Negotiation

Chen Chuan had spent over forty years in the City Defense Battalion, experiencing countless bloody storms and handling innumerable major and minor cases. Yet, the brutal scene in the courtyard before him still sent a chill down his spine.

The guest elder of the Changlin Gang, with a black mole on his brow, was a master who had opened Seven Springs. He now lay in a pool of blood, cut in half at the waist, his arms nowhere to be seen.

Beneath the courtyard wall lay about ten corpses, scattered haphazardly, each killed with a single sword strike.

There were also Fierce Insects and sturdy spiderwebs strewn across the ground, connecting everything. They were frozen under frost and ice crystals, clearly the result of someone activating a large-scale destructive Magic Tool.

This could already be considered a grand spectacle!

And the creator of this brutal, grand spectacle was actually a young man who looked no older than twenty.

If the other party was truly born into the Cangli Tribe, then he was absolutely a rising star within the tribe. Such a person, he couldn't afford to provoke now, let alone in the future. Reporting this upwards... would uncover too many things, and it would also involve the power struggles of Jiu Li City's higher-ups.

Li Weiyi lit the bone lantern and hung it back on the old poplar tree.

Under the lamplight, the bloodstains in the courtyard appeared exceptionally vibrant. Coupled with the scattered corpses, it added a strange and terrifying aura.

Chen Chuan's expression softened, and he asked, "Who is the owner of this residence?"

"I am."

Zhao Meng strode out, his six-meter-tall body causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Mana circulated within him, his skin turning golden, his hair like burning flames, and his voice boomed like thunder.

It was Coffin Senior who told him to appear in such a manner, to try and seem as imposing as possible.

"Senior Brother, this is Captain Chen from the City Defense Battalion..." Li Weiyi was seeing Zhao Meng's divine appearance for the first time and was greatly surprised.

Zhao Meng was not polite. He strode towards Chen Chuan and questioned, "When we rented this place, we paid the city defense silver. We were attacked by villains and almost killed. Why was the City Defense Battalion so slow to arrive?"

In Chen Chuan's eyes, Zhao Meng's oppressive aura was too strong, even more so than the iron-willed Xie Jin.

His flesh and blood were cultivated to be like cast gold, something unheard of in the Spring Realm. He felt that Zhao Meng, with his physical body alone, could easily tear him in half.

This was Xie Jin's Senior Brother, the master of this place, undoubtedly an even more terrifying figure.

There was no way he could have imagined Zhao Meng had only opened One Spring.

Facing a strong individual, Chen Chuan quickly cupped his hands in respect, not even daring to ask Zhao Meng for the civilian registry. He explained, "We also did not expect someone to be so audacious as to intrude and rob here so close to the city. Please do not be angered, sir. The City Defense Battalion will not ignore this, and such a thing will never happen again."

Li Weiyi hadn't expected his Senior Brother's deterrence to be so great. He consciously retreated to the side, like a Junior Brother following his Senior Brother's lead, to highlight Zhao Meng's even greater might.

Fifteen minutes later, their conversation concluded.

Chen Chuan walked out of the courtyard gate, patting his chest and promising to find the mastermind as soon as possible. Afterward, he ordered the more than twenty city guards outside to take away all the corpses from the courtyard and thoroughly clean the ground.

Li Weiyi, with his hands behind his back, watched the departing city guards. "Senior Brother, you can see it now, right? Only when we possess great strength will others respect us. Otherwise, we would have been taken away by now. Of course, it also shows that Chen Chuan himself is not clean."

Zhao Meng chuckled, "I just feel that our current strength is a bit superficial. Others probably think I'm a powerful figure in the Five Seas Realm. If our true strength is exposed, the City Defense Battalion and the Changlin Gang will have countless ways to make us pay it back with interest."

"Five Seas Realm!"

Li Weiyi uttered the three words.

In his heart, these three words now represented dignity, status, and security. He had to reach them.

"You'll have to continue this act of being in the Five Seas Realm. There's a tough battle to be fought tonight."

