There was a gentle breeze and the bright and beautiful sunlight of the morning made the world much more spacious. The sounds of people bustling about could be heard from afar. When she received news that Luan Sanlang and the others had secretly arrived at Green Wood Stronghold, Lou Shuwan was tidying up her clothes in her room. Then, she walked out and saw the scene of people working in the valley of Green Wood Stronghold.
There were ditches being dug, roads being built, houses being built, small threshing grounds, vegetable fields, and grain fields. The area near the stronghold gate had already been cleared, and some people were reinforcing the walls. It looked like it did before the war. Lou Shuwan glanced at it a few times, then walked forward.
She did not have a plan for her sudden impulse to see Ning Yi yesterday. From a certain point of view, the only thing she could grasp now was the lingering doubts and bewilderment in her heart. Doubts about why Ning Yi and Green Wood Stronghold did not stop her. Bewilderment … was probably on a deeper level, containing some emotions that even she did not dare to touch. Sometimes, these emotions flashed through her mind, but she could not think about them any further.
In her original imagination, they should have met in a reasonable place. They would look at each other, but it was not unexpected. He would not repent, and she would silently declare the hatred in her heart to him — that would be an official declaration of war. Before this, the two of them should have already fought a few times. However, the development of the current situation did not go according to her imagination. She headed towards the courtyard where Zhu Biao and the others were, trying to guess where they would take her. However, the changes occurred even earlier than she had imagined. When she arrived not too far away from the courtyard, she saw Zhu Biao and the others at the entrance, as well as … the figure in the middle of the courtyard.
The figure of a scholar was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, talking to a few people beside him in a low voice, discussing something placed on the table. The sunlight was dazzling. Lou Shuwan took a deep breath and tried her best to walk to the courtyard gate in a normal manner. Zhu Biao and the young man beside him moved aside, allowing Lou Shuwan to enter. Lou Shuwan hoped that the figure would turn around, but this did not happen immediately. Instead, there was a slight collision behind her.
"I want to go in too."
"You can't."
Zhu Biao blocked Qiu Guyan, who was in charge of protecting Lou Shuwan. Then, the two of them exchanged a few small moves. After colliding once, they both took a step back.
The man in the courtyard turned his head, said something to the man next to him, and rose from there.
That face was slightly different from the one in Lou Shuwan's memory. That was because she hadn't seen this person for a long time. She could only catch a glimpse of him in the little noisy horse's territory. She could only see him clearly now. Then, he realized that this was indeed Ning Yi. She raised her left hand slightly and gestured for Qiu Guyan to wait outside. On the other side of the field of vision, Ning Yi's expression was calm and gentle as he gestured towards a room in the courtyard. The sun was shining brightly, but the room seemed a little dark. There was even a hint of coldness. Lou Shuwan looked at that face, and all her emotions surged from the bottom of her heart.
When they first met in Hangzhou, Su Tan'er brought her husband over. When she showed them around, he also had the same gentle expression on his face. They joked and talked, and gradually learned of his attainments and fame in poetry. To the conflicts and frictions on West Lake, the sudden earthquake and the disaster of war, the blood, fire, and the chaos that made people crazy and subverted all the previous understanding of life. He returned to Hangzhou and became a captive. They met again. That was almost the only warm light she felt in the chaos.
Then, on that day, Second Brother captured Su Tan'er. Why did he capture Su Tan'er? She couldn't figure it out. He walked into the Lou family, and as soon as they met, her eldest brother collapsed. He flipped the table and sat in front of her father, talking to him. Until then, she hadn't completely realized and accepted the news that her eldest brother had died. She just looked at the arrow in her eldest brother's throat. How could her eldest brother die? How could he do this …
However, there was no explanation. What followed was endless chaos and darkness. It was a long, painful, difficult, and dark road. The fact that she didn't die, sometimes she thought it was an illusion …
These emotions and memories surged up from her heart and blocked her throat. Therefore, she could only look at him with those eyes of hers. She didn't even realize that she was doing this. It wasn't until they entered the room that the other party spoke to her. The first sentence he said was, "Long time no see, Miss Lou. Do you want some tea …"
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. In the room, Ning Yi looked at the woman who was staring at him with a cold, complicated, and hateful gaze. He slowly considered his words.
"I wanted to arrange for someone else to talk to you about the Tiger King. But since you're here, we can talk …"
"You …" She made a sound. The bitterness of the past year flashed through her heart. She wanted to say, "Do you know how much I've been through?" But reason made her say, "You … after Hangzhou, you didn't think … that I would come to you again alive, right …"
She said through gritted teeth. Ning Yi looked at her with a gentle expression. "Indeed, it was a little unexpected … It must have been hard."
