Compensation

"I openly stormed the Canglang Sword Sect to stop killing with killing. Only when everyone realizes that my strength remains, that I can still wipe out an entire sect, will they understand the price of provoking the Qin Family and start behaving themselves again."

Qin Lian said this, then turned to Qin An. "If they want to talk, talk to them."

"Talk..."

Qin An pondered briefly, then nodded.

"We really shouldn't openly fall out with the Commandery Governor's Office right now."

"Hmm? The Commandery Governor's Office?"

Not the Dragon River Gang?

As that thought rose in Qin Lian's mind, he immediately made another connection.

For the Canglang Sword Sect, the Dragon River Gang, and the Xie Lineage to join forces against the Qin Family so quickly, some power must have been forging alliances behind the scenes. And in all of Taibai Commandery City, the power with both that ability and that motive...

Was clearly none other than the Commandery Governor's Office.

"Beat the young ones, and their elders come running?"

Was it really so hard for him to cultivate in peace?

At that moment, he gained a little insight.

Whatever a person gained, they were bound to lose something in return.

Those who occupied high positions and wielded great authority were bound to rush about on account of that power, rarely enjoying the peace and leisure of the past again.

"An estate as vast as Dragon Abyss Mountain, servants who dress and feed you, attendants crowding around you whenever you go out-none of that comes without a price."

That was why relinquishing his position as head of the Qin Family had been a way of lightening his own load.

"The Commandery Governor's Office..."

Qin Lian pondered briefly.

The Commandery Governor's Office commanded formidable strength.

Leaving aside the three thousand armored soldiers stationed outside the city, Commandery Commandant Cao Zhen was himself an expert in inner and outer cultivation!

His body refining had reached the fourth grade, and his qi refining was at the fifth grade.

With a man like that clad in heavy armor, wielding a polearm, and riding a Qilin Horse...

Even with his [Swiftness] trait, Qin Lian would only have a seventy-percent chance of victory.

Moreover, he could not guarantee that destroying the Commandery Governor's Office would not bring intervention from a higher level of power.

He immediately instructed Qin An, "Go negotiate with the Dragon River Gang-or rather, the Commandery Governor's Office. I'll stay here and back you up."

"Yes!"

Qin An agreed. "With your great feat of destroying the Canglang Sword Sect alone with a single sword, Family Head, neither the Dragon River Gang nor the Xie Lineage can expect you to sheathe your sword without paying a sufficient price. I'll secure the greatest possible benefit for the Qin Family and squeeze at least a hundred thousand taels of silver out of each of them!"

"Gold and silver are merely worldly possessions. Cultivation resources are what matter."

Qin Lian glanced at him. "I imagine this crisis has made it clear to you as well. You're all too weak."

"You're right to reprimand us, Family Head..."

Qin An answered sheepishly, then continued, "The imperial court has a precious pill called the True Condensation Pill. It greatly aids the condensation of Gang Qi and is even of considerable help in True Aura Realm cultivation. But such pills are extremely precious. The Commandery Governor's Office may not agree..."

"True Condensation Pills would be best. Failing that, Qi Refining Pills will do."

Qin Lian said.

"Allow me to thank you on his behalf, Family Head."

Qin An bowed again.

He soon led his men out of the compound.

Qin Feng directed the others to start moving the supplies.

As for Qin Lian...

His presence here alone gave the Qin Family their greatest confidence.

Up in Swallow Tower.

Xie Yushi, Xie Baoyu, Zhou Tianji, and Li Hui had gathered again, along with Wang Gang and Long Ao, who had also fled here. Every one of their eyes was filled with terror.

"Gone. An entire sect as large as the Canglang Sword Sect, just gone!"

"Zhou Tianji, didn't you say the Qin Family head wouldn't last a month? Not only did he survive that month, but he seems even stronger than before! How do you explain that?"

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't beguiled us with your words and brought in the Commandery Governor's Office to vouch for you, why would we have believed your nonsense and offended the entire Qin Family?"

Anger was written all over their faces.

But more than that, there was fear.

The fifth- and sixth-grade experts of the Canglang Sword Sect, who had been chatting and laughing with them just days ago, were now corpses.

Dozens upon dozens of graded experts had died, not one left alive!

The thought alone made their hair stand on end.

It was too savage.

"Enough. There's no point in saying any of this now."

Xie Baoyu ignored the Dragon River Gang's fear and simply stared at Zhou Tianji. "At this point, only your Commandery Governor's Office can step in and settle this."

"This matter..."

Zhou Tianji was about to offer a few soothing words and find a way to extricate himself, but Xie Baoyu had already guessed his intentions.

"Perhaps our families were blinded by greed and dazzled by the profits the Commandery Governor's Office promised us. Even if we suffer utter destruction, we would have only ourselves to blame..."

His expression was icy. "But if the Commandery Governor's Office turns a blind eye and lets the Qin Family swallow up those of us who worked for you, then from now on, neither in Taibai Commandery City nor anywhere around Taibai can the Commandery Governor's Office expect to retain a shred of credibility."

Zhou Tianji's expression shifted repeatedly.

Commandery Governor Qi Mingshu was preparing to make his mark in Mount Tai Prefecture, bringing the local authority divided among aristocratic clans and sects back under imperial control, just as in other provinces and commanderies. If he lost people's trust and his credibility now...

