Among them, there was no doubt that the forces of Wan Zhenshan, Yuan Tongchuan, and Wang Zhen took the largest share. That was reality—who told them to get personally involved? This was to save their lives. As for them representing the entire Jingzhou City and thus ending up in this situation, that didn’t matter. Who told them to willingly step forward for profit? Since they chose to step up voluntarily, they had to bear the dangerous consequences. Next came the forces with innate realm experts, and finally, the insignificant ones. Amid occasional arguments, the allocation of 302,000 taels of silver was fully settled. Without wasting time, everyone began to head back and prepare the silver.
On the other side, Ling Tuisi met with representatives sent by the various forces. After a brief discussion, Ling Tuisi formally issued invitations, agreeing to meet that night to discuss how to deal with the great bandit who had appeared in Jingzhou. Nightfall came quickly, and this meeting went smoothly. They decided to first talk with Li Daoqiang. After all, facing such a powerful bandit, unless absolutely necessary, they didn’t want to risk confronting him. Not to mention the cost of hiring someone to deal with such an existence. If word got out, the consequences would be disastrous. More importantly, he was a bandit—if he couldn’t win, wouldn’t he just run? The Black Dragon Stronghold wasn’t that important to him; for a bandit, his own life mattered most. A top-tier expert in the innate realm, even an ordinary grandmaster, could still fail. Few forces in Jingzhou City dared to bear that kind of consequence. In short, everyone in the martial world was a seasoned veteran. They weighed pros and cons—he was just a bandit, after all, not someone they couldn’t coexist with peacefully. They could share the benefits together.
Ling Tuisi had long anticipated this outcome, and the final decision was to negotiate first. As a government official, he would send someone to participate as a deterrent. After all, bandits weren’t just part of the martial world; they were also targets the imperial court could and would strike. That carried significant weight against bandits.
The next day. A convoy carrying the full 302,000 taels of silver arrived at the Black Dragon Stronghold. Seeing this group, Li Daoqiang felt a complete sense of relief and immense joy. A hearty smile even appeared on his face, and he personally went out to greet them at the stronghold’s gate. “I am Sun Qian, greetings to Chief Li,” the leader said politely, cupping his hands. “Brother, no need for formalities. A guest from afar is a welcome one. Come, let’s talk in the Assembly Hall,” Li Daoqiang said warmly with a smile. Sun Qian nodded with a smile, inwardly relieved. The attitude wasn’t bad, though he knew it was the silver talking. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache—over 300,000 taels of silver. Even though his family only contributed 10,000 taels, it still stung, and he silently cursed the man before him. One day, greed will be the death of you.
In the end, only Li Daoqiang, Sun Qian, and one other person entered the Assembly Hall. Sun Qian represented the major forces of Jingzhou, while the other man represented Ling Tuisi. He was also an innate realm expert and Ling Tuisi’s steward. Once seated, Sun Qian took the initiative: “Chief, allow me to introduce you. This is Gao Yuan, Brother Gao, from Magistrate Ling’s household.” Facing Sun Qian’s solemn introduction, Li Daoqiang naturally understood—this was an attempt to use the government to pressure him. His face showed a hint of gravity and displeasure as he exchanged a few polite words with Gao Yuan.
Then, Sun Qian smiled again: “Chief, yesterday our Jingzhou families were somewhat disrespectful. Today, we’ve come specially to apologize. The 302,000 taels of silver are all here, not a single coin short. We hope you’ll be magnanimous.” “Haha, no problem, no problem,” Li Daoqiang laughed heartily, as if forgetting about Gao Yuan, and was unusually easygoing: “As the saying goes, ‘No fight, no friendship.’ Those minor misunderstandings are cleared up now, nothing worth mentioning. From today on, we’re all friends.” Stealing a glance at the extra 302,000 bandit points in the Great Bandit System, Li Daoqiang’s mood improved even more. Sun Qian and Steward Gao smiled along with him. The atmosphere was quite amicable.
“Chief, how are Brothers Yuan, Wan, and Wang doing?” Sun Qian asked politely. “They’re fine. Someone, bring Brothers Wan and the others here,” Li Daoqiang immediately ordered loudly. Someone outside responded, and soon Yuan Tongchuan, Wan Zhenshan, and the others arrived. Though their faces were still pale, they could walk on their own, clearly not in life-threatening danger. Seeing Sun Qian and Steward Gao, Wan Zhenshan and the others relaxed and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Once everyone was seated again, Sun Qian’s expression turned slightly serious: “Chief, to be honest, Brother Gao and I have come today with another matter to discuss with you.” Li Daoqiang’s smile faded a bit, and he feigned confusion: “What matter? Speak freely. If there’s anything I, Li Daoqiang, can do, I’ll give it my all.” No one was fooled by this show of generosity—they all knew his greed firsthand. Sun Qian grew more earnest: “The families of Jingzhou City have discussed it. With so many brothers under your command, and our caravans passing through your territory, it’s only right to offer some toll money as a token of goodwill. So, Chief, what do you think?”
