Time passed, and half a day was gone in the blink of an eye.
After the two members of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency had been captured, Jiang Dali sent word to the two bandits watching the agency below the mountain, telling them to directly inform the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's chief escort, Many-Armed Bear Du Dajin, of what had happened and notify him to come collect his people.
This was no different from a provocation.
Second Boss Xiong Ba felt rather uneasy and tense.
But Jiang Dali remained calm and did not take it too seriously.
He sat in the courtyard on a large pearwood chair draped in tiger skin, hands resting on the armrests, sitting upright and motionless as he nourished his qi and refined his essence. His spine was straight, his breath surged to the crown of his head, and he entered a state of meditative focus that nurtured his spirit and sharpened his edge, keeping his essence, qi, and spirit vigorous.
He had long been mentally prepared for a battle with Many-Armed Bear Du Dajin, and was even looking forward to it.
Although the other man was a renowned veteran Inner Qi Realm expert, while he had only just entered the Inner Qi Realm.
In the martial world, victory and defeat were never determined solely by realm.
So long as the gap was not overwhelming, there were plenty of examples of the weak defeating the strong.
Besides, Jiang Dali had been an expert who reached the Gang Qi Realm in his previous life. Though his strength was no longer what it had been, his insight remained.
He figured that no matter how reckless he was, dealing with a Du Dajin should still be manageable.
Based on his experience, if he could defeat or even capture Du Dajin, then after coming into contact with the people sent by Prince Ruyang's Mansion, he would likely trigger some sort of quest related to the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber frontline plot.
That would naturally make it easier for him to seize benefits.
Meanwhile.
A post titled "Black Wind Stronghold Versus Dragon Gate Escort Agency" appeared on the Jianghu Forum.
The poster was none other than the player Hua Kai Jian Hong.
After obtaining the other players' consent, he posted the Plot Quest that Black Wind Stronghold might currently be involved in on the Jianghu Forum.
He hoped to use it to attract the attention of more players.
Better yet, to draw more people into Black Wind Stronghold.
That way, their recruitment plan could make greater progress and earn them quite a few rewards.
As soon as the post appeared on the Jianghu Forum, it caused quite a stir, like a stone cast into a thousand ripples.
After all.
It was only the second day since the Comprehensive Martial World had begun closed beta testing.
Many players had only just solved their food and shelter problems.
A small number of lucky and capable players had only just reached the threshold for joining a faction.
Other than the hidden experts secretly cultivated by the officials, almost no one had encountered any large-scale faction quests worth mentioning.
Naturally, explosive news like "Black Wind Stronghold Versus Dragon Gate Escort Agency" drew the attention of countless players.
Thus, Black Wind Stronghold once again repeatedly entered the players' sights within two days, becoming a frequent topic of conversation.
It appeared even more often than some major sects, like a monster stock on the A-share market that had begun to show its monstrous edge.
Especially after Hua Kai Jian Hong also posted the video he had recorded of Black Wind Stronghold's Great Mountain Lord Jiang Dali taking action, countless viewers found it immensely satisfying.
In the video, Jiang Dali's towering, mountainlike figure was steady and domineering.
The scene of him using the Iron Cloth Skill to savagely smash through a wall with his body and finish an enemy with a single punch.
Made many players' blood race as they cried out for "a front-facing shot" and declared that they wanted to go to Black Wind Mountain to become heroes.
And in the end, Jiang Dali's ruthless, cold-faced scene of striking down a female NPC with one punch until she coughed up blood.
Was like an intimate strike from a Number One golf club landing hard upon the softest corner of many male players' hearts, completely waking up many men who had once fancied themselves flower-protecting simps. They shouted in delight and said they also wanted to step forward and finish her off at the chest-high ground.
"Don't go saying Black Wind Stronghold is just some sesame-seed-sized little faction. At least they're in the spotlight now. Look how well Central Plains Eyeing Cracks and the others are doing. I heard that in just the past day or two, they've already received and completed three faction quests. They're about to become Strength Training stage experts."
"Exactly. We're still struggling on the edge of starvation, while they're already eating big chunks of meat and drinking bowls of wine. Maybe they'll soon get to learn some martial arts from that Great Mountain Lord who looks so formidable."
"Brothers, I'm in Qilang County under Hui City, neighboring Mengyin County. I've already set off for Mengyin County to join Black Wind Stronghold."
"Don't celebrate too early. Black Wind Stronghold may look glorious on the surface, but it's obviously in grave danger.
