Inside the main assembly hall of Yama Stronghold.
The atmosphere had never been more solemn.
Not because of any murderous tension or imminent clash.
It was because an unprecedented workplace training session was underway.
The wide tiger-skin chair that normally belonged to the Chief was now occupied by a dainty little girl with a face as delicately carved as porcelain.
Su Yaoyao held a small wooden stick, using it as a pointer.
She rapped it hard against the solid-wood table in front of her, producing two crisp smacks.
“Sit up straight, all of you! What’s the most important thing in the service industry? Your attitude!”
Below the steps, the Chief—his face bruised and swollen, and his body beaten a full three sizes fatter—was kneeling miserably on a prayer mat.
His trembling hands held a copy of the Employee Orientation Manual for the Dayan Canyon Highway Toll Station.
“B-Boss, we used to just hack people with our knives. The brothers really aren’t used to this smiling service thing.”
Su Yaoyao let out a cold laugh and waved her little hand.
“Times have changed! That crude, smash-and-grab style of robbery is hopelessly outdated. These days, it’s all about steady streams of long-term revenue!”
“From this day forward, you are no longer bandits hated by everyone under heaven. You are honorable toll collectors serving a vital transportation hub!”
Su Yaoyao stood up on her little stool and began educating this group of illiterate outlaws in modern business logic.
“When a merchant caravan comes by, the first step is to block the road. The second step is to show the standard eight-tooth smile.”
“The third step is to loudly recite our corporate culture: ‘This mountain was opened by me, and this tree was planted by me. If you wish to pass through, getting a VIP monthly pass is the better deal!’”
The three thousand underlings below listened in stunned silence, feeling as though their entire worldview had been shattered.
Robbery?
This somehow sounded even more ruthless than robbery!
The Chief swallowed hard and asked shakily, “Then… what if we run into some tough guy who refuses to pay?”
Beside him, Su Zhen, who had been calmly polishing a Longquan sword, shot him a cold glance.
“Refuses to pay? Are the broadswords in your hands fire pokers?”
“If someone refuses a polite offer and insists on punishment, send them straight to the afterlife. Seize both the person and the goods. That’s called a mandatory late fee!”
The Chief shuddered and nodded like a chick pecking grain.
To make sure this newly recruited bunch of outlaws would obediently work for a living, Su Yaoyao took a handful of tiny nano-capsules glowing with an eerie blue light from her portable storage space.
“Come along, new employees. Line up and swallow your loyalty pills.”
Su Yaoyao smiled sweetly at the Chief, her gentle tone devilish in its warmth.
“This is a poison I concocted myself. I’m the only person in the world who has the antidote. As long as you obey, I’ll send someone to deliver the antidote that eases the symptoms every month.”
The Chief stared at the glowing pill, tears welling up in his eyes.
But under Su Zhen’s murderous gaze, he could only tilt back his head and swallow it with tears in his eyes.
Afterward, the Chief, filled with humiliation and resentment, pressed his blood-red thumbprint onto a ten-page indenture contract.
According to the contract, ninety percent of the toll station’s monthly net profits had to be deposited on time into the multinational bank designated by Su Yaoyao.
The remaining ten percent would be used to pay basic wages to the three thousand brothers and buy them steamed buns.
And so, the infamous Yama Stronghold of Dayan became a thing of the past, while its first stationmaster officially took office.
The workplace orientation session had come to a successful conclusion.
Next came the favorite activity of the Tyrant of Dayuan and his daughter.
Looting the place! Seizing the wealth!
Su Zhen kicked open the heavy cast-iron door of Yama Stronghold’s underground vault.
When the torchlight illuminated the inside, even the well-traveled Su Zhen couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath.
“Good heavens! Just how much treasure have these bumpkins robbed over the years?”
Inside the enormous underground cavern, boxes of silver were piled high like mountains. Gold and silver jewelry and bolts of silk lay scattered across the floor.
There were also rare medicinal herbs native to Dayan, century-old mountain ginseng, and premium animal pelts.
This was the entire fortune the Yama Stronghold had painstakingly accumulated bit by bit over the more than ten years it had occupied the area.
Su Yaoyao activated hamster mode in her portable storage space.
With a wave of her little hand, all the valuable gold, jewelry, spirit medicines, silk, antiques, and paintings were sucked into the space and carefully stored away.
As for the large, bulky golden-thread nanmu furniture and sculptures that were inconvenient to put into the space, Su Zhen ordered the Chief to select several dozen of the strongest tall horses and the broadest carriages in the stronghold.
It took more than a dozen large wagons, packed to the brim, just to haul the treasure vault away.
They had originally possessed only a single gaudy, gold-plated carriage fit for a nouveau riche.
Now, they had become a vast and lavish merchant caravan loaded with all manner of rare treasures.
“Dad, not only did this cross-border trip cost us nothing, we even made off with an entire caravan!”
Su Yaoyao sat in the carriage, which had been fitted with three extra layers of soft cushions, happily swinging her short legs.
Su Zhen’s face was glowing. He felt that a life without memorials to review and with the daily pleasure of raiding people’s homes was truly the life of an immortal.
“Let’s go! Set out! We’re heading to Dayan’s capital to see the sights!”
At Su Zhen’s command, the enormous caravan—practically a mobile treasury—rumbled out of Yama Canyon in grand procession.
