Staring under Teng Qingshan’s gaze, beads of sweat formed on the bandit chieftain’s forehead—not from the oppressive weather, but from cold terror. After their brief exchange, the chieftain knew precisely how terrifying a master the Black Armored Commander before him was: “Commander, whatever you want, just name it.”
Teng Qingshan extended a hand, opening his five fingers wide.
“F-fifty thousand taels of silver?” the chieftain stammered.
“Fifty thousand taels? You think your life is worth so little!” Teng Qingshan stared at him coolly. “Five hundred thousand taels! Bring out five hundred thousand taels right now, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise…” Teng Qingshan lifted the tip of his Reincarnation Spear, pointing it directly at the chieftain’s face.
With the spear tip aimed at him, the chieftain felt an icy chill permeate his bones.
“Commander! Five hundred thousand taels, I—I can, I can!” the chieftain replied instantly.
Five hundred thousand taels was an astronomical sum. Yet, the chieftain dared not hesitate for even a moment.
Teng Qingshan’s demand for this money was not simply extortion. “Having just entered Xuyang Prefecture, our convoy immediately ran into such a powerful band of horse bandits! Xuyang Prefecture is vast and wealthy; it will take at least another six or seven days to travel beyond its borders. If we don’t severely punish this group today, and the news spreads, other bandit gangs will surely gamble on luck, thinking that even if their robbery fails, they won't face consequences!”
Punishment was essential!
Without it, other bandits would not be deterred! They needed to be made to fear!
“However, Commander, I don’t have that much silver on me right now. I couldn’t possibly carry that much when I came out. How about you wait a moment? I will personally ride back immediately to fetch the silver.” The chieftain’s voice was very low now, fearful of displeasing Teng Qingshan.
“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan’s expression turned cold. “You want to leave?”
The chieftain’s heart lurched, and he quickly corrected himself, “No, no! I’ll send my second brother back to get it!”
“Stop the nonsense,” Teng Qingshan stated coldly. “I don’t have time to wait here for you to fetch the money. Who knows how long it will take for your men to go and return? I give you the time it takes to steep a single cup of tea to produce the five hundred thousand taels! If you are short by one hundred thousand, I’ll break both your arms. Short by two hundred thousand, I’ll break both your arms and legs! Short by three hundred thousand… and you won’t see the sun set today!”
The chieftain’s face instantly turned ashen, his legs weakening with fright.
“Commander! I—I really can’t produce that much silver now, and the time for a cup of tea is far too short!” The chieftain was nearly brought to tears in his anxiety.
Teng Qingshan sneered, “Whether it’s silver, gold, bank notes, or even expensive weaponry and treasures, they can all serve as equivalent payment! I give you the time of one cup of tea to gather items valued at five hundred thousand taels.”
“Don’t bring me those warhorses or rusty scrap metal. I have nowhere to store them!”
“Remember, you only have the time of one cup of tea!”
Teng Qingshan’s words caused the chieftain to sweat profusely. He immediately pulled out a stack of gold notes from his inner pocket: “I—I have one thousand taels in gold notes here!” Each note represented one thousand taels of gold, equivalent to one hundred thousand taels of silver.
“My Blood-Drinker Saber! I spent over one hundred thousand taels of silver crafting it.” The chieftain quickly sheathed his battle saber and placed it on the ground.
Teng Qingshan glanced dismissively at the Blood-Drinker Saber. “This saber is valued at one hundred thousand taels!”
“Yes, yes,” the chieftain responded quickly, all the while frantically calculating where else he could scrape up silver, his cold sweat pouring down.
For a martial artist, a weapon, armor, or warhorse was immensely valuable.
For instance, Teng Qingshan’s Reincarnation Spear—the shaft alone required a hundred catties of Star-Patterned Steel, worth one hundred thousand taels of silver. The spearhead was forged from ‘Purple Light Cold Iron.’ The piece of Purple Light Cold Iron used for the head was the larger of the two cold irons Teng Qingshan had acquired initially, valued at nearly two hundred thousand taels of silver.
In other words…
Teng Qingshan’s ‘Reincarnation Spear’ alone was worth nearly three hundred thousand taels of silver!
The soldiers of the Black Armored Army, who had initially been stunned, couldn't help but reveal smiles on their faces.
“Commander, truly formidable!”
“That whole crowd of horse bandits couldn't even graze the Commander. The way the Commander swung that long spear earlier was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. Those bandits were all sent flying.”
“Heh heh, five hundred thousand taels! The Commander is certainly ruthless!”
The soldiers murmured in admiration. Following such a powerful Commander brought them a sense of pride.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Zhu Chongshi’s family members peered out.
“Father, can Uncle Teng defeat so many bandits by himself? Is Uncle Teng as strong as you, Father?” The young boy blinked his large eyes at Teng Qingshan in the distance, his gaze full of worship. Children are most easily swayed by heroes. Moreover, the ease with which Teng Qingshan slaughtered through the torrent of bandits and captured their leader was astounding.
Even Zhu Chongshi felt a deep respect for such skill.
“Your Uncle Teng is far more formidable than your father!” Zhu Chongshi said, smiling as he patted his eldest son’s head. “In the future, you must also diligently practice martial arts and become a hero like your Uncle Teng.”
“Yes!” The boy nodded vigorously.
“Father, I want to practice martial arts too,” another child chimed in.
“Me too!” A little girl with her hair in a braid added.
