The Art of Negotiation

"They arrived so quickly." Xu Qi'an frowned. He hadn't completely convinced the two leaders, Luan Yu and Ba Ji, yet. He had originally planned to persuade them first, and then have them help him lobby the Corpse Gu Clan, using the Gu Clan's power to intimidate them.

Unexpectedly, the Corpse You arrived so quickly, directly manipulating the bird corpse to get there.

The bird carcass circled in the sky for a moment. Seeing that the situation below was stable and that its clan leaders were safe and sound, it glided down, but did not approach. Instead, it watched Granny Tiangu and the others from a distance.

"You have been captured."

The bird corpse vibrated the air and spoke in a hoarse, low voice; it was none other than You Shi.

After the parasitic Gu that was residing in the walking corpse was killed, he immediately manipulated the bird corpse to come and investigate the situation.

The situation before him made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.

The greatest advantage of a Corpse Gu Master is that they are always safe. As long as their hiding place is not found, even if many puppets die, the main body will remain unharmed.

Xu Qi'an scrutinized him, while the giant bird controlled by You Shi calmly looked back.

"We've simply reached a settlement," Xu Qi'an said.

You Shi ignored him, his empty, lifeless eyes turning to Granny Tian Gu, who then told You Shi exactly what she had said to the other leaders.

The giant bird turned its head to look at Luan Yu and the others. After receiving an affirmative answer, it remained silent for a long while.

"I have no reason to object. If you want to form an alliance with Great Feng, that's your business."

"But the alliance between the Corpse Gu Clan and Yunzhou is a matter for the Corpse Gu Clan; we will not interfere with each other."

Luan Yu and the others frowned. The Gu Clan always fought together; there was no reason for them to fight each other on the battlefield.

Xu Qi'an pointed to the walking corpse puppet beside him and said slowly:

"I don't need you to send troops. As long as you don't ally with Yunzhou, I'll return this puppet to you. A puppet with a third-grade physique, that should be enough of a bargaining chip."

You Shi didn't even glance at the puppet, and sneered:

"You underestimate my Corpse Gu Clan. We have another puppet of the same level."

He was a third-grade poison master, limited by his cultivation level, he could only control one walking corpse of the same cultivation level at a time, plus a few fourth-grade ones.

Otherwise, what just arrived wouldn't have been a "Six-Star God," but another Rank 3 being.

The Corpse Gu Clan, renowned for its corpse-raising and refining techniques, with its millennia-long history, could not possibly possess only one transcendent-level walking corpse. The third-grade walking corpse left behind in the clan was not a martial artist, but rather the corpse of a powerful member of the Demon Race.

As expected, given the Corpse Gu Clan's hatred for the Great Feng, it would be too difficult for him to forgive and forget. Xu Qi'an was already mentally prepared for this.

Long Tu frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Wei Yuan is dead, and your hatred for killing your father has long been avenged. You Shi, don't let your own obsession cause the Corpse Gu Clan and the Gu Clan to become alienated."

"The hatred of a father's murder cannot be forgotten so easily, nor can it be settled so readily." You Shi sneered, his empty, lifeless eyes sweeping over the crowd:

"It is you who have become estranged from the Gu Clan, Luan Yu. Have you forgotten the clansmen who were captured by the Great Feng army and forced into the Imperial Academy of Music? Ba Ji, all five thousand of your clansmen were massacred. Your Poison Gu Clan is still the smallest clan in terms of population."

"You want to form an alliance with the Great Feng, but have you considered whether your people will agree? And what about the Power Gu, Dark Gu, Heart Gu, and Heaven Gu? Many of your people died in the Battle of Shanhai Pass. Who is truly fighting against the will of the Gu Clan?"

Luan Yu and Ba Ji immediately looked ashamed. One of them coveted Xu Qi'an's body, and the other coveted the top-grade poisonous herbs and fruits. They were struggling and hesitant.

You Shi's words were like knives stabbing into their hearts, making them hesitant and resistant.

Compared to the major powers, the Gu Clan's population is pitifully small, but the entire Gu Clan is composed of warriors, and every member of the clan practices Gu techniques, making their combat power outrageously strong.

This means that the leaders could not, like the emperors of the Central Plains, have the power to kill or take from ordinary people at will.

The tribespeople are not lambs. If their leader is abandoned by his people, they will seek help from other tribes to overthrow him, or simply flee the Southern Frontier and live elsewhere.

"Sealing the Gu God is also the Gu Clan's top priority, even more important than personal grudges."

"Illusion Master Chun Yan said calmly."

One sentence interrupted You Shi's aggressive momentum, causing him to fall silent for a moment.

This girl is wise and intelligent; she truly deserves to be called a Heart Gu Master. Xu Qi'an glanced at her and nodded slightly.

