Chapter 327: Chapter 193: Night Talk on Cooperation (Part 2)

As they spoke, they arrived at a table and chairs set up under a trellised vine in the backyard.

"Have a seat."

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly and sat down. "Since I’m here, let’s hear what you’re thinking. And let’s skip the probing."

"You’re certainly impatient."

He Shujun remained unconcerned. On the table were some small dishes to go with wine and a small pot of liquor, but there was only one cup. He poured a cup for himself, saying, "I knew you wouldn’t be drinking, so I didn’t set out another cup."

Cheng Zongyang didn’t mind either and continued to wait.

After downing the cup, He Shujun finally said, "You want to cooperate. We can join forces."

Cheng Zongyang listened without speaking, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing that Cheng Zongyang had no intention of responding, He Shujun continued:

"There’s only one condition. You kill Lu Yan, and my He Family will handle the rest. That way, with you in the West City and me in the north, our combined forces will control half the County Town. What do you say?"

Cheng Zongyang glanced at He Shujun and said flatly, "If you’re trying to be funny, you’ve come to the wrong person."

He Shujun smiled leisurely and said, "You and Lu Yan have a grudge. He won’t give up his territory in the West City so easily. That means your Cheng Family and the Celestial Break Gang will bear the brunt of it.

Don’t think the Lu Family is so easy to deal with.

So, you kill Lu Yan, and my He Family handles the rest. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Besides, my He Family is shouldering most of the risk."

Cheng Zongyang sneered. "This only benefits you, not me. Lu Yan is hardly a problem for me. What you gain is the remaining half of the North City’s territory, which means all the profits for the next three years.

And what? You just flap your gums, have me do the killing, and your He Family reaps all the rewards?

Heh. How about this? I kill Lu Yan, and your He Family handles the rest. But afterward, all of the Lu Family’s resources go to the Cheng Family, and I want half of the Northwest City Street’s profits for the next three years. How about that?"

However, He Shujun suddenly smiled. "Deal."

Cheng Zongyang frowned, his eyes fixed on the other man, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.

He couldn’t figure out what this He Shujun was thinking.

"You’re not joking?" Cheng Zongyang asked with a frown.

He Shujun poured himself another cup of wine, drank it slowly, and then smiled. "Weren’t you the one who proposed these terms? I can agree. But I want Lu Yan’s corpse."

Now, Cheng Zongyang stared at He Shujun and asked with a sardonic smile, "So, your goal isn’t just the territory—it’s mainly Lu Yan’s corpse?"

’The only thing of immense value is the territory.’

The profits from the territory over the next three years were no small sum. Even giving half to Cheng Zongyang, it was still a huge gain! And it was a long-term profit.

Even if a new Steward arrived after three years, the territory in the North City would still belong to the He Family.

But he never expected the man to actually want Lu Yan’s corpse!

’I haven’t even mentioned that I want all the Lu Family’s Martial Artists. As long as I cripple their limbs, I can lock them all up.’

’After all, I still have over twenty unused Low Tier Soul Crystal Stones.’

’As for why He Shujun didn’t approach the other families, that’s obvious. If they found out the He Family was backstabbing an ally, the resulting enmity would probably be even greater than what they have with my Cheng Family.’

He Shujun didn’t answer. Instead, he picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks and continued to drink his wine contentedly.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang changed the subject.

"How do you plan for us to jointly develop the County Town?"

He Shujun was completely baffled by Cheng Zongyang’s abrupt change of topic.

"Weren’t we still discussing the previous matter?" He Shujun paused, wine cup in hand, and frowned.

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "I’m just curious. If we succeed, how will we cooperate on development?"

This time, He Shujun froze, unsure how to respond. He badly wanted to say: ’Cooperate on development? Nothing’s even set in stone yet, who’s thinking that far ahead?’

But after a moment of feigned contemplation, he said, "That’s not difficult. The West City and North City are adjacent. We’ll naturally assist each other and share resources. Development won’t be hard."

Hearing such a cliché answer, Cheng Zongyang immediately understood the man’s intentions.

He hadn’t thought about the later stages of cooperation at all. Or rather, he had no sincere intention of cooperating. It was purely a matter of taking what he could get along the way.

Cheng Zongyang sneered inwardly but kept his expression neutral. "In that case, we can give it a try. However, let’s be scoundrels first and gentlemen later. I’ll draft an agreement, and we can discuss it then.

By the way, I want intelligence on whether the other families have deeper connections within Qianye Prefecture or over in Linchuan. You’ll give it to me the next time we meet."

With that, Cheng Zongyang stood up and left.

