The smile on Divine Envoy Kaben's face vanished, replaced by an extremely grim expression. He said in a hollow voice, "I hope this isn't true... The Great God Kanbo'er would absolutely not want to hear this news, so, Chief Ba Zhong... please hand over Bu Jigong."
Bazhong Dekong's wrinkles deepened. He tried to control his emotions, but his hands trembled uncontrollably. He deeply regretted coming here to meet Li Qiang, feeling that he had underestimated his opponent. The situation was now beyond any hope of recovery.
He clenched his fists tightly and said, "My lord, please don't fall for his tricks. These are absolutely fabrications. The Banshou Trading House is so large, it's impossible for me to know everyone, but I've asked around, and there's definitely no one Bu Jigong here..."
Divine Envoy Kaben's tone grew even colder. "Chief Ba Zhong, this matter is of utmost importance. If it was done by Bu Jigong, then everything will be fine as long as Bu Jigong is handed over. I will explain to the Great God. Otherwise... you should know the consequences. We are at war now..." Although his words were cold, he had already left Bazhong Dekong a way out.
Bazhong Dekong was a cunning old fox. The words of the Divine Envoy Kaben gave him an opportunity. He immediately came up with a sinister idea and said with a smile, "Divine Envoy, perhaps I really am getting senile. Please give me three days, and I will give you a satisfactory answer."
He's already decided to kill Bu Jigong to silence him. He'll send you a corpse and say he committed suicide out of guilt, let's see what you can get out of him. However, this time he's aroused the suspicion of the Divine Envoy Kaben, which is absolutely terrible. When we get back, we must destroy all the evidence.
Everyone present was stunned. This old man's change of heart was too fast. Li Qiang looked at him thoughtfully. After all, he didn't have the ruthlessness of Bazhong Dekong. To him, killing someone was unimaginable. Although he couldn't guess Bazhong Dekong's thoughts for the time being, Li Qiang knew he must have something up his sleeve. He thought for a moment, "Anyway, I have three Great Venerables in my hands. I'm not afraid you won't come to exchange them." He was at ease.
Divine Envoy Kaben a sigh of relief. He made up his mind to be on high alert against Bazhong Dekong. The key now was to appease Li Qiang and not let this matter affect his mission to Heavenly Halberd Peak.
Each of the three parties is pursuing its own interests, and for the time being, things are at peace.
After a moment of silence, Ba Zhong bowed and took his leave.
Kong Hou hurriedly said, "Master Ba Zhong, I have a few questions to ask the owner here. I'll be there soon." His position in the Banshou Trading House was extraordinary, unlike the seven top experts in the company; even the head of the company couldn't control him.
Bazhong Dekong a slight tremor in his heart, gritted his teeth, and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll wait for you at the trading company."
Chairman Siting was completely bewildered from beginning to end, and it took him a while to calm down. He secretly admired Li Qiang, who truly lived up to his reputation as Elder Kubo's grand-uncle; he was indeed incredibly powerful, completely suppressing the arrogance of the most famous Banshou Trading House on the Tanbang Continent, even their leader couldn't gain the slightest advantage. He said to Li Qiang, "Senior, please talk. The Chamber of Commerce is very busy lately, with a major auction about to begin. Things are extremely complicated. If you need anything, please just let us know, and the Grand Alliance will definitely provide full assistance. Please don't hesitate to ask."
After thanking them and seeing off Chairman Siting and Divine Envoy Kaben, Li Qiang invited Kong Hou into the house.
Although Kong Hou entered the room, he refused to sit down, standing and saying, "I would like to ask the master why you possess the legendary divine skill of our sect..."
Li Qiang admired Kong Hou quite a bit, knowing that his cultivation was higher than his own, so he spoke much more politely, "Um, are you talking about that Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands? I also have a question for you, what sect are you from?"
