Negotiation

Chen Chuan had spent more than forty years in the City Defense Camp. He had weathered plenty of storms of blood and gore and handled countless major and minor cases, yet the gruesome scene in the courtyard still sent chills through his entire body.

The Changlin Gang retainer with a black mole between his brows was an expert who had opened seven springs. He now lay in a pool of blood, cut cleanly in half at the waist, his arms nowhere to be found.

Beneath the courtyard wall lay around ten corpses, scattered every which way, each killed by a single sword strike.

The ground was also covered in vicious Armored Spiders and sturdy webs stretching east to west. They had been frozen beneath frost and ice crystals. Clearly, someone had activated a large-scale killing artifact.

This already counted as a major spectacle!

Yet the creator of this blood-soaked spectacle was merely a youth who looked under twenty.

If he truly had been born into the Cangli Tribe, then he was absolutely a rising star with immense potential. Chen Chuan could not afford to provoke such a person now, much less in the future. If he reported this upward... far too much would be dug up, and it would even involve the power struggles among Jiu Li City's upper ranks.

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

Under its light, the blood in the courtyard appeared exceptionally bright. Combined with the corpses strewn everywhere, it lent the place an eerie, soul-chilling horror.

Chen Chuan's expression had already softened. He asked, "Who is the owner of this residence?"

"It is I."

Zhao Meng strode out. His six-meter-tall body made the ground tremble faintly.

The spiritual power within him circulated as the skin over his entire body turned gold. His hair blazed like fire, and his voice thundered deafeningly.

Coffin Senior had told him to appear in this form and act as imposing as possible.

"Senior Brother, this is Captain Chen of the City Defense Camp..." It was Li Weiyi's first time seeing Zhao Meng in such a miraculous form, and he was greatly astonished.

Zhao Meng was far from polite. Striding toward Chen Chuan with the bearing of a dragon and a tiger, he demanded, "When we rented this residence, we paid the city defense fee. We were attacked by villains and nearly slaughtered to the last man. Why did the City Defense Camp arrive so late?"

In Chen Chuan's eyes, Zhao Meng's oppressive presence was overwhelming, even greater than that of the iron-fisted Xie Jin.

His flesh and blood had been tempered as though forged from gold. Such a thing was simply unheard of in the Spring Realm. Chen Chuan felt that Zhao Meng could easily tear him in half with his bare hands alone.

This was Xie Jin's senior brother, the master of this place. He was undoubtedly an even more terrifying figure.

Chen Chuan never could have imagined that Zhao Meng had opened only one spring.

Facing a powerful expert, Chen Chuan hurriedly cupped his hands in respect. He did not even dare ask Zhao Meng for his commoner registry. Instead, he explained, "We never expected someone to be so outrageously bold as to break into a private residence and rob it so close to the city district. Please do not be angered, sir. The City Defense Camp will not ignore this matter. Nothing like this will ever happen again."

Li Weiyi had not expected his senior brother's intimidation to be so potent. He consciously retreated to one side, like a junior disciple looking to his senior brother as the horse's head, further accentuating Zhao Meng's imposing might.

A quarter of an hour later, their discussion ended.

Chen Chuan walked out through the residence gates and patted his chest as he promised to uncover the mastermind as quickly as possible. Then he ordered the more than twenty City Defense guards outside to remove every corpse from the courtyard and clean the ground spotless.

With his hands behind his back, Li Weiyi watched the departing City Defense soldiers. "Senior Brother, you saw it, didn't you? Only when we possess great strength will others respect us. Otherwise, we would surely have been taken away by now. Of course, it also shows that Chen Chuan himself is not clean."

Zhao Meng laughed. "I just feel that our so-called strength is rather hollow. They probably took me for some formidable figure in the Five Seas Realm. If they discover the truth, the City Defense Camp and Changlin Gang will have countless ways to make us pay it back with interest."

"The Five Seas Realm!"

Li Weiyi murmured those three words.

At that moment, those words completely represented dignity, status, and a sense of security in his heart. He had to reach that realm.

