"You..."
Xiang Gui, who had just been about to personally avenge his son, froze when he saw all his men in the hall fall to the ground. The other guards in the gambling hall were one thing—their martial arts skills were mediocre, so it wasn't surprising that they were taken out in an instant. But the key issue was his four personal bodyguards, whom he had personally selected and trained. Even if he had attacked them himself, he wouldn't have been able to take them all down in one move.
More importantly, if it weren't for the fact that his four bodyguards had fallen, he wouldn't even have known they were dead. This meant that if Daniel Davis had attacked him, he would likely be dead by now.
Although Xiang Gui was one of the four top experts under the current leader of the Baling Gang, Yan Kang, he was actually the weakest in terms of martial arts. His position as one of the four top experts was mainly due to his family's status.
Originally, Xiang Gui had planned to attack Daniel Davis first. If the situation became chaotic, he might be able to draw Du Fuwei and Daniel Davis into the fight. After all, Daniel Davis had openly mocked Li Mi earlier, and as Li Mi's strategist, Daniel Davis surely harbored deep hatred for Daniel Davis.
As for Du Fuwei, it was because of Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. Although Xiang Gui's martial arts skills were lacking, he had a keen eye. The Xiang family's success wasn't built on martial prowess.
After all, even when Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling made significant progress later on, they still nearly lost to Xiang Yushan several times before finally defeating him.
Unfortunately, Daniel Davis's swift and decisive action completely ruined Xiang Gui's plan.
Xiang Gui's martial arts skills were mediocre, so it was difficult for him to imagine how a true expert would act. Although he had connections with the demonic sects, he was at the bottom of the hierarchy and had never seen a true demonic sect expert in action.
In Xiang Gui's eyes, no matter how skilled Daniel Davis was, he couldn't possibly be stronger than Du Fuwei, a grandmaster-level expert.
Daniel Davis's sudden attack left Xiang Gui completely frozen, unable to react for a long time. When Xiang Yushan saw the situation around him, his screams immediately stopped. It was truly remarkable how much potential humans had under the threat of death. Even someone as cowardly as Xiang Yushan could endure the pain of losing an eye.
"Impressive technique," Du Fuwei said, glancing at the fallen guards. His expression grew serious. As the most skilled martial artist present, he could better appreciate the terror of Daniel Davis's attack. If Daniel Davis had thrown the gambling tiles at him, Du Fuwei admitted that at such close range, it would have been difficult to dodge.
With just this one move, Du Fuwei had already marked Daniel Davis as a formidable enemy. As he spoke, the arm guards hidden in his sleeves unconsciously slid into place. Du Fuwei's signature technique, "Sleeve Conceals the Universe," relied heavily on these arm guards.
"Commander Du, you flatter me. It's just a small trick," Daniel Davis said, his fingers idly moving the gambling tiles on the table.
To be honest, Daniel Davis didn't understand gambling tiles. He was treating them like mahjong, mimicking the gambling techniques he had seen in TV shows in his previous life. The tiles danced and shifted in his hands, taking on various forms.
"Commander Du, your Jianghuai Army isn't going to achieve much. How about joining me?" After seeing Xiang Yushan and Xiang Gui sitting quietly without making a sound, Daniel Davis temporarily lost interest in them. Since he had the rare opportunity to meet Du Fuwei here, he naturally wanted to recruit him as well.
Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army was currently quite influential among the rebel forces. After all, they had recently defeated the Sui army and captured Liyang, making them second only to the Wagang Army in terms of momentum. However, since Du Fuwei had previously been a prominent figure in the underworld, the Jianghuai Army lacked strict military discipline.
In the short term, Du Fuwei's strength and prestige kept things under control, but that was as far as it went. Unless the Jianghuai Army stopped expanding its territory, problems were bound to arise sooner or later. In essence, the Jianghuai Army was not cut out to compete for the throne.
Li Jing had seen this clearly, which was why he had outright betrayed Du Fuwei and joined the Li family.
Although Du Fuwei's explanation was that wealth could establish one's character, and the Jianghuai Army was in urgent need of expansion, the lack of strict military discipline was a major issue. Without strong backing, enforcing strict rules would not only be difficult but also strain their already limited resources.
War was fought on logistics, and even rebel armies were no exception. The Wagang Army's success was largely due to their earlier capture of the Sui dynasty's granaries, which provided them with ample supplies.
The Jianghuai Army, however, had no such luck. Without strict discipline, they could plunder to make up for their shortages, but enforcing rules would make that impossible.
