Wanwan's face stiffened again. Was Li Daoqiang using this as leverage? Her heart grew heavier. In her eyes, Li Daoqiang was clearly seizing the moment to make demands. He wanted her to marry him. Without hesitation, she refused. But Li Daoqiang made it obvious—he wouldn't let the hawk fly without seeing the rabbit. The usual tactics she used on men seemed useless against him. Impervious to persuasion, hard-hearted, fixated only on tangible gains. Everyone around understood the situation too. Li Daoqiang really had his eye on Wanwan and wanted to marry her. That seemingly casual remark might as well have been his condition. "Chief Li, Wanwan is still young and won't be marrying anytime soon." At that moment, Zhu Yuyan stepped forward, speaking decisively. Clearly, she too saw that Li Daoqiang was making a demand. And this demand, she could not accept. Wanwan looked at Zhu Yuyan with some gratitude, biting her lip as a flicker of inner conflict rose within her. What if Li Daoqiang threatened her master's life... Li Daoqiang frowned, as if something had occurred to him. He looked at Zhu Yuyan with a hint of amusement and said, "Yin Empress, you don't actually think what I just said was a condition, do you?" Zhu Yuyan's eyes flickered with uncertainty as she stared at Li Daoqiang. "Heh." Li Daoqiang chuckled, then said seriously, "Wanwan is indeed remarkable, but she injured my wife and tried to take her life and treasures. For that price, Wanwan as she is now isn't enough to compensate." The moment he said this, Wanwan's elegant chest rose sharply. Her beautiful eyes blazed with anger. This bastard was basically saying she wasn't qualified yet. For the first time, she doubted her own charm. Did this guy even like her? No, he just wanted her body. Pervert. A pervert who didn't even know how to win a girl's favor. He deserved to stay single forever... no, wait, he had a wife. Hmph, he must have tricked or forced her into marriage. "Wanwan, don't be mad. I'm an honest man, just speaking the truth." Li Daoqiang looked at Wanwan with a straight face. This only made Wanwan angrier, the more she thought about it. But many others were pleased, like Guo Fu, who glared at Wanwan with satisfaction. Even Huang Rong beside her felt an inexplicable secret joy. She quickly caught herself, feeling a bit embarrassed for comparing herself to a young girl. She suppressed her emotions and continued watching seriously. After her chest rose and fell several times, Wanwan held back her outburst and forced a smile. "Then when would I be enough to compensate?" Li Daoqiang thought it over seriously and said, "When you break through to the level of a peerless expert." Pfft. Wanwan cursed inwardly. What a bold thought. When I become a peerless expert, I'll beat you to death. Just as she was about to say more, Zhu Yuyan raised a hand to stop her and said firmly, "Enough, Chief, just say it directly. How much silver do you want?" "Haha." Li Daoqiang laughed heartily, as if his thoughts had been read, and said with undisguised delight, "As expected of an old friend, smart." His greedy demeanor instantly made countless people stare wide-eyed. Was this the same peerless expert who had just displayed such overwhelming power? Even Zhu Yuyan's face twitched. This guy was clearly out to fleece her. Beside her, Wanwan felt a pang of resentment. Am I worth less than silver? As if oblivious to everyone's stares, Li Daoqiang glanced at Geshutian and said seriously, "You listen too. I run my business with the utmost emphasis on rules and integrity. Everything has a price that can be negotiated. Heilong Village has clear pricing. For intentionally killing someone from my village, the Xiantian realm has four tiers: four hundred thousand, eight hundred thousand, one million six hundred thousand, and three million two hundred thousand taels. For the Grandmaster realm, there are also set rates. An ordinary Grandmaster costs twenty-five million taels. A top-tier expert costs one hundred twenty-five million taels." As he spoke, with Zhu Yuyan and Geshutian's faces growing increasingly grim, his tone turned colder: "You wanted to kill my wife, so the price is multiplied by ten. Xuemei is a top-tier expert, so you owe one billion two hundred fifty million taels." As his words fell, many gasped in shock. They could hardly believe what they heard. One billion two hundred fifty million taels of silver! Li Daoqiang had lost his mind. This wasn't just a huge demand; it was a death sentence. If Zhu Yuyan and Geshutian had that much money, they'd have been dead long ago. Fang Yeyu and the six figures in the distance were all speechless. "Chief, you must be joking. One billion two hundred fifty million taels of silver—who in the world could produce that?" Zhu Yuyan suppressed her barely contained fury and snapped coldly. Geshutian said nothing, only letting out a cold laugh. "I'm just following the rules. Whether you can come up with it is your problem." Li Daoqiang said indifferently. He paused, then suddenly smiled: "Yin Empress, I once said that if you gave me over seventy million taels as a wedding gift, that matter would be settled. As a friend, I've been lenient and given you chances. But you didn't take them, so don't blame