"Chief!" Kou Zhong's face lit up with joy as he hurriedly struggled to his feet and bowed respectfully. Then, he quickly said, "Your subordinate failed in his task and begs the Chief to punish me."
Gongsun Zhi's heart sank further. It was over. Ding Chunqiu and the others wore cold expressions, looking down at Gongsun Zhi from their lofty positions.
"I saw everything," Li Daoqiang said indifferently, his cold gaze shifting to Gongsun Zhi.
Gongsun Zhi's breath caught as an even greater pressure bore down on him. Just as he was about to bow his head and admit fault, he heard the furious voice of that 'young upstart' ring out: "Chief, it's this man. Your subordinate was ordered to find a place to stay for a few days. This Lord of the Emotion Valley, relying on his status as a master-level expert, not only refused to let us stay but also tried to kill your subordinate. Even after I revealed my identity, he still wanted to kill me, showing no regard for the Black Dragon Stronghold."
"Misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding!" Gongsun Zhi, terrified and stiff all over, could no longer hold back and began to defend himself, waving his hands frantically. "Chief Li, brother, it's all a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!"
Kou Zhong glanced at the expressionless Li Daoqiang, knowing the score, and sneered, "What misunderstanding? Was it a lie that you wanted to kill me?"
"Brother, it really is a misunderstanding. I thought you weren't from the Black Dragon Stronghold but were using their name to deceive me. That's why I wanted to strike at you. Misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding, ahem. Chief, I swear I had no intention of offending the Black Dragon Stronghold." Gongsun Zhi, pale-faced and flustered, said.
"If you thought I was an impostor, why not just detain me and take me to the Black Dragon Stronghold to verify? Instead, you went straight for the kill, and now you dare to quibble in front of the Chief. Hah." Kou Zhong sneered, his tone dripping with naked killing intent.
Though the ultimate goal was to recruit Gongsun Zhi into the Black Dragon Stronghold, he had undoubtedly deeply offended this master-level expert. But if he wanted to earn merit, how could he fear offending people?
Gongsun Zhi inwardly wished he could slap this little bastard to death, but at this moment, he dared not show even a hint of such thoughts. Helplessly, he said, "Chief, and this brother, I truly didn't think it through. It was all a misunderstanding. Please, Chief, be merciful and let me off this once. I will be eternally grateful."
Then, with even more deference, he added, "Chief, I have two million taels of silver at home. I am willing to offer it all to you as compensation."
At this point, he dared not harbor any illusions or pride. The man before him was a bandit, a true bandit. He himself was no righteous man; if he dared to show any false hope or backbone, he had no doubt the other would slap him to death without a second thought, caring nothing for consequences. That kind of power was truly terrifying. Completely irresistible terror.
"Enough. You dared to kill someone from my Black Dragon Stronghold. Do you know our rules?" Li Daoqiang said coldly.
Gongsun Zhi's eyes flickered, and he quickly replied, "Chief, please speak. If I can do it, I will give my all."
"Not knowing my Black Dragon Stronghold's rules, yet you dared to kill my people. Who gave you the nerve?" Li Daoqiang's tone turned icy, pressing down like a tidal wave, suffocating.
Gongsun Zhi instinctively lowered his head, his heart tightening uncontrollably, and said fearfully, "Please, Chief, enlighten me. I have been out of the valley for so long; it was truly a misunderstanding."
Li Daoqiang said nothing. Xue Dao Lao, understanding the cue, was the first to speak: "Lord Gongsun, the Black Dragon Stronghold's rules are always clear-cut. Brother Kou is at the third level of the Xiantian realm. The price for trying to kill him is one million six hundred thousand taels of silver."
Gongsun Zhi was stunned. Only one million six hundred thousand taels?
"Besides Brother Kou's matter, you dared to attempt murder right in front of the Chief. That's clearly a slap in the face to the Black Dragon Stronghold, even to the Chief himself. For such an offense, the price is tenfold, meaning sixteen million taels. Together, that's seventeen million six hundred thousand taels. Then there's your own life, worth one million taels. The Emotion Valley seems to have several hundred people; we'll need to calculate them one by one. Understand?" Xue Dao Lao said unhurriedly.
Gongsun Zhi's face grew even paler. Calculated this way, it came to nearly twenty million taels of silver. Selling the entire Emotion Valley wouldn't come close. Two million taels in cash was all he had accumulated over the years.
"Chief, I truly don't have that much money right now. Could you grant me some time? I will find a way to get the money to you," Gongsun Zhi gritted his teeth and begged. Haggling would be suicide; he could only ask for an extension.
"Heh, the Black Dragon Stronghold always deals in cash on delivery, no credit. Lord Gongsun, can't you pay? Without money, how dare you try to kill someone from my stronghold?" Ding Chunqiu seized the opportunity to sneer.
Gongsun Zhi's face shifted between pale and green, unable to speak, and could only look at Li Daoqiang with a pleading gaze.
"Father!" Suddenly, a clear, pleasant cry rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
In the distance, a woman in a green dress, with a graceful figure, slender waist, and tall stature, was running over with worry. She had skin like凝脂, delicate and fair, with an elegant, otherworldly air, as if she carried the beauty of mountains and rivers. She was undoubtedly a stunning beauty.
