Li Yao was still expressionless. His face seemed to have been locked by a gate of a thousand tons, which prevented any emotion in his heart from leaking out. He calmly said, “Even if Li Yao’s group does exist, it is not a dynasty after all. Its leader does not necessarily have to be my wife or disciples. I believe that I’m more openminded than that.

　　“The slightly more peripheral members can also control the interest group. For example, Bai Kaixin, Chief of Staff of the Burning Prairie Fleet right now, or Guo Chunfeng, director of the Secret Sword Bureau, or my senior brother Fiend Blade Peng Hai, whose Double Dragons Union is likely to rise to become the biggest sect in the federation after the traditional conglomerates are wiped out.

　　“Are those people worse than Jin Xinyue in terms of strategic wisdom? I think that each of them is suitable to be the spokesperson of the enormous group. I don’t see any reason why I should object.”

　　Long Yangjun smiled and unhurriedly said, “Although I do think that Bai Kaixin, Guo Chunfeng, Fiend Blade Peng Hai, and the rest of them are not as good as Jin Xinyue, it is not what really matters here. The key to becoming the ‘helmsman of Li Yao’s group’ is to win the support of the internal big shots.

　　“In fact, the way I see it, the strife in the modern Cultivation civilization is no different from the conflicts in the court in the world of ancient Cultivators or the battles between gangs in the underground world.

　　“How can you distinguish yourself in a gang? You must be brave and make great contributions to the gang, but that’s only part of it.

　　“Contributions and sacrifices do not necessarily strengthen you. It is also possible that you take a blow for the gang and get imprisoned for ten years, only to discover that all your influence is gone after you are out of prison. Your previous sacrifice would be in vain.

　　“Contributions and sacrifices are necessary, but what matters more is the appreciation and support of the big shots!

　　“This is exactly the dangerous situation that Jin Xinyue is faced with. Now that she is at the center of the scandal storm, if she intends to drag the traditional conglomerates into the abyss and demolish them, she will have to pay an equally high price. Even if she is not sentenced to prison, she will have to lay low for quite a long time.

　　“At that time, if the big shots of Li Yao’s group support Bai Kaixin, Guo Chunfeng, or Fiend Blade Peng Hai, they will be taking Jin Xinyue’s fruit and become manager of Li Yao’s group. Even Jin Xinyue rises again later, everything will have been settled, and she will barely be able to change anything.

　　“Therefore, before Jin Xinyue starts the whole thing, she must have the support of the big shots.

　　“Then, which big shot in Li Yao’s group has the biggest voice? Of course, you are the number one big shot. But your whereabouts are unknown. She doesn’t know when you will come back, and she is not sure that she can manipulate you when you do.

　　“Right below you, the second one on the rank is definitely Ding Lingdang!

　　“As your wife, Ding Lingdang boasts the legal rights of the many shares that you have left behind. She is great shareholder in the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, and even Skyfire.

　　“Also, Ding Lingdang has discovered two Sectors in a row in the past hundred years herself. Her reputation is even higher than yours for the unbelievable legends that she has created!

　　“It is needless to say that her Patriots Front, having toiled in the new worlds for a hundred years, is well-supported in the four new worlds and is a remarkable force in parliament.

　　“Therefore, Ding Lingdang is the most influential big shot in Li Yao’s group. Whoever is supported by her is very likely to be the helmsman of Li Yao’s group!

　　“However—

　　“Ding Lingdang does not like Jin Xinyue. Not at all. Right?”

　　Li Yao did not say anything, but the bitter smile on his lips betrayed him.

　　Long Yangjun grew more and more delighted. “Understandable. Totally understandable. How can a masteress be fond of her husband’s young, beautiful, and even slightly exotic female disciple?

　　“In such a case, things are quite tricky for Jin Xinyue.

　　“Ding Lingdang dislikes and is wary of her. It is obvious that she will not support Jin Xinyue. Then, even though Jin Xinyue can facilitate the rise of Li Yao’s group with all her schemes and ploys, somebody else will claim the spoils in the end. How can the ambitious woman have worked hard for a hundred years for nothing?

　　“Jin Xinyue is a very smart woman. She dare not end on bad terms with her masteress no matter what because she knows that you will return sooner or later. She does not have the courage, nor is it necessary for her, to stand against you.

　　“Since betrayal is not an option and she needs to find a way to win Ding Lingdang’s support, she plays the most delicate move in the entire scheme! Yes. When I inferred her whole scheme, this particular move was the biggest surprise for me!

　　“Hey, Monster Li, do you think that Jin Xinyue informed your wife when she prepared the entire scheme? Is it possible that they are role-playing?”

　　“No.”

　　“I thought so, too.” Long Yangjun nodded confidently. “Ding Lingdang and you are as opposite as can be. She is not the kind of person who likes acting. Also, the fewer people who know such a delicate scheme, the better. It was absolutely necessary for Jin Xinyue not to let Ding Lingdang know anything.