This was why, when the aristocratic families entered the fray, their influence and momentum immediately overshadowed the early rebel armies. They had both manpower and resources.
For ordinary people, it didn't matter who became emperor as long as they could survive. Comparing the Li family and the Jianghuai Army, it was clear who the people would support.
Du Fuwei's approach wasn't entirely wrong, but he overlooked one crucial issue: after a long period of lax discipline, suddenly imposing strict rules might not be accepted by his subordinates.
It was extremely difficult to rein in people who had grown accustomed to lawlessness. It was like what Dragon did with the people scavenging in the Uncertain Endpoint in the world of pirates. Without the time to gradually educate and pacify them, the only option was to send them all to their deaths.
"If you want me, Du Fuwei, to join you, I'll need to see your strength," Du Fuwei said, gathering his energy and preparing to strike. At this moment, he had temporarily forgotten about Kou Zhong and Xu Zilian. With a strong enemy before him, it was necessary to focus.
"The scenery here is so beautiful, Commander Du. Why so aggressive? Competing for the throne isn't the same as a martial arts duel. If it were about martial prowess, why bother fighting? We could just set up a擂台 and have everyone compete to see who's stronger. Even if I defeat you here, would the Jianghuai Army really join me? And even if they did, I wouldn't accept them right now."
Seeing Du Fuwei stand up, Daniel Davis shook his head. Martial arts were important in the struggle for supremacy, but they weren't the most crucial factor. Otherwise, the grandmasters could just fight it out, and the world would be at peace.
Song Que's martial arts were incredibly strong. Even Ning Daoqi, if Song Que truly wanted to kill him, could be taken down at the cost of severe injury. But in the end, Song Que still had to bow to reality.
As Daniel Davis had said earlier, he wouldn't want the Jianghuai Army even if it were offered to him. Frankly, it would be easier to start a new army from scratch than to impose strict discipline on the Jianghuai Army.
"Commander Du, why so angry? Isn't this something we all know?" Daniel Davis suddenly interjected with a smile. Under normal circumstances, Daniel Davis wouldn't have provoked Du Fuwei. Although she looked down on him, there was no need to make an enemy of him. But since Daniel Davis had started it, and Du Fuwei had earlier insulted Li Mi, Daniel Davis naturally wanted to return the favor.
"Hmph." Du Fuwei glanced at Daniel Davis and snorted, then sat back down. Under other circumstances, someone like Daniel Davis, who openly challenged him, would have been dealt with immediately. Not everyone could receive the same treatment as Kou Zhong and Xu Zilian.
But Daniel Davis's mysterious background and bold claims piqued Du Fuwei's curiosity, so he suppressed the urge to leave in a huff. After all, Du Fuwei was no impulsive man. He had managed to build a formidable rebel army, after all.
It was just his bad luck that, due to his background, no one was willing to bet on him. None of the four great families had shown interest in the Jianghuai Army. Only the demonic sects had planted a pawn in his ranks.
"Mr. Daniel, forgive my bluntness, but I've never heard of the Taoist Heavenly Sect. I'd love to hear more about it," Daniel Davis said, glancing at Xiang Yushan, who was covering his eye and enduring the pain.
To be honest, Daniel Davis had wanted to say the same thing as Xiang Yushan. But considering Daniel Davis's earlier merciless attack, she chose a more polite approach.
"Of course. But before that, shouldn't we welcome our new guests?" Daniel Davis called out loudly toward the door, "Since you're here, come in. I'm in a good mood today. Aside from the Baling Gang, who deserve to die for their human trafficking, I won't attack anyone else."
This explanation for why Daniel Davis had attacked Xiang Yushan, Xiang Gui, and the Baling Gang without mercy made Ren Meimei of the Pengliang Society breathe a sigh of relief. Although the Pengliang Society wasn't a righteous organization, its reputation was far better than the Baling Gang's.
When it came to the "Eight Gangs and Ten Societies," ordinary people feared them, but those at a certain level knew that each of these groups had powerful backers.
For example, the Baling Gang was said to have ties to Emperor Yang of Sui, the Haisha Gang was backed by the Yuwen family, the Jukun Gang by the Dugu family, and the Shuilong Gang by the Song family. Others had connections to the demonic sects or other aristocratic families.
"A sect that looks down on the demonic sects, Cihang Jingzhai, and Jingnian Chanyuan—the Taoist Heavenly Sect. I'm quite curious," a charming voice said as six women of varying appearances entered the room.
