Plum Blossom Seven said coldly, "Everyone can talk about principles. It's all just lips flapping. I'll ask you one thing: when Commander Jiang and the other commanders throughout the history of the Lord of the Night rose to become the Lord of the Night, did they have to verify the Original Command Token?"
Lu Zhongyuan's face stiffened. He gave an awkward laugh. "These are extraordinary times, so we must use extraordinary measures. It's just a formality. Surely you won't make things difficult over this, Brother Plum?"
"Of course I won't make things difficult," Plum Blossom Seven said. "But why should I go along with you? Very well. I know that if I refuse, you'll keep making a fuss until the Dao Master is put in a difficult position, and that's not what I want. I can verify the token, but on one condition: Jiang Shangkun must accompany me to the second round of negotiations with the Ancestral Court. This concerns the fundamental interests of our sect. Elder Jiang won't refuse, will he?"
Jiang Shangkun couldn't figure out what trick Plum Blossom Seven was up to again. But he knew perfectly well that if he hesitated even a little, Plum Blossom Seven would seize on it and use it against him. So he immediately replied, "Commander Plum, you're certainly confident. How do you know the Dao Master will give you the task of handling a second round of negotiations? And how do you know the Ancestral Court will agree to negotiate again? Never mind. There's no need to ask. If it concerns the interests of our sect, I won't shirk my duty. I'm willing to help with the negotiations."
After the lesson they'd just learned, there was no way the negotiations could be risky again. He was eager to claim the