Li Weiyi didn't believe Chen Chuan would offend the Changlin Gang for them. The so-called "finding the mastermind" was definitely just a polite formality.

To truly resolve the major problem of the Changlin Gang, they would have to rely on themselves.

The night was deep, and the air was cool.

Li Weiyi sat alone on the threshold of the main gate, repeatedly wiping the blood from the Yellow Dragon Sword with a gray cloth. The water in the basin beside him, used for washing the cloth, gradually turned deep red.

Zhao Meng sat under the old poplar tree in the courtyard, appearing calm and composed, but in reality, he had no confidence in his heart.

Old Liu and Old Guan were cleaning the bloodstains in the courtyard.

The group did not take this opportunity to escape. At this point, fleeing would only lead to a faster death. They had to put on a show of fighting the Changlin Gang to the death to force the other party to weigh the pros and cons, thus earning a slim chance of survival.

"Drip!"

"Drip!"

Dense footsteps rapidly approached from the end of the four-zhang-wide main street.

Led by Vice-Gang Leader Tang Yan and Banner Leader Shi Chuan Yu, dozens of Changlin Gang members emerged from the shadows of the buildings. All of them were dressed in black, terrifying the merchants and residents on both sides of the street into silence.

The air along the entire street seemed to become viscous all of a sudden.

Li Weiyi glanced over and saw that the Changlin Gang members were not carrying any weapons. His heart immediately settled.

Since that was the case...

He would put on an even more imposing display.

A moment later, the Changlin Gang members stopped completely in front of the courtyard gate. All eyes fell on Li Weiyi. He continued to wipe his sword as if they were not there.

This courage, calmness, and confidence made the Changlin Gang members hold their breath.

Shi Chuan Yu stepped forward to salute Li Weiyi, while also glancing at Zhao Meng, who was sitting in the courtyard. Without beating around the bush, he got straight to the point: "This junior, Shi Chuan Yu, had eyes but failed to recognize true divinity. Tonight, the Changlin Gang admits defeat. For the fright you two endured, our gang has prepared a generous gift to express our sincerity and only asks to turn our enmity into friendship."

Li Weiyi remained silent, his gaze falling on Tang Yan behind Shi Chuan Yu.

He sensed an extremely dangerous aura from this elder, clearly the true heavyweight of the Changlin Gang who could make the final decision.

Tang Yan had already been sizing up Li Weiyi, finding him much younger than he had anticipated.

Yet, it was this young man whose terrifying achievements tonight had caused the Changlin Gang heavy losses, ensuring they would become a laughingstock among the many gangs in the outskirts tomorrow.

The other party was clearly full of confidence and had nothing to fear.

Tang Yan's old face contorted into a friendly smile. He walked to Shi Chuan Yu's right, cupped his fists, and announced himself: "This old man is Tang Yan, the Vice Leader of the Changlin Gang. My subordinates lacked foresight and brought great disaster upon the gang. Their deaths at the hands of young friend are well-deserved. This is the deed to this estate; I've already ordered people to expedite the process. Please, young friend, accept it."

After Tang Yan produced the deed, Shi Chuan Yu presented it to Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi glanced at it, naturally feeling a great shock.

One must know that even a small house in this area cost tens of thousands of silver coins.

This three-mu estate of theirs would not have been obtainable for less than two hundred thousand silver coins.

What a generous gesture!

Li Weiyi, his expression unchanged, withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Where is my person?"

Tang Yan raised his hand in a gesture.

Four black-clothed gang members carried Zhao Zhizhuo over in a sedan chair and helped him to Li Weiyi.

Zhao Zhizhuo's injuries had already been treated, and his dislocated arms were set back, but it was still evident that he had suffered inhumane treatment. Li Weiyi waved his hand, instructing Old Liu and Old Guan to help him away.

The four gang members who carried Zhao Zhizhuo all knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging, their expressions filled with fear.

