Lilith quickly calmed down. Regardless of how strong Aizen truly was, or why he had been hiding and suppressing himself all this time, Lilith was willing to place her trust in the person who had once saved her life.
"What's your plan now? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Lilith asked directly. She understood that since Aizen had made up his mind to become a black-clad disciple, he must have more plans in store.
"I plan to join the Left Faction. Could you recommend me?"
Aizen didn't hesitate to ask Lilith for help. In fact, even if he hadn't met her on the road, he would have sought her out after becoming a black-clad disciple.
Heavenly Demon Clan was enormous, and the sheer number of tens of thousands of followers ensured the clan's dominance, making it the unrivaled leader of the demonic path.
However, the larger an organization becomes, the more complex its internal conflicts over interests grow.
Because of these interests, various factions had emerged within the vast Heavenly Demon Clan, leading to fierce and brutal internal competition.
The Left Faction was one of the most powerful factions within Heavenly Demon Clan, and it was led by Demetrius Kingsley, one of the clan's inner elders.
Within Heavenly Demon Clan, the Left Faction controlled the eastern courtyard, which was where Aizen was currently located.
Lilith had joined the Left Faction when she became a black-clad disciple. This was necessary because a lone disciple without the backing of a faction would find it difficult to survive and would face exclusion and suppression from all sides.
Aizen had long planned to join the Left Faction after becoming a black-clad disciple. Now that he had encountered some trouble, it became even more urgent for him to join a faction and seek protection from powerful allies.
When Lilith heard Aizen's plan, she understood his reasoning and nodded in agreement.
Aizen smiled lightly and began pulling out 200 taels of silver from under his bed. He then dug a hole in the ground and buried the rest of the silver.
He didn't bother hiding these actions from Lilith. Wealth might indeed tempt people, but that depends on the person.
Aizen knew that Lilith was highly ambitious and driven. While this amount of silver might surprise her, it wouldn't make her greedy.
And indeed, Lilith didn't ask any questions as she watched Aizen bury the silver. She simply waited quietly.
Everyone has their secrets. Aizen had his, and Lilith had her own. She understood that asking questions about such matters could damage trust and harmony.
With 200 taels of silver in his possession, Aizen also took some belongings from the bodies of Stanley and Steward Edric.
On Stanley's body, there were only 2 taels of loose silver, which Aizen tossed into his money pouch without hesitation.
Steward Edric had more wealth on him, including a 50-tael banknote and a half-used bottle of first-grade body refining pills.
Taking the wealth of the dead didn't trouble Aizen at all. For everyone in Heavenly Demon Clan, taking the possessions of the deceased carried no sense of guilt.
In the demonic clan, people acted according to their desires without restraint. Ideas like "the wealth of the dead brings bad luck" were meaningless. As a demonic path follower, Aizen didn't care about such notions either.
After finishing everything, Aizen tossed the bodies of Stanley and Steward Edric under the bed, took the silver, and left the hut with Lilith, heading to the Left Faction's small base in the eastern courtyard.
The entire eastern courtyard was under the control of the Left Faction.
The Left Faction had placed its people in key positions of authority in the eastern courtyard and even collected protection fees from the numerous black-clad disciples under their protection.
Of course, no faction survives or thrives solely on the tributes from its followers.
To grow stronger and maintain a dominant position in the factional struggles, the Left Faction needed to compete with other factions for resources.
These resource competitions between factions were conducted within the Heavenly Demon Clan and were overseen by the council of elders, ensuring that the competition didn't spiral out of control and remained governed by certain rules.
Steward Edric had been a member of the Left Faction and had obtained a position of some authority thanks to his cousin, Leo.
Now that Steward Edric was dead by Aizen's hand, if this was discovered, Aizen might not even survive long enough for the clan's enforcers to deal with him—he might not make it past the Left Faction itself.
Yet here he was, going with Lilith to join the Left Faction voluntarily.
This wasn't a case of walking into the lion's den.
As the saying goes, wealth entices the heart, and in Heavenly Demon Clan, there were no true friends, only interests.
Even within the Left Faction, there were rivalries and conflicts. Some people hated Steward Edric and Leo.
Aizen was looking for the enemies of his enemies, who could become his allies and partners.
One of the Left Faction's small bases in the eastern courtyard was a large estate known as Three Willows Manor.
There were three willow trees in front of the manor's gate, hence the name "Three Willows Manor."
The person in charge of Three Willows Manor was a black-clad disciple and a sworn enemy of Leo.
Lilith had pledged her allegiance to this individual, which explained why Steward Edric had always been hostile toward her and, by extension, toward Aizen.
If it hadn't been for Lilith's strength and her slightly crazy nature, Steward Edric would have killed Aizen long ago.
Aizen had heard Lilith mention the person in charge of Three Willows Manor before. His name was Valentino, and he had become a black-clad disciple three years ago. In just three short years, he had risen quickly and was now one of the top ten among the one hundred thousand black-clad disciples.
He had previously clashed with Leo in a minor confrontation and held a grudge against him since then.
When Aizen had first heard Lilith talk about Valentino, he noticed that she seemed quite uncomfortable with him. At first, Aizen didn't understand why.
But now, upon meeting Valentino in person, he understood. And he found it somewhat amusing.
"Lilith, it's been such a long time since you've visited me! I've missed you so much that I couldn't eat or sleep. Look at me—I've lost weight," said Valentino, who walked into the manor's grand hall dressed elegantly in a black silk robe.
As soon as Aizen saw him, he quickly stood up.
However, when Valentino immediately turned his attention to Lilith and started spouting such sentimental words, Aizen felt disgusted and even his skin crawled.
Now he understood why Lilith disliked Valentino so much. With her personality, hearing such nauseating words every time they met would definitely irritate her.
"Valentino, watch your words. I was just here two days ago," Lilith said with her eyebrows furrowed.
But Valentino didn't seem to care. He laughed and said, "Even in just two days, I've lost weight. Lilith, when will you finally stay here with me?"
"Shut up!" Lilith snapped, her face showing signs of anger.
Even though Valentino was the one in charge of the manor and she sometimes had to obey his orders, Lilith ranked among the top fifty of the one hundred thousand black-clad disciples, so no matter how strong Valentino was, he couldn't push her too far.