Chapter 29: Stronghold Chief

Chapter 29 The Stronghold Chief

Zhuque wasted no time here, taking Luo Qi back to the Four Symbols Sect’s headquarters on the spot.

The two saintess positions of the Four Symbols Sect, Azure Dragon and White Tiger, had long been vacant, and now at last one would be filled.

Perhaps even both.

Zhao Changhe stood atop the mountain peak, gazing under the moonlight at Luo Qi’s receding figure as she followed Zhuque away. He knew the Four Symbols Sect would soon have a saintess named Xia Chichi, and the so-called test was almost a foregone conclusion.

For someone who bore both the ancient Azure Dragon inheritance and the legacy of the previous White Tiger saintess, failing such a test would be a ghostly miracle—especially since Luo Qi knew the Four Symbols Sect like the back of her hand.

She was going home, but he seemed to have lost a family member.

That sense of husband and wife, rising and sleeping together, had ultimately been nothing but an illusion.

A woman with hatred and ambition had now officially stepped onto the crest of this chaotic age, soon to stir the winds and clouds. Years later, looking back, would she still remember that fierce, all-out kiss in the mountain stronghold, inside the water-curtain cave, and the man who had touched her heartstrings?

Perhaps she would forget.

After all, to become a saintess, one must set aside thoughts of love between man and woman, mustn’t one? Sects always had such rules.

When they met again in the martial world, what I could call you would depend on your attitude then, wouldn’t it?

Zhao Changhe raised his gourd of wine, took a big gulp, and strode back to the stronghold.

Luo Qi had soared to a high branch, but Zhao Changhe himself had not failed to bask in some reflected glory—first and foremost, he had easily become a Blood God cultist, with Fang the helmsman not daring to utter a single fart in front of Zhuque.

And as a formal cultist backed by the Four Symbols Sect’s prospective saintess, Zhao Changhe gained another benefit.

With the Azure Dragon Seal found, this branch seemed to have lost its value… The relatively important stewards in the stronghold, including Instructor Sun, could now withdraw. There was no reason to keep a seasoned veteran like Instructor Sun stuck in this godforsaken frozen wasteland.

In theory, even the complete evacuation of the stronghold’s bandits would have been fine, but since a decent stronghold had been built and the harshest part of winter was already half over, abandoning it now seemed a pity.

After deliberation, Xue the cult leader decided to keep it, leaving Fang Buping as helmsman. The key point now was to begin spreading the doctrine in nearby cities.

As for the stronghold, it would serve as a backup lair, with only a few low-level thugs left to guard it. The chief of the stronghold was…

Zhao Changhe.

…

“Instructor, take care on your journey.”

Instructor Sun and the others didn’t leave immediately; tying up loose ends took seven or eight days. Coincidentally, during those days, Instructor Sun fully taught Zhao Changhe the Blood Saber Technique, finishing what he started before departing.

Although there had been a small rift—Instructor Sun had never told Zhao Changhe about the controlling nature of the Blood Demon Art—overall, Zhao Changhe still held great respect for him.

In this stronghold, the only people who had truly treated him well were Luo Qi and Instructor Sun… In a sense, Instructor Sun’s kindness was even purer.

Yet both of these kind people had left within ten days, one after the other, as if symbolizing that there was nothing left in this stronghold worth lingering for.

“Stop here. You’ve already seen me off beyond the mountain. When you sent off Luo Qi… ah, Saintess Xia, you didn’t go this far.” Instructor Sun chuckled and patted Zhao Changhe’s shoulder. “What a rough man you are.”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “A teacher for a day is a father for life. That’s different from a woman.”

“A teacher like me isn’t a true master; it’s just a duty in the cult, teaching widely.”

“Whoever imparts knowledge, resolves doubts, and guides me—that’s a teacher in my heart.”

Instructor Sun was pleased. He glanced around and lowered his voice: “The big matter here is done. Fang Buping was badly beaten by Venerable Zhuque and hasn’t even been allowed to go back and recover; he’s stuck here continuing to spread the doctrine—clearly a punishment. And you, now officially in the cult with backing, why don’t you come back to headquarters with us? Why stay in this godforsaken place, still under that Fang’s thumb…”

“Fang Buping won’t come to the stronghold to suffer; he’s recuperating and preaching in the city. Under normal circumstances, he can’t control me. And I doubt he dares to try—after all, I have connections above.” Zhao Changhe’s eyes flickered, and he smiled casually. “I don’t like being restrained, and I have no great ambitions. Being a mountain king suits me fine. Going to headquarters would just make me a small pawn again—that’s uncomfortable.”

