Li Daoqiang clearly intended to fleece Western Xia for all they were worth.
He was a supreme expert, and on foreign soil to boot. Helie Tieshu wasn't sure how Western Xia would react. But a complete falling-out was unlikely. That being the case...
His gaze swept over the members of the First Class Hall, his mind churning with thoughts.
Li Daoqiang was also scanning the First Class Hall members, picking out two Western Xia warriors at the Xiantian realm. He undid their seals and said with a faint smile, "You heard what was said just now. Hurry back and report to the Western Xia Emperor. Tell him the Stronghold Leader is waiting for the silver at Black Dragon Stronghold. One hand for the money, the other for the men."
The two dared not utter a word of dissent, nodding repeatedly before immediately dashing off to the northwest.
Li Daoqiang glanced at the remaining group and said calmly, "Back to the stronghold."
With that, he took the lead and strode forward.
Yun Zhonghe and Blood Saber Old Dao excitedly barked orders at the First Class Hall members, telling them to hurry up and follow.
No one dared to hesitate; they all obediently fell in line.
Since their meridians and acupoints were sealed, the First Class Hall members were naturally slow, but Li Daoqiang wasn't in a rush. Once he had more hands, he could pick up the pace.
As he ambled along unhurriedly, he began to ponder the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
His expectations were correct: the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was a martial art at the third level of the Grandmaster tier. Mastering the basics required 500,000 Bandit Points, just like the Lingbo Weibu. More importantly, even before formally training in it, he could already sense that this palm technique was an uncanny fit for him. He was already itching to delve into it.
Meanwhile, the events at Apricot Grove spread like wildfire in all directions.
The Beggar's Sect was a renowned orthodox sect, famous throughout the land. That their leader, Qiao Feng, was revealed to be a Khitan was a world-shaking revelation in itself. Add in the Western Xia First Class Hall and Li Daoqiang of Black Dragon Stronghold emerging at the end, and the twists and turns made for a highly dramatic tale. The speed of its spread far exceeded ordinary imagination.
Li Daoqiang was a supreme expert. Qiao Feng was a Khitan, tied to events thirty years ago. Li Daoqiang had obtained the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and captured the Western Xia First Class Hall members. Each incident was like a boulder crashing into a lake.
Of course, even the fastest news needed time to travel. But wherever the news passed, it stirred up massive waves. Gradually, the waves grew larger, spreading across the land.
Li Daoqiang naturally kept an eye on the world's news, but he didn't pay it too much mind. For now, the priority was to bring the First Class Hall members back to Black Dragon Stronghold and complete the transaction with Western Xia.
That very day, he borrowed some hands and fast horses from the Murong family and Mantuo Villa. Escorting the First Class Hall members, he made haste back to Black Dragon Stronghold. Given his current ties with Mantuo Villa and the Murong family, this was no trouble.
Night fell.
The group stayed at an inn, booking the entire place.
In a modest room, the captured Western Xia Grandmaster Li Yanzong was housed. As one of the two captured Grandmasters, he was treated decently, at least getting a room to himself.
At that moment, he was frowning deeply, his face ashen.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a figure appeared in the room. An invisible force spread, enveloping the entire space, sealing off all sound.
Li Yanzong immediately stood up, his expression awkward as he looked at the figure before him.
"Brother Murong, what's going on here?" Li Daoqiang asked, slightly frowning, genuinely puzzled.
The visitor was Li Daoqiang, and he naturally saw through the man before him—it was Murong Fu.
"Brother Li, you've caught me at a disadvantage," Li Yanzong, or rather Murong Fu, said with a clasped-fist salute, his expression one of shame.
Li Daoqiang recognizing him came as no surprise; it would have been strange if he hadn't.
"Brother Murong, given our relationship, there's no need for such formalities," Li Daoqiang said magnanimously.
"It's a long story," Murong Fu sighed.
Li Daoqiang understood immediately and said considerately, "Brother Murong, no need to elaborate. This is your affair, not to be spoken of lightly. But for now, I'll have to trouble you to come along. With you here, Western Xia will have to pay me ten million taels of silver. If you were to leave alone, it might raise suspicion. Of course, you're free to contact the outside world, as long as the Western Xia don't catch on."
Murong Fu was already feeling stifled, and hearing this, he couldn't refuse. He had no way to refuse, nor did he want to expose his identity. He could only nod and say, "Brother Li, rest assured, I'll cooperate."
As he spoke, he seethed inwardly. He had gained nothing this time and was captured by Li Daoqiang again, wasting no small amount of time. Infuriating.
Yet he couldn't find anyone to blame. The most obvious target was Li Daoqiang, but Li Daoqiang was too strong. That single move today had shattered all his pride and jealousy. Plus, he was convinced that Li Daoqiang would soon forge a deep bond with him, so he couldn't bring himself to hate him. Without Li Daoqiang, there was no one else. The more he thought, the more frustrated he became.
