What More Could One Ask For?

Si Ming asked, "May I ask your esteemed names, gentlemen, and what business do you have with me?"

The two men exchanged a brief glance, and one of them cupped his hands and said, "Our humble names are not worth mentioning. We have come on orders to humbly request that Hero Si return our nation's Profound Armor."

They finally realized the Profound Armor was missing, and now they're begging me for help? Where were they before?!

Si Ming sneered inwardly, but remained expressionless as he said, "I did use the Military School Profound Armor during the Martial King Cup, but during the breakout battle, I was accidentally struck by the Demon Marshal at the time, causing the Profound Armor to break and fall into the sea. You can go to that area to look for it; the Profound Armor is so heavy, it should be at the bottom of the sea and not swept away by the current."

The man said, "With Master Si's strength, how could a mere Demon Marshal general possibly destroy his Profound Armor?"

The Demon Marshal General is on the same level as the Demon General, belonging to the Divine Rank Demon Race, but among the very top tier.

"Even the wisest person can make a mistake. There's no such thing as a guaranteed victory in a martial arts battle. Besides, I was just careless and accidentally damaged my Profound Armor, but I still won in the end. Who can say they won't make a single mistake in a battle?"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts' about it. I swear on the honor of the Mohist School, I do not possess the Profound Armor," Si Ming said solemnly. "No matter how much you beg me, I cannot conjure up a set. Think about it, if I truly had the Profound Armor, why wouldn't I use it?"

Another man couldn't help but exclaim angrily, "Of course the Profound Armor isn't in your hands! You must have smuggled it back to the country long ago. The dignified Great Hero Mad Ink is actually a spy!"

Upon hearing this, Si Ming's face darkened, and he said, "You dare to stand before me and insult my reputation? You must have evidence. Show it to me. The Mohist School acts with integrity, unlike the Military School which talks about deception. We admit our mistakes, punish those who admit them, and never shirk responsibility."

"Of course we have the evidence. We investigated it long ago. Before you left Nation of Valor, you secretly had someone smuggle a large iron box, which definitely contained our country's Profound Armor."

"How can baseless accusations be used as evidence? Yes, I did have someone smuggle a large box, but it was filled with local specialties I bought in your country. It's a rare trip abroad, so of course I had to buy some things to send back. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

"Since it's a local specialty, it can be shipped out of customs openly and honestly. Why bother with such underhanded tactics?"

"Have you forgotten that your country had already issued a war mobilization order at that time, putting the whole country into wartime mode and strictly checking all entry and exit? After that, your country ordered me to leave the country within twelve hours. In that short time, I couldn't even complete the customs procedures. I had no choice but to ask someone to smuggle it secretly. If you want to hold me accountable for smuggling, I plead guilty. I will accept whatever fine is due and will not deny it." Si Ming apologized with an open and honest expression.

The two Nation of Valor men naturally wouldn't accept his confession. Smuggling some local specialties could only earn them a few coins from the fine, but they had no other options, since they had no evidence to prove that the box contained Profound Armor.

Suddenly, two thuds were heard, and two men knelt on the ground, their faces contorted with grief, pleading with Si Ming, "Please, great hero, return the Profound Armor. We were ordered to come here, and if we cannot bring the Profound Armor back, we will surely be punished by military law upon our return, and our lives may be in danger." Their voices choked with sobs, and they soon broke down in tears.

There are quite a few tricks, huh? If the hard approach doesn't work, try the soft one...

Si Ming adopted a troubled expression and sighed, "I'd heard before that Nation of Valor military orders were strict, and that soldiers could be executed for the slightest mistake, treating human life as nothing. I thought it was just hearsay, but it turns out it's true."

Seeing that their method of gaining sympathy was working, the two Nation of Valor men were overjoyed and continued to lower their posture, kowtowing vigorously and saying, "Please have mercy, great hero, and give us a way to live."

Chapter 683 What More Could a Man Ask For?

Si Ming sighed, and said with a compassionate expression, "Forget it, what can we, the Mohist School love, and we can't just stand by and watch people die... How about this, you don't have to go back to Nation of Valor, just come with me to Su State. No matter how strict Nation of Valor military law is, it can't control the civilians of Su State, so you can rest assured."

Their smiles froze instantly; this was not the answer they wanted.

The quick-thinking man, in a moment of inspiration, hurriedly said, "This method won't work. We still have families back home. If we run away secretly and become deserters, it will inevitably implicate our families."

This was not an excuse he came up with on the spur of the moment. Nation of Valor does have Military Rank Law that stipulates that if someone dies on the battlefield, the state will provide compensation and grant a peerage to his descendants and family. However, if it is found that he fled the battlefield and did not die, then not only will his descendants be deprived of the compensation and peerage, but his family will also be implicated.