“You… that is your nature, unwilling to be under anyone.” Instructor Sun sighed. “At headquarters, you’d have more chances to access the Blood Demon Art… But the world is about to fall into chaos. Being able to lead a stronghold alone, even if it’s just a rabble, will give you no shortage of opportunities to rise. Put your heart into it.”

Zhao Changhe clasped his fists. “Yes. A thousand-mile send-off must end at last. I won’t see you off any farther. Go slowly, Instructor.”

“Don’t slack off in your training—that’s your foundation.” Instructor Sun gave Zhao Changhe one last punch and strode away.

Zhao Changhe stood quietly in the snow, watching until Instructor Sun’s figure vanished completely, then turned and went back to the stronghold.

He had chosen to stay here as the mountain king, and of course, he had his reasons.

With the inheritance of Xia Longyuan, its level—even if not comparable to the Azure Dragon Seal—was definitely among the best in the world, and it could likely solve or at least alleviate the flaws of the Blood Demon Art. So why bother joining the cult to be a lackey, ordered around, completing tasks for merits, just to learn a Blood Demon Art that even Yue Hongling could challenge across levels? Was he insane?

Moreover, the fact that he could solve the Blood Demon Art’s flaws on his own must not be seen by the Blood God cultists. Hiding in this remote stronghold to train until he reached a certain level before going out was the safest approach. At least as the head of the stronghold, he could accumulate resources for cultivation, which was far better than running around as a wanted criminal.

As for the imperial affairs, so far he had been keeping his distance, unwilling to get involved. Not to mention, acknowledging a fake father was not something anyone could easily accept—it was worse than being a wanted criminal.

The reason he joined the Blood God cult was to gain some status, to have fewer constraints than a low-level bandit. As it turned out, things were even better than expected—he had become the stronghold chief.

Once his skills were mastered, the sea would be wide and the fish could leap. He would decide then.

But he hadn’t anticipated becoming chief, and being thrown into the role so hastily, he found a lot of troublesome matters. First, he had to face a problem…

With the previous stewards gone, Zhao the new boss had to figure out how to provide food, clothing, and daily necessities for this rabble of thugs…

You don’t know the cost of running a household until you’re in charge.

Before, he had thought the stronghold’s food and clothing were shoddy, but now that he had to manage it himself, he realized how difficult it had been for others to arrange everything neatly—rooms and bedding provided, cornbread delivered every morning, meals distributed at noon and night.

Even some poorly organized government troops might not have managed such order. From this, one could glimpse the organizational level of the cults. If the Blood God cult was like this, what about the Four Symbols Sect?

Fortunately, the cooks and laborers hadn’t left; otherwise, just finding someone to do these chores would have given Zhao Changhe a headache three times over.

You couldn’t exactly recruit!

For now, it was still okay. The foundation was decent, and many things were already in place—at least there were houses and tools, all in good order… The biggest problem was the lack of resources.

Originally, the stronghold didn’t have much money or grain, and they had relied on Luo Qi and the others hunting beasts and raiding to keep things running. Now that the main force had withdrawn, they certainly wouldn’t provide extra supplies for these low-level thugs. Whatever was left in the warehouse was all they had—if it wasn’t enough, they’d have to figure it out themselves.

Zhao Changhe clasped his hands, wincing as he looked at the scattered copper coins in the warehouse, the last few measures of millet, and the cured meat that together weighed less than three catties. He felt that this wouldn’t even last him a few days alone—how could it support the whole stronghold?

And he wanted to light oil lamps? They were almost out of cooking oil…

There was no salt either… That was even more scarce than oil. Oil could be rendered or pressed from many things, but salt—if there was none, there was none.

The only consolation was finding a fair stock of medicinal herbs, mainly for injuries and bruises, and some for medicinal baths. Bathing with herbs could aid external martial arts training, but before, no one had the conditions for baths, so they hadn’t bothered to boil water for such luxury. Instructor Sun wasn’t his father… Now that he was chief, he could use them—that privilege was his.

“Wasn’t the stock this low before?” Zhao Changhe asked the storekeeper after his inspection, quite annoyed. “If it was really this scarce, the atmosphere in the stronghold would have been tense long ago. I didn’t notice it being that bad… How come now it looks like it’s been looted clean? Even a dog wouldn’t bother crawling here?”

“Helmsman Fang transferred a batch of money and grain to the city. He said that the money and grain were originally provided by the cult to support the search for the treasure, not to sustain the stronghold. On the contrary, the stronghold’s duty was to supply the cult with goods, not to be a drain on funds…”

Zhao Changhe narrowed his eyes.