Negotiation

Xu Ying took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "My mind is in turmoil. I ask Senior Brother Xu to settle this for me."

"Alright."

Xu Ying's eyes crinkled into a smile. This junior brother was quite sensible and didn't press the issue, saving him a lot of trouble.

Outside the Zhou Family's entrance, a group of Wild Fox Gang thugs were cleaning the ground.

They scooped up dismembered bodies and waste with their hands, leaving no trace behind.

Stones were moved, and the pits they created were filled and tamped down with Kitsuchi, ensuring no sign of what had happened remained.

"Splash!"

A large bucket of water was poured onto the wall, and the gang members meticulously wiped down the bricks, cleaning away the filth along the mortar lines.

The two parties withdrew their gazes. The negotiation was to take place at Widow Li's wine stall.

"Junior Brother Zhou, please relax. I'll make sure they restore everything to its original state today."

Xu Ying took full responsibility, patting his chest as he gave Zhou You his guarantee.

Wu Gang, on the other side, spoke politely, "It was a misunderstanding from the start, and now that it's cleared up, we are willing to compensate."

Tu Laosan, with his jaw dislocated, couldn't utter a single word. He glared resentfully at Zhou You.

Zhou You acted as if he didn't see him, lost in his own thoughts.

He had been too conservative just now. He should have deliberately provoked the other party into damaging the Martial Arts School's wooden talisman.

Once Tu Laosan damaged the wooden talisman, it would be equivalent to provoking the Jianxiong Martial Arts School. The deed would be done, and Xu Ying wouldn't be able to smooth things over.

He was a step behind; he had miscalculated.

Zhou You decided to let the matter rest for today. If he wanted to deal with Tu Laosan, he would need to think of another plan.

He could tell that Tu Laosan on the opposite side was thinking the same thing.

"Little Zhou, have some wine."

Widow Li walked over gracefully, placing the wine pot on the table and inviting Zhou You to drink.

The events that had just transpired had happened too quickly for Widow Li to fully process.

Only now did she realize that Little Zhou had become a truly formidable figure.

No wonder Constable Liu had repeatedly instructed her to maintain good relations with the Zhou Family.

She recognized both men conversing at the wine stall, Wu Gang and Xu Ying. One was a high-ranking member of the Wild Fox Gang, and the other was a disciple of the Martial Arts School. Both were influential figures who could shake the streets with a stomp of their foot.

Now, Zhou You was sitting with them, discussing matters as an equal.

Tu Laosan, whom the neighbors regarded as a walking death omen, wasn't even qualified to sit down.

"Xu Ying, we were in the wrong here. I'm willing to pay Zhou You to calm down."

As Wu Gang said this, he felt a pang of heartache.

The Wild Fox Gang had suffered over 20 casualties among their members, with more dead than injured. The burial expenses alone would be a significant sum.

Then there was Du Dayou's injury, and the cost of medicine and treatment would also be considerable.

Second Master Tu's private funds would take another hit, leaving their finances strained.

"We are willing to offer 200 taels."

Xu Ying remained noncommittal upon hearing the figure. He turned to Zhou You and asked, "Junior Brother Zhou, what do you think?"

"I recall Tu Laosan originally demanding 50 taels from me. Well, I won't ask for too much now; I'll take ten times that amount."

Ten times 50 taels was a full 500 taels.

Wu Gang's eyelids twitched. That was a sky-high demand!

Given his position as hall master, 200 taels was already the absolute limit; he couldn't agree to any more.

"That's too much. No, absolutely not."

What did 500 taels represent?

According to the prices in Gongliang City, 10 taels of silver could pay for an excellent banquet and provide enough food for a family of three for a year.

With the large influx of refugees into Sucheng City currently, prices had risen. Even so, 500 taels was enough to buy a small courtyard house.

Xu Ying also clicked his tongue in amazement. His own family's courtyard was valued at just over 500 taels, accumulated by his father's hard work for most of his life.

Although he felt it was a lot, they were fellow disciples, and this was not the time to undermine each other.

"Wu Gang, whether it's too much or not, it's not up to you to decide. Tu Laosan caused this trouble, and the consequences will fall on his brother's head."