The moment he finished, the Assembly Hall fell silent. Sun Qian and the other five stared intently at Li Daoqiang, all understanding the true meaning behind the words. This would determine how the two sides interacted from now on. Li Daoqiang’s smile vanished completely, a clear hesitation on his face—like reluctance, or perhaps wariness. “Chief Li, allow me to say something,” Gao Yuan spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. Seeing Li Daoqiang tacitly permit him to continue, Gao Yuan said calmly, “Chief, you’re so young and already this powerful. Your future is boundless. Why limit yourself to a single Black Dragon Stronghold and Jingzhou City?” It was a veiled warning, but everyone caught it. This was the government speaking. If he kept acting so recklessly, Jingzhou City would no longer tolerate him.
Li Daoqiang frowned, letting a hint of fierce aura leak out. Instantly, Sun Qian and the others tensed, feeling as if the man before them had turned into a predatory beast, too strong to oppose. They instinctively went on guard, thinking of how to escape. “Chief, this…” Sun Qian couldn’t help but speak, not wanting a fallout. If things went south, he wouldn’t even be able to escape now. Li Daoqiang’s calm gaze swept over the five. Suddenly, he smiled, the aura dissipating, and said boldly, “Fine, I’ll take Brother Gao and Magistrate Ling’s kind words to heart.” In an instant, Sun Qian and the others felt a weight lift, and they all smiled along.
Li Daoqiang turned to Sun Qian, grinning: “Brother Sun, how much is this toll? You all should know it’s not easy feeding so many brothers. Don’t laugh at me, but I worry every day about how to keep these gluttons fed. They eat like crazy—I’m truly terrified of being poor.” Watching Li Daoqiang’s earnest, helpless face, everyone wanted to curse him. You’re poor? In just over a month, you’ve robbed the major forces of Jingzhou City of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. And you dare say you’re poor? Bastard. But they had no choice—he was strong, so when he claimed poverty, they could only go along.
“How about this, Chief? For forces with innate realm experts, every time they pass through your territory, they’ll pay 400 taels of silver as toll. For those without innate realm experts, 200 taels. What do you think?” Sun Qian said seriously. He avoided terms like “third-rate” or “insignificant,” since while those were universally recognized rankings, no one liked hearing them. Li Daoqiang’s expression shifted, his smile vanishing quickly, and he sneered inwardly. He said solemnly, “Brother Sun, let’s not even talk about how much this convoy is worth. Once we settle this today, the whole of Jingzhou will follow this rule. Jingzhou is vast, with many forces. In theory, I have no objection. But what if all those forces send their convoys together? Wouldn’t my brothers at Black Dragon Stronghold be left drinking the northwest wind?”
Jingzhou City was the heart of Jingzhou, and once this rule was set, it would apply across the region. The forces in Jingzhou far exceeded the dozens in the city, with countless merchant caravans passing through Floating Cloud Mountain Road daily. The numbers were decent. But if convoys traveled together, he’d only collect toll from one. Don’t underestimate people’s cleverness at exploiting loopholes—they’d definitely do that. He wouldn’t agree. Sun Qian and Gao Yuan frowned. They hadn’t expected Li Daoqiang to spot this flaw so quickly. Of course, this was just a test. Negotiations didn’t need to be rushed.
“That’s a fair point, Chief. What do you suggest?” Sun Qian asked hesitantly. Li Daoqiang fell silent, thinking, then widened his eyes and said gravely, “How about this? I hate trouble, so let’s keep it simple. I’ll make an agreement with the major forces in Jingzhou that have innate realm experts. If each of them pays me 10,000 taels of silver monthly as a toll, I swear the Black Dragon Stronghold won’t touch any convoy flying their banner.”
The moment he spoke, the five’s expressions changed—surprise, mixed with a hint of temptation. Don’t think that forces with innate realm experts paying the Black Dragon Stronghold is a loss. In reality, this was about allying with Jingzhou’s third-rate forces to collectively rob the insignificant ones. By not touching convoys under their banners, the insignificant forces would have to pay them banner fees to avoid being robbed. With the third-rate forces united, they could control the entire Jingzhou situation. Even if the insignificant forces were unhappy, they couldn’t resist. The potential profit… All seasoned veterans, they instantly saw the massive benefits. They couldn’t help but be tempted, because it was truly feasible. Normally, though not exactly righteous, they were considered on the side of the law. They couldn’t openly rob insignificant forces, constrained by reputation. But the Black Dragon Stronghold was different—they were bandits, with no such scruples, and strong enough. Together, they’d be robbing the insignificant forces. Openly, with little risk.
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