Li Daoqiang sensed this faintly, amused, but said nothing more. After a few pleasantries, he left.
*Slap.*
As soon as Li Daoqiang was gone, Murong Fu couldn't help but slam his palm onto the table beside him, his face dark and stormy. He was just too unlucky.
On the other side, having placated Murong Fu, Li Daoqiang returned to his room in high spirits. He found Murong Fu's predicament rather amusing. This time, the man had gained nothing and was captured again, forced to play the role of a prisoner once more. But Li Daoqiang felt no sympathy; he found it entertaining. Out of past acquaintance and for the sake of A'Zhu and A'Bi, he had shown enough face by coming to soothe him. If he didn't mind an abrupt fallout, he could have used Murong Fu's true identity as leverage to extort more.
The fact that the esteemed Murong Fu had disguised himself as a Western Xia man and infiltrated the First Class Hall was something Murong Fu would never want exposed.
Unfortunately, his own skin wasn't thick enough yet. He'd need to work on that.
Li Daoqiang silently reflected before shifting his focus back to the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
By now, he had already reached the basic mastery level. This was the result of his day's travel. He hadn't even formally trained, yet he'd achieved it. This was the combined effect of his Innate War God talent, top-tier aptitude, and supreme expert realm. The eighteen palm force circulation paths were etched into his memory; his inner energy flowed smoothly through his meridians without obstruction, as if he'd practiced them countless times, with no hint of unfamiliarity. That was why he'd mastered the basics without formal training.
With this foundation, his understanding of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms deepened. The concept of the technique came from the *I Ching*. Beyond the eighteen palm force variations for different situations, the core was its mental intent and artistic conception.
The "dragon" subdued wasn't a literal dragon; it represented all things in heaven and earth from the *I Ching*, as well as the self. With an unmatched, supremely yang and vigorous momentum, one subdued and suppressed everything. This martial art could only be cultivated by those with great breadth of mind.
This breadth could mean magnanimity, or it could mean a heart embracing the world, with soaring heroism.
Li Daoqiang's great breadth lay in his determination to sweep across the world.
During his travels, he had clarified the core of his practice of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. He lacked Qiao Feng's true heroic spirit and iron-blooded manliness, nor did he have Guo Jing's patriotism and broad-mindedness for the people, nor Hong Qigong's clear conscience, openness, and carefree attitude. What he had was one thing: an unwavering resolve and confidence to dominate the world.
This, too, was a form of great breadth and boldness.
From the mental intent to the inner energy and talent, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was the perfect fit for him. Supreme yang and vigor were its very foundation. Of course, due to individual differences, everyone's final expression would differ. For instance, Guo Jing and Hong Qigong achieved a unity of yin and yang in the end. Thus, in terms of sheer ferocity, they fell short of Qiao Feng.
Qiao Feng trained in Shaolin inner arts, which were inherently yang. Coupled with his extraordinary physique, remarkable combat talent, and soaring heroic spirit, he wasn't incapable of mastering yin—he simply excelled at the yang aspect. This made him a better match for the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
Li Daoqiang was similar to Qiao Feng, perhaps even more so. From the inner energy of the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Art to the Innate War God talent and his world-dominating breadth of mind, he was destined to push the concept of supreme yang and vigor to its extreme.
From the start, he had realized this, which was why he had gone to such lengths to obtain the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Now that he had it, the more he pondered, the more it lived up to his expectations. On the contrary, he felt pleasantly surprised.
But he wasn't in a rush to use Bandit Points to train. Basic mastery and minor accomplishment weren't worth wasting them on; he was confident he could achieve those on his own soon. Major accomplishment shouldn't take long either.
As Li Daoqiang traveled while delving into the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, the events at Apricot Grove had already spread like thunder across the land, intensifying.
At this time, a message emerged from the Shaolin Temple in the Song Empire: Abbot Xuanci had unfortunately passed away, and a new abbot had taken over.
This news would normally have been significant, but under the shadow of the Apricot Grove incident, it barely caused a ripple. Only a few attentive individuals paid it any mind.
Li Daoqiang was naturally one of those attentive individuals. Upon receiving the news, he smiled. For Shaolin to have Xuanci "pass away" at this time was clearly an attempt to minimize their influence. A clever move, perhaps also influenced by the Qiao Feng affair. But regardless, it had little to do with him for now. He noted it briefly and returned to his deep study of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
Meanwhile, the Western Xia capital had received the news. The Western Xia high council gathered, their faces dark and grim.
"What a Li Daoqiang! A mere bandit dares to openly extort my Western Xia, showing not a shred of respect for us!" the Western Xia Emperor roared, slamming his hand heavily on the table before him, his face twisted with rage.
(Chapter 2, thanks for the support.)