Kong Hou hesitated for a moment, as his sect was very secretive, but after thinking it over, he said, "I am a disciple of the Buddha Sect, but the outside world is not very aware of our sect." He sighed and said, "I am not yet a true disciple of the Buddha; I merely uphold the lineage of this sect."
Hong Qian lowered his head in deep thought. He had heard of the Buddha Sect sect before. After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered his master's words and exclaimed in surprise, "Wasn't the Buddha Sect wiped out long ago? It must have been thousands of years ago. How could there still be successors?"
Kong Hou took a step back and leaned against the wall, bowing his head and proclaiming, "Buddha, have mercy! The Buddha Sect has not been destroyed, but they have simply distanced themselves from the mortal world and no longer fight with the Cultivation Realm. I am merely a disciple of the Buddha Sect forgotten in the sea of suffering, alas..." His tone was filled with helplessness.
Li Qiang had even more questions in his mind. He said, "I obtained the Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands by chance. Buddha Sect disciples are called Buddha's Sons. Hmm, are there any Bodhisattvas? Are there any Arhats? Are there any monks or nuns?"
Everyone was baffled, and Kong Hou was especially dumbfounded. After a long while, he asked, "What are all these things? Are they Law Treasure?"
Kubo chuckled, "Boss, what are you talking about? I've never heard of... Bodhisattva... Luo... or anything like that. Does Master know anything about them?"
Hong Qian shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Let's hear what my martial uncle has to say."
Li Qiang quickly said, "It's nothing... I was overthinking it." He knew in his heart that this Buddha Sect sect was different from the one in his hometown. They might be related, but it was definitely not the Buddhism from his hometown.
Kong Hou was filled with disappointment. He had thought that Li Qiang had some connection with his sect, which would allow him to learn more about the situation. He said dejectedly, "I see... I'll take my leave now... You, sigh! Never mind." He glanced at the little Sea Demon, then reluctantly took his leave and went back.
At this moment Nashan, dressed neatly, came out and said, "Boss, Paben is awake."
Li Qiang was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Haha, that's fantastic! Everyone, come with me to take a look." Everyone excitedly rushed into the inner room.
When Paben woke up, he found that not only was he alive, but his skills seemed to have greatly improved. Having experienced life and death, and then life again, he was filled with mixed emotions. Seeing Li Qiang leading a large group of people running in laughing and joking, he was so excited that he was a little overwhelmed.
Everyone sat around him, greeting him one by one. Nashan patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Hey, Old Pa, thank goodness you're alright. The boss almost destroyed Fengnan City because of you. Goodness... when the boss gets angry, he's terrifying." He said exaggeratedly with a grin.
Tange nudged Nashan with his shoulder. " Old Na, you're really making the boss angry again. Watch out for your Baldy..."
Nashan glared at him. "The boss wouldn't do that."
Li Qiang smiled slightly and said, " Paben, we'll be heading to the Western Continent soon. You'll have to find your daughter yourself. Once the Banshou Trading House hands over Bu Jigong, you can ask him directly."
Looking around at his brothers, Paben smiled through his tears, "Boss, from now on, Paben will follow you. I only want to cultivate with you, as for the rest... Paben doesn't want to pursue anything else anymore. Bu Jigong..." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Never mind, Paben is tired of all this and doesn't want to deal with it anymore."
Everyone stared at Paben in disbelief, finding him to be a completely different person. Li Qiang was also slightly stunned, but he quickly realized what was happening and muttered to himself, "A complete enlightenment? He's actually able to let go of his resentment." He truly admired Paben, knowing that with this thought in mind, his future achievements were limitless.
"Good! Good! Good!" Li Qiang said three times in a row, and said sincerely, " Paben, I will accept you as my disciple!" This was the first time he had taken the initiative to accept a disciple.
Paben was overjoyed and got up to bow respectfully. "Master, your disciple Paben kowtows." He had learned this move from Zhao Hao. Li Qiang remained seated and accepted his bow.
Someone nearby was heartbroken; Nashan sobbed, "Boss... Waaah... Boss..."