　　“Therefore, it is safe to assume that Ding Lingdang is unaware of the truth even to this moment. She really regards Jin Xinyue as a… ruthless, treacherous, churlish, insane woman who has no boundaries, right?”

　　“I agree.”

　　“If I were Jin Xinyue, I would even find a way to meet Ding Lingdang, pretending that I am too arrogant to care about the bond between us, in order to infuriate Ding Lingdang!

　　“Hehe. Ding Lingdang would’ve been angry enough after knowing what Ding Lingdang did on the surface even without provocation. She will only be even more so after it.

　　“As a result, Ding Lingdang will truly dedicate all her resources to the investigation and crucifixion of Jin Xinyue.

　　“Then, in the near future, after all the traditional conglomerates are wiped out and Li Yao’s group dominates the federation, Jin Xinyue will certainly let Ding Lingdang learn the truth in a clever way.

　　“The little witch will let her masteress know that she has been making sacrifices and contributions while bearing the curses and misunderstandings in silence not for herself or the demons, but for her master and masteress and for the rise of Li Yao’s group!

　　“It means that Ding Lingdang truly wronged the little witch, and the little witch was unable to defend herself in the situation and therefore could only hold back her tears while continuing to make contributions for Li Yao’s group, even if it means that power, reputation, and other things that she cherishes would be shattered!

　　“Tsk, tsk, tsk. How shocked will Ding Lingdang be after she learns the ‘truth’?”

　　Shaking her head, Long Yangjun could not help but applaud. “Awesome. Truly awesome. Jin Xinyue has truly grasped every possible change in her masteress’ mind! Of course, that is also partly because your wife is too easy to predict. But still, I cannot praise your disciple enough!”

　　Li Yao sniffed and said, “Jin Xinyue is not nearly as awesome as you. She certainly couldn’t figure out so many things with only a hundred videos of public speeches.”

　　“I am not nearly as awesome as you, Monster Li, because I can tell from your countenance that you have long realized Jin Xinyue’s tricks, haven’t you?” Long Yangjun smiled. “What, since there are only the two of us here, you don’t even bother to pretend to be shocked?”

　　“Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue are both most intimate to me,” Li Yao said. “A lot of Jin Xinyue’s tricks and acting skills were even taught by me. Is it strange at all that I can see through her? Hehe. It is outrageous for her to trick her masteress like that. I’m going to punish her good after I return!”

　　“Of course you will punish her—by asking her to drink three cups of wine, right?” Long Yangjun smirked. “What Jin Xinyue has done is all open strategies. No surreptitious schemes are involved at all. At the very least, within Li Yao’s group, and in front of Monster Li, she is absolutely able to justify herself.

　　“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m growing to like Jin Xinyue more and more. She knows that it is difficult to resolve her masteress’ hate and wariness for her. It is not just the private contradiction between two women but also the deep-rooted vigilance of a human against a demon. It may have something to do with the checks and balances within Li Yao’s group, too.

　　“Under normal circumstances, her masteress, as a ‘big shot’, would never support her. However obedient and dutiful she appears, it will only add to her masteress’ alert.

　　“In such a case, she might as well go the exact opposite way. She set up a trap on purpose to make her masteress misunderstand her deeply or even strike her hard. Then, after what is done is done, when she is riddled with bleeding wounds because of her masteress, she will suddenly reveal the truth that she is actually a good person who has always been loyal to her master and masteress. She made sacrifices in silence for everyone in Li Yao’s group!

　　“Your wife is a straightforward and upright woman. Such people always have the most extreme emotions, both love and hate. They cannot bear owing somebody else a favor just as much as they cannot tolerate themselves for wronging a good guy.

　　“Therefore, after discovering the truth, Ding Lingdang, who can’t be more regretful, will definitely try her best to make it up to Jin Xinyue, the ‘loyal little disciple’. Or rather, haunted by a certain weird sense of guilt, she may even walk from one extremity to the other. She may begin to absolute trust and support Jin Xinyue instead of hating her!

　　“Hehe. That’s exactly what Jin Xinyue wants.

　　“Ding Lingdang is the second big shot in Li Yao’s group, and Jin Xinyue, with most of the demons in her back, can be considered as the third big shot. If the two big shots join hands, who can compete with Jin Xinyue? In the next hundred years, her place as the ‘helmsman of Li Yao’s group’ will be as steady and unshakable as a mountain.

　　“This is Jin Xinyue’s whole plan. What she abandons is the title of ‘Speaker of the Federation’, which is vain and of no actual use, and the traditional conglomerates in the old core worlds, which are not the real source of her power at all. But what she gains will be the whole of Li Yao’s group and the entire Star Glory Federation!

　　“From the beginning to the end, she has never wanted to be a common ‘Supreme Speaker of the Star Glory Federation’. What she dreams, like her father Jin Tuyi whose Red Tide Plan influences the Star Glory Federation even today, is to control the federation for the next hundred years as a queen of darkness, who will truly lead the New Federation to rise in the sea of stars!’