Li Daoqiang didn't ask about specifics. He could only start from the Holy Gate, saying whatever came to mind.
After listening for a while, Blood Saber Old Ancestor raised an eyebrow. This Bian Bufu was deliberately avoiding matters related to the Yin Gui Sect.
He glanced at Li Daoqiang, who seemed oblivious, then rolled his eyes but said nothing.
A moment later, Li Daoqiang suddenly raised his hand and slapped.
"Slap."
"Ah!"
A heavy palm print struck Bian Bufu's face, sending him flying. With a scream, a few teeth, mixed with blood, were knocked out.
Even Blood Saber Old Ancestor was startled, quickly bowing even more respectfully to Li Daoqiang.
Bian Bufu instinctively erupted in rage, glaring fiercely. But the next moment, seeing that calm face with a faint, elusive smile, his body trembled. His fierce anger vanished, and he lowered his head.
A wave of terror once again washed over him.
"Continue."
Li Daoqiang spoke as if nothing had happened.
Bian Bufu trembled again, even more terrified, not daring to ask why he had been hit.
"Yes." He stood up, replied respectfully, and continued speaking.
This time, he went into much more detail, including matters of the Yin Gui Sect.
After a while, Li Daoqiang slapped him again.
"Slap!"
Another scream. The other side of Bian Bufu's face swelled up, teeth falling out, a mess.
Bian Bufu shook all over, furious to the extreme, and terrified to the extreme.
"Three strikes, and you're out. You have one more chance." Li Daoqiang spoke again, still calm, as if mentioning a trivial matter.
But Bian Bufu felt an immense chill. The man sitting there was more like a ferocious beast ready to devour.
Overwhelming pressure bore down like several mountains, nearly shattering his mental and psychological defenses.
"Yes, yes, yes." He dared not argue or rage, quickly replying, speeding up his words, revealing many secrets of the Yin Gui Sect.
After more than half an hour, he finally stopped.
Finding nothing different from his own memories, Li Daoqiang revealed a warm smile and nodded with satisfaction, laughing, "Good. It seems Brother Bian has truly decided to join my Black Dragon Stronghold.
Though there were some bumps along the way, it's never too late to mend one's ways.
I, the Stronghold Leader, forgive you, Brother Bian."
Bian Bufu's eyes still held fear. Hearing this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This hurdle was finally over.
Forcing a fawning smile, he said gratefully, "Thank you, Great Leader. Thank you, Great Leader."
After speaking, a wave of helplessness washed over him. His senior sisters and the others...
Thinking of this, he felt deeply resigned.
He didn't want this, but Li Daoqiang was too terrifying.
"Hmm, but Brother Bian, you must remember: my temper isn't always this good.
Playing clever tricks isn't wise. If you make things difficult for me, I'll have no choice but to kill you.
Understand?" Li Daoqiang said earnestly.
"Yes, I swear I will never play clever tricks again. I will be loyal to the Great Leader unto death, or may I die a miserable death." Bian Bufu, barely able to breathe, replied in terror, his tone resolute.
Blood Saber Old Ancestor felt a chill too, sensing that those words might also be directed at him.
"Good. I still trust you. I'll wait to see your performance." Li Daoqiang laughed heartily.
"Yes." Bian Bufu replied loudly.
After finalizing future contact and meeting arrangements, Li Daoqiang told Bian Bufu to rest and left the room.
Blood Saber Old Ancestor quickly followed.
Only then did Bian Bufu truly relax, trembling with lingering fear.
Just now, he felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, about to die at any moment.
That feeling—he never wanted to experience it again.
Calming his emotions, a surge of hatred rose within him.
Thinking of the humiliation he had just endured, murderous intent filled his heart.
Li Daoqiang, I—
But recalling that figure, he trembled again, gritted his teeth, and in an instant, redirected all his hatred toward Blood Saber Old Ancestor.
Blood Saber, you bastard. Just wait. One day, I'll make sure you die a miserable death.
Outside.
Li Daoqiang smiled faintly. "Blood Saber, do you think Bian Bufu will behave obediently from now on?"
Blood Saber Old Ancestor answered without hesitation, "Great Leader, Bian Bufu is outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, bullies the soft and fears the hard, and is a coward who clings to life.
But getting him to truly obey? That's hard."
He paused, glanced at Li Daoqiang's expression, and continued cautiously, "However, what happened today will ensure he won't reveal anything unless absolutely necessary. On the surface, he'll still follow your orders."
