Nashan suddenly cried out, "I remember now! You're the boss of the western district... Bala!" Then he told Li Qiang, "Boss, he's one of the most famous bosses in the Black Prison. He helped me before. Haha, we haven't seen each other in ages."
Nashan had previously been only the boss of an ordinary district in the Black Prison. Whenever anything happened, he had never had a say. Now, with Li Qiang around, he felt much more formidable, and even spoke with more backbone.
Bala looked Li Qiang up and down, deeply shocked. In all his time in the Black Prison, he had never seen a convict dare to wear standard military armor and carry a regulation soldier's Spine-Piercing Spear. Where had these weapons and equipment come from? Could it be...? Cold sweat broke out all over Bala.
"You're... One-Eyed Dragon's boss? May I ask your surname?" Bala's tone grew cautious.
Once again, the Black Prison's rule that strength decided everything proved true. From the bearing of Li Qiang and his three companions, Bala could tell that his men were no match for them. Even One-Eyed Dragon seemed to have grown much stronger, and actually exuded a fierce, intimidating presence.
"That's right. My name is Muzi. We'd like to borrow a route through your territory to get back." After hearing Nashan's shout, Li Qiang no longer wanted to put too much pressure on Bala, and his tone became mild.
"Oh! No problem. I'll send someone to escort you back." Bala was quick-witted. As long as they hadn't come to seize his position as district boss, he thought, anything could be discussed. Li Qiang and the others were anxious to return and had no intention of fighting anyway.
"Good. Have someone escort us back. This is for you." Li Qiang handed Bala a package of food.
Bala accepted the food in surprise. In the Black Prison, food meant life. His manner immediately became much more deferential, and he promptly found someone to escort Li Qiang and the others back.
After seeing the four off, Bala gathered his men and notified the bosses of the major districts, spreading word of Li Qiang's visit.
The news spread swiftly, and the district bosses who heard it immediately gathered together. The matter was alarming: they concluded that the four must have killed some guards. What would they do if the Black Camp's troops retaliated? For a time, unease filled the Black Prison.
Everyone in the district was tremendously excited to see the four return to their quarters. They stopped working and crowded around, all clamoring with questions.
Nashan was swaggering now. The feeling of being a boss had come back to him. He puffed out his chest and boasted wildly, spittle flying, feeling indescribably pleased. Whenever he reached a particularly satisfying part, he almost wished he could reach inside and scratch the itch.
The instant Qiao Yuhong saw Li Qiang, tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes. She dashed into his arms and choked out, "Brother Muzi, I... I... I thought... I'd never see... my brother again... boohoo..."
Ben and Paben, who had followed closely behind Qiao Yuhong, also ran forward. Ben's eyes were full of adoration, while Paben chattered beside him, translating Nashan's extravagantly embellished tale of seizing the spears.
Holding Qiao Yuhong's petite body, Li Qiang whispered into her ear, "Little Brother Hong, don't cry. Haven't I come back? Look, so many people are watching you!"
Although Qiao Yuhong's face flushed red, she refused to let go. She clung tightly to Li Qiang's waist and buried her head beneath his arm, as though he would disappear the moment she released him.
Li Qiang buried the feeling that had stirred in his heart, patted her shoulder, and turned to greet everyone.
Nanadun and Lin Fenghe also hurried over in high spirits. Li Qiang asked, "Everything all right? How is everyone doing?"
"Good, all good," Lin Fenghe replied. "Except that the underground fire suddenly erupted a while ago and killed a few people, there haven't been any problems. Boss, the troops have begun training. Commander Nanadun and I discussed it and quietly recruited quite a few more people from other districts. They all used to serve in the military."
Nanadun nodded. "The bosses of several neighboring districts have already issued warnings. They may come demanding an accounting!"
"Hehe! They're too late! By the time they arrive, they'll find us fully armed. We can swallow up their territory while we're at it." Li Qiang laughed smugly.
Nashan was showing off his Spine-Piercing Spear to the convicts when another slap landed on the back of his head. He knew who it was without turning around. In the Black Prison, only Li Qiang dared keep slapping his head. After this adventure, however, Nashan admired him enough to prostrate himself on all fours. Never mind a light slap on the head-even if Li Qiang kicked him, he would not think of resisting.