It was precisely because of this law that cut off the soldiers' escape route, and the encouragement of military merit and titles to fight bravely, that Nation of Valor soldiers were able to advance fiercely on the battlefield, achieving feats such as killing hundreds and causing chaos in the ranks; killing thousands and capturing enemy generals; killing tens of thousands and dominating the world. Even before a soldier went to war, his family would instruct him, "Do not return without a title."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming immediately burst into a tirade. "The Military School are truly despicable! They don't even understand the principle of 'the harm not extending to one's own family,' and they have no regard for the rules of the martial world! Are they still living in the age of slavery?!"

He then said to the two men in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, I would never leave your family members to die."

The two Nation of Valor men felt a pang of unease, but they could only suppress it, forcing out expressions of gratitude as they said, "Thank you for your Great Hero Mad Ink. If you are willing to return the Profound Armor, we..."

Si Ming waved his hand and said, "Quickly tell me your family's information: where they live, how many relatives they have, and their names. I will immediately send the Mohist Knight Guards to pick them up and guarantee that your whole family will be safely brought to Su State."

The two men were stunned and speechless. After a moment, they finally realized they had been tricked. The one who seemed more honest and kind said with a mixture of shame and anger, "Great Hero Mad Ink, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated! You can't play us like this!"

Si Ming put on an innocent expression. "I'm not playing tricks on you. I'm genuinely standing in your shoes and thinking about your situation! You said you would be subject to military law if you didn't complete the mission, so I invited you to Su State. You said it would bring trouble to your families, so I'm willing to send people to pick up your families. I've considered everything for you in every way. What more do you want?"

You must understand that I bear a great responsibility for doing this. If you're feigning helplessness to gain my sympathy while actually trying to infiltrate the Su State as spies, I will be implicated. I'm willing to take such a great risk to help you, and I don't even ask for your gratitude, but you can't repay kindness with enmity and wrong an innocent person!

The quick-witted man remained relatively calm and said, "We don't want to leave Nation of Valor. This is where our ancestors have lived for generations. It's hard to leave our homeland. Please understand, Great Hero Mad Ink."

"I understand you, and you should understand me too. Mutual understanding is the right thing to do. I didn't stand by and watch you die; I've already helped you. But you don't want to be court-martialed, and you don't want to take your families with you. I'm in a difficult position."

Si Ming earnestly advised, "There's no such thing as having it all in this world. I want to increase my strength without cultivating, is that even possible? Most people in the world want to make a lot of money without working, is that even possible? You should be kind and not too greedy. I've already given you a way to save your family, but you refuse to use it and insist on driving your family to their deaths for your own future. Then there's nothing I can do!"

The two Nation of Valor men were completely bewildered. How did they end up being seen as greedy people who were willing to kill their families for their own advancement?

The two men exchanged a glance and gave a wry smile. They had finally learned how formidable Mo Bian was. However, they had come prepared beforehand, since they didn't have any real evidence and their opponent was a renowned hero. Forcing him to vomit up what he had already swallowed was not an easy task.

The two men stood up, dusted themselves off, and the honest-looking man said, "We made a pledge before we set off: we wouldn't return until we retrieved the Profound Armor. Since Great Hero Mad Ink is unwilling to return it, then we'll stay by your side."

Si Ming sighed and said, "I've said it several times already, the Profound Armor is not on me. If you have evidence to prove that I took it, then bring it out and confront me in public. If you don't have any evidence, then please don't slander me out of thin air."

However, the two people opposite him were clearly stubborn and acted as if they hadn't heard him. Si Ming had no choice but to say, "If you want to stay with me, then go ahead. But I often go to dangerous places, so please take good care of yourselves. Otherwise, if you die, it would be a real injustice if Nation of Valor blamed me."

Yu Shuying, who had been silent all along, suddenly took out two pieces of paper and said, "Perhaps that's exactly what Nation of Valor is planning—to send two people to their deaths and then pin the blame on you to tarnish your reputation. Just in case, you two should sign a waiver of consent, stating that you requested to stay, and that you are solely responsible for your own lives, with no one else being involved."

The two looked hesitant, clearly reluctant.

Yu Shuying then said, "You don't have to sign, but then I'll have to question your true intentions. Even if we're acting out of kindness, we can't keep two people with malicious intent around. I'll give you five seconds to consider. Once the time is up, I'll have the guards remove you two suspected Demon Race spies. Five, four..."

"We are not demon Demon Race!"

The two panicked immediately. If they were really mistaken for Demon Race, they would have no chance of survival, especially during a time of war. Even if they were killed by mistake, no one would speak up for them. So many people had died unjustly, so what difference would it make if they died two more?

Yu Shuying remained unmoved. "Three, two..."

"Sign! We'll sign, okay?"

The two men picked up pens and wrote their names on the paper. Si Ming glanced at them and saw that the honest-looking man was named Mulajiang, and the clever-looking man was named Dai Tong.

After the two left, Si Ming asked Yu Shuying, "Why did you let those two stay? When I said I wanted them to stay, I was threatening them, not that I really wanted to keep them by my side."