Chapter 661: Verbal Extortion
At this moment, the scene was so silent that one could even hear the drop of a needle. There was only a gentle breeze blowing by the imperial palace. In fact, even Madam Zi Yan next to Li Qiye and the eighteen monarchs behind him took deep breaths out of worry for him.
This was a Virtuous Paragon! Anyone who was glared at by one would be nervous and feel uneasy; they would no longer dare to act so bold.
And yet, Li Qiye was still unperturbed while seated in his chair. He was not even sitting straight, he was partially lying down, completely relaxed while waiting for the ancestor to say his piece.
The ancestor looked at Li Qiye for a while and only had one thought — if this brat ahead was not insane, then he was an idiot. However, since Li Qiye didn’t look like an idiot, he had to be crazy then!
When everyone thought that the Huangfu Ancestor would angrily take action against Li Qiye, against their expectations, the ancestor slowly spoke: “It is fine if the Giant Bamboo Country do not want war, but your country sneak-attacked our Hao’er. Harming our descendant is a heinous crime! Our Hao’er’s injury is grave, and outside of supreme medicines, nothing can cure him. This is an unbelievable loss that must be paid by your country!”
Li Qiye smiled and asked after hearing the ancestor: “Oh? What kind of compensation do you want for your Huangfu Clan’s loss?”
The eighteen monarchs heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Li Qiye. They all a.s.sumed that Li Qiye was prepared to negotiate with the Huangfu Clan instead of his previous declaration of murdering all of them. Now, with the new development, the monarchs felt that there were still room for reconciliation between the two sides.
Upon hearing this, many people felt that Li Qiye was acquiescing to the Huangfu Clan. Some of them shook their heads after recalling his initially arrogant att.i.tude. It looks like it wouldn"t last till the very end as he had to eventually accept his defeat.
Meanwhile, the Qing Clan Master only sneered while his head was full of expectations. He understood that with the appearance of the Huangfu Ancestor, the Giant Bamboo Country had no choice but to accept defeat. This was a resounding success for their clan as well.
In the courtyard, only Madam Zi Yan slightly shook her head since she knew very clearly that there was no way Li Qiye would accept defeat.
At this time, the Huangfu Ancestor coldly said: “It’s simple. Your Giant Bamboo Country has to give up the eight western grand prefectures to my Huangfu Clan. That will be your compensation for our losses.”
The moment this demand came out, the eighteen monarchs’ expressions quickly soured. This initial demand already brought up the owners.h.i.+p of land, and it was eight big prefectures at that. This was more than just extortion, it was basically wanting to take the entire country!
They shuddered inside at this time since they realized that their reignited hope was only grasping at straws. The Huangfu Clan had never considered resolving this peacefully or letting go of their previous animosity!
In the distance, the expressions of many cultivators, including even great characters, changed after hearing this. Some of them already knew that there wouldn’t be a peaceful resolution, but they didn’t think that the Huangfu Clan would ask for so much.
“Oh, so you want eight grand prefectures. Very well, I have heard your condition.” Li Qiye slightly nodded his head, then he turned towards the Qing Clan’s group and asked: “What is your condition regarding your dead son?”
The crowd was stirred the moment Li Qiye spoke. Even the monarchs standing behind him were startled. Some of them were even angry since they thought that Li Qiye was accepting the Huangfu Ancestor’s demand. In their minds, their Giant Bamboo Country would never yield to such a humiliating demand.
One Demon Monarch could no longer bear it and was going to step out, but Madam Zi Yan gently waved her sleeve, telling him to calm down.
“This, this is too much.” A cultivator standing in the distance couldn’t help but say: “Where did the Giant Bamboo Country find this weak and incompetent person? They even left him in charge…!”
A rowdy furor appeared among the crowd. Some were even enraged because the majority of the cultivators were still very loyal. Now, when Li Qiye seemed to be agreeing to the Huangfu Clan’s condition, some of the cultivators here couldn’t bear this shame.
In fact, even people from the Qing Clan and Huangfu Clan along with the supporting lineages were caught off guard. This negotiation was a bit too easy.
The Qing Clan Master stumbled a bit after being asked by Li Qiye. He felt a bit dazed because this came too easily. He calmed down and took a deep breath before speaking: “You tricked my son, so this crime is unforgivable. However, Her Majesty even gave you protection — this is not only abusing her power for personal gains in an arbitrary and prejudicial manner against the Giant Bamboo Country’s reputation, it is also breaking the tradition of having wise rulers until now…”
“I understand.” Before the Qing Clan Master could finish, Li Qiye waved his sleeve and interrupted him: “You are trying to say that you want the Royal Lord position of the country, and your Qing Clan will enter the imperial court to rule the country. As for me, I killed your son so I have to pay for it with my life. Am I correct?”
