Without further ado, Li Daoqiang never procrastinated when it came to action.
He didn’t need to bring anyone else, going alone to the prison in Jingzhou City.
In that same cell, under dim light, a towering figure suddenly appeared.
In an instant, the already gloomy place gained an intangible pressure.
The next moment, Ding Dian, who hadn’t changed much from over a month ago, opened his eyes and glared, a hint of surprise in his brow.
And when he saw clearly, that surprise grew stronger.
Until it turned into shock.
“You—!”
He spat out a single word, but the rest couldn’t come out.
As if choked.
Li Daoqiang wore a calm smile, chuckling, “Brother Ding, I’ve come to fulfill our agreement.”
“You actually broke through!”
Ding Dian murmured, his tone and eyes still thick with shock.
Li Daoqiang had truly broken through to the Grandmaster realm in just two months!
That was the Grandmaster realm!
A pinnacle existence in the world.
Even he, who had always been confident he would reach that realm, hadn’t broken through yet and held it in awe.
The man before him said he would break through over a month ago, and then he did.
It was as simple as saying he’d eat two bowls of rice at noon and then actually eating them.
It gave Ding Dian a sense of unreality.
Li Daoqiang smiled without speaking, just quietly watching Ding Dian.
Ding Dian slowly composed himself, let out a breath, stood up, his expression solemn, and cupped his fists, “Ding Dian pays respects to the Chief.”
“Hahaha.”
Li Daoqiang laughed heartily, not hiding his delight.
“Good, with Brother Ding joining, my Black Dragon Village gains wings.”
Ding Dian showed a faint smile, saying little, but a trace of worry lingered deep in his eyes.
Was it really right to join a bandit den, even though it was all agreed upon?
He didn’t know.
But he understood one thing: what the Chief Li said was correct.
For him and Shuanghua, the best choice now was Black Dragon Village.
Simply put, the other party was a Grandmaster.
There was no rift over divine skills or treasures.
He could even contact Ling Tuisi.
And since he’d agreed, and the other party had fulfilled his promise, he had to join now.
“Brother Ding, let’s head out first. I’ll host a welcome feast for you.
Then I’ll find Ling Tuisi to discuss Miss Ling’s matter. Leave it to me, rest assured.” Li Daoqiang said cheerfully.
A flicker of excitement and anticipation stirred in Ding Dian’s heart, and he cupped his fists, “Thank you, Chief.”
Silently, the two walked out of the prison, ignoring the guards as if they were invisible.
The guards seemed not to see them at all.
Leaving the prison, they arrived at a safe house, where Li Daoqiang had someone take Ding Dian to freshen up.
Then, he focused on the Great Bandit System.
His eyes lit up.
Three hundred twenty thousand bandit points!
Ding Dian joining Black Dragon Village had brought him a full three hundred twenty thousand bandit points.
And because this was the first innate expert to join, he learned the relevant details.
Innate experts joining were divided into four tiers, each with a price.
They were five thousand, twenty thousand, eighty thousand, and three hundred twenty thousand.
This matched what he needed for the fifth to eighth layers of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art.
It was also the same as acquiring women from the first tier of the acquired realm.
This amount was definitely not small.
What was even more worth anticipating was when Ding Dian broke through to Grandmaster.
A smile spread across his face. Not bad.
It was worth all the effort he’d put into recruiting Ding Dian to Black Dragon Village.
The result was very satisfying.
There was one small flaw: if Ding Dian died or left Black Dragon Village later,
Li Daoqiang would have to deduct half the bandit points gained from him, and if insufficient, it would be owed.
He could understand this—after all, a strong person leaving weakened Black Dragon Village.
A deduction was normal, and only half was fairly generous.
But compared to his women, it couldn’t compare.
For some reason, the Great Bandit System had no information on what happened if his women died.
With this knowledge, Li Daoqiang’s mind buzzed with excitement.
Innate experts were quite valuable.
Though it seemed insignificant compared to the millions he now needed,
you couldn’t look at it that way.
As long as you could earn, never disdain small amounts.
Earn a bit here, a bit there—that’s how enterprises grew bit by bit.
Besides, one or two innate experts weren’t much, but what about a dozen or dozens?
Don’t underestimate them.
What if one of them luckily broke through to Grandmaster?
Like Ding Dian.
Or Di Yun, whom he had high hopes for.
He began thinking about how to recruit more innate experts to Black Dragon Village.
Speaking of which, there were quite a few innate experts in the Jingzhou area.
Before he could think long, a refreshed Ding Dian arrived.
In new clothes and with his long beard shaved, Ding Dian looked about thirty, quite handsome.
That made sense—otherwise, he couldn’t have made Ling Tuisi’s daughter fall for him so deeply.
