Hearing this serious remark, Wang Yanliang felt a lump of anger stuck in his chest.
But he had to endure it.
Nodding, he said earnestly, "The chieftain is right. May I ask how the chieftain intends to settle this?"
Judging by the other party's actions, they clearly didn't care about the Wang family at all. So no matter what, survival came first.
Li Daoqiang swept his gaze over and said lightly, "There are seventy-one of you still alive here.
So, for martial artists at the Twelve Main Meridians level, five hundred taels of silver each. For the rest, twenty taels each.
As for you, though you're also at the Twelve Main Meridians level, your status is clearly higher. Your life is worth more—three thousand taels.
Do the math."
With that, he glanced at Wang Lin and the others.
They understood and cheerfully began calculating, mainly distinguishing who had reached the Twelve Main Meridians level.
Wang Yanliang's face turned ugly again. It was too much.
"Chieftain, could you reduce it a bit? Our Wang family can't afford to pay after losing this shipment," Wang Yanliang gritted his teeth and pleaded.
"Ah, don't underestimate the Wang family," Li Daoqiang said seriously. "Your family is quite capable. I believe in you."
Wang Yanliang opened his mouth to speak again.
But Li Daoqiang continued, "Or does the Wang family not want this debt of gratitude for sparing your lives?"
Immediately, the remaining Wang family members fixed their eyes on Wang Yanliang, their gazes full of longing for survival.
"We do," Wang Yanliang lowered his head again, not daring to say more.
He had a limited number of loyal guards and servants, and with reputation and other factors combined, the Wang family would have to pay this sum.
"Chieftain, the calculation is done. Excluding you, there are eight at the Twelve Main Meridians level alive.
The total comes to eight thousand two hundred forty taels," Wang Lin said happily.
Wang Yanliang nodded inwardly. The number was correct.
At least these bandits followed some rules and didn't cheat.
Li Daoqiang nodded and smiled. "Good, you heard it. Eight thousand two hundred forty taels.
I, as the chieftain, value trust above all. What I say goes.
Not a single coin less, not a single coin more.
Pay this, and the debt for sparing your lives is settled.
Tomorrow at noon, we'll trade here. Write a letter."
Ink and brush were brought. Wang Yanliang took a deep breath, wanting to stall, but dared not. He quickly wrote the letter.
Li Daoqiang glanced at it, handed the letter to Wang Lin, and ordered, "Deliver it to the Wang family."
"Yes."
"Let's go." Li Daoqiang waved his hand and began the retreat.
The many men, even the wagons, quickly vanished into the mountain forest.
When the Wang family's reinforcements arrived, all they saw was chaos.
Furious and alarmed, they could only clean up the mess while searching for clues.
Soon, the Wang family received a letter.
Wang family head Wang Yanming read it word by word, his face full of anger.
"Fine, fine—a debt of gratitude for sparing lives. Which band of thieves dares to target my Wang family?"
The surrounding Wang family elders were equally furious.
"Brother, we haven't identified them yet, but that stretch of road is often used by the Black Dragon Stronghold. Could it be them?" one said solemnly.
"Would the Black Dragon Stronghold dare to act so arrogantly?" another doubted.
"Yeah, attacking without mercy from the start—the Black Dragon Stronghold shouldn't have that nerve. None of the strongholds on Floating Cloud Mountain should be this bold.
Unless we've offended someone," another said heavily.
Everyone tensed, exchanging glances, feeling the weight.
They knew something of the relationships between the strongholds on Floating Cloud Mountain and the factions in Jingzhou City.
Such a ruthless strike clearly suggested they'd made an enemy.
But who?
As they pondered, Wang Yanliang took a deep breath and said sternly, "The priority is to ransom the fourth brother and the others. Everything else can wait."
They understood—this meant caution.
Swallow this loss first, investigate thoroughly, then act.
No one objected. They began discussing the aftermath.
Losing that shipment plus over eight thousand taels would bleed the Wang family dry, sparking many consequences.
The next day arrived quickly.
Li Daoqiang personally led men into hiding nearby.
The Wang family sent over a hundred men, their elite forces.
Li Si led a dozen men forward. Though nervous facing such numbers, he forced himself to shout first, "Are you the Wang family?"
Wang Yanhuo said solemnly, "Yes. Where are my family members?"
"Pay first, and we'll release them," Li Si said as Li Daoqiang had instructed.
"Are you mocking the Wang family?" Wang Yanhuo's face darkened. "What if you take the money and don't release them?"
"Hah, ridiculous." Li Si laughed scornfully.
"Go ask around. Our Black Dragon Stronghold's Chief Li is known for keeping his word. As long as you don't play tricks, we'll return every one of them."
