I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 495 - 273: Unpredictable Blade Breaking at the Banquet_2

Chapter 495: Chapter 273: Unpredictable Blade Breaking at the Banquet_2

By the time dawn broke with a vague light, Jiang Lu finally arrived, tardy. Upon his entry, everyone could smell a sharp scent of blood.

"Please forgive my tardiness, my lords. A spy reported last night that some thieves had attacked the city, and I led my troops to strike back at them, which caused my delay," Jiang Lu said with an apologetic manner.

Gu Shanhai also stood up and took a seat at the side, leaving the rest of the matters to others.

At this point, he understood what Jiang Lu had been up to, and so did the family heads of the noble families.

Thieves? That was just an excuse. The real purpose was probably to deal with the lords of the three cities, as well as the family warriors and Daoist Soldiers who went on the expedition with them.

Thanks to Gu Shanhai’s guidance and help, Jiang Lu and his men had been able to return much faster. Otherwise, the other lords and their troops would first need to figure out the terrain to know their location and then make their way back like refugees fleeing a disaster.

Therefore, upon receiving the news, Jiang Lu had gone ahead to ambush and dispose of these people.

When the provincial governor called for the lords, and the lords had to gather a certain number of troops, they naturally had to conscript the military leaders and Daoist Soldiers of the noble families. As a result, a large portion of the military force of the noble families was drained, and now that Jiang Lu had dealt with them, having sharp pens was useless without the support of the gun barrels.

Annihilating all the noble families was not realistic; Jiang Lu could only try to bring them under his control. The Recruitment Order issued by Gu Shanhai was very effective, but it was predicated on having enough power. Now, with only four cities, it wasn’t much of a force to speak of.

The family heads also guessed Jiang Lu’s actions, and they hadn’t expected Jiang Lu to be so bold.

"Teacher, if you’re feeling tired, you can go to the back hall to rest for a bit," Jiang Lu said to Gu Shanhai, who looked somewhat bored. He was concerned about Gu Shanhai’s health, especially since he had been sitting there all night.

"Sure, I’ll take you up on that offer," Gu Shanhai responded without hesitation and then stood up to skedaddle.

This time it was okay; he only had to sit there like a clay sculpture of a Bodhisattva. If he stayed any longer, who knows what that kid might have gotten him into.

Rest in the back hall? Rest, my foot. It’s more like going home to rest.

They’re all grown men, still using such childish tricks.

The family heads watched Gu Shanhai eagerly beat a retreat, and they felt complicated emotions; the teacher and student really didn’t take them seriously.

"Teacher, the back hall is to the rear, not the front," Jiang Lu managed to catch Gu Shanhai, intent on milking him as much as possible.

"No problem, I can take a detour from the rear," Gu Shanhai said and vanished in a puff of smoke before Jiang Lu could speak again.

"My teacher, he’s still just a big kid at heart. Please be understanding," Jiang Lu explained.

’No, no, no, that’s not just being a big kid, that’s being straight-up capricious...’ xN

The people could only agree in unison, at least Jiang Lu wouldn’t be as violent as Gu Shanhai, who would strip someone down to bare bones with a flick of his hand.

Jiang Lu was puzzled himself about where the skeleton had come from, but it wasn’t something he could inquire too much into; he just took it as something Gu Shanhai had brought in to bolster his authority.

After the deterrent effect provided by Gu Shanhai and the credit Jiang Lu gained for dealing with some of the thieves, the family heads of the noble families immediately became much more compliant.

The subsequent series of negotiations went very smoothly, with the various decrees proposed by Zhan Yan and Li Yu being accepted by the family heads under Jiang Lu’s mix of threats and inducements.

The family heads had no choice but to accept; to openly resist would mean the loss of lives.

Without the corresponding strength in their hands, they couldn’t stand firm.

Alright, even if they had some strength, they wouldn’t have been able to stand firm because the other side’s power was even mightier.

This banquet ended with the noble families wholly accepting Jiang Lu’s ’suggestions,’ following a show of force, a warning by killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, and duplicitous tactics.

"Brother Li, where did that skeleton come from? It’s hardly auspicious to have it lying around," Jiang Lu asked while eating and drinking heartily after everyone had dispersed. He had rushed thousands of miles without a sip of water till he got here, and it was already noon by now; naturally, he was starving.

