Solo Negotiation

"Qingshan, come over here!"

Gu Sheng beckoned to Teng Qingshan. Once he came over, Gu Sheng lowered his head and whispered into his ear, "Here's what you'll do. Take her with you... Understand?"

"Understood, Cousin. Be careful."

Teng Qingshan nodded, grabbed a cloak, and wrapped Chu Xin in it. Then he carried her onto the roof. After turning left and right, they reached a narrow space that could hold only two people.

Li Manor's study was enormous, with far too many places to hide someone. From below, there was no way to find any trace of Teng Qingshan and Chu Xin where they were hiding.

After watching carefully for a while and confirming that they would not be discovered, Gu Sheng returned to the desk. He picked up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone Chu Xin had used and began writing on the letter paper he had taken from Qin San's study.

Before long, a letter in Qin San's "handwriting" was freshly completed. Gu Sheng held the paper near the faint candle flame to dry the ink, then used his Inner Force to wrinkle it slightly and make it look old. After placing it in an envelope, he leisurely returned to the recliner before the desk and pretended to doze.

Outside, the people of Li Manor grew increasingly anxious. Lord Li paced back and forth in agitation as countless guards and servants from Li Manor gathered around. The entire small courtyard was surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through.

A quarter of an hour, half an hour... After an hour had finally passed, Qin Da and the others escorted Lord Li to the door.

"Bang!"

Qin Da pushed the door open first, but the only person who met his eyes was that damned thief.

"Qingyu, Qingyu, where is Qingyu? Where is my daughter?"

Lord Li looked left and right but could not see his daughter. Almost losing control, he roared at Gu Sheng, "I agreed to everything you demanded! Why did you still harm Qingyu?"

"Lord Li, you can't make accusations like that. Miss Li is with us, and she's perfectly safe!"

Gu Sheng yawned, covered his mouth, and smiled. "Now, I think we can have a proper talk."

"What's there to talk about? You killed my junior brother and abducted the young miss. You even dared to stay here. You're courting death!"

Qin Er, standing behind Qin Da, drew his long sword. With a single leap, he soared into the air, sending seven sword blossoms resembling shooting stars toward Gu Sheng.

"Don't be rash!"

As Gu Sheng activated his Horizon Strider movement technique and dodged, his right hand shot a small bottle toward Qin Er.

"Bang~"

The small bottle struck one of the sword blossoms. A cloud of green smoke rapidly spread across an area more than ten feet wide before quickly expanding outward.

"Cough, cough!"

Lord Li accidentally inhaled a mouthful of green smoke and immediately felt unbearable discomfort in his lungs.

"Whoosh!"

Qin Da suddenly snatched a guard's cloak and waved it, stirring up a powerful gust that blew the green smoke out of the room.

"Stop!"

Gu Sheng suddenly pulled open his clothes. Qin Er, who had been preparing to thrust his sword, was startled. What met his eyes was a cluster of the same small bottles that had just released the green smoke—there seemed to be forty or fifty of them. If they all exploded at once, he would have no chance of escaping.

"This is the antidote. Give it to Lord Li!"

Gu Sheng took another kind of small bottle from his waist and tossed it to Qin Da. Qin Da took out a pill and smelled it, then cautiously inhaled a mouthful of green smoke before swallowing one. Only after several breaths had passed and he had confirmed it was effective did he nod and give the pills from the bottle to Lord Li.

"You... What exactly are you after?"

After taking the medicine, Lord Li's lungs eased considerably, and his gaze toward Gu Sheng softened somewhat.

"I already said it. I want to have a talk with Lord Li!"

Gu Sheng returned to the desk and sat down boldly. He drew the Jade Chill Blade from atop it and flourished it. "Lord Li, does this type of saber look familiar?"

"The Jade Chill Blade? How did you get it?"

Qin Da's pupils contracted. The Jade Chill Blades commissioned by Li Manor had their own design, which was not entirely the same as the other Jade Chill Blades forged by Teng Village. There were 182 blades in this batch, and every one of them was in the hands of trusted guards.

"None of you noticed that one of your own guards was missing?"

Gu Sheng casually swung the blade a few times, seemingly unconcerned that four Second-Rate Experts had completely sealed off every route of retreat.

"Which guard hasn't returned tonight?"

Lord Li demanded sharply. A man dressed as a steward went outside to investigate and soon returned. "My lord, A Lang still hasn't come back. It seems Qin San sent him out on an errand."

"Qin San!"

Lord Li's gaze shifted from Qin Da to Gu Sheng. He wanted to know what Gu Sheng meant by this.

"I told you before that Qin San stood me up. This fellow contacted us and said he wanted us to abduct your daughter, offering ten thousand taels as a deposit."

Gu Sheng spoke in a hoarse voice. "But after we came all the way from Nanxing County and prepared everything, that fellow sent the A Lang you mentioned to tell us the deal was canceled and that he wouldn't pay the deposit.

"He treated us like monkeys. Naturally, I couldn't swallow that insult, so I came to cause him trouble tonight. While I was at it, I took your daughter as originally planned. With one less person to split the money with, we could get more."

"You're lying!"

Qin Er shouted angrily, "My junior brother already died at your hands, and you're still trying to smear him!"

"Smear him? Is he even worthy of that?"

Gu Sheng snorted. "If I had no grudge against him, why would I go to such lengths to kill him? If you don't believe me, this is his handwritten letter. Lord Li, take a look. See what kind of person your trusted guard commander really was."

As he spoke, Gu Sheng took out the forged letter in Qin San's handwriting and tossed it toward Lord Li. Qin Da stepped in front of Lord Li and caught it, frowning slightly as he opened it without hesitation.

"This is Qin San's handwriting!"

Qin Da's hands trembled slightly. He had never imagined that his junior brother could do such a thing. Planning to abduct the head family's daughter, extorting money through a ransom, and even intending to take advantage of her... It was truly...

"This must be something you forged!"

Qin Er still refused to believe it, but Lord Li had already accepted it as the truth. "Li Fu, search Qin San's room."

"Yes!"

Li Fu—the same steward from earlier—bowed apologetically, then left the courtyard with a team of guards.

Before long, Li Fu returned carrying a pile of things. "My lord!"

"That treacherous dog who betrayed me!"

Lord Li trembled with rage when he saw the countless pieces of "dirt." He had never imagined that one of his guards could be so corrupt. Taking advantage of both sides was one thing, but the man had even used Li Manor's name to commit all manner of evil.

"Investigate this thoroughly. I want the entire Qin San squad to explain themselves!"

Lord Li spoke sternly, and the way he looked at the various trusted guards changed. If Qin San was corrupt, then the people under him likely had their own problems as well...

"Lord Li, can we talk now?"

Gu Sheng laughed inwardly. He had achieved more than half of his objective.

"What do you want? Name your price!"

Lord Li walked to the desk and sat across from Gu Sheng. As a seasoned veteran who had made his way through the business world, he was no stranger to negotiations. However, he also knew that he was now at an absolute disadvantage.

Gu Sheng smiled and held up two fingers.