Everyone was happy for Paben when they were suddenly startled by Nashan's strange, high-pitched voice.
Zhao Hao glared at him. " Nashan! What are you doing!"
Nashan shrank back in fright, "N-nothing... I didn't do anything." He was genuinely afraid of Zhao Hao; he had been afraid of him ever since the training at Great Gorge Mouth.
Nashan muttered to himself, "Why won't the boss take me on... I want to become his apprentice too..." Seeing that no one around was paying attention, he muttered again, "It's outrageous! Why isn't anyone speaking up for me..."
Li Qiang said meaningfully, " Nashan, it's not that I don't want to take you in. After we return to your hometown, I will ask you again. If you are still willing then, I will take you in."
Someone came to report: Kankanqi is back.
Kankanqi was riding high. He accompanied the Bobo Guild Master to escort Princess Lanqiu. Along the way, he launched a powerful, shameless offensive towards the Bobo Guild Master. Although the Bobo Guild Master did not agree to anything, she did not refuse his attentiveness along the way. He felt that he had a great chance, so he was in an extremely good mood.
"Boss, I'm back!" Kankanqi shouted as he entered the room. He stepped inside and exclaimed, "Oh, everyone's here? Boss..."
Li Qiang smiled and waved, " Kankanqi, come and sit down. Hehe, are Master Bobo and Princess Lanqiu safe? Sigh, Kankanqi... how did it go?"
Kankanqi's face turned slightly green. He understood what his boss meant and said a little embarrassedly, "It's alright... it went fairly smoothly."
Nashan and Tange both exclaimed almost simultaneously, "Oh?"
Kankanqi knew what those two were thinking, so he plopped down next to them and whispered a threat, "You two better behave yourselves."
Tange repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, yes..." He winked at Nashan, and the two of them exchanged a nasty smile.
Kankanqi secretly gave them a hard pinch, and before they could even cry out, he preemptively said, "Boss, I have two things to report..." He glanced triumphantly at Tange and Nashan, who were baring their teeth and grimacing fiercely, but dared not interrupt him.
"One thing is that the Wind of Fear will stop in about eight to ten days. A large number of merchants have gathered at the Desperation Cape. When the Wind of Fear first stops, the Sea of Wronged Souls will be the calmest and easiest to cross. Shouldn't we make some preparations? Also..." Kankanqi hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Li Qiang asked curiously, "What else?"
"Also... there's that... Dreamy Night." Kankanqi said with a wry smile, "Boss, you don't know, women are crazy about this stuff. Princess Lanqiu and Bobo showed it to them, and hey, boss, they didn't ask Princess Lanqiu... they asked me to send a message back, saying they wanted you to save a small bottle for them. I... I almost went crazy from all their pestering."
Actually, he had something else to say. Almost every woman could tell that he was interested in Boboran. At first, they thought it was because he had perfume, so they kept giving him hints, making him nervous and afraid that Boboran would misunderstand.
He finally managed to explain that he didn't have any, but that it was the boss who did. As a result, all the women came to threaten him, demanding that he get another small bottle from that magical boss. In the end, he was in so much pain that he didn't know how he would have ended up like that if Princess Lanqiu hadn't come to his rescue.
"Dreamy Night" is now the buzzword among all the wealthy ladies. It's said that several have boasted they'd pay any price to get their hands on it. "Dreamy Night" has become incredibly famous.
Nashan, rubbing his thigh where Kankanqi had pinched him earlier, suddenly said, " Old Kan, let me ask you something..."
Seeing his serious expression, Kankanqi asked, " Old Na, what is it?"
"Who is this... Bobo...? Why are you calling her so affectionately?"
Nashan grinned mischievously, and Tange chimed in, " Old Na, you're so stupid! You don't even know this... Bobo... must be the son of the Bobo Guild Master."
Nashan retorted, his words trailing off, "No, you're the stupid one! It could be a daughter, who knows?"