All that remained behind were the Chief and his three thousand underlings, standing in the cold wind and staring at the empty stronghold as they silently shed tears like bowls of Lanzhou beef noodles.
Several days later.
Outside the capital of Dayan, Yanjing City.
The towering ancient walls glimmered with a solemn majesty beneath the sunlight.
At the city gate, civilians and merchants queued up in an endless stream to enter the city.
The Dayan soldiers guarding the gate held spears as they questioned and searched people one by one, occasionally stopping to squeeze a little grease money out of them.
At the end of the main road came the thunderous pounding of hooves and the deafening rumble of wheels.
The soldiers at the gate looked up, and every one of them was stunned by the sight before them.
More than a dozen extravagantly decorated carriages advanced toward the city gate in a neat, imposing line.
The lead carriage was the most outrageous of all.
Its carriage box was covered entirely in pure gold foil, and the sunlight flashing off it was enough to blind a person.
“What’s going on here? Stop and submit to inspection!”
A young officer guarding the gate summoned his courage, stepped forward, and shouted.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Su Zhen in a fur coat unmistakably designed for a nouveau riche.
Without even sparing the young officer a proper glance, he pulled out a large handful of golden melon seeds from his sleeve.
Then, like someone feeding pigeons, he casually scattered them across the open ground by the city gate.
“Your grandpa is here to do big business! Get out of the way and stop blocking my path to fortune!”
The glittering golden seeds hit the ground with a crisp, enticing clatter.
The soldiers who had been preparing to flaunt their authority instantly went glassy-eyed.
What inspection? They couldn’t care less about that now. They dropped their spears and scrambled frantically across the ground to snatch up the money.
“Take your time, sir! Please, go right in!”
With money clearing the way, the ostentatious caravan swaggered through the gates of Dayan’s capital.
The prosperity of Yanjing City was indeed several steps above that of Dayuan, with a distinct exotic charm.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, while hawkers called out their wares without pause.
Su Yaoyao leaned against the carriage window, curiously studying this brand-new section of the map.
The caravan gradually entered the most prosperous district in the heart of the city.
The buildings around them grew more and more luxurious.
Su Yaoyao’s attention was drawn to an enormous building ahead.
This building occupied an entire half block in a prime location.
It was constructed entirely from precious white marble, with sweeping eaves and ornately painted corners. The glazed tiles glittered brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
Two enormous white-jade lions stood before the entrance, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.
Two rows of elite guards stood at the gate, dressed in red and carrying swords at their waists. They radiated such murderous intent that not even a stray fly dared come near.
The grandeur and extravagance of the place even faintly overshadowed the imperial palace of Great Yan.
Su Yaoyao looked up along the white-jade steps.
Above the three-zhang-high vermilion gates hung a huge plaque made entirely of pure gold.
Four imposing characters, carved in sweeping strokes, were engraved upon it:
The Netherworld Divine Cult.
After searching high and low, she had found it without any effort at all!
Su Yaoyao’s heart began to race, and excitement burst into her large eyes.
She had found it!
This was the headquarters of the criminal gang founded by her own biological mother—the woman who had faked her death, vanished, and run off with all the money!
“Father! Look!”
Su Yaoyao grabbed Su Zhen, who was still resting with his eyes closed, and excitedly pointed out the window.
Su Zhen followed his daughter’s tiny hand. The moment his gaze landed on those four characters, his body stiffened.
On the imposing face of the Tyrant of Dayuan flashed shock, fury, longing, and unwillingness.
Eight years!
He had searched for that heartless woman for eight whole years!
Su Zhen’s heart was sour with resentment and longing. He missed her, hated her, loved her, and felt relieved all at once.
So she really hadn’t died!
She had been hiding in the capital of an enemy nation, living even more comfortably than he—the emperor—did!
Looking at the cult’s headquarters, which was even more luxurious than his own imperial palace, Su Zhen felt his back teeth grinding together.
“Very well! Very, very well!”
Su Zhen stared at the heavily guarded entrance, his brows drawing tightly together.
His instincts told him that the cult was filled with countless mechanisms and hidden sentries.
They could force their way in and win, but doing so would certainly alert the enemy.
“Daughter, this place is heavily guarded. Storming in isn’t the best strategy.”
Su Zhen stroked his chin, seriously considering the possibility of sneaking in and assassinating their way through.
“I’m thinking… should we dig a tunnel tonight and sneak inside, or simply infiltrate the place from the roof and tie that woman up before dragging her out?”
Hearing her father’s hopelessly outdated tactics, Su Yaoyao rolled her eyes dramatically.
She didn’t follow his train of thought.
Instead, she tossed the gold ingot she had been idly rolling in her hand onto the cushioned seat.
Her sly eyes darted around. Through the carriage window, she pointed toward the street directly opposite the cult’s entrance.
There stood a massive three-story shop facing the street.
At the moment, however, its doors were tightly shut, and a wooden sign hung on the doorframe bearing four words:
“Bankrupt. For Sale.”
The corners of Su Yaoyao’s lips curled into a devilish smile.
“Father, sneaking in would be so boring.”
“Let’s buy the place across the street, open a medical clinic, and steal her business. I refuse to believe that Mother, the cult leader, will be able to resist showing herself!”
