Handing the completed letter to Xu Zhi, Li Daoqiang said coldly, "It's getting late. You can stay in Jingzhou City tonight. Bring back all the information on this Wang family tomorrow—their strength, modus operandi, reputation among the people, and so on. I want as detailed intelligence as possible by tomorrow evening at the latest. Can you do it?" As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi instinctively wanted to avoid those intimidating eyes, but understanding Li Daoqiang's intent, he forced himself to hold steady. He nodded firmly and vowed, "Rest assured, Chief. Even if it costs me my life, I'll get it done."
"Haha, it's just some intelligence—no need to risk your life for it. Go on." Li Daoqiang laughed, his tone hearty and seemingly warm. But at that moment, Xu Zhi suddenly thought of Ling Tuisi. For some reason, he felt the two were strikingly similar. A chill ran through him, and he dared not dwell on it. He bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Li Daoqiang watched Xu Zhi leave, his smile fading, a flicker of mockery crossing his face. *A thousand taels to brush me off? Brother Ling, you underestimate me.*
---
In Jingzhou City, Xu Zhi finished reading the letter: "To Brother Ling, personally. I shouldn't refuse what you've entrusted to me, Brother Ling. But as it happens, something major is about to occur at home in the next couple of days. Could you grant me one day? We'll talk the day after tomorrow, and I promise I won't let you down." Ling Tuisi raised an eyebrow slightly, lost in thought. Then, with a gentle smile, he asked, "Brother Xu, what does Chief Li mean by this?"
Xu Zhi promptly bowed and replied, "In answer to your question, sir, I wouldn't know."
"And has your stronghold made any recent moves?" Ling Tuisi inquired, his tone unchanged.
"The Chief only ordered the brothers to train harder. As for anything else, I'm not aware," Xu Zhi said earnestly.
Ling Tuisi nodded and waved his hand. "I understand. Please convey to Chief Li that I'll be waiting."
"Yes," Xu Zhi said respectfully.
"Haha, running back and forth with messages must be tiring. Someone, come in." Ling Tuisi's smile grew warmer and more genial. At his call, a man entered carrying a tray piled high with silver.
Xu Zhi's eyes widened slightly, a mix of greed and fear surfacing.
"Consider these two hundred taels as drinking money for you, Brother Xu," Ling Tuisi said with a chuckle.
Xu Zhi hesitated inwardly, then lowered his head and said reluctantly, "Sir, I don't deserve this."
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Brother Xu. No need to refuse—it's a token of my regard. Take it." Ling Tuisi's tone turned serious, carrying an air of finality.
Xu Zhi wavered again, glanced at Ling Tuisi, felt a pang of fear, and lost the nerve to decline. He bowed once more. "Yes."
"Good." Ling Tuisi nodded approvingly. "Then you may go now, Brother Xu."
"Yes, I'll take my leave." Xu Zhi left, both pleased and apprehensive, clutching the silver.
Ling Tuisi, of course, paid little attention to a minor figure like Xu Zhi. His smile faded as he sank into thought. After a long pause, he let out a soft laugh. *What a man, Li Daoqiang. I underestimated your greed. You're showing me your worth now. Fine—I'll watch closely.*
---
Early the next morning, Li Daoqiang ordered half of his personal guard, along with the second and fourth squads, to slowly head toward Heshan Stronghold. He himself led the remaining half of his guard, plus over a hundred men from the first and third squads, to quickly leave Black Dragon Stronghold, leaving only a few able-bodied men and the elderly to guard it. Guided by Wang Lin, the group headed straight for Qingfeng Stronghold, over twenty li away.
The mountain paths were rough, but for the hardened bandits, it was nothing. Over an hour later, the bandits arrived near Qingfeng Stronghold, tense and excited.
"Chief, we're here. How should we storm in?" asked Chen Jiang, the head of the first squad, his eyes gleaming with ferocity as he looked at Qingfeng Stronghold.
"What do you think?" Li Daoqiang replied calmly.
Chen Jiang froze, at a loss for words. He was fine with wielding a blade and killing, but coming up with a plan on the spot before the fearsome chief was beyond him. Fortunately, Li Daoqiang didn't press him. His tone turned stern, and he boomed with bravado, "Brothers, ahead lies Qingfeng Stronghold—silver, martial arts manuals, women, and wine are all there. Follow me, your chief, and charge!"
With that, he took the lead, striding swiftly toward the stronghold's gate, moving just fast enough for the others to keep up. This blunt call to action ignited the bandits' greed and bloodlust. Shouting, they charged with drawn blades.
"Kill!"
"Damn it, I'm coming!"
"Grab the money and the women!"
