Compared to the base number of thirty thousand horses, the loss of a thousand horses was nothing. Moreover, the weather was unpredictable, and the unforeseen events at sea could not be blamed on anyone.
Shang Chaozong was excited about something else. He couldn't help but grab Niu Youdao's arm. "Daoye, are you saying that there are a thousand mares in there?"
Niu Youdao nodded his head: "I will not lie in front of the Prince."
"Alright!" Shang Chaozong wasn't in the mood to say anything else. He quickly ordered his men to arrange for the warhorses to disembark from the ship. He couldn't wait to see it.
The others were also looking forward to seeing these warhorses.
Peng Youzai couldn't help but glance at Niu Youdao a few more times. Niu Youdao wanted ten thousand warhorses, but this fellow actually managed to get thirty thousand of them. He even managed to get his hands on mares that even the farms in the Qi Kingdom didn't dare to sell. His capabilities were beyond description.
Regardless of whether it was for the two counties or for the Heavenly Jade School, this was clearly a good thing. But Peng Zai still felt that the Heavenly Jade School had lost all face, as though they had been slapped in the face. The Heavenly Jade School had been tossing and turning for more than a year, yet they couldn't even get a single hair back. How would the people of the two counties view the Heavenly Jade School from now on?
"Niu Youdao, are you interested in joining my Heavenly Jade Sect?" Peng Youzai suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Niu Youdao didn't understand what he meant.
Peng Youzai said, "Once you become a member of the Heavenly Jade School, I'll let bygones be bygones. I can pretend that nothing happened."
Niu Youdao: "Isn't that inappropriate?"
Peng Zai said, "You don't have to worry about the profits from the drinks. You'll get what you deserve. You and my Junior Brother are sworn brothers, so we can talk about seniority. To a certain extent, the Heavenly Jade Sect will grant you certain privileges, but they won't restrict you too much. "
Niu Youdao understood. The promised benefits sounded tempting, but there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. He had no foundation in the Heavenly Jade School, so he chuckled and said, "I do want to go, but I'm afraid that the Heavenly Jade School won't dare to accept me."
Peng Zai said, "Why not? As long as you dare to come, I dare to accept it. "
Niu Youdao: "I'm in trouble with Waning Moon Pavilion."
"..." Peng was speechless again. He didn't say a word about the matter of pulling the other party into the sect.
"Hualulu …"
The neighing of steeds could be heard, as well as the clattering of hooves on the deck.
The ships that had docked had already opened the fences in their cabins. Horses rushed out from the gangplanks, and dozens of steeds appeared almost at the same time.
The dock was where the ships were docked. Ten of these large ships could be docked horizontally. The shore on both sides of the pier also stopped quite a number of horses. The horses directly jumped into the water from the gangplank, wading ashore in shallow water. The water splashed everywhere, splashing onto the soldiers on both sides who were holding their spears horizontally.
For a moment, the scene was very eye-catching. The people standing at the pier also began to move back a little to make it easier for them to look left and right.
"Why do these horses look a little listless? Their fur is also dull." Lan Ruoting frowned.
Meng Shanming, who was in a wheelchair, said, "They must have been trapped on the ship for a long time. They are used to living on land, and suddenly staying at sea for so long has affected their bodies. Looking at their mouths and the contours of their chests, they are all young horses. Don't worry, they will recover after a few days of rest. "
As expected of a cavalry trainer, he could see the clues at a glance.
Lan Ruoting cupped his hands in obeisance, indicating that he had learned something.
At this time, the coast was gradually filled with the strong smell of horses. Some of the horses that had landed on the shore neighed happily. They seemed very happy to finally have their feet on the ground.
Lei Zongkang and Wu Sanliang came in front of Niu Youdao. Wu Sanliang asked, "Daoye, why don't I see Big Sister and Duan Hu?"
Gongsun Bu lowered his head and fell silent.
Niu Youdao slowly turned his head and looked at the ship he was on. He happened to see Duan Hu appear. Behind him, two disciples of Mount Five Liang carried a makeshift stretcher. A person was lying on the stretcher, covered with a piece of black cloth.
Seeing this and seeing Duan Hu lowering his head, Lei Zongkang and Wu Sanliang's hearts tightened. They both had a bad feeling.
What had to be faced had to be faced. Duan Hu had only shown himself because he could no longer hide.
In the end, the stretcher was carried over. Duan Hu lowered his head, too ashamed to face Lei Zongkang and Wu Sanliang.
Lei Zongkang's voice trembled. "Duan Hu, where's Big Sister?"
Duan Hu pressed his lips together and lowered his head in silence.
Slowly, Niu Youdao said, "Before we left Qi, we were pursued. In order to cover our retreat, Black Peony and Duan Hu disguised themselves as me and Matchmaker, attracting the enemy's attention. The enemy was too strong, and Black Peony died. Duan Hu only managed to escape with his life."
Tears fell from Duan Hu's eyes. His eyes were red as he sobbed, "I'm useless!"
"Ah!" Wu Sanliang suddenly kicked Duan Hu to the ground. He went up to him and kicked him as he scolded, "Then how do you still have the face to return alive?"
Lying on the ground, Duan Hu did not retaliate. He only knew how to say that he was useless.
"Wu Sanliang!" Niu Youdao suddenly shouted.
Wu Sanliang stopped. He clenched his fists and lowered his head to catch his breath.