’This guy is playing mind games with me. We’ll see who dies first!’

He hadn’t come here with any real hope for cooperation in the first place. After this brief discussion, he now understood He Shujun’s intentions.

’Still, I’m genuinely tempted to see what happens if an Oath Contract takes effect. If He Shujun violates it and dies, then the He Family’s territory...’

’Even if I can’t get all of it, I could at least take Northwest City Street.’

’As for the East Street, that would depend on the two families in the East City. I’d have to give up a portion to share the pressure.’

He Shujun watched Cheng Zongyang’s departing figure, his brow furrowed slightly.

’Draft an agreement?’

’What does this kid mean? He thinks he can threaten me with an agreement?’

He didn’t consider the possibility of an oath. His only thought was that Cheng Zongyang wanted to use the agreement to threaten him with the consequences of not fulfilling his promise.

But then he just chuckled softly.

Before taking down the Lu Family, he was worried that word might get out, turning the He Family into a public enemy.

’But if we succeed, why would I care about this so-called threat?’

’Faced with such enormous profits, would I really care?’

After Cheng Zongyang left, He Shujun returned to his study.

He carefully took an ordinary-looking Small Jade Box from a cabinet.

As he opened the flat Small Jade Box, a small, black, ant-sized insect was revealed inside.

Looking at the motionless black insect lying in the Jade Box, He Shujun’s face revealed a flicker of unnatural excitement.

"It’s growing quite fast. The other one should be about ready, too."

An irrepressible smile slowly spread across his lips.

Because of his Cultivation Technique, Lu Yan’s Qi and Blood Power was far more abundant and robust than that of the other Patriarchs.

He had been coveting it for a long time, but he never had an opportunity.

That night, the physically formidable Lu Yan was injured by Cheng Zongyang, which gave him the perfect opportunity!

This was the very reason why he had invited Lu Yan to move into the North City after Cheng Zongyang seized control of the West City.

’It’s easier to strike a neighbor!’

Even without Cheng Zongyang, he would have made his move when the time was right. But he was more than happy to divert the disaster onto someone else!

"Once I get it back and the Mother Insect devours it, I can use it as a medicinal ingredient. Promoting to the Sixth Grade will be no problem!"

At the thought of promoting to the Sixth Grade, the excitement in He Shujun’s eyes was completely unconcealed.

Back when he was just an ordinary disciple of the He Family with average aptitude, he had remained stuck at the Ninth Grade for several years of Cultivation.

Later, he had unexpectedly obtained three pairs of Heart-devouring Gu from a dying Poison Physician who was being hunted down.

He used two pairs, which allowed him to smoothly promote to the Seventh Grade.

Now, the last pair was right here.

As soon as Lu Yan died, the Heart-devouring Gu Sub-Insect would successfully devour the single most essential drop of blood from his heart. It could then be used as a medicinal catalyst, providing him with immense Qi and Blood Power to promote to the Sixth Grade!

He was well aware of his own aptitude, so he would be more than satisfied just to reach the Sixth Grade.

As for whether he could continue to promote after that, it would be all up to luck!

He took out a dagger, cut his finger, and dripped a few drops of blood from the tip to feed the Mother Insect. Seeing it stir and suckle the blood, he closed the Jade Box and placed it back in the cabinet.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Cheng Zongyang’s response!

「West City, in the house on Yunli Lane.」

Cheng Zongyang entered his study. Seeing there was nothing else to attend to, he entered the Wilderness World to check on recent events.

He had been so preoccupied with matters in the County Town that he hadn’t paid much attention to the affairs of the Wilderness World.

Appearing in the marketplace cabin, Cheng Zongyang watched the notification windows that kept popping up. He wasn’t in a hurry and closed them one by one.

They were mostly notifications for +1 Point from his hunting squads killing creatures, with the occasional 2 or 3 Points. This indicated that the prey they encountered varied in strength.

However, when he was about halfway through, the message in one of the windows made him pause—

[Transaction volume has reached 90,000 Points (Points used in the Cultivation Room are not included). The marketplace cabin is undergoing its fourth update. Duration: 168 hours! Remaining: 161:35:56]

Cheng Zongyang was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him. ’Hasn’t it been two or three months since the last update for the marketplace cabin?’

He couldn’t remember the exact time, but he knew clearly that ever since the last update, the refreshed items had basically been junk.

Plus, his sources of Points had diminished, and his spending had become more restricted.

"Seven days is pretty fast," Cheng Zongyang murmured, then continued closing the notification windows.

But then, he saw another notification that made his face light up with joy!

[Purchase request transaction complete. Acquired High Tier Soul Crystal Stone...]