"Ha." She opened her mouth and looked at the ceiling. Then, she blinked and let her emotions cool down. "I'm also very surprised," she said.
Ning Yi poured a cup of tea on the table in the room and brought it to her. The cup was very big. Ning Yi pointed to the chair beside him. "You can sit down and talk."
Lou Shuwan held the cup and sat down on the chair. She looked at Ning Yi's figure as he walked to the table and laughed coldly. Her third sentence was, "I underestimated you."
"Yes." Ning Yi replied casually. He poured a cup of tea for himself and turned around. "You're talking about the little rattlesnake, right? I didn't see you, but no matter what, I'm very happy to know that you're still alive. It's up to you whether you believe it or not … The situation at the Tiger King's side seems to be pretty good. I already know your intention of coming here and your conditions. However, the situation here is different from what you think. I can tell you that the matter will be settled today."
Lou Shuwan stared at him coldly. "I'm talking about the Green Wood Stronghold."
"Yes, it seems like you've already found out from others that your intervention was a step too late."
"I'm talking about the woman named Blood Bodhisattva being your mistress."
Her cold words stunned Ning Yi. Then, he laughed and said, "This has also been spread. Then, you'll understand what I mean even more clearly."
"Haha." Lou Shuwan laughed. She held the cup of tea and sat there, looking to the side of the room.
The atmosphere in the room became quiet. Lou Shuwan didn't speak. Ning Yi stood in front of the table, thinking about the impact of this matter. Rays of sunlight shone through the window. Dust danced in the light. He raised the cup and took a sip. After a while, Lou Shuwan suddenly said, "I'm a little suspicious. Do you still remember the conflict with my family?"
"Yes, I do." Ning Yi stood there and said, "It was your second brother's fault. How is he? Is he still alive? "
"He's alive. He's doing very well."
"Impossible." Ning Yi shook his head and put down the cup. "It's impossible. You're slightly stronger than him. If you're up, it means that he's collapsed. There's a way to judge people. Your second brother is basically a coward. He … is not suitable to survive in that kind of chaotic situation. "
Lou Shuwan looked at him again. She smiled coldly and said, "Fortunately, I'm suitable."
"…"
Ning Yi glanced at her. He didn't say anything, but this glance had already angered her. Lou Shuwan clenched her teeth. Her eyes were slightly red. Suddenly, she grabbed the cup of tea and threw it at Ning Yi. With a bang, the tea cup that was thrown crookedly hit the cabinet far away from Ning Yi and scattered on the floor.
"I'll kill you sooner or later! Ning Yi, I'll kill you sooner or later! I'll skin you alive and break your bones! I'll make you suffer all the hardships! I'll kill the people you care about! I'll make you wish you were dead — "
She was almost crying as she shouted. Then, there was a commotion outside the courtyard. Someone was shouting, "Get out of the way!" Someone was shouting, "Don't mess around!" Obviously, Zhu Biao and Qiu Guyan were in conflict again. Ning Yi turned back to look at the broken porcelain cup on the floor. He walked to the side and took another one. He put tea leaves in it and poured hot water.
"Don't be so impulsive. Look, there will be a fight outside." He placed the porcelain cup on the coffee table beside Lou Shuwan. "Sometimes, the boss is the boss. This is the rule. Try to be calm. I know that once, when two guys were negotiating, they went with sincerity, but their voices were loud. It was originally a joke, but the subordinates outside didn't know what was going on. They fought on the spot, and someone died in the end. It was supposed to be a strong team, and they would all have food to eat. In the end, one went to jail and the other ran away. Why bother? You're at Tian Hu's side, and these things happen often. You have to be careful of your influence. "
After saying that, he paused and said, "Unless you can really skin me alive and break my bones now."
Lou Shuwan clenched her fists. Her whole body was trembling slightly. She stood there for a long time before she recovered. She stretched out her hand to take the teacup, but her finger was scalded by the tea, causing her to bite her lips. In the next moment, she grabbed the teacup and threw it at Ning Yi. This time, the tea that covered the sky was splashed, and it splashed on her and Ning Yi. The teacup was still very far away, and it shattered on the wall. Ning Yi shook his head and patted the water off his body. "Then I won't pour you any tea. If you continue like this, some things can't be discussed."
Lou Shuwan took a deep breath. "I don't really understand one thing."
"What?"
"Why didn't you guys react?"
"What do you mean by no reaction?" Ning Yi blinked. "You mean … reaction? We did. Before you came, I had already talked to He Shuyuan and the others. I wanted to arrange for someone else to come and talk to you … "
"I'm talking about the reaction outside Green Wood Stronghold."
"Outside the stronghold?"