You Shi paused for a moment, then said:

"Alright, putting aside personal grudges, let's just talk about sealing the Gu God. Forming an alliance with Yunzhou can also seal the Gu God. Moreover, everyone is aware of the situation in Great Feng, so why put the bet on the obviously weaker side?"

"Furthermore, if we choose to ally with Yunzhou, our people will only cheer, their blood will boil, and they will be sharpening their swords. But if we ally with Great Feng, we will face the situation of being alienated from our people."

Apart from Long Tu of the Li Gu tribe, the other leaders frowned and remained silent in thought.

Their wavering and hesitation were almost written on their faces. You Shi's words not only revealed the Gu Clan's hatred of Great Feng, but also pointed out the unfavorable situation that might be faced if they helped Great Feng.

To be honest, even setting aside hatred and simply weighing the pros and cons, if the situation in Great Feng is really as bad as Ge Wenxuan said, then Yunzhou Jun, with the help of Buddhist School, has a greater chance of overthrowing the Great Feng court.

If we add our own full support, then it's almost a certainty.

Seeing this, Longtu had no choice but to remind them:

"Don't forget your situation. If Xu Qi'an hadn't held back, you would all be dead by now."

You Shi glanced at Xu Qi'an and sneered:

"Oh, I forgot, you are his prisoners now, you can only accept it, not refuse."

The leaders glanced at Xu Qi'an and frowned.

"The Gu tribe's brains are really not enough," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

His leniency and willingness to sit down and talk with the leaders was not out of genuine gratitude, but rather a desire for them to abandon their alliance with the Yunzhou rebels. Therefore, this "favor" was a stepping stone.

It's just a bargaining chip to get the Gu clan leaders to sit down and negotiate.

In the end, he will definitely have to offer corresponding benefits, and the Gu Clan will agree not to ally with Yunzhou or send troops to aid Great Feng, not because Xu Qi'an spared their lives.

If it's extortion, then the excuse "your lives are in my hands" can be used.

However, this reason cannot be used if you want the Gu Clan to genuinely ally with Great Feng. Such a threat is only suitable for a quick heist and then leaving. Using it on allies might lead them to secretly ally with Yunzhou and stab you in the back.

You Shi glanced at Long Tu; his empty, lifeless eyes were devoid of emotion, but he himself was undoubtedly filled with disdain and mockery.

With simple guidance, the foolish Gu tribe can be hooked.

Xu Qi'an's mind raced, and in an instant, he considered many possibilities, including nipping the problem in the bud.

Given their current state, I can't kill the Dark Gu; they're too good at escaping. I can still kill the three leaders of the Heart Gu, Poison Gu, and Love Gu, but that would mean the Power Gu tribe would be my mortal enemy. Consequently, I would have to go on a killing spree, thus completely pushing the Gu clan to the opposite side. In addition, Granny Tian Gu remained silent throughout, too calm.

Does she really trust my character that much? Isn't she afraid of pushing me to the brink and actually killing me? We've only just met, and she doesn't know me at all, yet she's acting so calm.

Unless she has a trump card up her sleeve, she's not afraid of me flipping the table.

Xu Qi'an narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed:

"You may not know this, but apart from the Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree and a small number of monk soldiers, the Buddhist School is powerless to intervene in the war in the Central Plains, because the Southern Demons are about to rise up. If you don't believe me, the Hundred Thousand Mountains are also in the Southern Frontier, not far from the Gu Clan's territory. You can send people to investigate."

The leaders were slightly taken aback. Yu Shi suddenly twisted his bird head, his lifeless, empty eyes staring intently at him.

Chunyan nodded gently. "We will send someone to investigate this matter."

If this is true, then the situation in the Central Plains is indeed not as certain as Ge Wenxuan described. Even without considering an alliance with Great Feng, they would have to reassess the risks of attacking Great Feng.

Xu Qi'an continued:

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Yunzhou may have a strong army, and Great Feng indeed beset by internal and external troubles. But this does not mean that Great Feng lose. Otherwise, why would Yunzhou send someone to persuade the Gu tribe?"

Seeing that the leaders seemed to be deep in thought, Xu Qi'an pressed his advantage:

"Under such circumstances, the entry of the Gu Clan is the key to turning the tide of the battle. With the Gu Clan allied with the Great Feng, victory is within reach. Therefore, the weakness mentioned by the leader of the Corpse Demons is simply not true."

"What Yunzhou can give, Da Great Feng can also give. As for the hearts of the Gu tribe, my promise still stands, and I will provide a certain number of top-grade poisonous herbs to the Poison Gu Tribe. I will also try my best to meet Chief Luan Yu's requests."