"Boss, I... I've only just gotten a little smarter, almost as smart as you. Hehe, surely you won't rest easy until you've beaten me stupid!" Nashan blinked his lone eye at Li Qiang, his face full of ingratiating smiles. The convicts around them were dumbfounded. Was this the same imposing One-Eyed Dragon from before? He was practically another person!
"Old Na, stop bragging. Gather the key people. We're preparing our next move."
"Yes! Boss, orders received!" Nashan made a face and ran off to make preparations.
Back in their original room, they waited a short while before Han Jin, Wei Yuanqing, Tange, and the squad leaders all arrived. Together with Li Qiang, Kankanqi, and the others, they filled the room.
"We gained a great deal from this operation. Although the prisoner died unexpectedly, it was still a success. We've obtained the weapons and equipment we urgently needed, and found a way to address the convicts' physical weakness. But we need to move faster. On our way here from the western district, many convicts saw the four of us wearing regulation armor. If any of them are spies for the Tante Kingdom's army, we'll be in trouble. All right, raise whatever questions you have. As long as we prepare thoroughly, we have nothing to fear."
Nanadun asked doubtfully, "Boss, where are the weapons and equipment? You don't mean just what you four are wearing, do you? That's far too little. It won't be enough!"
Only Tange had no doubts. Last time, he had seen Li Qiang fill an entire room with things out of thin air. Although he did not know where Li Qiang kept them, he knew there must be somewhere-he simply didn't know where.
Li Qiang smiled faintly. "Still worried, Commander? This set of weapons and equipment is yours."
He waved a hand, and the unprepared Nanadun suddenly found a suit of armor and a Spine-Piercing Spear in his hands. He stared blankly at them, bewildered. "How did you do that?"
Nanadun was a soldier, after all. He hesitated only briefly before growing excited at having the equipment in hand, and put it on without another word.
Li Qiang then distributed weapons and equipment to the others. Seeing their excited eyes, he knew they were beginning to gain confidence. Although there were only a little over a hundred sets of Spine-Piercing Spears and armor, everyone's morale immediately soared.
Li Qiang took off his armor and handed it to Qiao Yuhong. "Little Brother Hong, put this on. From now on, you need to train too. Your big brother hopes you'll be able to protect yourself, all right?" His final "all right" was very gentle. Qiao Yuhong silently accepted the armor and nodded resolutely.
Tange held his equipment excitedly. Now his title of quartermaster was deserved in both name and substance.
Nashan chuckled. "Say, Old Tan! The four of us risked our lives to seize these. I..." He was about to launch into another round of boasting when Kankanqi tugged at him. Kankanqi pointed at Li Qiang, then reached back to rub his own head, meaning: did he want another slap? Zhao Zhi saw it and turned away with a snort of laughter.
Everyone enthusiastically discussed their next move. Li Qiang's suggestion was to give pills to the soldiers undergoing training first, while putting all their efforts into making weapons and armor, since their present equipment was far from sufficient.
Nanadun proposed sending scouts to investigate the various districts and find a way to obtain a map of the terrain. Even if they could not obtain one, they would have to send people to draw one. Li Qiang strongly agreed. The importance of intelligence had already become apparent.
As soon as the discussion ended, everyone went into action. With military experts like Nanadun and Lin Fenghe present, the various preparations proceeded in good order.
The atmosphere in the Black Prison grew increasingly tense. Rumors sprang up everywhere, and all sorts of news spread indiscriminately, with no telling what was true. Every district boss did his utmost to suppress the unrest. But another frightening piece of news soon arrived, leaving every boss unable to sit still.
Nanadun stationed sentries at the entrances to the various passages while sending scouts to gather intelligence and map the terrain.
Li Qiang shut himself away in his room and began preparing to refine pills. He knew that if the convicts were too weak, never mind training and fighting-even if the Black Camp released every one of them, they would not get far.