It was clear they were the ones who had put Zhao Zhizhuo in this state.

Li Weiyi looked up at Tang Yan, his eyes sharp as swords.

Tang Yan waved his hand: "Mistakes must be paid for. Break all their hands and legs, and let them fend for themselves."

After the four were dragged away, piercing screams and the sound of breaking bones followed.

Li Weiyi felt no pity or sympathy. Given the Changlin Gang's ways, there were likely few good people within the gang, and whatever fate befell them was deserved.

"The Vice Leader shows such sincerity; I, Xie Jin, will accept this deed," Li Weiyi added, "But I fear that one night, something similar might happen again..."

Zhao Meng's voice, like a tiger's roar and a dragon's cry, echoed from the courtyard: "Then we'll attack the Changlin Gang and wrestle. Let's see whose bones are harder."

Tang Yan's expression darkened. If this matter hadn't escalated, if the young lady hadn't ordered them to de-escalate, and if these two didn't have the Cangli Tribe as potential backing, would the Changlin Gang ever endure such humiliation?

Tang Yan promised with a smile, "Rest assured, sirs, similar incidents will never happen again. May I ask, is Master Qi well?"

Li Weiyi had kept that white-robed oddity alive precisely because he suspected he was an insect tamer, making him valuable as a bargaining chip with the Changlin Gang.

He had originally intended to trade him for Zhao Zhizhuo.

But now, Li Weiyi had a new idea: "That old man is still alive. How much silver coin does the Vice Leader intend to pay for his return?"

Tang Yan cursed Li Weiyi's greed inwardly, but considering that the other party only dared to rent a house in the outskirts, he figured they must be truly poor.

If it could be solved with money, then it wasn't a problem.

He would endure it this time!

After some haggling, Tang Yan finally ransomed Master Qi for one hundred thousand silver coins.

When Tang Yan learned that only Master Qi was redeemed, and not the Armored Spiders, his face turned green with anger.

Li Weiyi stood up, looking at the Changlin Gang members who had arrived in such a grand procession and were now leaving just as grandly. He put on a fierce demeanor and declared loudly, "A reminder to the Vice Leader: it's best not to send anyone to spy on us. If I discover anyone, I will personally deliver their corpse back to the Changlin Gang."

Tang Yan, already a hundred paces away, felt his chest heave violently, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Shi Chuan Yu asked, "Vice Leader, did you discern the depth of that person in the courtyard?"

Tang Yan replied, "I can confirm, he is undoubtedly in the Five Seas Realm. He consumed the blood of two ancient monstrous beasts. Didn't you notice yesterday?"

Shi Chuan Yu quickly explained, "He deliberately concealed his cultivation yesterday, his divine radiance was contained. With my realm... alas, my cultivation is insufficient... I have erred..."

Tang Yan's expression was grave. "Only when the Deformed Race reaches the Five Seas Realm can they drink the blood of a second ancient monstrous beast. Of course, there are exceptions for those with special physiques, but such individuals are even rarer than the Pure Immortal Body, making them of no reference value."

"Must we really endure this? The price we paid tonight is too great," Shi Chuan Yu said, unwilling to accept it.

Tang Yan stated, "First, we must investigate their relationship with Cangli. If the relationship is distant, then if we don't get our revenge tonight, we will make them pay a terrible price in the future. Even if the relationship is close, if we can't do it openly, can't we do it in secret?"

"By the way, that brat Xie Jin is probably not in the Five Seas Realm. He's most likely a Martial Cultivator at the Eight Springs stage."

Shi Chuan Yu had the same feeling. The pressure Xie Jin gave him was far less than Zhao Meng's. He asked, "Should we put his name on the Five Burials Temple's list and have the Buddha's Crossing Bandits probe him again for us? If he can be killed, wouldn't that be a way to vent our anger?"

The Five Burials Temple was the largest assassin organization in Jiu Li City's underground black market, rumored to be backed by Xu Fudu of Coffin Mountain, one of the three great bandits of the Southern Territory.