"Don't pretend that you don't know anything." Lou Shuwan said word by word, "Luan Sanlang, Fang Yiyang, Chen Zhenhai … I know that you know about these people. Don't pretend that you don't know. They're going to force their way up to Green Wood Stronghold …"
"Oh, them? I also know that they're going up the mountain in two days." Hearing this, Ning Yi relaxed his posture and shrugged. "There's a reaction. Maybe they're going to … fight."
"Fight?" Lou Shuwan stared at him. "Do you know …"
"I probably know what I should know … fight." Ning Yi nodded.
"Do you know …" Lou Shuwan's tone became heavier. "They're forcing their way up the mountain to recruit us. They want to work together and form an alliance with Green Wood Stronghold. They have two to three times more people than Green Wood Stronghold. Green Wood Stronghold's current situation … is still developing. You guys really want to … fight? Did you encourage them? What are you guys thinking … "
Ning Yi spread his hands, his gaze already calm. "We all know that forcing them to cooperate, force them to split their power, force them to join us. No matter which one it is, we won't accept it. Of course, we can also accept it. If they join us according to Green Wood Stronghold's request, we'll accept whoever comes. If they don't meet our requirements, we won't accept any of them. We've already thought about it from the beginning. Fight. "
"But your Green Wood Stronghold hasn't decided yet …"
"A treasured sword needs to be honed. If there's no pressure at all, you won't be able to train an elite soldier. That's right. For an ordinary person, if the other party comes up and their request isn't too excessive, they can indeed negotiate and use many methods. But since we've already determined that we can't come to an agreement, we can of course not negotiate and just treat it as a failure. "
Lou Shuwan's heart had already sunk. She heard Ning Yi say, "Since you're bringing troops over, of course you have to consider the use of troops. Don't tell me you haven't considered what will happen if the negotiation fails? Miss Lou, you've experienced so many things. Don't tell me you're still only thinking about doing business and negotiating terms? Haven't you considered direct conflict and killing? "
The air around her became thinner. Her ears rang again. After experiencing so many things, when she saw Ning Yi again, she imagined that she was already on equal footing with him, fighting and wits with him. She had already repeatedly calculated the situation of Greenwood Stronghold many times. She knew how to negotiate, pressure, and gamble with Greenwood Stronghold bit by bit. She knew how to obtain the greatest amount of benefits from Greenwood Stronghold without causing them to turn hostile. She also knew what sort of methods they would use. But at this moment, the feeling of great distance between them suddenly appeared again. This was because the other party was holding a chessboard and smashing it towards her face.
"You … lunatics …"
"This is a crazy world, Miss Lou."
*****
The sudden imbalance in her mind lasted for a moment. Lou Shuwan closed her eyes and calmed down. She thought of something.
"I know. You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
"What?"
"You did it on purpose! It was the same when you were with Fang La, and it's the same here. You did it on purpose to incite them into internal strife. When they start fighting, you'll help the imperial court solve the problem of the Lu Liang bandits! "
Lou Shuwan's voice started to rise. Ning Yi smiled and said, "That's one way of thinking. But frankly speaking, at this point in time, if I want to make a move on some people, Lu Liang doesn't matter. Your Tiger King is the thorn in the imperial court's side. I should make a move on him."
"You … You cause chaos wherever you go …"
"This is all a misunderstanding." Ning Yi said, "We've talked so much. Don't tell me you're really not interested in the Tiger King's job?"
"You …"
"I've already prepared it for you." He turned around and took out a piece of paper from the desk. "Green Wood Stronghold doesn't accept those who want to mix in. Since some people aren't satisfied with the current situation, we'll just kill all those who are dissatisfied. "This thing is established under the premise that Green Wood Stronghold can still exist. "Your original idea is no longer possible, so try your best to accept it. Business is still very beneficial, and I believe you'll accept it. However, there's one thing you can try to bring to Tian Hu — of course, it's fine if you don't bring it — tell him that we welcome him to do business, and if he dares to stretch his hand out, I'll chop his hand off."
Lou Shuwan held the piece of paper and looked at him.
"No matter what, there's going to be a fight soon. Leave if you can. "After you leave, if you want to help Luan Sanlang and the others, if you want to send troops into Lu Liang, or if you want to play some tricks in the dark, you're welcome to fight. "A group that can truly withstand the storm has to be constantly tempered and polished internally and externally. You might not understand this."
After he finished speaking, Lou Shuwan stood there and didn't reply. Ning Yi was silent for a moment. "As for the grudge between us, I can completely understand if you want to kill me. "However, even if I were to do it again, I would still kill your father and brothers. This was their doing. Sometimes, we have no other choice. "You can only say that it's fate and luck. "Of course, my words won't make your hatred lessen, or make you feel better. "However, in reality, you can't kill me. You can't kill me now, and when you climb higher in Tian Hu's ranks, you'll realize that you can't kill me even more. "Keeping your obsession might be a way to live, but as the old saying goes, sometimes you have to let it go. Maybe it'll be easier to live. "You can remember these words."