The clan master was a bit surprised when Li Qiye said everything he wanted to, causing him to nervously swallow his saliva. However, he still bit his teeth and nodded solemnly to say: “Yes, exactly right.”
“Okay, your request is not surprising.” Li Qiye nodded and then looked at the experts from the lineages that were a.s.sisting the Qing Clan to say: “The Huangfu Clan and the Qing Clan have made their cases, what are your requests? If you have nothing, then I will resolve the issues of these two clans.”
Astonishment was the only reaction to Li Qiye’s reply. At first, it was only giving up territory to the Huangfu Clan, but now he even handed the imperial rule over to the Qing Clan. Everyone now felt that Li Qiye wasn’t the only one who was crazy, Madam Zi Yan’s group were as well since they actually let such a crazy person take charge!
“We want the territory along the South Stream!” An expert from one sect immediately shouted after calming down.
Since Li Qiye would even pa.s.s away the imperial rule, how could these people not try to latch on to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
“Our Yao Clan wants the Langfang region.” Another expert immediately stated.
This scene sent many people into a daze. At this time, they felt that this location didn’t resemble a national negotiation of important affairs anymore, it was more like a food market. Actually, it couldn’t even be considered a market, it was more like children playing around. This was especially clear when these sects shouted out their conditions and swept away the originally serious atmosphere. They have now become rowdy old ladies at the market, haggling the prices.
At this point, even the eighteen monarchs felt that this was a little funny. At this time, they finally caught on after seeing this scene.
“Good, good, very good.” Li Qiye waved his sleeve to stop the haggling lineages and finally nodded his head to say: “I have heard your conditions and demands.”
With that, all of the lineages couldn’t help but look at Li Qiye. In fact, all eyes were on him at this moment.
They wanted to see how Li Qiye would end this ridiculous scene of exorbitant demands. Many people even wondered if this crazy Li Qiye would actually meet these demands.
Once everyone was quiet, Li Qiye finally cleared his throat and slowly said: “I am a very receptive person. Everyone has desires, so I have listened.” At this point, he paused for a bit before continuing: “However, regarding your conditions and demands, I must give my apologies as I really cannot meet them after listening. Now that you’re all done, you need to hear my own words as well. There is only one thing I want to say — immediately disappear from my eyes. Scram as far away from me as possible!”
The moment these words came out, everyone’s countenance suddenly turned extremely ugly, especially those on the opposing side who named their demands earlier.
At this point, many spectating cultivators felt particularly satisfied, especially after seeing the experts from the Qing Clan and the other sects look like they had just swallowed a fly. Some were laughing on the inside, but they didn’t dare to laugh out loud since the Huangfu Ancestor’s aura was still quite threatening.
“Do you think this is a joke?” At this time, the Huangfu Ancestor’s aura was extremely scary, especially when his face turned cold; his aura could completely freeze the surrounding radius of ten thousand miles, causing everyone to feel as if the entire capital was inside a glacier.
There was no doubt that the Huangfu Ancestor, at this time, had become angry. The rage of a Virtuous Paragon could change even the temperament of the sky, causing the world to be without light. At this second, everyone became nervous and completely quiet beneath the ancestor’s fury.
Li Qiye slightly lifted his brow and said: “To me, this is not much different from a joke.”
“Junior, when my Huangfu Clan is enraged, rivers of blood will flow. When I make a move, mountains and rivers shall crumble!” The Huangfu Ancestor coldly said: “If you can’t be in charge, then have someone else from your country step up and meet my demands as it is still not too late. If you refuse... Hurting Hao’er and making a fool out of me are more than enough cause for me to destroy your country!”
“That’s right, the imperial court needs to show sincerity. If you don’t stay true to your words and treat national affairs as a joke, it will lead to the collapse of the country!” At this time, the Qing Clan Master also said in a serious manner: “The imperial court set up my son and even protected his killer. Now, it doesn’t want to stay true to its words — this discredits the entire country! It is time for a change of leaders.h.i.+p; the Giant Bamboo Country should be led by a wise king!”
All the experts from the sects whom supported the Qing Clan rowdily exclaimed: “Yes, we must overthrow the incompetent tyrant of the imperial court or else our citizens will have to continue to suffer this horrible situation in anguis.h.!.+”