didn’t dare say a word.

It wasn’t that she feared retaliation from Wei Wei, but that her words might infuriate the woman even more, sending the situation spiraling into the abyss.

Wei Wei stared at Du Youqian for a long moment, but he paid her no mind.

Suddenly, Wei Wei broke into a radiant smile, shaking the arm wrapped around him. "Oh, my dear brother, don’t be like that! I was just teasing you! How could I ever bear to kill you!"

The corner of Du Youqian’s mouth twitched, which passed for a smile.

’Just now, I was ready to release my Sword Intent and kill her in an instant.’

’But it’s fine. The risk was well worth it. That extreme bit of push-and-pull achieved an excellent result. I’m one step closer to taming this woman.’

’Another ten days, maybe half a month, and I’ll have her kneeling at my feet.’

Li Fei watched forlornly from the side, not daring to interject.

~~~~~~~~~

That night, Wei Wei’s coquettish cries finally subsided, leaving only the sound of panting.

Du Youqian sat up and asked, "Have you made any progress in your search for that Exotic Treasure?"

That’s right—Wei Wei had even told Du Youqian about a secret as crucial as this.

Beyond that, she had also revealed nearly everything about her Sect to him, holding nothing back.

Du Youqian now understood the Shengxia Sect’s power structure and knew of its key figures. He also took the opportunity to learn about the distribution of Core Formation Level powers in the Endless Desert Western Domain, as well as the handful of Sects and gangs presided over by Nascent Soul Masters.

As for any greater powers, there were none—at least, not openly. A barren wasteland like the Endless Desert Western Domain wasn’t considered worthy of a Divinity Transformation Master’s presence.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here couldn’t support a Divinity Transformation Master anyway.

Thinking of this, Du Youqian couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

’A barren wasteland?’

’Do they have any idea that the Spiritual Qi concentration in this "barren wasteland" of theirs surpasses even that of the Blessed Lands of Momenan’s First-class Sects?’