Yu Shi sneered:

"That's it? With these things, you think you can quell the Gu Clan's hatred towards the Great Feng? That's wishful thinking."

Ba Ji and Luan Yu were tempted, but they chose to remain silent because the truth was as You Shi had said: top-grade poisonous herbs and fruits were not a necessity. For someone like Ba Ji, who did not harbor much hatred towards Great Feng, he would certainly agree readily.

But for the members of the Poison Gu tribe, this was not enough to quell the hatred caused by the massacre of half of their people.

As for Luan Yu, it's all about personal desire. She has a top-quality man to sleep with while she cultivates her love potion—what does that have to do with the sisters in the clan? Even if Xu Qi'an manages to feed all the sisters, what does that have to do with the men in the clan?

"Very well, I understand your difficulties."

Xu Qi'an finally saw the true intentions behind the scenes, and he sighed.

"I will not insist on sending troops. I only hope that the leaders will choose neutrality and abandon the alliance with Yunzhou. What I promised earlier remains unchanged."

Luan Yu and Ba Ji were stunned. They exchanged a glance and almost said in unison:

"Good!"

If they simply choose neutrality and do not Great Feng, then things will be much easier. They can use reasons such as the unclear situation and their unwillingness to let their people die to appease the tribes.

This not only upholds the greater good but also brings substantial rewards (poisonous insects) to the clan.

Xu Qi'an laughed. From the beginning, he had not expected the Gu Clan to send troops to aid Great Feng. The conflict between the two sides was too deep, so deep that Granny Tian Gu personally came to remind him.

Given that both Yunzhou and Great Feng can meet the needs of the Gu Clan, the possibility of them reconciling their differences is extremely low.

Xu Qi'an's real plan was to first subdue them, and then find a way to make the Gu Clan give up their alliance with Yunzhou.

The so-called military aid is just a negotiation tactic. First, the price is driven up to an extreme, and then it drops precipitously, creating a sense of disappointment that makes people think, "We've made a killing," or "This is acceptable."

It's not over yet; getting the Gu Clan to cancel their alliance is just the first step.

Next, Xu Qi'an will still ask them to send troops, but he will not allow all seven tribes of the Gu Clan to come out in full force. He will use food as a bargaining chip to invite the experts of the Li Gu tribe to participate in the war.

Using various resources and goods as bargaining chips, the Dark Gu and Heart Gu tribes were invited to fight. These two tribes had relatively little hatred for the Great Feng, and it was not difficult to hire them to fight by promising them good things.

Southern Frontier has no shortage of food, but it lacks supplies such as porcelain, tea, silk, and books.

They'll always agree if you offer enough.

However, Xu Qi'an still underestimated You Shi's obsession with avenging his father's death.

To successfully complete the plan, You Shi became an insurmountable obstacle.

If he cannot be appeased, given the Gu clan's tradition of mutual support, it will be difficult for the other six tribes to truly stand idly by.

You Shi sneered:

"Your decision is your business. My Corpse Gu Clan has decided to ally with Yunzhou, and no one can stop me. I want to see how many members of the Love Gu Clan and Poison Gu Clan will be willing to follow me then."

Ba Ji and Luan Yu's expressions changed.

The bird turned its head, looking at Xu Qi'an: "Why don't you try killing me? If you kill me, the problem will be solved."

"What the leader of the Corpse Clan decides is your business."

Xu Qi'an remained completely calm and said indifferently:

"However, I also have a gift for the Corpse Gu Clan. Why not take a look at my offer first?"

If it were a Heart Gu or a Dark Gu, Xu Qi'an really couldn't think of anything that could satisfy the other party. Although the little mare was cute and tempting, it was a mare, and Chun Yan was also a woman.

Their tastes don't align.

The Dark Gu needs a secluded corner; it doesn't need to be given to it by others.

But as the host of the Seven Deadly Gu, Xu Qi'an knew all too well their needs.

Yu Shi spoke as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, his tone mocking and disdainful:

No matter what your bargaining chips are, I won't...

At this moment, he saw Xu Qi'an take out a small jade mirror and tilt its surface.

"Clang!"

A coffin fell out, and with the tremors, the coffin lid slid off.

Lina covered her nose and backed away repeatedly. Just one sniff of the scent emanating from the coffin made her feel dizzy and lightheaded.

Long Tu quickly covered Xu Lingyin's face with his large, fan-like hands, then threw her far away.

Inside the coffin, a mangled and broken ancient corpse was exposed to everyone's eyes.

It looked like a mummified corpse that had been sleeping for countless years, and it had suffered extremely severe damage, with many broken sternum and ribs, and its head was also missing.

But You Shi's gaze was fixed on the ancient corpse and could not be looked away.