Seeing her, Ding Chunqiu and the others all turned to look at Li Daoqiang. Their eyes conveyed the same thought: The Chief must have taken a liking to her.
Kou Zhong's heart skipped a beat, a flicker of concern rising.
Li Daoqiang ignored his subordinates' glances and openly admired the arriving beauty. He was greedy for wealth and lust. It was already known to all, and since it was what he wanted, why hide it?
"E'er." Gongsun Zhi looked at his daughter, then suddenly seemed to realize something, turning back to Li Daoqiang as if seeing a lifeline, a hint of color returning to his face.
"Father, are you alright?" The pure, natural woman, like a mountain spirit, ran worriedly to Gongsun Zhi's side and helped him up.
"E'er, I'm fine. Come, meet Chief Li," Gongsun Zhi said gently.
Gongsun Lü'e, with a hint of fear, looked at these hostile people. Under her father's gaze, she curtsied to Li Daoqiang: "This humble woman, Gongsun Lü'e, greets Chief Li."
"Not bad." Li Daoqiang's face showed a hint of appreciation, then he turned to Gongsun Zhi and said coldly, "Since you can't pay, I'll give you one more chance."
Gongsun Zhi was overjoyed, glancing thankfully at his daughter, and quickly said, "Chief, please give your orders."
"Join my Black Dragon Stronghold and repay the debt slowly," Li Daoqiang said flatly.
Gongsun Zhi's heart sank, a flicker of hesitation appearing. But the next moment, feeling the lofty gaze upon him, the hesitation vanished. He immediately bowed respectfully: "I am willing to join the Black Dragon Stronghold. I pay my respects to the Chief."
"Prepare a place to rest. Xue Dao, later you can explain the stronghold's rules to him." Li Daoqiang's tone softened slightly.
"Yes." Gongsun Zhi and Xue Dao Lao replied in unison.
In the blink of an eye, it was the third day since Li Daoqiang and his group arrived at the Emotion Valley. In that short time, the valley had already changed masters. Everyone in the valley had joined the Black Dragon Stronghold, and the valley's assets had been voluntarily sold by Gongsun Zhi to the stronghold to offset part of his debt. Along with over two million taels in cash, Gongsun Zhi had cleared about a quarter of his debt.
Before a patch of love flowers in the valley, Li Daoqiang admired them, curious, and smiled: "Are these love flowers really that miraculous? Once poisoned, does it flare up whenever one feels love?"
"Chief, that has been the case for centuries," Gongsun Lü'e replied quietly, standing beside him with a hint of restraint and fear, though her voice remained gentle and pleasant, like a clear spring or a soft breeze, bringing comfort and peace.
"And if someone who is detached from desires and emotions is poisoned, what happens then?" Li Daoqiang looked at Gongsun Lü'e beside him, his expression softening.
Gongsun Lü'e dared not meet his gaze, lowering her head, unsure how to answer. According to the valley's records, no such person had ever been encountered. After a moment of thought, she said softly, "There are no records in the valley. I don't know either."
"True. Such a person would be rare in all the world." Li Daoqiang smiled casually. Turning, he walked unhurriedly toward the manor, chuckling, "Let's go. Time to head back. Lü'e, the scallion-mixed tofu you made last night was good. I want it for lunch today."
Gongsun Lü'e's fair face flushed. She felt a bit shy. No one had ever praised her cooking like that. And besides, it wasn't called scallion-mixed tofu.
"Yes." She replied softly, then followed with light steps.
Back at the manor, Gongsun Lü'e went to prepare Li Daoqiang's lunch. He, meanwhile, sat in the main hall, listening to his subordinates' reports.
The situation in the Emotion Valley had been mostly sorted out, and a message had been sent for the Black Dragon Stronghold to send people to take over. Beyond that, the main news was about Xiangyang.
Having spent the morning enjoying the valley with the beauty, Li Daoqiang reviewed the messages one by one. So far, there were no major movements or changes. No need to rush.
"Keep watching and report immediately," Li Daoqiang ordered after reading.
"Yes."
"Ding Chunqiu, stay. Everyone else, dismissed."
"Yes."
In moments, only Li Daoqiang and Ding Chunqiu remained in the hall.
"You've seen the Emotion Valley's records. Can you formulate the Emotion-Breaking Pill?" Li Daoqiang asked. The Emotion-Breaking Pill was the antidote to the love flower poison. The entire valley now had only three pills left. Such a miraculous poison, he instinctively didn't want to waste.
"Chief, give me some more time, and I will definitely be able to formulate it," Ding Chunqiu immediately assured.
"Good, go ahead." Li Daoqiang waved his hand. In matters of poison, he still trusted Ding Chunqiu.
"Yes, your subordinate takes his leave." Ding Chunqiu bowed and withdrew.
Li Daoqiang sat alone, silently pondering for a moment, suppressing a few desires. No rush.
Meanwhile, Gongsun Zhi, whose injuries were mostly healed, hesitated. Should he now offer Lü'e to Li Daoqiang?
(Chapter 1, a bit stuck. Hard to write.) ······