Zhu Yuyan’s heart gave a violent lurch, her breath catching in her throat. A surge of anger and frustration rose unbidden within her. From Li Daoqiang’s tone, was he implying it was her own fault?
Forcing herself to calm down, she didn’t hesitate and spoke: “Fine, Chief Li, I’ll take that deal.” A million taels of silver was a lot, but if it meant obtaining the Demon-Subduing Zither, it was absolutely worth it. The Yin-Yang Sect had been passed down for years, with vast resources and deep foundations. Money, though important, could be sacrificed when weighed against martial power.
Many of the surrounding experts, though still locked in combat, kept a close watch on the exchange between Zhu Yuyan and Li Daoqiang. Hearing this, they grew even more wary. At the same time, a strange feeling stirred within them. Another deal? Was Li Daoqiang really here just for money? Or was there something else?
No sooner had this thought arisen than they saw Li Daoqiang’s smile grow even warmer. He shook his head and said, “Yin Empress, if you give me a sum of silver, I won’t covet the Demon-Subduing Zither. That deal could still work. But back then, that was the price. Now, it’s no longer the same.”
“You!” Zhu Yuyan couldn’t help but flare up, looking at him as if she were staring at a swindler. A swindler treating her like a fat sheep to be fleeced.
“Heh heh, no need to be angry, Yin Empress. Think of it like escorting goods—you pay a deposit upfront, say a thousand taels. But when a powerful enemy appears, and you need to hire the escort company again, the price naturally goes up. That’s the rule, the market. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you for being stingy with that little bit of silver earlier and not preparing properly. You can’t blame a friend like me,” Li Daoqiang said unhurriedly, still smiling.
Seeing him so sure of himself, Zhu Yuyan’s anger flared even more, and her Demon-Subduing Blades trembled slightly. Bastard. A little bit of silver?
The other experts, including the many martial artists listening in, found it even stranger, even speechless. This Li Daoqiang, renowned across the land as a top-tier expert, was really here to haggle over money. Judging by how he didn’t even glance at the Demon-Subduing Zither and showed no intention of seizing it, most of them believed he had no desire to steal it—he just wanted to extort money.
Yes, many had already figured it out. This was extortion, taking advantage of the chaos to blackmail Zhu Yuyan. No money, and he’d cause trouble, ensuring she couldn’t get the zither either. Commonly known as a troublemaker.
Of course, at most, people only thought this in their minds. Outwardly, they might mutter a quiet curse. A blatant act of banditry! Truly a money-loving bandit through and through! For money, he’d give up the Demon-Subduing Zither, offend someone like Zhu Yuyan without a second thought, his heart completely sunk in greed.
What had been a grand, intense battle among grandmaster experts suddenly took on a bizarre atmosphere in everyone’s minds. Some people’s expressions shifted. Vulgar! Crass!
Of course, no one at the scene would actually say those words aloud. But the sentiment was much the same. After all, none of them had ever seen or heard of such a thing— In the midst of a great battle, a top expert openly using money as his bargaining chip. Sure, money was important, but...
Ge Shutian, Zhu Xiawu, Shen Xingnan, Wuqing, and others all had strange looks in their eyes, though they remained wary. What if Li Daoqiang was just pretending?
In the void, Huang Xuemei, clutching the zither as she suppressed her injuries, couldn’t help but let a flicker of surprise cross her cold, alert eyes as she looked at Li Daoqiang.
In the distance, Blood Saber Old Ancestor and the others exchanged glances, somewhat at a loss. Watching their chief, they didn’t know what to say. It just felt odd.
“The chief... really does love money,” Lü Lin, being young, couldn’t help but force a smile, then immediately regretted it, trying to backtrack: “But the chief’s right—when escorting goods, that’s how the market works.” Blood Saber Old Ancestor and the others glanced at him but said nothing.
Li Daoqiang paid no heed to the stares or opinions of the crowd; in fact, he was quite pleased. So what if they knew he loved money? He wanted the whole world to know it, so more and more people would bring him wealth.
Out of the corner of his eye, he admired Huang Xuemei, but more importantly, he kept an eye on her condition, making sure she didn’t collapse now. Meanwhile, he calmly watched Zhu Yuyan.
Zhu Yuyan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to charge over and kill him. Gritting her teeth inwardly, she said flatly, “Fine, name your price.” Facing the unknown and deeply wary Li Daoqiang, if she could avoid a fight and settle it with money, she would.
Li Daoqiang’s smile grew a shade brighter, and without hesitation, he said, “Yin Empress, even brothers settle accounts clearly, so I won’t hold back. For the Demon-Subduing Zither, so many grandmaster experts have shown up and fought, along with tens of thousands of martial artists. You can imagine how high its price is. So, let’s negotiate based on reality.”