me." "Shameless." Zhu Yuyan couldn't hold back and cursed coldly. "Heh." Li Daoqiang remained unruffled and said calmly, "You can curse all you want, but you still have to pay up." "No money, impossible." Zhu Yuyan said coldly. "Are you refusing to be reasonable with me?" Li Daoqiang frowned in displeasure. Zhu Yuyan's face flushed red with anger, and Wanwan's did too. Their eyes were full of contempt. Shameless. Around them, many faces also twisted with awkwardness. This was what he called being reasonable? "Li Daoqiang, if you really want to kill us, then go ahead." Zhu Yuyan said through gritted teeth, her face crimson. Her clothes fluttered without wind, and there was a hint of desperate resolve, as if ready to burn everything down. Wanwan looked at Zhu Yuyan with concern, her eyes conflicted but also showing determination. Li Daoqiang seemed not to notice and just smiled casually, saying unhurriedly, "Yin Empress, why would I want to kill you? I want money. What use are your lives?" He paused thoughtfully, then said calmly, "One billion two hundred fifty million taels—you clearly can't produce that. Fine, since Xuemei ended up unharmed, and considering your Yinyue Sect has some backing, I won't make you pay ten times. Just one hundred twenty-five million taels, not a single tael less." Zhu Yuyan breathed a silent sigh of relief. That Li Daoqiang had relented surprised no one. One billion two hundred fifty million was obviously impossible. If he had insisted on that number, it would have meant he truly wanted to kill Zhu Yuyan and the others. "Impossible. One hundred twenty-five million taels is too much. My Yinyue Sect can't produce it." Zhu Yuyan said coldly. Li Daoqiang smiled, but it was cold. "One hundred twenty-five million taels of silver. Short by even one tael, and you all die. From now on, in the Song Kingdom, every Yinyue Sect member I find, I kill." "You—" Zhu Yuyan was furious. Her power surged like a volcano ready to erupt. "Master!" Wanwan called out softly, full of worry. Li Daoqiang acted as if he hadn't seen it, turning to Geshutian and saying casually, "What about you? Got any backing? If you do, speak up, and I'll reduce your price too. If you're at the peerless expert level and have none, then don't blame me." Geshutian's face twisted with humiliation and pain, held together only by sheer will. He closed his eyes and said coldly, "No. Just kill me." "No money, no backing, and you dared to touch my wife?" Li Daoqiang's face turned cold. He casually tossed something to a spot and ordered, "Keep an eye on him." "Yes." Ding Chunqiu immediately shouted and flew out to catch the severely injured, powerless Geshutian. Many experts and Xiantian-level cultivators watched in silence. Without money or backing, this was the fate of those who provoked the strong. Even a top-tier expert was no exception. A silent shock and impact washed over every one of them. Li Daoqiang turned back to Zhu Yuyan and said flatly, "For now, Wanwan and those two will stay by my side. Until you deliver all the silver. Of course, if you're不服气, you can find an expert to deal with me. If they can handle me, I won't take a single tael." As if remembering something, he added, "But I'll have to add some measures to you." With that, he made his move. Zhu Yuyan instinctively resisted. "Boom!" Her Heavenly Demon Force Field was pushed to its limit, turning dozens of feet of space into a black hole. Various powerful forces raged within, distorting the very space. Li Daoqiang acted as if he heard nothing, stepping straight into the force field. Everyone's eyes tightened, including the six figures high in the distance, who watched even more carefully and seriously. In terms of both strength and reputation, Zhu Yuyan far surpassed Geshutian. Zhu Yuyan would allow them to better gauge Li Daoqiang's power. But the next moment, their pupils contracted. Li Daoqiang moved through the force field as if on solid ground. In the blink of an eye, he was close to Zhu Yuyan. Zhu Yuyan was shocked, recalling the incident at Liuzhi Manor. Again. Li Daoqiang seemed to have completely seen through her force field, knowing it intimately. Before she could react in shock, Li Daoqiang struck. A palm shot out, golden light blazing, hitting a spot in the void. Instantly, as if someone's spine had been broken, the force field collapsed and dissipated. Zhu Yuyan suffered backlash, her energy unstable, her face turning pale. Seizing the moment, several thin ice shards shot into her body. Zhu Yuyan was horrified and instinctively struck back with a palm. Li Daoqiang retreated and said calmly, "That was the Life-and-Death Talisman. You have two months to deliver the money. Oh, and if you can't bear it, you can take this." He tossed a small bottle to Zhu Yuyan, who caught it, her face twisted with barely contained rage. Behind her, Bian Bufu's body trembled, his eyes full of fear. "You can go now, Yin Empress. Rest assured, as long as you follow the rules, I'm a man of my word. Wanwan and the other two will be fine." Li Daoqiang, as if the matter was settled, softened his tone and said firmly. Zhu Yuyan's energy churned, as if she was about to explode regardless of the consequences. (Chapter 1, please support.) ......