Lin Yuan suddenly understood. Yes, sharp enough when in use, discarded without hesitation when not. That was what made a truly good blade, a truly good pawn.
He smiled and flattered, "You are wise, my lord."
"Heh, to be honest, even I am somewhat surprised by how excellent this blade is. To reach the Innate Realm at such a young age, starting from nothing, with no formal training—that's impressive enough. If he remains obedient, once his strength grows further, I wouldn't mind taking him to a higher level." Ling Tuisi stroked his beard and chuckled.
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement, though a hint of envy stirred within him. Youth was truly an advantage.
"Alright, you may go now. In a few days, Li Daoqiang, this sharp blade, will be initially honed. He'll prove useful in many ways then, and you must keep a close watch." Ling Tuisi instructed.
"Yes, I understand." Lin Yuan acknowledged, then turned and withdrew.
After a moment, the steward entered.
"How is it?" Ling Tuisi's expression turned cold as he asked in a low voice.
The steward shook his head. "Ding Dian still frequently beats that country boy. His vigilance remains as strong as ever."
Ling Tuisi snorted coldly at this, his narrowed eyes like a venomous snake ready to strike, exuding a chilling ruthlessness that made one's blood run cold. After a long pause, he said icily, "Keep watching."
"Yes."
...
The next day, Xu Zhi safely brought back over four thousand taels of silver.
Over the following three days, Li Daoqiang ordered the entire stronghold to rest and focus entirely on building the fortress.
That noon, Lin Yuan arrived again, this time with another man—a middle-aged brute with a fierce aura. Without much pleasantry, the two got straight to business. Li Daoqiang showed no sign of anything unusual, maintaining his full cooperative demeanor throughout.
That evening, Lin Yuan and the other man stayed the night at Black Dragon Stronghold.
The next day.
Not far from Black Dragon Stronghold, a group of over a dozen people appeared. Among them were old and young, all dressed as martial artists, exuding an imposing air.
"Ha, so this is the audacious Black Dragon Stronghold? Finally here." One of the three leaders sneered.
"Mm, these reckless bandits need to learn that some things aren't to be touched." Another nodded coldly.
"Let's go. Charge straight in. According to plan, we'll kill Li Daoqiang first, and the rest of the bandits can be practice for Wang'er and the others. Once Li Daoqiang is dealt with, we'll decide how to handle the rest." The third leader, a middle-aged man with a sword, said gravely.
The group nodded. Without concealment, they used their lightness skills and rushed toward the stronghold. Their absolute confidence in their strength gave them unwavering assurance. Three Innate Realm experts working together—taking down a mere Black Dragon Stronghold would be effortless. Even if there were hundreds of bandits, it wouldn't matter. In a battle between Innates, those below could hardly interfere. Kill Li Daoqiang, and it would all be over.
To the three of them, killing a young, unremarkable bandit who had stumbled into the Innate Realm was no challenge at all. So they charged forward boldly.
In moments, the guards at the gate spotted them.
"Who goes there?"
A loud shout rang out as the guards at the stronghold's entrance immediately went on alert. The dozen or so people ignored them and kept advancing. Sensing trouble, the guards quickly sounded the alarm, beating drums and gongs to warn the stronghold of an attack. At the same time, they shouted, "Stop, or we'll open fire!"
Without waiting for a response, they ordered arrows loosed. The sparse volley did little, and the group had already reached the stronghold's gate. One of the three leaders struck out with a palm, a silver light flashing. With a thunderous crash, the gate shattered.
The guards were stunned, a strange familiarity washing over them. This was exactly how their own chieftain had broken into other strongholds during their conquests. Fear gripped them, and for a moment, no one dared to act.
The group wasn't surprised. Bandits were always like this—never amounting to anything.
"I am Yuan Tongchuan. Tell Li Daoqiang to get out here!" the one who had struck sneered loudly.
Without hesitation, he began attacking. The others joined in, charging into the stronghold and cutting down anyone in their path. Screams erupted one after another. Though the stronghold's defenders began to fight back, the vast gap in strength rendered their efforts futile. In just a dozen breaths, half of the guards had fallen, and the rest retreated in panic.
Just then, a thunderous roar exploded like rolling thunder: "Who dares to cause trouble in my Black Dragon Stronghold?"
Before the sound faded, a burly figure strode forward with the grace of a dragon, moving swiftly. From all directions, more figures converged, their murderous intent and fierce aura pressing down on the intruders.
The group of over a dozen showed no fear, each wearing a cold smirk as they fixed their eyes on the approaching figure.
"You're Li Daoqiang?" Yuan Tongchuan asked with certainty.
"I am the chieftain here. Who are you?" Li Daoqiang stood tall in black attire, a cape draped over his shoulders, exuding an imposing presence. His gaze was icy, like an enraged tiger.
