Qu Jianlei did not ask about the upper realm, and Zhu Jiayi naturally would not bring it up on his own.
With great interest, he raised a question. "If your side manages to gain a foothold in Central Province, how will you handle the spirit vein at Red Leaf Ridge?"
"No way?" Qu Jianlei looked at him in surprise. "You're being that direct?"
"Greed is not frightening," Zhu Jiayi said frankly. "As long as one is human, who can be without greed?"
"There is nothing wrong with facing one's own needs honestly. Those who deliberately hide their greed are the ones worth being wary of."
"That makes sense." Qu Jianlei smiled and nodded. "Fellow Daoist Jiayi truly is an interesting person."
Zhu Jiayi smiled unconcernedly. "Back when I fought the Tiger-Men, I narrowly escaped death. After that, many things no longer seemed so important."
He still somewhat wanted to continue discussing the Tiger-Men.
Qu Jianlei merely nodded. "Indeed. Between life and death lies great terror, but also great enlightenment."
"How about this? If we decide to give up Red Leaf Ridge, the Zhu Family and the Green Screen Mountain Li Family will be the first to know."
That was also proper etiquette. Red Leaf Ridge lay within the Yan Family's sphere of influence, so the Li Family had to be informed no matter what.
Zhu Jiayi could sense that the other party truly did not wish to discuss the Tiger-Men further, so he could only nod. "Then many thanks, Fellow Daoist Qu."
He then invited them to stay for a meal, saying that his family had some rare delicacies.
But Qu Jianlei waved a hand and departed with a smile. "No need. Friendship is not built over food and drink. I had a fine time today."
After seeing the three