"Heh." Li Daoqiang laughed with considerable satisfaction, looking approvingly at Blood Saber Old Ancestor. "Not bad. Rare for you to speak so loyally and directly. Very good."
"Thank you for the praise, Great Leader. This is what I should do." Blood Saber quickly flattered, secretly relieved.
Good thing he hadn't casually badmouthed Bian Bufu, or it might have lowered his standing in Li Daoqiang's eyes.
From now on, he needed to be even more cautious in everything.
"Hmm. Prepare to take Bian Bufu to meet Zhu Yuyan." Li Daoqiang nodded and ordered.
"Yes."
Blood Saber acknowledged and went to make preparations.
Li Daoqiang entered a nearby room, feeling somewhat disappointed.
The Great Bandit System did not recognize Bian Bufu as having joined the Black Dragon Stronghold. No bandit points.
He had also figured out the specifics of this test.
Strong individuals who secretly joined the Black Dragon Stronghold could earn bandit points, but only if they joined willingly.
For someone like Bian Bufu, who clearly joined unwillingly and in secret, there were no bandit points.
What a pity.
If bandit points were possible, many things would be much easier to handle.
Bian Bufu's situation could be replicated on a large scale.
But since it wasn't possible, he had to stick with Blood Saber Old Ancestor's method: having people join the Black Dragon Stronghold openly.
That way, whether they joined willingly or not, bandit points were earned.
After a brief moment of regret, he calmed down.
He began contemplating the upcoming meeting.
Over an hour later, Li Daoqiang and his group arrived at the same place as the night before.
Soon, Zhu Yuyan came alone.
Her peerless grace descended from the sky like a dark elf queen, captivating attention, carrying a small box.
Li Daoqiang looked at her, a hint of admiration in his eyes, and smiled, "The Yin Queen has arrived."
Zhu Yuyan first glanced at Bian Bufu. Seeing no major injuries, she relaxed slightly. Then, looking at Li Daoqiang, she said solemnly, "Great Leader Li, one hand, one transaction."
"Rest assured, Yin Queen. I am a man of my word. As long as the money is good, there will be no issues on my end.
This is our first transaction. Once we've done more, you'll come to trust me, Li Daoqiang." Li Daoqiang said earnestly, with great seriousness.
Behind him, Bian Bufu barely suppressed a snort, his heart full of resentment.
Trust you? As if.
Zhu Yuyan naturally didn't believe him either, but she didn't show it. Her expression softened slightly, and she said calmly, "Good. If the Great Leader offers favorable prices, our Yin Gui Sect will certainly do more business with you."
"Don't worry. My Black Dragon Stronghold always deals fairly and honestly." Li Daoqiang laughed heartily.
Zhu Yuyan thought of the five million taels of silver notes in the box and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
But since the deal was set, she wouldn't turn hostile now.
Without further comment, she tossed the small box to Li Daoqiang and said flatly, "Here are five million taels in silver notes. Inspect them, Great Leader."
"Good. The Yin Queen is truly generous and decisive. I admire that."
Li Daoqiang caught the box and handed it to Blood Saber Old Ancestor for inspection.
He subtly diverted his attention to the Great Bandit System, which now showed an additional five million bandit points.
Relieved, he felt quite pleased.
Another five million in hand.
His gaze toward Zhu Yuyan grew warmer, friendlier, and more appreciative.
He had to admit, Zhu Yuyan was truly beautiful.
She would surely be rated by the Great Bandit System, but unfortunately.
Too strong to control easily.
Her power base was also formidable, troublesome, and influential.
She had experienced too much, making her hard to fool.
Her age aside—since she was still very attractive, he didn't mind—but she had a daughter and even a granddaughter.
That he couldn't ignore.
All these factors combined meant Li Daoqiang had no romantic intentions toward her whatsoever.
Even though he knew that getting close to Zhu Yuyan would bring immense benefits—perhaps even allowing him to break through to the eleventh level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art—the difficulty, trouble, and psychological burden made him decisively give up.
Of course, giving up didn't stop him from appreciating a beautiful woman.
Zhu Yuyan, meanwhile, was sizing up Li Daoqiang, various thoughts swirling in her mind.
Young, powerful, and more importantly, not aligned with the righteous path.
He only cared about money and seemed to be a lecher.
Someone like this, if properly courted, could become a great ally in the future.
But how to court him?
This was an extremely greedy, reckless, even mad bandit.
One misstep, and she might be the one getting tricked.
A money- and woman-hungry bandit—she wouldn't trust his character for a second.
(Thank you for your support.) ······