Niu You said, "You can't blame Duan Hu. The enemy was too strong. Just the large flying beasts that were chasing after them numbered five. Even with the two of them working together, they couldn't withstand a single move from the enemy. Duan Hu's life was also saved. If not for Duan Hu risking his life to save them, I'm afraid we wouldn't even have found Black Peony's corpse. "
The Heavenly Jade School members were shocked. Just the large flying beasts alone numbered five? One had to know that the Heavenly Jade School didn't even have a single flying beast. One could only imagine how powerful the enemy was. It was also obvious how difficult it was for Niu Youdao and the others to return.
Shang Chaozong and the others stared blankly at Niu Youdao. They couldn't imagine what kind of danger they had gone through.
Lei Zongkang was already standing beside the stretcher. He slowly lifted one end of the cloth, revealing Black Peony with her eyes closed peacefully.
His tentacles caressed Black Peony's face. It was ice-cold!
"Big Sister!" Lei Zongkang knelt down on one knee, tears rolling down his face.
Wu Sanliang only took a glance before he closed his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Seeing Black Peony's gloomy face, he thought of the woman he had chatted with so sweetly. He didn't expect that this farewell would be an eternal one. Shang Shuqing covered his mouth, turned his head to the side, and wept in a muffled voice.
Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting, and the others were also sad. They all knew that Black Peony was Niu Youdao's confidant. They didn't expect her to die in Qi for their great cause. They didn't know what to say.
The Heavenly Jade School members looked at each other. Peng Youdao's eyes drooped again. There wasn't much sympathy, but they all knew that this woman was Niu Youdao's confidant. Niu Youdao's feelings were understandable.
Feng Entai walked to the side of the stretcher and stared at Black Peony for a while. He recalled the days they spent together in Qi Capital. "Sigh!" He sighed and covered Black Peony's face with a cloth.
"The body shouldn't be kept for long. Bring it home first and choose a good place to bury it!" Niu Youdao calmly instructed.
The horses were still disembarking from the ship. After one batch of ships had finished unloading and left the shore, another batch of ships docked.
Shang Chaozong personally ordered someone to prepare the best horse carriage they could find at the scene. He had Lei Zongkang and the others send Black Peony back first. Shang Shuqing also accompanied them back first.
It wasn't until evening when Lan Ruoting, who had compiled the data, came over to report, "Prince, all the horses have disembarked. There's a total of 28,746 horses."
"Good!" Meng Shanming clapped his hands and praised while sitting on the wheelchair's armrest.
Shang Chaozong and the others couldn't accompany him any longer. The warhorses had disembarked, and he still had a lot of things to arrange.
As for these miscellaneous matters, the cultivators at the scene wouldn't bother with them. They weren't knowledgeable and didn't know what to do.
Looking at the countless masts under the setting sun, Peng said to Niu Youdao, "I'll wait for your instructions!" Then, he turned around and left.
"Sect Leader Peng, please wait!" Niu Youdao shouted.
Peng stopped again.
Niu Youdao stepped forward. "Sect Leader Peng, there are some matters to discuss with you regarding the aftermath."
"Aftermath?" Peng turned around again.
Niu Youdao said, "Heavenly Jade Clan promised that as long as we can get the warhorses, Heavenly Jade Clan will pay for the warhorses. Does that still count?"
Peng tilted his head and gestured again. "Give him two million gold notes!"
"Two million?" Niu Youdao raised his hand to stop the person who was about to take out the money. "Sect Leader Peng, are you joking? Where else can you buy thirty thousand warhorses for two million? "
Peng said again, "We've agreed beforehand that we need ten thousand warhorses for the two counties."
Niu Youdao nodded. "Alright! If Sect Leader Peng says so, I have nothing else to say. In that case, I'll leave ten thousand warhorses for the two counties. As for the rest, I believe there are plenty of people around who want them. I hope that Sect Leader Peng won't stop me. I also hope that Sect Leader Peng will inform the Prince. I have no choice either. These warhorses were bought on credit and I haven't paid a single copper coin. The other party is still waiting to collect the debt. I can't deny this debt either. If you want to deny it, go ahead. I don't have the ability. "He pointed at Lu Lijun and the others nearby.
Peng swept his gaze over the group of ghost cultivators and asked, "What's the background of these ghost cultivators?"
Niu Youdao said, "Qi Country's Cangyin Mountain!"
Peng was slightly taken aback. "Ghost Mother's men?"
Niu Youdao said, "Sect Leader Peng is wise."
Peng was slightly hesitant. Although it was more than the ten thousand warhorses they had agreed upon, so many warhorses had already fallen into the hands of the two counties. If they were to sell off most of them, it wouldn't be justifiable. He asked, "How much do you want?"
Niu Youdao stretched out a palm. "Not much. Five million will do!"
The expressions of many people from the Heavenly Jade School changed slightly. Feng Entai ran out again. "Third Brother, isn't five million a little too much? What do you think about three million? "
Peng fell silent. He also liked the price.
"Three million? Big Brother, how dare you say that! " Niu Youdao almost spat on his face. He said angrily, "How much trouble did you cause in the Qi Country? In the end, all the trouble was dumped on me. Seeing that we're sworn brothers, I accepted it! Even when we retreated in the end, I still cared about Big Brother's safety and let you retreat with the Heavenly Jade School disciples first. I didn't let the Heavenly Jade School come into any danger. As for the rest of us, we died and were injured in order to protect you! If I had known earlier, I would have let the Heavenly Jade School deal with the pursuers. Let's see how many people you can bring back alive! "
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