"You still need to keep acting as a Five Seas Realm expert. There is another hard battle tonight."

Li Weiyi did not believe Chen Chuan would offend the Changlin Gang for their sake. His promise to "uncover the mastermind" was absolutely nothing but diplomatic empty talk.

To truly resolve the great trouble that was the Changlin Gang, they would have to rely on themselves.

The night was deep, and the air carried a slight chill.

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

Zhao Meng sat beneath the old poplar tree in the courtyard, appearing utterly calm and composed. In truth, he had no confidence at all.

Old Liu and Old Guan cleaned the bloodstains from the courtyard.

No one took this chance to flee. At this point, running would only make them die faster. They had to put on the posture of fighting the Changlin Gang to the death; only then might they force their enemy to weigh the pros and cons and gain a sliver of hope for survival.

Clatter!

Clatter!

Dense footsteps came rapidly from the far end of the four-zhang-wide long street.

Led by Deputy Gang Leader Tang Yan and Banner Master Shi Chuan Yu, dozens of Changlin Gang members emerged in a mighty procession from the shadows of the buildings. All wore black, frightening the merchants and residents on both sides of the street into utter silence.

The air along the entire street seemed to turn viscous all at once.

Li Weiyi glanced over and saw that the Changlin Gang members carried no weapons. His heart immediately settled.

Since that was the case...

He had to strike an even more domineering posture.

Before long, every Changlin Gang member stopped before the residence gates, all eyes falling upon Li Weiyi. Yet he continued wiping his sword as though absorbed in his own affairs, treating them as if they were nothing.

That courage, calmness, and confidence left the Changlin Gang members scarcely daring to breathe.

Shi Chuan Yu stepped forward and bowed to Li Weiyi. At the same time, he glanced at Zhao Meng sitting in the courtyard. Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point. "This little brother, Shi Chuan Yu, had eyes but failed to recognize a true god. The Changlin Gang admits defeat tonight. We have prepared generous gifts to express our apologies for the fright you two have suffered. We ask only to turn weapons of war into jade and silk."

Li Weiyi said nothing, directing his gaze toward Tang Yan behind Shi Chuan Yu.

He sensed an extremely dangerous aura from the Old Man. Clearly, he was the Changlin Gang's true great figure, the one capable of settling matters with a single hammer blow.

Tang Yan had long been assessing Li Weiyi. He was far younger than Tang Yan had expected.

Yet this young man had achieved a terrifying record tonight, inflicting grievous losses upon the Changlin Gang. By tomorrow, they would surely become the laughingstock of the many gangs in the outskirts.

The other party was brimming with confidence. He truly had something to rely on and feared nothing.

Tang Yan squeezed a friendly smile onto his aged face, stepped to Shi Chuan Yu's right, and cupped his hands as he introduced himself. "This old man is Tang Yan, deputy gang leader of the Changlin Gang. The people below lacked discernment and brought great disaster upon our gang. They deserved to die for falling into your hands, young friend. This is the deed to this residence. I had someone rush through the paperwork just now. Please, young friend, you must accept it."

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

Li Weiyi glanced at it, and his heart naturally shook greatly.

After all, even a small residence in this area cost tens of thousands of Silver Coins.

Their three-mu residence could not be bought for less than two hundred thousand Silver Coins.

What a grand gesture!

Li Weiyi withdrew his gaze without changing expression and said flatly, "Where is my man?"

Tang Yan raised a hand in signal.

Four black-clad gang members carried Zhao Zhizhuo over in a sedan chair, then supported him before Li Weiyi.

Zhao Zhizhuo's injuries had already been treated, and his dislocated arms had been reset, but it was still clear that he had suffered inhuman treatment. Li Weiyi waved a hand, telling Old Liu and Old Guan to help him away.

The four gang members who had carried Zhao Zhizhuo over all dropped to their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy with terror on their faces.

They were clearly the ones who had turned Zhao Zhizhuo into this state.

Li Weiyi raised his head and stared at Tang Yan, his gaze sharp as a sword.