At Qingfeng Stronghold's gate, the guards spotted Li Daoqiang and immediately raised the alarm. In moments, the once-quiet stronghold erupted into chaos.
"Chief, we're under attack!"
"Clang, clang—hurry, everyone!"
"Brothers, close the gate!"
Amid the clamor, Li Daoqiang was the first to engage the defenders. Casually deflecting a few arrows, he struck the closing gate with his palm.
*Boom!*
With a golden flash, the three-meter-tall solid wooden gate shattered into pieces, and several men behind it were sent flying, spitting blood. The thunderous noise and spectacle stunned everyone, shock rippling through the crowd. Even the Black Dragon bandits were taken aback—the power of that strike was beyond their imagination.
"Kill! Surrender or die!" Li Daoqiang barked coldly, leading the charge into Qingfeng Stronghold.
Shaken from their stupor, the Black Dragon bandits' morale soared at his words, emboldened by their unstoppable leader.
"Kill!"
The real slaughter began. Cries of agony, curses, and the clash of weapons filled the air. Qingfeng Stronghold fell back step by step, while the Black Dragon bandits grew fiercer with each advance. Li Daoqiang stayed at the front but did little actual fighting. After smashing the gate, he only killed those foolish enough to charge at him, leaving the rest as live targets for his men to hone their skills on.
This was his plan from the start—only through constant battle and training would Black Dragon Stronghold grow stronger. Li Daoqiang wasn't a babysitter. If you chose to be a bandit, you had to understand that without risking your life and striving, you deserved to die. Black Dragon Stronghold had no room for the useless. The weak who died had it coming. So he cared little about casualties, as long as they didn't reach a critical point—he even welcomed them.
Still, even without Li Daoqiang's direct involvement, the Black Dragon bandits gained the upper hand. They had come prepared, catching Qingfeng Stronghold off guard. Moreover, Qingfeng Stronghold was weaker to begin with—Black Dragon Stronghold was, after all, Ling Tuisi's pawn. Despite recent losses and an incomplete force, it was enough to handle the unprepared defenders.
Just then, Qingfeng Stronghold's chief finally arrived, bellowing furiously, "Who dares attack my stronghold? I'll—"
*Boom!*
Before he could finish, a golden palm strike tore through the air, engulfing him entirely. In that instant, terror flashed across his fierce face as the overwhelming force made his whole body tremble and go limp. *Xiantian!* The thought barely formed in his mind before his body was sent flying.
The battle seemed to freeze. Qingfeng Stronghold's men, already on the verge of collapse, could hold no longer. Some fled, others surrendered. Order was quickly restored—those who tried to escape were killed. The remaining prisoners, the severely wounded left to fend for themselves, were gathered together. The bandits began cleaning up and looting.
Li Daoqiang oversaw the operation, waiting for results. Before long, reports came in.
"Chief, we've found 4,856 taels of silver and some jewelry. Most of it belonged to Qingfeng Stronghold's chief; the rest came from his men. We haven't had time to search thoroughly yet," Wang Lin reported.
Li Daoqiang nodded. "Take your time. Don't let a single tael slip through, understand?"
"Yes, Chief, I understand." Wang Lin remained expressionless, well aware of his chief's insatiable greed. But that was no surprise—what bandit wasn't greedy?
Li Daoqiang turned to Chen Jiang, who promptly said, "Chief, this battle was a great victory. We've captured 83 able-bodied men. We lost 11 of our own, with 12 severely wounded or disabled." His tone was brimming with excitement. It was undeniably a triumph with rich spoils. As for the dead and wounded, no one present paid them much mind—it was par for the course in their line of work.
Li Daoqiang nodded again and looked at Jiang Xing, the head of the third squad.
Jiang Xing immediately reported, "Chief, Qingfeng Stronghold's chief, Guo Shan, has confessed. He has no backing—just some ties to a few families in Jingzhou City, with whom he's done business."
"Good. Make sure he cooperates. If he doesn't, kill him," Li Daoqiang said dismissively. He had deliberately spared Guo Shan's life, partly to see if he had connections and partly because the man, a decent fighter close to mastering the twelve main meridians, could still be useful.
After giving a few more orders, Li Daoqiang's expression turned stern, his tone icy. "Record everyone's contributions carefully. Rewards will be given after we return to the stronghold. Remember this, and warn the men: anyone who tries to cheat the system will face my wrath. If a subordinate screws up, he dies, and his superior will be severely punished. If you know of it and stay silent, you'll die too."
The men present shuddered, fear surging through them. They replied in unison, "Yes."
"Good. I'm leaving this to you. Get back to the stronghold as soon as possible." Li Daoqiang stood and headed out—there was another battle ahead.
They saw him off, collectively sighing in relief.
(Chapter 1.)