“Haha…” Zhu Chongshi couldn't help but laugh. “Good, you all will learn, all of you.” Zhu Tong had established the rule that all descendants of the family, regardless of gender, must cultivate inner strength and practice martial arts. If one lacked the aptitude to generate inner strength, that was a different matter.
“Father, what is Uncle Teng doing now?” Zhu Chongshi’s daughter asked.
Zhu Chongshi watched Teng Qingshan shake down the chieftain in the distance, a smile playing on his lips as he replied, “He’s making money!”
“Oh!”
The two boys and one girl, all three children, looked as if a light had dawned upon them.
...
The convoy side was relaxed, chatting and laughing merrily. But the bandit side was in chaos. The common bandits were terrified; in just that short span, Teng Qingshan had killed over two hundred of them. Furthermore, the four most elite bandits beside the chieftain died instantly without even managing to retaliate.
Fear!
The chieftain was the most terrified!
“Hurry up, the time for one cup of tea is almost up,” Teng Qingshan said coldly. “What you have laid out here only totals thirty-three thousand taels of silver!”
Even the gold notes and weapons belonging to the second-in-command, the third-in-command, and the others had been handed over, and it was still not enough.
The chieftain broke out in a cold sweat. Suddenly remembering something, he roared furiously at those around him: “Second Brother, bring out your Jing Jade Buddha! Quickly!”
“Big Brother, this is my ancestral…” the second-in-command protested nervously.
“Damn you, go die! Ancestral nonsense, hurry up and bring it here!” The chieftain shrieked, his face contorted with rage. At this point, if the second-in-command dared to waste more time, the chieftain would absolutely kill him. Unwillingly, the second-in-command pulled a carved jade Buddha from around his neck.
This small jade Buddha faintly reflected an iridescent light.
“Oh?” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened.
“Big Brother…” the second-in-command reluctantly handed over the ‘Jing Jade Buddha.’
“Stop the nonsense. If you stay alive, you can acquire anything later, can’t you?” The chieftain snatched it away, then forced a smile toward Teng Qingshan. “Commander, this Jing Jade Buddha was passed down from the Western Regions. It is an absolute rarity. It’s hard to buy even with silver. This thing is worth at least twelve hundred thousand taels of silver.”
Teng Qingshan glanced at him coolly. “The Jing Jade Buddha is valued at one hundred thousand taels! Adding this up, we only have four hundred and thirty thousand taels. There is still seventy thousand taels missing! The time for one cup of tea is nearly over. If you can’t produce the rest, I’ll break both your arms!”
The chieftain’s face changed dramatically.
“Who—who else has treasure? A valuable, good treasure? Does anyone?” the chieftain roared at the surrounding men.
Silence reigned all around them.
Even if someone possessed something valuable, they certainly wouldn't be willing to part with it.
“Is that all? Breaking both your arms will serve as a lesson for you,” Teng Qingshan said, preparing to swing the Reincarnation Spear. Its tip was diamond-shaped with sharp edges on both sides, capable of severing an arm easily.
“No, no!” the chieftain shouted desperately. “I still have something!”
Saying this, the chieftain tore off his outer garment, revealing a golden vest underneath. Unwilling to part with it, he reluctantly pulled off the golden vest and placed it on the ground. “Commander, this vest of mine is woven entirely from silk spun by the Golden Silkworms in the southern wilderness! This silk is even more precious than purple gold! This vest keeps one warm in winter and cool in summer. Furthermore, its defensive power is comparable to heavy armor! This Golden Silkworm Silk Vest simply cannot be bought!”
Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up.
He reached out and picked up the vest; it was incredibly light. His own clothing included a Black Iron Inner Armor weighing tens of catties, whereas this Golden Silkworm Silk Vest probably weighed only about one catty.
A fine treasure!
For martial artists whose physical strength was only around a thousand catties, wearing heavy armor was truly inconvenient. Therefore, this Golden Silkworm Silk Vest was definitely a treasure craved by martial artists, its value far exceeding that of the Blood-Drinker Saber. Of course, for a monster like Teng Qingshan, wearing the tens of catties of Black Iron Inner Armor made no discernible difference compared to wearing a one-catty Golden Silkworm Silk Vest.
Originally, the chieftain had not intended to give up this treasure.
After all, money can be earned, but treasures are hard to replace.
“Consider it paid in full, and I will spare your life,” Teng Qingshan said, sweeping the gold notes, bank notes, and the Jing Jade Buddha into his embrace, while holding the other items in his hands.
“Commander, my Golden Silkworm Silk Vest is worth at least two hundred thousand taels of silver. How about my Blood-Drinker Saber…” Before the chieftain could finish speaking, Teng Qingshan shot him a cold glance, instantly silencing the bandit leader.
Teng Qingshan grabbed the two long sabers, a Millennium Cold Iron War Bow, the Golden Silkworm Silk Vest, stuffed his embrace with gold and silver notes valued at over a hundred thousand taels, and pocketed the Jing Jade Buddha. He then turned toward his convoy, shouting coldly, “Tell your men to clear out far away!”
“Quickly, everyone, make way, clear out!” the chieftain yelled repeatedly.
On the convoy’s side, everyone looked at Teng Qingshan with a flicker of respect in their eyes.
In this world, it was simple: the strong were accorded respect.
“Brother Qingshan,” Zhu Chongshi nodded and smiled at Teng Qingshan, then quickly surveyed his surroundings and immediately gave orders, “Put away the shields, quickly! Everyone mount up, let’s go!” Following the command, the convoy once again set off in a mighty procession.