Wang Yanhuo and the others were startled. It really was the Black Dragon Stronghold!
Wasn't the chieftain Lin Sanlong?
When did a Chief Li appear?
"You're lying. Isn't the Black Dragon Stronghold led by Chief Lin? Where did Chief Li come from?" Wang Yanhuo said angrily, unconvinced.
"Chief Lin passed away long ago. Chief Li is in charge now," Li Si declared.
Wang Yanhuo thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Fine, let's set that aside. We'll exchange money for people."
Li Si shook his head firmly. "Impossible. We decide how this trade goes.
If you don't want to trade, just say so."
"Hmph, what if you go back on your word?" Wang Yanhuo naturally refused.
"Ridiculous. Our chieftain and the Black Dragon Stronghold are the most trustworthy. Believe it or not.
Besides, why would we keep those people after you pay? Just wait here, and they'll return," Li Si said, growing more confident and assertive.
Wang Yanhuo was silent for a moment, then haggled a bit before agreeing.
Though still worried, he believed the Black Dragon Stronghold wouldn't renege.
Otherwise, they'd ruin their reputation and anger all the factions in Jingzhou City.
The Black Dragon Stronghold had no reason to do that.
Next, Li Si led men to inspect the silver, then took it openly into the forest.
Wang Yanhuo and his men watched, snorted coldly, and waited.
In a part of the forest, Li Daoqiang saw Li Si and the others return and smiled slightly.
Enough.
"Release them." He waved, and his men began letting the captives go.
"Chieftain, are we just letting them go?" Wang Lin stepped closer and whispered, hinting at something.
Li Daoqiang smiled, his voice light but firm. "Remember, I, Li Daoqiang, value trust above all. What I say goes."
Wang Lin was startled and quickly nodded. "Understood. I was wrong. Please punish me, chieftain."
Li Daoqiang didn't mind. His smile grew, and he said calmly, "Also, we're bandits, not one-time dealers.
We need to keep our word for future dealings."
Those around, including Wang Lin and Li Si, heard him. Some understood, others found it odd.
But regardless, they all showed expressions of enlightenment and deference.
"The chieftain is wise. One-time dealers are just roving bandits," Guo Shan, former chieftain of Qingfeng Stronghold and now head of the Black Dragon Stronghold's fifth squad, flattered with a smile.
Li Daoqiang glanced at him, smiled, and said nothing more.
Being a bandit wasn't easy.
He didn't care how other bandits operated.
But he had to plan for his own.
He needed to build a persona.
Keeping his word was the first step.
Reputation in the martial world was crucial.
"Back to the stronghold."
...
Returning to the Black Dragon Stronghold, Li Daoqiang gave some orders and then went into seclusion.
He had enough bandit points. It was time to finish the sixth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art.
Soon, the strange phenomena in the secret chamber faded.
A fierce aura, like a primordial dragon-elephant capable of uprooting mountains and damming rivers, radiated invincibility.
Li Daoqiang let out a long breath. This time, he finally felt at ease.
He clenched his fist, and the air seemed to solidify, with small snake-like currents swirling within.
Very strong.
Fully mastering the sixth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art brought a leap in power.
Compared to when he'd finished the fifth layer, he was confident he could kill his former self easily.
His confidence grew, and ambition surged.
He was eager to bring all of Floating Cloud Mountain under his control.
After a while, he calmed down and checked the Great Bandit System.
The next moment, his mouth twitched.
Eighty thousand bandit points!
The seventh layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art required eighty thousand bandit points!
Four times the sixth layer.
Even with Li Daoqiang's current composure, he felt like cursing.
So it really was a fourfold increase!
Then the eighth layer would need three hundred twenty thousand!
Thinking of that number, Li Daoqiang felt stifled.
"Damn it."
In the end, he couldn't help but mutter two words.
Taking a deep breath, his drive to make money and build his enterprise peaked instantly.
No slacking. Speed up. Anyone who gets in the way dies.
He clenched his fists and stood up abruptly.
An aura of unstoppable momentum radiated from him.
Evening.
Jingzhou City.
Xu Zhi stood respectfully before Ling Tuisi.
"Sir, these are the shipment records. Our chieftain says he's willing to sell them all to you at half price."
Ling Tuisi glanced at the steward checking the records.
After a moment, the steward said respectfully, "Master, the total value is over fifteen thousand taels of silver."
Ling Tuisi nodded and said sternly, "These goods were just seized. They're not easy to move.
Tell Brother Li that I'll take a risk. I'll buy them all at thirty percent, paid in cash."
Xu Zhi felt a pang of pain. That was a seventy percent loss.
But it wasn't his place to think about that. He replied, "Sir, our chieftain also asked me to pass a message.
If you can handle it, he hopes such opportunities will come often."