Li Qiang raised his hand and slapped each of them across the face, laughing, "Nonsense! Old Kan and Boboran haven't even done 'that' yet, so how could they have sons and daughters? You two are just making wild guesses!"
Kankanqi was secretly pleased that his boss had taught them a lesson, but the boss's words almost made him collapse; they were even more offensive than what the two of them had said. Nashan and Tange covered their heads and looked at their boss, but as soon as Li and *Tu*Shuqiang finished speaking, they burst into laughter. Now everyone present knew that Kankanqi was pursuing Boboran, the leader of the association.
Kankanqi looked helpless and gave a wry smile, "Boss..."
Li Qiang suddenly realized what he meant and hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean that... I meant that!" He became more and more confused as he spoke.
Nashan laughed, tears welling in his eyes, "Boss, we all know... about that."
Li Qiang explained, "That... it's... getting married... Ugh! Damn it, forget it, no more talking about it." He realized something was wrong; once this topic started, it was hard to stop, and it was impossible to explain clearly, so he simply acted like a brat and put on his boss's airs.
Everyone quieted down when they saw Li Qiang cheating. After a while, they suddenly burst into laughter again. Only Li Qiang and Kankanqi exchanged wry smiles.
"Hey, boss, did I miss something exciting?" Nanzi Dong walked in and said, "The armor has been modified. What are you guys talking about that makes you so happy? Tell me, let the Old Beetle be happy too." He sat down as well.
Li Qiang quickly changed the subject, saying, " Old Beetle, wait a moment, I need to forge some weapons in a bit. Alright, let's get down to business."
Hong Qian and Kubo were both very excited, wondering what kind of Law Treasure their boss would forge for them.
Li Qiang quickly gathered his thoughts. " Zhao Hao, have Kubo bring all the brothers who don't want to go to the Western Continent to the Grand Alliance. Compile the list and give it to Kubo later. Tange, Han Jin, Zhao Zhi, and Nanadun, go and purchase supplies."
Li Qiang asked Kubo for a kilo from the Chamber of Commerce and handed it to Tange, saying, "I want local specialties, crystals of various attributes, food, solid water and drinks, and something for communication... How should I say that?"
Tange said, "The crystal amber stone can't make calls, but it can display location and flash in response. I'll explain it to the boss later."
"Crystal amber? Hmm, that's it. Buy more local specialties too. Zhao Zhi, help me take a look. You're not a local, so you might be more sensitive to things. Tange might not find many things special anymore, so remind him." Li Qiang knew that after leaving the Tanbang Continent this time, he didn't know how long it would be before he could return, so he wanted to collect as many things as possible.
Zhao Hao said, "Master, the number of people has been basically finalized. Forty-six people plan to stay, along with Bala and Nanadun..."
Nanadun said apologetically, "Boss, I'm so sorry. I'm getting old and just want to live out the rest of my life peacefully. Sigh... I've seen too much life and death, I..."
Li Qiang interrupted him, saying, " Nanadun, don't say sorry. We're brothers and friends, there's nothing to apologize for. I know you can't go back to the army, so how about this, you stay at the Grand Alliance, Kubo will make arrangements."
Kubo laughed and said, "Welcome! I know Nanadun is a military commander, and the Grand Alliance desperately needs someone like him."
Bala lowered his head and said, "Boss, I feel the same way. I'm tired and desperate. I know I'll never be able to go back to my hometown in this life. The sad thing is, I don't even know where my hometown is. I'll stay with these brothers who are left behind. None of us know where our homes are, and we can look after each other since we're in the same boat."
Li Qiang nodded. "Alright, in Black Prison you're their boss, and they'll listen to you. Take good care of them for me. You two should also take care of yourselves, and discuss things with each other if anything happens. Kubo, these people are all in your hands now. I won't stand for them if they're mistreated, you understand?" He also felt a little reluctant, after all, they were brothers who had fought side by side in Black Prison.