Tang Yan waved his hand. "Those who make mistakes should indeed pay the price. Break both their hands and legs, then let them fend for themselves."

After the four were dragged away, shrill screams and the sounds of shattering bones came one after another.

Li Weiyi felt neither pity nor sympathy. Given the Changlin Gang's conduct, there were probably few good people in the gang. Whatever end they met was what they deserved.

"The deputy gang leader is so sincere that I, Xie Jin, will accept this deed." Li Weiyi added, "But I am afraid that one night, something similar might happen again..."

Zhao Meng's voice came from the courtyard, roaring like a tiger's howl and a dragon's chant. "Then we'll storm the Changlin Gang and test our wrists against each other to see whose is harder."

Tang Yan's gaze darkened slightly. If this matter had not already grown so large, if Young Lady had not told them to let the matter rest, and if these two might not have Cangli backing them, why would the Changlin Gang endure such humiliation?

Tang Yan smiled as he promised, "Rest assured, you two. Nothing similar will ever happen again. May I ask whether Master Qi is well?"

Li Weiyi had kept that white-robed strange man alive because he felt that, as an Insect Tamer, the man had considerable value and could serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Changlin Gang.

He had originally planned to use him in exchange for Zhao Zhizhuo.

But now, Li Weiyi had a new idea. "That old man is still alive. How many Silver Coins does the deputy gang leader intend to offer in exchange?"

Tang Yan cursed Li Weiyi's greed inwardly, but then considered that the other party only dared rent a residence in the outskirts. They must truly be poor.

If a matter could be resolved with Silver Coins, then it was not a matter at all.

They would endure this first!

After some haggling, Tang Yan ultimately redeemed Master Qi for one hundred thousand Silver Coins.

When Tang Yan learned that only Master Qi had been redeemed, while none of the Armored Spiders had been returned, his face turned green with rage.

Li Weiyi rose to his feet and looked toward the Changlin Gang members, who had arrived in mighty numbers and were now leaving in mighty numbers. Putting on the air of someone not to be trifled with, he called loudly, "A reminder for the deputy gang leader: it would be best not to send anyone to watch us. If I find out, I will personally deliver the corpses back to the Changlin Gang."

Tang Yan, already a hundred paces away, heaved violently in the chest, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

Shi Chuan Yu asked, "Deputy Gang Leader, did you see through the man in the courtyard?"

Tang Yan said, "It can be confirmed that he is certainly in the Five Seas Realm. He has consumed the blood of two Ancient Immortal Giant Beasts. Did you not see that yesterday?"

Shi Chuan Yu hurriedly explained, "Yesterday, he deliberately concealed his cultivation. His divine radiance was drawn inward. With my realm... ah, this subordinate's attainment was insufficient... I know my fault..."

Tang Yan's expression was grave. "A Deformed Race can only drink the blood of a second Ancient Immortal Giant Beast after reaching the Five Seas Realm. Of course, those with special constitutions are exceptions, but such people are rarer even than Pure Immortal Bodies and hold no reference value."

"Are we truly going to swallow this? The price we paid tonight was far too great." Shi Chuan Yu was deeply unwilling.

Tang Yan said, "First, find out exactly what their relationship with Cangli is. If the relationship is distant, then if we do not vent this anger tonight, we will make them pay a grievous price in the future. Even if the relationship is close, if we cannot act openly, can we not act in the dark?"

"Oh, right. That boy Xie Jin should not be in the Five Seas Realm. He is most likely a Martial Cultivator who has opened eight springs."

Shi Chuan Yu felt the same way. Xie Jin's oppressive presence was far inferior to Zhao Meng's. He said, "Should we put his name up at the Five Burials Temple and have Buddha's Crossing Bandits test him once more for us? If they can kill him, would that not vent some of our anger?"

The Five Burials Temple was the largest assassin organization in Jiu Li City's underground Underworld Market. Rumor had it that it was backed by Xu Fudu of Coffin Mountain, one of the Southern Territory's three great barbarian bandits.