Li Daoqiang remained silent, as if pondering the matter, while inwardly sneering.
How ridiculous—why would a rabbit eat grass near its own burrow when there's plenty of grass elsewhere? Of course, he knew that was only possible after one grew strong enough. Ling Tuisi's approach didn't surprise him either. To forge a fine blade, it had to be tempered and honed repeatedly. Using the various factions in Jingzhou as the fire to sharpen him, making him reliant on Ling Tuisi. At the same time, this blade would suppress those factions, bolstering the官府's rule. The gold and silver gained went without saying—in short, it killed multiple birds with one stone, reaping countless benefits. And no matter the outcome, Ling Tuisi himself would suffer no loss. What a brilliant scheme.
Seeing Li Daoqiang lost in thought, Lin Yuan didn't disturb him, confident that Li Daoqiang would see reason and make the wise choice. Sure enough, after a few breaths, a resigned tone emerged: "Then how do we fend off the attacks of three innate masters?"
Lin Yuan finally cracked a faint smile, brimming with confidence. "We already know the details of those three innate masters, so we can prepare in advance. More importantly, besides you and me, the大人 will dispatch another innate-level expert." He said this while closely watching Li Daoqiang's expression, waiting for the shock.
It didn't disappoint. Li Daoqiang's face showed surprise, clearly taken aback by the prospect of another innate master. A prefect commanding at least two innate experts under him was no small feat. After all, the imperial court had never been able to control the martial world. Though the court had many experts, they couldn't be assigned to a single prefect. Li Daoqiang sighed softly, "Brother Ling's strength is truly astonishing."
"Heh." Lin Yuan chuckled, then said earnestly, "Chief, the world is vast, and its depths are unfathomable. The innate realm is strong, but not as strong as you might imagine. The大人's power is beyond what ordinary people can conceive. Stick with the大人, and with your talent, Chief, you'll eventually see a broader horizon."
Li Daoqiang raised an eyebrow, probing, "Is there someone above Brother Ling~?" Unquestionably, he was asking about Ling Tuisi's superiors. The question wasn't out of place—most officials in the bureaucracy had backers or factions, especially someone like the Jingzhou prefect, a high-ranking official. And Lin Yuan had hinted at it himself. So Lin Yuan didn't overthink it, nodding meaningfully, as if to say everything was understood without words.
But Li Daoqiang pressed on, asking seriously, "How strong? Will something like this happen again?" His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction with the current situation.
Lin Yuan frowned, reluctant to elaborate, but after a moment, he said confidently, "This is merely the first trial you must endure, Chief, as you formally step into the world. Once you pass this hurdle, you'll secure a foothold in Jingzhou. From then on, as long as you leave some leeway in your actions, the大人 will handle everything." He explained the matter further, then added, "As for what lies above, Chief, to be honest, with your current strength, you're probably not ready to know."
Li Daoqiang's face darkened with displeasure. "The innate realm isn't enough? Do I need to reach the grandmaster level?"
Lin Yuan felt a flicker of disdain inwardly—this was a man of humble origins who, by sheer luck, broke through to the innate realm and now thought too highly of himself. No wonder he was so greedy, even calling the大人 "brother." But he kept his tone only slightly prideful: "Chief, you and I are in the innate realm. In all of Jingzhou City, there are perhaps a dozen innate masters. The famed Southern Four Chivalrous Heroes are also innate. The Six Gentlemen of the southern martial world, Murong Fu of Gusu, and other young talents are all innate. And countless leaders of second-rate sects across the land are innate as well. Chief, tell me—among all these innate masters, are they all the same?" He took a long breath, then added with a hint of sigh, "I know my limits. Some people can't be compared. Even among the innate realm, some can't be compared. Those individuals, even grandmasters, treat them as honored guests." With that, he averted his gaze, his demeanor clearly telling Li Daoqiang: I can't compare, and neither can you. Know your place.
