The next day, news spread that Song Xia had hosted a grand banquet for the four of them, because they had given the leftover dried fish to their six fellow disciples who were returning home, which amazed everyone.

The six men asked dejectedly, "Master, why didn't you tell us?"

"Master, you're being unfair."

Song Xia explained to them helplessly, "Cooking was a last-minute decision. It would be too much trouble to call you back after it was done. Besides, the chef isn't just cooking this one meal. I'll treat you to something more luxurious next time."

"Okay, Master, you can't go back on your word."

"I will never break my promise."

Roger, who was eating dried fish nearby, chimed in, "I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to get a free meal?"

Song Xia smiled slightly: "Of course, as long as you wish."

"It tastes really good, but did Orange Giant, where you lived before, also have these ingredients?"

Song Xia's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, no matter how real her fabricated past was, even a pirate captain like Roger never completely believed it.

She replied without changing her expression: "There are similar ones. After leaving Orange Star, I saw many more."

At the same time, Song Ye tensed up for a moment, and then became even more certain that he could not have any unusual feelings for his master, otherwise he would only harm himself and others.

Rogge chuckled: "Although everyone has brought back a lot of things from Mist Star, there are always some shortcomings. If you need anything else, you can tell everyone, and they will try to get it for you."

Song Xia tentatively asked, "Can I go out to find my son myself? Don't worry, it will only be during their rest days, so it won't interfere with their cultivation."

Rogge waved his hand: "That probably won't work. The only people who can freely enter and leave Fog Star are the Fog Sea Pirates."

Song Xia frowned slightly, as if it were perfectly normal: "Am I not a member of the pirate crew yet? I thought I was already one."

Roger laughed heartily: "You're quite interesting. And rightly so, you're now training talent for our Fog Sea Pirate Crew, how can you not be a pirate? Tomorrow I'll have my subordinates process your induction. But as for you leaving Fog Star to find your son, that's still not very realistic."

"Why?"

"The pirate crew is already looking for you. One more person won't make much difference. You'd be better off staying on Mist Star and waiting for the results."

What if your subordinates don't search diligently?

“Don’t worry.” Roger looked at her meaningfully. “They wouldn’t dare disobey an order I personally issued.”

Their conversation ended after Roger finished the last dried fish. Not satisfied, he looked at Song Xia and asked, "When is the next meal?"

Song Xia's lips twitched slightly: "The next day off."

Song Xia would let them rest for one day after every six days of training, so it would be at least six days before she cooked for them again.

Roger sighed regretfully, "That's really hard to bear."

Song Xia added, "If the commander wants to eat it, we can make it tonight."

“No, I’m the commander, not a bandit. I can’t take up your time.” Roger said, getting up. “I have some business to attend to these days. We’ll eat when I get back.”

Song Xia thought to himself, "Are pirates more noble than bandits?" He continued, "Captain, don't forget to cultivate. When the time comes, I will definitely welcome you with a grand feast."

Roger waved his hand, and Song Xia continued to lead the disciples in cultivation. During rest periods, she could be kind and approachable, but during cultivation, she did not allow anyone to disobey her orders. Even Song Ye, who did the best, was not spared her reprimands, and she often punished the group as a whole for each individual's mistake.

Although her methods were harsh, the results were gratifying. Under her strict treatment, the ten people became closer and closer, just like brothers and sisters.

Song Xia thought that even if she failed to seize power from Rogge in the future, the remaining nine people could still protect Ye'er and help her leave Mist Star and escape the Mist Sea Pirates.

Although her life had been good since she arrived on Fog Star, she never thought of staying here with Ye'er forever unless she could completely control the place.

Because outside her little world, the ordinary people living here suffer greatly, there is injustice everywhere, and they lose all dignity just to survive. Becoming a pirate is the lifelong pursuit of ordinary people on Fog Star.

If Ye'er hadn't been chosen by her to cultivate, she would have struggled to survive like other ordinary orphans, barely managing to get a bite to eat. In the future, she would have stained her hands with blood in her quest to become an ordinary pirate, and might even have become a test subject for research, constantly being injected with new drugs.

She didn't know what Ye'er had experienced in his past life, only that Ye'er collapsed after learning about his origins. Ye'er must have suffered inhuman torture at that time, otherwise he wouldn't have kept saying that he could never go back to the past and that he could no longer be the son of the Federal Marshal.

When Ye'er self-destructed, he was so resolute. What did he experience in his past life that made him not care about his own life? What could be more important than life?

In her spare time, Song Xia considered whether to send a message to Ling Chengrong or the Song family to reassure them, but she quickly rejected the idea.

Regardless of how strictly Rogge controls Wuxing, every message she sends out could be intercepted. Even if it is successfully sent out, it could still endanger herself and Ye'er. After all, once they know that Ye'er and she are together, they will either feel at ease and stop searching, or they will take drastic measures to rescue her. Either way, it will make Rogge suspicious again.

She felt no guilt about hiding the truth from Ling Chengrong; she was only a little worried about her two children, Wenbang and Wenying. Although they were Ling Chengrong's favored beneficiaries, the two children had always respected her and loved Ye'er very much, being much more responsible than Ling Chengrong.

Ye'er's abduction and his own disappearance must have worried them terribly. I hope they can enter the military step by step and inherit everything from Ling Chengrong, instead of foolishly coming out to look for him.

As for the Song family, Song Xia sighed helplessly. It was true that they owed her a debt of gratitude for being raised, but what they cared about more was probably the power and convenience that she would bring them after marrying Ling Chengrong. During the time she was training hard, Ling Chengrong had also taken good care of the Song family, so whether or not they heard from her now probably didn't matter to them.

After figuring this out, Song Xia devoted herself even more seriously to her cultivation. Simply joining the pirate crew was not enough; she wanted to quickly become a high-ranking member of the Mist Sea Pirate Crew and participate in its decision-making. Only by gradually increasing her power could she eventually gain her own supporters and slowly wrest power from Roger.

However, to Song Xia's surprise, the first thing she did after officially joining the pirate crew was something she couldn't bring herself to do; she had underestimated the pirates' cruelty.