Hong Qian laughed and said, " Kubo won't treat them unfairly; I vouch for it."
Kubo made a face. "With Master's guarantee, how could this disciple dare to act recklessly? Don't worry, Boss."
Kankanqi shifted uncomfortably, and after a long pause, he stammered, "Boss... I..."
Li Qiang asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why are you being so hesitant? Speak more directly."
Nashan suddenly realized what was happening and cried out, " Old Kan... Kankanqi, how dare you... you..."
Li Qiang understood. "Do you also want to stay? Hmm, it's okay, I hope every brother can find a good home." Kankanqi breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was very nervous; if his boss had asked him to stay, he really wouldn't have known what to say. He was grateful to Li Qiang from the bottom of his heart, but all he could say was "thank you."
Tange, Nashan, and Zhao Zhi were all panicked. Nashan grabbed Kankanqi and yelled without thinking, "You, you... damn it, Old Kan, you're putting women before your friends... didn't we agree that we brothers would follow the boss? You..."
Tange also advised, "Sigh, we're all missing you... The boss specially assigned everyone wings this time, it was your suggestion. Who will teach them if you leave? You're the leader of the Flying Battle Corps here."
Kankanqi lowered his head and remained silent. He was also reluctant to leave everyone, but for Boboran's sake, he had no choice but to close his eyes and pretend to be stupid.
Li Qiang stopped Nashan and the others. "Everyone has their own ambitions, and we should respect Kankanqi's choice. Alright, everyone go and prepare. Oh, by the way, Zhao Hao, Nashan, Ben, and Wuya, keep an eye on those three Great Venerables to prevent the Banshou Trading House from ambushing and kidnapping them."
Nashan stood up angrily, stomped his foot and said, "They'd better come and rob me, I'll electrocute these little devils." He muttered as he walked out of the room, ran to the underground prison alone, told the guards to leave, went inside, closed the door tightly, took out the Azure Shadow Binding and started electrocuting the three Great Venerables while cursing them.
The three poor venerable ones inexplicably became Nashan's punching bags.
When Wuya brought the warriors in, the three Grand Masters were emitting blue smoke from their bodies, and tears and snot were streaming down their faces. Whenever they saw Nashan raise his hand, they would tremble incessantly as a reflex, which made Wuya and the others both laugh and cry.
After everyone went to take care of their business, Kankanqi pulled Li Qiang aside and said, "The grand auction is starting in a few days. Everything's been arranged; we've even put the boss in the VIP seats. Also, I heard there are quite a few unusual items at this auction. If you're interested, we can place a bet."
Li Qiang asked curiously, "Place a bet? How do I place one?"
Kankanqi explained, "Everyone who attends can exchange money for chips. When bidding, people put down the chips they have, and whoever puts down the most chips wins."
Before seeing the actual product, Li Qiang was indeed a little confused. He nodded as if he understood, but he wasn't worried, since there were plenty of people around him who knew about it.
Li Qiang said, "Go back to the Grand Alliance first. I have a task for you: find a way to spread the word about the bad things the Banshou Trading House has done in collusion with the Tante Kingdom and their trade with the Western Continent. You can exaggerate a bit. The Grand Alliance can issue merchant licenses, right? Use this opportunity to tell the merchants all about it. Hehe, I don't believe they can stand it."
Kankanqi admired it in his heart; this was definitely a deadly move that killed without shedding blood.
This move was something the Banshou Trading House never expected, and its impact was so great that later all the merchants in the Western Continent dared not go to the Banshou Trading House anymore, Banshou Trading House was almost completely destroyed.
Bazhong Dekong didn't realize until much later that it was Li Qiang Qiang's idea, which made him so angry that he vomited blood and died.
In Fengnan City, houses are generally two or three stories high, with only one story above ground and the rest underground.
Li Qiang, along with Hong Qian, Kubo, and Nanzi Dong, and also specially invited Zhao Hao, went to the empty room underground to prepare to begin refining weapons.