Pausing, he glanced around and continued, “Not counting me, there are three top experts—five million taels each, totaling fifteen million. Grandmaster experts, including the one who died, make ten—one million each, ten million total. The tens of thousands of martial artists are too many to calculate easily, but I won’t cheat you. Let’s say fifty thousand people, five hundred taels each on average, totaling twenty-five million. All together, that’s fifty million taels of silver. Give me fifty million taels, and I’ll leave immediately.”
Hearing the smooth, likely pre-planned words, countless people drew in a sharp breath. Fifty million taels of silver! He must be mad with greed! Unbidden, that phrase appeared in many minds.
The experts’ eyelids twitched. He actually dared to say that! Zhu Yuyan’s killing intent surged uncontrollably around her as she stared coldly at Li Daoqiang.
Li Daoqiang remained utterly calm, as if he’d never mentioned fifty million taels. Or rather, he was so confident—confident enough to face the murderous Zhu Yuyan, confident enough to face fifty million taels of silver— that he could meet it all with equanimity.
After a pause, as if remembering something, he added, “If the Yin Empress wants to take it a step further, I can help you obtain the Demon-Subduing Zither. The price can be discounted from fifty million—just seventy million taels will do.”
Li Daoqiang had wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure if the Yin-Yang Sect had that much money. He’d settled on seventy million, recalling the scene from *The World’s Best* where Wan Sanqian casually offered a hundred million taels. After all, even if the Yin-Yang Sect wasn’t as rich as Wan Sanqian, with generations of accumulated wealth, they should have enough, right? Or more precisely, the sect definitely had assets worth seventy million taels. But whether they’d be willing to part with that much without going bankrupt—he wasn’t sure.
Still, he figured they probably could. As for lowering the price further, he hadn’t considered it. This was already a discount; cutting another ten or twenty million wouldn’t change much. No need to mention it, and what if the Yin-Yang Sect could actually pay? Li Daoqiang felt quite hopeful.
At his words, Huang Xuemei grew even more alert, her gaze toward Li Daoqiang turning colder. Ge Shutian and the others felt the same. Though the price was absurd, what if Zhu Yuyan agreed?
Just as they were on edge and uncertain, Zhu Yuyan paused for two breaths and then agreed outright. “Fine, I’ll make this deal with you. Seventy million taels of silver, and you help me obtain the Demon-Subduing Zither.” Zhu Yuyan’s killing intent vanished as she spoke firmly. But inwardly, she suppressed a deeper murderous rage. Once she had the zither, Li Daoqiang—hah.
Li Daoqiang raised an eyebrow, his delight more apparent. “Good, the Yin Empress is indeed decisive.”
“Mm, now help me get the zither,” Zhu Yuyan said gravely. Huang Xuemei’s jade-like fingers rested on the zither strings, while the other experts’ minds shifted, ready to change the battle’s course at any moment.
“Hold on.” Li Daoqiang raised a hand, speaking seriously, “The Yin Empress hasn’t forgotten my principle, has she? Cash on delivery.”
Instantly, the experts’ moods lightened. Seventy million taels of silver, paid now? Ha.
Zhu Yuyan’s face flushed with anger, and she said coldly, “Seventy million taels of silver—how am I supposed to give it to you now? Rest assured, once I have the Demon-Subduing Zither, I will definitely pay you.”
“Do those of the demonic path keep their word?” A steady voice rang out, seemingly casual. It was Wuqing, speaking while fending off Elder Yun’s attacks. Even with his usual composure, he couldn’t stay calm at this point.
Zhu Yuyan shot him a murderous glare but didn’t act rashly. She held back and said solemnly, “A gentleman’s word is his bond. Before so many in the martial world, I’ve agreed to this—how could I go back on it?”
Li Daoqiang frowned slightly, shaking his head seriously. “No, you’re not a gentleman—you’re a woman. Going back on your word is usually a woman’s specialty. The more beautiful the woman, the more skilled she is at it. I don’t trust you.”
His stern voice carried through the air, and after a moment of stunned silence, “Pfft!” Many couldn’t help but laugh, looking from Li Daoqiang to Zhu Yuyan, whose face was red with rage. Their gazes grew even more peculiar.
Even the grandmaster experts felt the same. Bian Bufu shot Li Daoqiang a strange look, muttering inwardly. Was Li Daoqiang flirting with his senior sister? Huang Xuemei’s cold lips twitched almost imperceptibly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
“Li Daoqiang, are you humiliating me? Do you really think I fear you?” Zhu Yuyan’s eyes widened, her aura surging skyward. Under the many strange stares, she felt herself trembling with fury.
“The Yin Empress jokes. I’m just stating the facts,” Li Daoqiang said with a straight face, then grew even more serious. “Alright, Yin Empress, let’s not waste time. We all know the situation now. I won’t touch the zither, to avoid everyone ganging up on me. So, at most, I’ll help intercept for a while, letting you escape with it. Therefore, without the money, I won’t hand over the Demon-Subduing Zither. Of course, there’s another way to solve this.”
(Thanks for the support, please vote.) ······