Outside the Shaolin Temple.
As soon as he left the temple, Duan Yanqing sped at his fastest pace toward the original location. When he arrived, there was no one in sight.
His brows furrowed tightly, a faint chill spreading. Being used as a pawn or a blade was one thing, but being a pawn or blade that could be discarded at will—that was harder to stomach. He absolutely couldn't die now. With a shift in thought, he understood what he needed to do next: show greater value. Only a more useful pawn or blade wouldn't be easily abandoned by its master. Suppressing a cold snort, he endured it and continued flying forward for dozens of miles.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Come here."
Following the familiar sound, he saw Li Daoqiang's figure. With a grim face, he flew over in silence.
"Delivered?" Li Daoqiang asked calmly, gazing toward the Shaolin Temple in the distance, utterly indifferent to the fact that he could abandon Duan Yanqing at any moment, as if it never crossed his mind.
"Delivered," Duan Yanqing replied coldly.
"Mm, good. You came back safely, and no one chased you. It seems you didn't disobey my orders," Li Daoqiang said, withdrawing his gaze to look at Duan Yanqing with a smile of approval.
Duan Yanqing's eye twitched. This attitude—treating him as if he were nothing, ready to be cast aside at any moment—was truly hard to bear. But he had no choice but to endure.
Seeing Duan Yanqing silent, Li Daoqiang didn't mind. As for whether the other was displeased by his readiness to abandon him, Li Daoqiang cared even less. With a tool or a dog that didn't want to die, if you didn't keep it in line, how could it work hard?
"Let's go. Back," Li Daoqiang said, turning toward the Black Dragon Stronghold.
Duan Yanqing shot a deep glance at Li Daoqiang, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. What exactly did Li Daoqiang want? And what was in that letter? Pondering, he quickly followed.
Ahead, Li Daoqiang's speed steadily increased, soon nearing Duan Yanqing's limit. Without pushing further, Li Daoqiang also fell into thought. The Shaolin Temple—or more precisely, the Southern Shaolin—hadn't pursued Duan Yanqing. That meant they were now wary. The plan's start was promising.
Now, with Ye Erniang under control and the absent Xuzhu in his grasp, he could wait for the Southern Shaolin to come negotiate or fight. He didn't actually have Xuzhu, the son of Xuanci and Ye Erniang. But as long as he didn't say so, who would know? Xiao Yuanshan knew, but that was useless. As long as the Southern Shaolin didn't know, it was fine.
Negotiation was the outcome he wanted. He had deliberately revealed his strength to the Tianlong Temple and made all these preparations just for this negotiation. He didn't think he was being greedy this time. One hundred million taels of silver might seem like a lot, but compared to the rise or fall of the entire Southern Shaolin—or even the whole Buddhist sect—it was truly not much.
Of course, it came down to his lack of strength. If he were strong enough, why would he only extort the Southern Shaolin? He'd go after the entire Buddhist sect, and it wouldn't be just a paltry one hundred million taels. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to dare extort that behemoth. If he tried, the entire Buddhist sect would likely choose to kill him at any cost, not giving him a chance to expose anything. So, he could only do business with the Southern Shaolin alone.
With his current strength, he believed the Southern Shaolin lacked the confidence to kill him and prevent him from exposing the secret. As for whether the Southern Shaolin would enlist the entire Buddhist sect's help, he doubted it. The Buddhist sect wasn't just one Shaolin. With the eight schools of Buddhism, the Chan School currently led, and the Southern Shaolin was merely one of its strongest branches. The Buddhist sect was most united against outsiders, but internal strife was plentiful. The pie was only so big; if you ate more, I ate less. If the Southern Shaolin dared to use the entire sect's strength, they'd have to reveal the truth, and then they'd inevitably weaken. Given the chance, plenty within the Buddhist sect would want to see the Southern Shaolin fall. That was one of his foundations for this deal.
As long as the Southern Shaolin didn't borrow the entire sect's power, he wasn't afraid. That nameless old monk might be incredibly strong, but unless things completely broke down, he wouldn't really come out to deal with him, would he?
Of course, all of this was Li Daoqiang's own speculation and plan. If the Southern Shaolin went mad, thinking Li Daoqiang's hold on this secret was too dangerous and had to eliminate him at all costs, then Li Daoqiang would have to fight, flee across the land, abandon the Black Dragon Stronghold, and spend his life opposing the Buddhist sect to the bitter end. So, in the end, he was still taking a risk, gambling. He gambled that the Southern Shaolin wouldn't dare stake their own safety—or the Buddhist sect's—on a bet with him. If he lost, he might pay with his life, or at least his foundation at the Black Dragon Stronghold.