Soon, Li Qiang produced his first batch of pills. He named these body-strengthening pills "Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pills." Their efficacy was far inferior to the Spirit Coil Sect's Origin-Nurturing Pills, but for ordinary people, taking one could have an effect like shedding their mortal bodies and changing their bones.
"Nashan... old monk... go fetch One-Eyed Dragon." Standing at the passage entrance, Li Qiang gave a convict the order.
A short while later, Nashan came running. He was brimming with vigor now. Earlier, he had tried sparring with Han Jin. Although he had been struck countless times, it had hardly hurt. Moreover, he discovered that whenever he landed a blow on Han Jin, it left Han Jin unable to catch his breath for quite some time. Nashan's heart practically blossomed with delight. Hearing from the convict that Li Qiang wanted him, he immediately ran back.
"Nashan, where are they training?"
"Boss, right where you first arrived, in that hall with the pool. They're training now! But a few have already collapsed from exhaustion, and Old Lin's so angry he's losing his temper."
"Good, let's go take a look."
The two arrived at the hall and saw Lin Fenghe arguing with Nanadun.
"Training them like this is useless. Using knives and fists against the Tante Kingdom's soldiers is sending them to their deaths..."
"Nanadun... I'm trying to strengthen their bodies. Otherwise, they can't even run. How are they supposed to fight?"
"At this rate, I'm afraid they'll die of exhaustion before they get stronger..."
Lin Fenghe's face flushed crimson. He shouted, "Then what do you think we should do? They can't all become strong and healthy overnight! They... they... damn it, they're just too weak! These are the only training methods I can use. Can you make them recover all at once?"
"I can!" Li Qiang walked slowly over.
"Boss." Lin Fenghe and Nanadun immediately stopped arguing.
Li Qiang understood. The two came from different planets, had different understandings of armies, and even the forms of warfare they knew were different. It would have been strange if they did not argue! But this was Tanbang Star, and Nanadun would still have to take charge. He should be better suited to the role of commander than Lin Fenghe.
"Mm! Brother Lin, from now on, Commander Nanadun is to take the lead in military command. He knows how wars should be fought here. You must support him with all your strength, and protect him from harm as well."
Knowing Li Qiang's other identity, Lin Fenghe agreed readily, although he was not entirely convinced inwardly.
Li Qiang distributed Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pills to the principal people in charge, then gave one each to Ben, Qiao Yuhong, and Paben.
Nashan suddenly called out, "Nobody eat them yet..." Li Qiang paused slightly, then immediately understood. He smiled. "Little Brother Hong, go back to your room to take yours. Come back to train in a while... Ben and Paben, don't go with him."
Watching Qiao Yuhong leave, Li Qiang chuckled. "Go ahead! Those who know martial arts should sit down and circulate their power immediately afterward. That will work better." With that, he winked at Nashan.
Nashan had originally intended to warn everyone, but seeing Li Qiang's response, he held his tongue. Wanting only to laugh, he turned his head and feigned nonchalance. "All right, you can take them now."
Everyone looked at the two doubtfully, not knowing what they were up to. Still, if the boss said to take them, then they would! They all swallowed their pills. Before long, Paben was the first to lose control, running to a corner and squatting down. Then Nanadun and Tange could no longer hold out either and rushed over. Ben was even more direct: he pulled down his trousers and squatted right where he stood. Nashan could contain himself no longer and burst into wild laughter.
Han Jin, Lin Fenghe, and Wei Yuanqing gained tremendously. Their martial power increased substantially. They had originally been second-rate fighters, but now leaped straight into the ranks of first-rate experts.
Nashan had the convicts fetch water to wash the floor. Li Qiang ordered a large basin of hot water brought over, dissolved the remaining pills in it, and had every convict drink a little.
While they were busy, a scout returned with a report. "Commander, bad news! The district bosses have gathered together. I hear they're coming to our district to arrest people."
Li Qiang asked, "Why? Who are they arresting?"
The scout replied, "Great lord, they say they're arresting four people wearing soldiers' armor. That means you and your companions. I hear the Black Camp has sent word that unless those four are handed over, its soldiers will come down and wash every district in blood."