His subsequent plans would find it impossible to advance a single step.

After considering this, the adviser finally spoke. "The governor has already sent someone to approach the Qin Family and is willing to mediate on your behalf..."

He called it mediation...

But in reality, it was essentially the Commandery Governor's Office stepping forward.

The Qin Family could not refuse to show them that respect.

But...

"What about the cost? Even if the Qin Family is willing to yield out of respect for the Commandery Governor's Office, they'll surely open their jaws like a lion and demand an exorbitant price. Are we supposed to bear all of it?"

"What? If you don't bear it, do you expect our Commandery Governor's Office to?"

Zhou Tianji said displeasedly, "The Qin Family betrayed the imperial court's favor, claimed mountains and enclosed land, flouted the law, and resisted taxes. Have your families done any fewer dirty deeds? Had you toppled the Qin Family and swallowed up their share, you'd be raking in gold by the bucketful every day. Now that the plan has failed, isn't it only right to lose money to avert disaster?"

Xie Baoyu's expression darkened.

He was about to speak, but Zhou Tianji shed his usual amicable manner. "If you make a mistake, you should accept your punishment! Your own incompetence ruined the governor's grand plan. I haven't come demanding an accounting from you, yet you dare question me?"

He snorted coldly. "What? If the Dragon River Gang, the Xie Lineage, and the Li Family rushed him together, would five or six fifth-grade experts and dozens of sixth-grade experts really be unable to handle one Qin Lian? In the end, you simply don't dare stake everything on a fight. If you're truly willing to fight to the death, the Commandery Governor's Office wouldn't mind giving you even greater support."

Five or six fifth-grade experts, dozens of sixth-grade experts...

If they all rushed in together, surrounding and killing a fourth-grade martial artist who had refined his qi into Gang Qi would naturally not be difficult.

Even Qin Wudi, who was at the fourth-grade peak, would be no exception.

But...

Why would he fight them head-on to the death?

He only needed to use the right tactics, fighting as he retreated and ensuring that he faced only one or two opponents at any given moment...

Then it would merely be a matter of time before a fourth-grade peak expert wiped them all out.

The only difference was that the Qin Family would also suffer heavy losses in the process.

Knowing full well that continuing the fight meant certain death for them, while their opponent would only lose some clansmen, what living, breathing fifth- or sixth-grade expert would be loyal enough to throw his life away like that?

"If you don't dare resist, then take it!"

Zhou Tianji rose to his feet. "Our Commandery Governor's Office has already stepped in to mediate instead of staying out of the matter. We've done all that duty and goodwill demand. You can handle the negotiations from here. Whatever terms you secure will depend on your own ability."

By the end, he no longer even bothered pretending, walking out as he said, "The Qin Family is bound to hold a grudge against you now. From this day forward, you have no choice but to stand with our Commandery Governor's Office. Every one of you should think that over."

At this sight, the Xie Lineage, the Li Family, and the Dragon River Gang were sick with regret.

Just then, a voice came from outside.

"Family Head, word has come from the Qin Family. Our factions must produce twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills before this matter can be put behind us!"

"Twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills? Why don't they just rob us?"

Xie Yushi was both shocked and furious.

Qi Refining Pills were superb pills for aiding true qi cultivation.

They could be used by fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade martial artists alike.

Each bottle contained ten pills.

Each pill cost a thousand taels of silver.

Twenty bottles meant two hundred thousand taels!

Of their three factions, even the Xie Lineage, with its deepest reserves, could never produce such an enormous sum without selling off ancestral property.

"Qin Wudi, whose sword presses Taibai into submission, is sitting right outside the city. What is this if not robbery?"

Li Hui said gravely.

"Twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills... that's too many. Our Xie Lineage can contribute one bottle at most."

Xie Yushi said.

"One bottle? Third Master Xie, you must be joking! Our Dragon River Gang has already lost its headquarters. Don't tell me you expect us to cover the rest?"

Long Ao said bitterly, "As a fifth-grade martial artist, where can't I go? At worst, I'll leave Taibai. But your Xie Lineage's entire foundation is in the city. Let's see whether you have the resolve to abandon it."

"Our Li Family didn't take part in that probe a few days ago. We haven't made an irreparable mistake. The Li Family isn't among the factions the Qin Family intends to target."

Li Hui also began shirking responsibility.

"Your Li Family may not have acted, but do you think you can keep your hands clean?"

Xie Yushi looked at him.

Wang Gang also said coldly, "If you really make our two factions supply all the Qi Refining Pills, don't blame us for telling the Qin Family about this afterward."

"You..."

A trace of anger rose in Li Hui's eyes.

"Enough. Think about what happened to Sect Leader Wu of the Canglang Sword Sect."

Xie Baoyu interrupted their argument and said gravely, "Only by working together can our three factions get through this crisis safely."

The three factions bickered noisily, and in the end...

Of the twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills, the Xie Lineage supplied ten, the Dragon River Gang six, and the Li Family four.

The matter was settled just like that.

Though every faction bled heavily.

But just as Zhou Tianji had said, they were losing money to avert disaster.

Losing money was better than losing their lives.