Since ancient times, evil has never triumphed over righteousness. Haven't you seen that the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's chief escort is preparing to deal with Black Wind Stronghold?
I think Black Wind Stronghold will be wiped out soon. The players who joined it will probably go down with it."
"Tch! What kind of bullshit chief escort? I don't think he's any match for Black Wind Stronghold's Great Mountain Lord at all. You pessimists can keep watching from the sidelines. Now is the perfect time to join Black Wind Stronghold. Maybe once they deal with the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, they won't recruit anyone anymore."
On the Jianghu Forum, many players debated heatedly, each holding their own view.
Some were optimistic about Black Wind Stronghold's future, while others believed it was destined to be nothing more than a fleeting, sesame-seed-sized faction in the martial world, soon to perish and not worth the risk of joining.
Central Plains Eyeing Cracks and the other players within Black Wind Stronghold were both excited and anxious.
They did not know whether Black Wind Stronghold could truly win if it went to war with the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.
If it lost, the players who had only just joined Black Wind Stronghold might truly meet a terrible end.
If Black Wind Stronghold was destroyed, they might become unaffiliated drifters, or even be hunted down by the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.
Time passed, and the tense atmosphere dragged on.
In the blink of an eye, it was the late afternoon.
A carrier pigeon flapped into Black Wind Stronghold. After a bandit caught it and opened the note, his expression changed upon seeing the coded message written on it.
"Report!"
The bandit immediately ran into Jiang Dali's courtyard and bowed as he reported, "Great Mountain Lord, news has arrived from the front. Those bastards from the Dragon Gate Escort Agency have reached Sulin Flat, ten li from the foot of the mountain."
Jiang Dali slowly opened his eyes, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "Bring those two people out of the prison. Gather the brothers and prepare to invite our guests up the mountain."
"Yes!"
One incense stick's time later.
Hoofbeats rang out along the mountain path below Black Wind Stronghold.
A banner embroidered with the words Dragon Gate appeared on the path.
The Dragon Gate Escort Agency party had arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The Dragon Gate Escort Agency's chief escort, Du Dajin, rode atop a tall horse, a black forehead guard around his head.
He was around fifty years old, broad and powerfully built, with knotted muscles on his arms, a majestic face, and sharp, spirited eyes. He stared coldly at Black Wind Mountain, which crouched like a fierce tiger. He could vaguely make out the wary, fearful gazes cast down from above.
He snorted and shouted. His voice was like the sound of a steel wire flung viciously into the air, clear and penetrating as it carried into the mountain.
"Dragon Gate Escort Agency's chief escort Du Dajin is here to pay respects to the mountain. Is Black Wind Stronghold's current master Brother Jiang Dali? Why not come out and meet me?"
That shout immediately alarmed the entire stronghold.
A group of players stirred like ants in a broken nest, rushing to the cliffside, where they saw the clearly imposing party on the mountain path.
One man's name was nearly purple-black in their eyes, signifying an extremely high level of danger.
"Holy shit! A top expert so purple he's practically black!"
"We're done for! Can our stronghold master even beat him?"
The players immediately panicked, their hearts pounding.
Even their stronghold master's name was merely green with a purple tint, yet the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's chief escort below was purple-black.
This was bad.
Just then, Jiang Dali arrived surrounded by a group of bandits, and the players hurriedly moved aside.
Jiang Dali stood high above them at the cliff's edge, looking down at the group on the mountain path. His gaze lingered particularly on Du Dajin for a moment before he smiled and circulated his inner qi, calling out loudly.
"If Chief Escort Du is sincere, why not come up the mountain for a talk? Your daughter and disciple came uninvited and have already been resting in our stronghold for quite some time."
"What a Black Wind Stronghold! What a stronghold master!"
Du Dajin's expression darkened slightly. Focusing his eyesight, he saw the burly figure that had appeared atop the mountain. He was both furious and startled.
He had heard of Black Wind Stronghold before.
Its strongest member had only been Xiong Ba, a Power Gathering Realm fighter whom he had never considered worthy of attention.
Who would have thought that Black Wind Stronghold would be so blind as to rob the goods of his escort agency, and now it was even pushing its luck.
But upon hearing Jiang Dali's voice, Du Dajin understood where Black Wind Stronghold had gotten its confidence.
A minor Inner Qi Realm expert capable of capturing Hu Ling, as well as his daughter and disciple, indeed had the right to make some noise.
But setting his sights on Du Dajin was destined to be a mistaken choice.
Before you continue