Li Daoqiang shrugged it off inwardly. Of course, he understood. Mastering the fifth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art put one in the innate realm, and the eighth layer still kept one there. Could they be compared? No—one could take on several or even a dozen of the other. But that wasn't the point. The key was that from these words, he could roughly infer who stood behind Ling Tuisi. If he mapped the innate realm's levels to the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art's layers, the fifth was the lowest, the sixth mid, the seventh high, and the eighth peak. Of course, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art was a rare divine technique, with each layer's power at the top of its tier. Most innate masters in the world were weaker than the fifth layer's strength. At least Li Daoqiang felt Lin Yuan couldn't beat him at the fifth layer. To lead a second-rate sect in the martial world, one must be quite strong in the innate realm. Li Daoqiang was 80% sure Lin Yuan was at least at the high innate level. It seemed that behind Ling Tuisi, the existence valued high innate masters. That made sense—high innate strength could sustain a second-rate sect. Few in the world could ignore such an expert. As for first-rate sects, they required grandmasters. That was common knowledge. Without a grandmaster, no matter how many innate masters, it was still second-rate. Third-rate sects needed innate masters, but only weaker ones. Sects without any innate masters were universally deemed unranked. That was the world's recognized hierarchy.
After deducing this, Li Daoqiang grew more curious about the force behind Ling Tuisi. It seemed this "big brother" could last a while longer. Inwardly indifferent, he let his face show more displeasure, saying grimly, "From what Brother Lin says, experts like the Southern Four Chivalrous Heroes and Murong Fu are only honored guests. Is the force behind Brother Ling really that strong?"
Lin Yuan smirked, brimming with confidence. "Far stronger than you imagine, Chief." This visit was partly to flaunt strength and intimidate Li Daoqiang as part of the tempering plan. So revealing a bit to the arrogant Li Daoqiang was fine.
"Which faction?" Li Daoqiang asked skeptically.
"That's not something you can know yet, Chief." Lin Yuan refused. Li Daoqiang wasn't yet fully part of their circle, so he couldn't reveal everything.
"So you're bluffing me." Li Daoqiang frowned, then said sternly, "Brother Lin, let's be straightforward. I may not be a big shot, but at my age, I'm confident my potential goes far beyond this. Naturally, I want partners on the same level. If Brother Ling looks down on me, then I've nothing more to say."
Lin Yuan frowned too, growing annoyed. He hadn't expected Li Daoqiang to be so unruly. Even after all this, he wouldn't let it go. The words clearly implied: If you want me as your blade, show enough strength; otherwise, no deal. And the strength Ling Tuisi had shown was fine for now, but not for my future. Along with his irritation, Lin Yuan felt envy and jealousy—youth was damn good, giving one the nerve to speak boldly. Truth be told, if Li Daoqiang hadn't reached the innate realm so young, they wouldn't have invested so much effort. After a moment's thought, he decided that with such a defiant bandit, they couldn't keep indulging him; it was time to rein him in. His expression turned cold, and he said firmly, "Chief, if you want better partners, show the corresponding strength first. For now, focus on the immediate problem."
Li Daoqiang felt a twinge of regret—seems he couldn't pry out more. The next moment, his defiant face broke into a smile, friendly and bold: "Brother Lin's right. I'll follow your lead."
Lin Yuan was momentarily taken aback. Even as a seasoned veteran, seeing that face—free of any reluctance, full of hearty sincerity—felt a bit off. Quick change of expression. Suppressing the oddness, he nodded, softened his tone, and stood up. "Good. I'll take my leave. Before those attackers arrive, we'll get there a day early."
"Fine. Thanks in advance, Brother Lin." Li Daoqiang rose to see him out.
After seeing Lin Yuan off, Li Daoqiang's smile grew more playful. Brother Ling, my good big brother. I just hope you're not too shocked by me. You want to forge me into your blade? I don't really mind—if things stay as comfortable as last month, I'd go along. But you don't have the means to keep bringing me fortune. He chuckled faintly with a hint of disdain, then turned back to his room to cultivate. Cultivating on his own was slow, but it saved some bandit points. He was so broke it was driving him crazy; every bit saved counted.
At the Ling residence in Jingzhou City, Lin Yuan returned and immediately reported to Ling Tuisi. After detailing everything, Ling Tuisi nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, Lin Yuan said, "大人, this Li Daoqiang is arrogant and unruly. I'm afraid this time still won't make him fully obedient."
Ling Tuisi, unbothered by the interruption, smiled confidently. "You still don't get it. Do I need him to be fully obedient?"
Lin Yuan was puzzled.
Ling Tuisi continued with a smile, "An unruly blade is more likely to stay sharp. I just need to control him enough to do certain tasks. With his greed and bandit background, I'm confident enough. More importantly, he's not too close to me—if trouble arises, it won't trace back to me. This blade can be discarded anytime. If not for that, why wouldn't I have you take over a bandit gang instead?"