Li Yu replied with a stern face, "It doesn’t matter."

Jiang Lu was completely befuddled, wondering why there was no disdain.

Beside him, Zhan Yan hastily stepped in to explain, "My lord, this is Mr. Gu’s handiwork."

He then recounted the events of the previous night from start to finish, without exaggeration or glorification, just laying it out plainly.

This left Jiang Lu both amused and exasperated, "Teacher isn’t here, what’s there to fear?"

"Right, notify the third brother, wipe out the Liu Family, and set an example for those noble families who think of paying lip service to loyalty while acting treacherously."

The Liu Family was the one whose Family Head had been reduced to white bones by Gu Shanhai’s sleeve-gathered cosmos power.

Jiang Lu knew that the other party had agreed now, but that might change later; his foresight wasn’t that long-term. For now, he would intimidate them and later, when his power grew, they wouldn’t be able to turn the tables even if they wanted to. It was only because he was still too weak and unable to keep them in line that he had to resort to these tactics.

"Yes, my lord." Zhan Yan replied and then went to take care of the affairs.

He was also a Daoist Soldier, with physical qualities far superior to those of the past; going a day without sleep wouldn’t be a problem for him.

"Brother Li, do you know what that move of Teacher’s was?" After Zhan Yan left, Jiang Lu changed the subject.

"How would I know? You’re the Direct Disciple and you don’t know, how would I, a mere Disciple in name, be privy to such things? If you have a question, you could just ask the Teacher yourself," Li Yu also stood up to stretch his muscles.

He had spent the entire day sitting with Gu Shanhai, and could hardly bear it without some movement.

"What a pity. How many pounds of homework do you think it would take if I wanted to learn it?" Jiang Lu reckoned that if he asked, Gu Shanhai would definitely teach him, but he guessed the process would probably be quite grueling.

"Pounds? My lord, why not take advantage of the daylight and get some sleep? Maybe you’ll acquire it for free in your dreams," Li Yu joked.

They were well aware of Gu Shanhai’s methods: the higher the value he set on something, the more extensive and difficult the homework would be.

This kind of strategy that could effortlessly kill a Daoist Soldier could require a whole month of all-nighters just to get a grip on the basics.

Jiang Lu gave a wry smile in response.

"I’m off to handle official business as well. It’s going to be a few restless days, but if it all works out, we’ll be able to expand our forces," Li Yu said as he prepared to leave.

He was very busy, especially dealing with the recent decrees made with the noble families.

This gave him a special feeling, like those beings he once had to look up to were now just ants at his feet.

Jiang Lu saw the ambition in Li Yu’s mind; he could sense it but didn’t mind. He had the capacity to be magnanimous, and moreover, he was indebted to Li Yu who had given all he had to help Jiang Lu in the past. Jiang Lu wouldn’t harm him just because of his ambition, especially since he was short of people right now.

Everyone has ambitions; without them, how could one progress and grow stronger?

He quickly satisfied his hunger and then went to rest. He really was exhausted, not just from the long journey of thousands of miles but also from killing enemies, retreating, tracking, and more, which brought immense pressure.

Because he wasn’t facing a single power, but multiple ones, and this time he could only bring three hundred Sun and Moon Daoist Soldiers with him. He didn’t dare take them all out, to avoid someone detecting their movements.

Managing all this in two days was pushing the limits of what was possible.

The enemy wasn’t a straw man waiting to be cut down, but living, breathing people who could fight back and flee.

After returning, he spent a morning communicating and intimidating the heads of the noble families. He was tired not just physically, but also mentally.

"I’ll rest for a while, then go find Teacher after I wake up," Jiang Lu decided to sleep in his clothes, too exhausted to care about anything else.

As for going to find Gu Shanhai after waking up, it wasn’t just to ask about the sleeve-gathered cosmos power; this was more out of curiosity. More importantly, he wanted to discuss the large volume of information Gu Shanhai had given him, of which he had only reviewed a small part but had already developed many questions.

He had noted these inquiries, and if not for the current situation, he would have already gone to ask Mr. Gu.