Feeling the strength in his body, Nanadun said with complete confidence, "They're too late! The Black Camp's commander is truly vicious. They're making the convicts of the Black Prison throw their own ranks into confusion first, then they'll catch everyone in one net. It seems the Black Camp already knows about our operation. This time, they mean to retaliate."
Watching color return to the convicts' faces, Lin Fenghe smiled. "As long as we can buy some time for the soldiers to recover, we can conquer the entire Black Prison."
Nanadun immediately ordered two soldiers stationed at every passage entrance, sealing each passage with the crossed fire of two Spine-Piercing Spears. Anyone who attempted to force their way in was to be killed without exception.
Lin Fenghe added, "Send two more men without spears to each passage. If anything happens, come back and report immediately."
Li Qiang had no military advice to offer. After leaving a few instructions, he took Nashan back and began refining weapons.
Following his usual habit, he first set up a defensive formation and activated it. Then he told Nashan to have some convicts bring ore, while he took a Spine-Piercing Spear and began studying it.
He circulated a thread of true essence to examine the spear's structure closely. Inside, he discovered an extremely crude formation. It was not entirely an attack formation, but resembled one for converting crystal energy, supplemented with a small acceleration mechanism and a firing mechanism. To Li Qiang, it was extraordinarily simple.
Li Qiang could currently use very little True Essence Power, but it was enough for simple artifact crafting like this.
Although it was simple, the first Spine-Piercing Spear still cost Li Qiang considerable trouble.
First, he used Samadhi True Fire to extract useful substances from the ore and directly shape them into the spear's body. Then he laid out the formation and painstakingly modified the firing and acceleration mechanisms. In fact, he was designing an entirely new weapon. These weapons were later called "Black Prison Spears" by the people of the Tanbang Continent. An intact Black Prison Spear fetched over ten thousand on the market, and even money could hardly secure one.
Once he had made the first Spine-Piercing Spear, the rest became much easier.
Li Qiang made dozens in succession. Practically every one was different, as he would add or remove formations whenever the mood struck him. After these Black Prison Spears spread, they became the favorites of military commanders throughout the various countries. Some were also collected by royalty, nobles, and wealthy merchants-something Li Qiang had not anticipated at the time.
Li Qiang was delighted to discover that he could use more True Essence Power. This was the benefit of the Chongxuan Sect's artifact crafting: his cultivation increased as he refined artifacts.
Making armor was difficult, however. It involved too many materials, making it completely impossible to produce. After pondering for a long time, Li Qiang thought of a solution: make only arm shields. Although they could not effectively protect the whole body, they could cover its most vital areas.
With his experience refining the Crimson Flame Dragon Shield, arm shields were much easier to make.
Nashan felt as though he were dreaming. He watched the boss take ore inside, and soon piles of oddly shaped Spine-Piercing Spears and arm shields were carried out. He could not help saying, "Hehe, Boss, could you make some of those red explosive bombs? I really like them."
His words reminded Li Qiang of something. Li Qiang smiled. "Ah! Old Na has reminded me. Wait a moment. Let me think."
Recalling the Ice Explosion Bombs obtained from the strange insects at Soul-Startling Slope on Heavenly Court Star, Li Qiang quickly designed an astonishingly powerful explosive bomb. He also produced several other kinds of weapons. The prolonged artifact refining weakened the restrictive power of the Soul-Shattering Golden Finger more and more, until it was on the verge of collapse.
To free himself as quickly as possible, Li Qiang decided to refine the Hundred-Blade Spear and Crimson Flame Dragon Shield again, and modify the Eagle Strike Crossbow as well.
"Nashan, why hasn't the boss come out yet?"
"Commander, you're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask...? His venerable self suddenly stopped coming out, and I can't get in. If you don't believe me... try it yourself." Nashan spread his hands helplessly.
"I don't believe it..." Nanadun walked toward the room, but when he reached the doorway, he could not get in no matter what he tried.
The air inside the doorway was thick with smoke and mist. Not only could he not enter, he could not even reach a hand inside. Unable to see what was happening within, he stamped his feet anxiously.
Han Jin, Kankanqi, Lin Fenghe, and the others also hurried over. Nashan knew something serious had happened.