Normally, Li Daoqiang wouldn't choose to gamble with his life. But he was just too poor. He still needed about half the bandit points for the eleventh level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, let alone what came after. And the Southern Shaolin was just too rich. Given the chance, he couldn't sleep at night if he didn't extort them.
He'd also considered waiting until he was strong enough to extort the entire Buddhist sect. The haul would be much bigger. But who knew how long that would take? What if something happened in the meantime? What if Ye Erniang died? What you had in hand was good. A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush—that was his creed. When an opportunity came, seize it. Delay, and it might vanish.
After a moment of silent thought, he reviewed how to negotiate with the Southern Shaolin, where his bottom line lay, and so on. Glancing back, he said casually, "I'll head back first. Be careful on your own. Return within three days, understand?" Without waiting for a reply, he suddenly accelerated and vanished in an instant.
Duan Yanqing, whose weakness was speed, twitched with a dark expression. Even with his composure, he felt like cursing. Truly, he was treated as disposable. With a wary look toward the Shaolin Temple behind him, he pushed himself to his limit. He didn't take Li Daoqiang's "be careful" as a joke. Combined with that letter, the more he thought, the more uneasy he grew, fearing the Shaolin would send someone to kill him.
In less than half a day, Li Daoqiang, traveling at full speed, returned alone to the Black Dragon Stronghold. Summoning Ding Dian, he asked directly, "How did it go?"
"Smoothly. I handled it myself. I sent her out on a mission first, then took her down outside. She's now locked in the deepest part of the stronghold's dungeon. No third person knows about it," Ding Dian said seriously, clearly understanding what Li Daoqiang was asking.
"Mm, good work." Li Daoqiang smiled with satisfaction. He could already sense Ye Erniang's aura in the deepest dungeon. He trusted Ding Dian's word that no one else knew, especially when dealing with someone like Ye Erniang—Ding Dian wouldn't hesitate, even without knowing Li Daoqiang's purpose.
"After this, Ye Erniang will cease to exist in this world," Li Daoqiang stated firmly, partly to reassure Ding Dian.
Sure enough, a glimmer of joy flashed in Ding Dian's eyes as he nodded heavily. He didn't know why Li Daoqiang had him capture Ye Erniang secretly after leaving the stronghold, with such extreme caution, so she could vanish without a trace from today onward. But he didn't need to know. The less he knew, the easier life was. After the Liancheng Jue treasure incident, he'd learned that lesson well. All he needed to know was that the despicable Ye Erniang was going to die—that was enough.
Dropping the matter, Li Daoqiang discussed some stronghold affairs with Ding Dian before sending him off. Watching his retreating figure, Li Daoqiang felt increasingly satisfied with Ding Dian—reliable, not nosy, and to some extent, trustworthy. He was undoubtedly his top lieutenant. Too bad such talent was rare—upright but not rigid, a grandmaster with family. If he found more suitable people like that, he'd have to recruit them.
Afterward, Li Daoqiang went to check on Ye Erniang, ensuring everything was fine before relaxing. She was a mountain of silver, and until that silver was in hand, nothing could go wrong. Leaving the dungeon, he headed to Qi Fang's courtyard. After a bout of tender intimacy, he set aside desire and focused on cultivation, waiting for the Southern Shaolin to arrive. Of course, he also made some preparations in case war broke out.
He waited, and the Southern Shaolin came. They were fast, arriving at the Black Dragon Stronghold even before Duan Yanqing. On the second night, a powerful, vigorous aura suddenly appeared in the Floating Cloud Mountains. Due to the distance, even innate masters couldn't detect it, but for grandmasters, it was like a blazing sun rising. Li Daoqiang sensed it first, even before the aura was released. With a slight smirk, he sent a mental message to Ding Dian to stay put, then sped off.
Soon, two monks appeared in Li Daoqiang's view. One was powerfully built, radiating an intangible aura—the source of that presence. The other was calm, seemingly unshakable. As Li Daoqiang sized them up, the monks studied him in return. A barely concealed hostility emanated from the sturdy monk.
"Heh, two masters have traveled far. I've failed to welcome you properly," Li Daoqiang said with a polite smile.
"Amitabha. Greetings, Benefactor Li," the calm monk said, pressing his palms together in a slight bow. The sturdy monk also bowed but remained silent, exuding an imposing, unspoken authority.
"May I ask for your Dharma names?" Li Daoqiang inquired courteously, as if greeting friends.
(Chapter 1. Please subscribe.) ······