But none of the intruders were intimidated. They sneered arrogantly.
"I am Yuan Tongchuan. Today, I've come to rid the people of a scourge like you. If you know what's good for you, surrender—"
Suddenly, the arrogant voice cut off sharply. Yuan Tongchuan and the two beside him widened their eyes, staring intently at the two figures emerging from behind Li Daoqiang. The three exchanged glances, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Innate Realm!
Two more Innate Realm experts!
Where had they come from?
Though it was hard to gauge someone's exact strength, those at the same major realm rarely misjudged each other. Those two were definitely Innates. With Li Daoqiang, that made three Innate experts—three, just like them.
In an instant, half their confidence evaporated. They cursed the various factions in Jingzhou City and their intelligence agents. Wasn't there supposed to be only one Li Daoqiang? Where had these two come from?
Furious, the three's expressions shifted rapidly. The ten behind them were confused, unable to perceive as much. They just wondered what was wrong.
"Father?" a young man whispered to the figure in front of him.
The figure quickly signaled him, then plastered on an exceptionally sincere and friendly smile, clasped his fists and said, "I am Wan Zhenshan of Jingzhou City. These two are Yuan Tongchuan and Wang Zhen. We've long heard of Chieftain Li's reputation and came with our disciples to pay a visit. Forgive our abrupt arrival, and please pardon the intrusion."
"Yes, I am Yuan Tongchuan. Greetings, Chieftain Li. Truly, you are accomplished at such a young age." Yuan Tongchuan quickly followed up with a smile, his earlier murderous arrogance completely gone, as if he were visiting an old friend.
Wang Zhen's face twitched with awkwardness, but he managed a few polite words as well. The ten behind them, even if they didn't fully understand, knew something was off. They dropped their arrogant postures and clasped their fists in greeting.
The Black Dragon Stronghold members were bewildered. Just moments ago, these people had been so arrogant, clearly here to kill. Now they were suddenly polite? Had they been scared off by the chieftain? It couldn't be that simple.
Lin Yuan exchanged a glance with the other man, Li Tong, and allowed a faint smile. Things were progressing smoothly—better than they'd hoped. The moment they appeared, the three opponents had backed down. Three against three—no one knew how a real fight would end. More importantly, even if Wan Zhenshan's group had the upper hand, they wouldn't dare start a fight. They were just representatives sent by the major factions of Jingzhou City, not here to die. At the first sign of danger, they'd back off. Who wanted to risk death or even injury? That was the flaw in alliances like this—fine when things went smoothly, but the moment trouble arose, everyone bailed.
Next, there should be no need for a fight. The opponents would withdraw on their own. Then, seeing Black Dragon Stronghold's strength, the major factions in Jingzhou City would realize it wouldn't be easy to wipe them out without paying a heavy price. With a little maneuvering from the lord, both sides would reach an understanding. Black Dragon Stronghold would officially establish itself in Jingzhou City.
With that thought, both Lin Yuan and Li Tong relaxed.
Li Daoqiang remained expressionless, but he gave Wan Zhenshan an extra glance before saying coldly, "A visit? Is this how you visit—by killing people?"
As his words fell, the murderous intent from the hundreds of Black Dragon Stronghold members thickened.
Wan Zhenshan, Yuan Tongchuan, and the others kept their composure.
"A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. We had a minor quarrel with your men and accidentally hurt them. Please forgive us, Chieftain. We're willing to compensate." Yuan Tongchuan clasped his fists again, his intent to reconcile clear.
Lin Yuan and Li Tong nodded inwardly. A way out had been offered. All Li Daoqiang had to do was take it.
Li Daoqiang didn't disappoint. His expression softened slightly, though he still sounded displeased. "Since you three are fellow Innate cultivators, I'll let this slide. Let's talk about compensation."
Wan Zhenshan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. This was the tacit understanding they wanted—to downplay the matter. Good.
"Of course, Chieftain. Name your terms, and we'll do our utmost." Wan Zhenshan smiled.
The Black Dragon Stronghold members, upon hearing that the three were Innate experts, were already stunned. Besides, bandits were used to death. Losing a few brothers was nothing. So no one objected to settling things with compensation. That was just how this world worked—human life was cheap, especially in a bandit den. Even if someone disagreed, no one dared to speak up.
Li Daoqiang swept his gaze across the crowd and said gravely, "Thirteen of my brothers are dead, eleven severely wounded. Here's my offer: ten thousand taels of silver for each dead man, two thousand for each wounded. That makes one hundred fifty-two thousand taels total. Bring the money, and this matter is settled."
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone was stunned—even the Black Dragon Stronghold members. Ten thousand taels for a dead man? Two thousand for a wounded one? Had they heard wrong? That was too much. So much that some almost wished they were the ones dead. Since when was a life worth that much?
(Shamelessly asking for support.)