“Brother Ding, you’re here. Come, let’s have a drink first, then I’ll go see Ling Tuisi.” Li Daoqiang said with hearty laughter.
Gratitude stirred in Ding Dian’s heart.
But he said nothing, keeping it to himself.
As they ate and drank, Li Daoqiang bridged the gap between them, warm but not off-putting.
Afterward, without further ado, Li Daoqiang told Ding Dian to rest well and wait to see Miss Ling.
He went straight to the Ling residence.
At that moment.
In the Ling residence, Ling Tuisi’s face was chillingly cold, like a venomous snake about to strike.
Deep within, there was also a hint of worry and fear.
Before him stood Gao Yuan, Lin Yuan, and Li Tong, all three on high alert, tense and ready.
The room was stifling, silent.
Suddenly, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but say, “Sir, perhaps we should invite the young lady here.”
Ling Tuisi’s eyes flickered, instantly grasping the implication.
If Ding Dian had escaped and came for revenge, having Shuanghua present would make him hesitate.
The thought tempted him.
“Fine, send someone to invite the young lady. You three hide behind the screen first.” Ling Tuisi said coldly.
“Yes.”
Gao Yuan responded, and Ling Tuisi quickly added, “Lin Yuan, you’re fast. Go personally and invite Li Daoqiang.”
Lin Yuan thought it over—if Ding Dian came, having one more person like him might not make a difference.
Better to fetch Li Daoqiang quickly. Among those connected to them who could handle Ding Dian, Li Daoqiang was the closest.
He agreed and was about to move.
Suddenly, a voice appeared in the room without warning.
“I’ve long heard of Brother Ling’s reputation and admired it. Meeting you today, truly well-deserved!”
The cheerful laughter struck like thunder, making Ling Tuisi jump to his feet.
The other three tensed like leopards, ready to strike.
Inside, they were all terrified.
“Who?”
Ling Tuisi barked.
“Hahaha.”
Another laugh, a flash of golden light, and a figure appeared beside Ling Tuisi.
Only then did the four react.
Ling Tuisi instinctively stepped back, his face pale with fear.
After their initial tension, Gao Yuan and the others stared in shock at the figure.
“Li Dao… Chief Li!”
Li Tong blurted out.
Ling Tuisi’s expression shifted as he looked.
Li Daoqiang smiled warmly at Ling Tuisi, saying boldly, “Brother Ling, I’ve long wanted to meet you and have a good talk.
I have two matters to discuss with you, so I came uninvited. Hope you don’t mind.”
Ling Tuisi’s fear eased somewhat as he stared at Li Daoqiang.
He hadn’t expected the man to show up now.
And his strength was formidable—Ling Tuisi hadn’t sensed a thing.
If Li Daoqiang wanted to kill him, it would be effortless.
But his arrival was timely.
Thinking of Ding Dian, he steadied himself, and his anger at the intrusion subsided.
From Gao Yuan’s and the others’ expressions, he confirmed it was Li Daoqiang.
Instantly, his face lit up with feigned delight and warmth.
“Haha, so it’s Brother Li! I was just saying, who in Jingzhou could be so extraordinary?
None other than you!”
“You flatter me, Brother Ling.” Li Daoqiang laughed along.
In moments, the tense, oppressive atmosphere in the room mostly dissipated.
Though Gao Yuan and the others didn’t understand why Li Daoqiang had come now, they were both wary and somewhat relieved.
“Brothers, we meet again.” Li Daoqiang then looked at Gao Yuan, Lin Yuan, and Li Tong.
The three didn’t dare be presumptuous, quickly cupping their fists in polite greeting.
After the pleasantries, Ling Tuisi invited Li Daoqiang to sit. Once seated, Li Daoqiang asked curiously, “Brother Ling, gathering like this—something important?”
Ling Tuisi paused briefly, then said warmly, “Nothing major, just chatting.
By the way, Brother Li mentioned you had matters to discuss with me. What are they?
Speak freely. If I can help, I won’t refuse.”
The warmth was so convincing that an outsider would think he meant it.
Even with Li Daoqiang’s sharp senses, he couldn’t detect a flaw.
Truly masterful acting.
He made a mental note to learn more, while his smile grew warmer. “Good, Brother Ling. To be honest, these two matters are quite significant.
But with your word, I’m reassured.”
Ling Tuisi smiled without responding, inwardly cursing the sly brat.
Such skill at hypocrisy at a young age—truly remarkable!
Seeing no response, Li Daoqiang didn’t mind, his smile unwavering as he casually dropped a bombshell.
“Lately, I’ve had an epiphany. After some effort, I luckily broke through to the Grandmaster realm. That’s the main reason I’m here.”
The room fell silent again. Ling Tuisi and the others, after a moment of daze, all widened their eyes, staring fixedly at Li Daoqiang.
(Thank you for your support.) ······