The leader was a woman with a veil covering her face, dressed in luxurious clothing and exuding an air of grace. Behind her was a young woman with glossy black hair and skin as fair as jade, strikingly beautiful.
Although dressed in men's clothing, her beauty surpassed even Daniel Davis's, who was considered a rare beauty in this world.
In terms of pure appearance, this woman was second only to Shang Xiuniang. Her presence made Daniel Davis frown slightly, as she had been outshone.
Behind these two stood four women of varying heights and builds. Compared to the first two, their appearances were rather plain. Judging by their positions, they seemed to be bodyguards.
"So it's Madam Dongming of the Dongming Sect. What a rare guest," Du Fuwei immediately recognized the leader.
"Greetings, Commander Du."
The newcomer was none other than Madam Dongming, Shan Meixian, of the Dongming Sect. Beside her was her daughter, Princess Dongming, Shan Wanjing. The four women behind them were the Dongming Sect's Four Guardian Fairies. It was clear that Madam Dongming had a unique approach when selecting her guardians.
After bowing to Du Fuwei, Shan Wanjing glared fiercely at Kou Zhong and Xu Zilian. Perhaps because her mother was present, she didn't say anything.
Seeing Madam Dongming arrive, Ren Meimei immediately stood up and offered her seat to the Dongming Sect. She then cautiously moved to the side with her two subordinates. Since Daniel Davis hadn't given her permission to leave, Ren Meimei didn't dare to go. At the same time, she was deeply curious about what the people present were about to discuss.
"To earn my respect, they must first be worthy of it. What qualifications do Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chanyuan, founded by those two fools Tian Seng and Di Ni, have to earn the respect of my Taoist Heavenly Sect? To earn our respect, they must meet one condition," Daniel Davis said, a mocking smile on his face.
Fortunately, although he hadn't finished reading "Twin Heroes of the Tang Dynasty," he had gathered some information about the Four Great Mystic Texts out of curiosity. This came in handy now.
Strictly speaking, Tian Seng and Di Ni were no fools. After all, they were the founders of their respective sects and had created the Cihang Sword Codex, one of the Four Great Mystic Texts. But for Daniel Davis, to further his plans, he needed to belittle them as much as possible.
If he had spoken this way about Taoism or the demonic sects, one or two experts who had achieved the legendary "Breaking the Void" might have opposed him. Unfortunately, since their founding, neither Cihang Jingzhai nor Jingnian Chanyuan had produced any experts who had achieved "Breaking the Void."
In their respective sects, they were glorified as having achieved "Breaking the Void," but in reality, they had merely entered forced seclusion. Not everyone who entered seclusion was like the unparalleled grandmaster Ling Donglai.
Shi Feixuan, through a spiritual relationship with Xu Ziling, had reached the "Sword Heart Clear as a Mirror" level, which was quite impressive. But compared to later figures like Duanmu Lin and Qin Mengyao, she still fell short.
The only thing Daniel Davis admired about Cihang Jingzhai was their ability to produce beauties who had connections with the influential figures of their time. In terms of public relations, Cihang Jingzhai was truly exceptional. If placed in modern society, they would undoubtedly be a top-tier PR firm.
The secrets Daniel Davis revealed shocked everyone present. Except for Madam Dongming, Shan Meixian, the others were hearing about the founders of Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chanyuan for the first time. After a long silence, Shan Meixian finally spoke.
"What is the condition that must be met?" This question made Du Fuwei, Daniel Davis, Kou Zhong, and Xu Zilian all turn their attention to Daniel Davis.
"It's simple: the sect must have produced at least one expert who has achieved 'Breaking the Void.'"
"Breaking the Void? Is that a level beyond grandmaster?" Kou Zhong couldn't help but ask. Although he and Xu Zilian knew about grandmasters, they were clueless about "Breaking the Void." Even Du Fuwei only had a vague understanding.
"Correct. Beyond the grandmaster level lies 'Breaking the Void.' To put it in terms you can understand, it's akin to ascending to immortality in broad daylight," Daniel Davis said softly.
"Ascending to immortality? That would make them immortals!" Xu Zilian exclaimed in shock.
"Xu Zilian, remember this: so-called immortals are just people with greater strength. The same goes for Buddhas."
Since Daniel Davis was here, he couldn't let a promising Taoist disciple like Xu Zilian be led astray by Shi Feixuan and the others into Buddhism.
(End of Chapter)
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