Lou Shuwan's body trembled slightly. Something surged up from the bottom of her heart again. She said coldly, word by word, "You killed my father and brothers, and you want me to let it go?"
"That's why I said, of course it's difficult. I often go overboard in my work, but personally, I'm not bloodthirsty. I'm indebted to you for your hospitality in Hangzhou, so if possible, I hope you can live as long as possible. However, if you continue to pursue me, I won't rule out the possibility that I'll kill you one day. " Lou Shuwan saw Ning Yi take out the strangely shaped iron cylinder and point it at her. Behind the black hole was Ning Yi's cold, inhuman gaze. "Do you still remember? He used it to kill your father. "
"Me. Yes. Remember. Yes. Yes. " Lou Shuwan felt that she could no longer suppress the trembling of her body. After saying this, she turned to leave. Hatred surged in her heart, and even the sky seemed to darken.
This meeting had a beginning that she hadn't expected, and it also seemed to have an ending that was full of hatred. However, her heart was empty. She knew that there were still many things she could do, such as telling Luan Sanlang and the others about Green Wood Stronghold. However, at the same time, she was afraid that Luan Sanlang and the others had leaked this information on purpose. Then, in the negotiations, Luan Sanlang and the others would be at a disadvantage. The illusion of war kept appearing in her mind. She wasn't afraid of this, but Ning Yi's words suddenly made her feel that she was a woman after all. No matter how much she schemed and schemed, she was still far from the world of those iron-blooded men.
That afternoon, she didn't leave her room.
On the other side, gossip about the relationship between Lou Shuwan and Ning Yi had quietly spread among Takeshi's team because of the strange meeting in the morning. Everyone was discussing the relationship between this beautiful girl and their boss. Although they were enemies, they seemed a bit like lovers.
Zhu Biao said to everyone in a very knowledgeable manner, "There are many people who have a grudge against our boss. It's not strange to have one or two people like this." He then said, "Big Brother Ning doesn't know how to pick up girls. Maybe it's love that turned into hatred …"
This kind of gossip spread. Ning Yi occasionally heard it, and he found it both funny and annoying. Under this kind of atmosphere, the negotiations about entering the mountain had come to an end. Next was the matter of war. Two days ago, Hongti had already finished mobilizing the people before the war with the other Stronghold Chiefs. Unexpectedly, whether it was Zheng Ashuan, Cao Qianyong, Fourth Chief Peng Yue, Fifth Chief Han Jing, or the others, they were much more enthusiastic about the necessity of war than Hongti.
In the past two years, Green Wood Stronghold had gradually become more extravagant, and they had also invested a lot in training their soldiers. However, for the sake of doing business, killing people in the surrounding areas was actually just a small skirmish. They chose to tolerate and cooperate with the bigger strongholds. Zheng Ashuan and Cao Qianyong were veterans of Green Wood Stronghold, so it was still alright. Before Peng Yue and Han Jing joined Green Wood Stronghold, they had built up a foundation with their own hands. This kind of style of training their soldiers with all their might while hiding it was not in line with their aesthetics. It was practically the same as the sin of wasting food.
Just like that, a phase of the problem seemed to have passed. That afternoon, someone saw He Shuyuan hurrying down the mountain with his followers. After a while, someone came up the mountain to find Ning Yi and inform him of something. Ning Yi was thinking about something in the courtyard at that time. He looked down the mountain and suddenly frowned.
The same news was also sent to Lou Shuwan at that moment. She also walked out of her room. At that moment, a voice rang out from the foot of the mountain!
"… Great Radiant Sect's Sect Leader, Lin Zongwu, together with his disciples and Protectors …"
The valley occupied by Green Wood Stronghold was very big. Due to the large number of people and the fact that it was daytime, it was very difficult for many people to reach the top of the mountain even if they shouted with all their might. However, that voice came out of nowhere and was vigorous. It suddenly spread throughout the entire valley, causing everyone to hear the echo of that voice.
…
"… Great Radiant Sect's Sect Leader, Lin Zongwu, together with his disciples and Protectors, pay a visit to Lü Liangshan! Blood Bodhisattva … "
…
"What kind of joke is this …" He mumbled …
…
A welcoming voice rang out. It was that lady who had traveled with him. She said from the top of the mountain, "Invite the esteemed guest in." This voice rang out beside his ears and echoed in the empty valley.
…
"Haha." In the courtyard below, Lou Shuwan could not help but laugh out loud.
…
Ning Yi snapped his fingers and called out to the person closest to him. "Yuwen Feidu, get someone to prepare all the cannons for me."
As he spoke, he turned and walked up the mountain.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