Xu Ying said proudly, "Isn't the name of my Jianxiong Martial Arts School useful!"

"When Tu Laosan blocked the entrance today, did he truly not see the wooden talisman hanging by the door?"

After all was said and done, Tu Laosan was in the wrong. He had no ground to argue.

If he had just had a bit more patience and waited until he was sure Zhou You had failed before making his move, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this extent.

Besieging the home of an Official Martial Arts School Disciple was, in essence, an act of war.

Wu Gang would rather lose money than escalate the situation, primarily because Jianxiong Martial Arts School was too powerful and influential for them to offend.

"Alright, I will relay this condition to Second Master Tu, but you must guarantee that you won't make a move against Tu Laosan."

Xu Ying nodded. "You have three days to give me an answer, otherwise, I can't stop my junior brother Zhou."

Just as Wu Gang was leaving with Tu Laosan, Zhou You suddenly spoke, "I have a piece of news to inform you both."

Huh?

"Earlier, Tu Laosan hired an outsider to kill me. He was a Jinli Martial Artist named Lu Zhigang. He was injured but not killed at the time and secretly escaped."

"Before he left, he made a threat, saying Tu Laosan was disloyal and would definitely seek revenge."

"I can leave Tu Laosan alone, but you should keep an eye on this Lu Zhigang."

Wu Gang's forehead veins bulged, wishing he could strangle Tu Laosan, that troublemaker.

An outsider, a Jinli Martial Artist – he was in contact with such a dangerous individual?

Regardless of whether Zhou You was telling the truth or not, this matter was definitely not over.

At the time, Tu Laosan had bribed Lu Zhigang without telling him that the man had already mastered Jinli, which led to the failed ambush.

Lu Zhigang harbored resentment and, unable to defeat Zhou You, would surely shift his target to Tu Laosan.

He immediately cupped his hands towards Zhou You. "Thank you for the reminder. I will remember this favor."

He thought he had to return quickly to inform Second Master Tu and make preparations.

Lu Zhigang was from Sucheng City's martial arts school and practiced the agile movement technique, Wild Goose Formation Fist. He was elusive and unpredictable.

If he hadn't died and was hiding with the 60 taels of silver Tu Laosan gave him, he could recover his peak combat strength while healing and recuperating. What were refugees?

Desperate individuals, who had lost everything and had nothing left but their lives.

Once he hid in the shadows and waited for an opportunity to retaliate, he would be fearless in his attacks, becoming Tu Laosan's nightmare.

"Junior Brother Zhou, why haven't you mentioned this before?"

Xu Ying inquired about Lu Zhigang.

"It wasn't a big deal, so I didn't report it. Lu Zhigang was starving and emaciated, and he fled in panic after being unable to defeat me."

Zhou You was confident that this lie would go unchallenged. Lu Zhigang was dead with no witnesses, and his body had already been cremated by the white-robed figures of the God of Release Cult.

By insisting that Lu Zhigang was not dead and would return, he had his own intentions.

"Next, I need to invest time in practicing the Wild Goose Formation Fist."

Only by killing Tu Laosan with the Wild Goose Formation Fist could he solidify the evidence of Lu Zhigang's revenge.

That's right, Zhou You outwardly accepted the reconciliation but inwardly refused to let Tu Laosan off the hook.

Zhou You of Jianxiong Martial Arts School promised not to act, but 'Lu Zhigang' could.

Although the real Lu Zhigang was dead, Zhou You could completely create a new Lu Zhigang from scratch, using the Jinli-level Wild Goose Formation Fist to kill Tu Laosan.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you're asking for 500 taels. Aren't you afraid they won't agree?"

What Zhou You wanted was for them to disagree, giving him a reason to reject the reconciliation.

However, the possibility was slim.

After this negotiation, he had a general understanding of how martial arts schools and gangs coexisted: they kept to their own affairs.

Both the higher and middle management of both sides were aware of the need to avoid conflicts among the lower ranks.

Therefore, Xu Ying and Wu Gang had maintained a consistent tacit understanding during the negotiation.