Chapter 87: Feng Yan's Deal

As Jin Meng's sword came down, the official also let out a sigh of relief.

He sighed, easing his tense mood, then looked at Jin Meng with a wary gaze.

"I know what you want to say, but this is not my idea; it's the idea of our leader here. He wants to talk with you, and for you it's a pretty good deal." Jin Meng glanced at the wary official and spoke.

"A trade?" The official panicked even more, forcing himself to calm down, thinking that behind him there were still troops; if he died, they would surely come, surely...

"No need to think; if they wanted to kill you, there's no need to go around in a big circle!" A voice came from before him; the person in front had a black sword on his back; the official recognized him, seeing that signature black sword, and broke out in a cold sweat.

Jin Meng placed his hands behind his back, saw Feng Yan, stood respectfully, then bowed and said: "You've arrived, Adventurer Sir!"

"Er" Feng Yan was at first speechless; ever since he hired this guy, he always does this; although it's Jin Meng's way of expressing gratitude, each time it makes Feng Yan feel embarrassed.

Feng Yan coughed, gestured for Jin Meng to rise, then walked straight to the official and said: "This time I came mainly to talk with you, or rather your troops, about a deal!"

"What deal?" The official obviously hadn't relaxed his guard, still wary of the two people before him.

"Relax." Feng Yan smiled, then continued: "If I wanted to kill you, I could just let the dwarves come out and you could be beaten to death by them directly; so don't worry, I'm sincere in making a deal with you, and the price I offer you will absolutely not disappoint you."

After speaking, Feng Yan pulled a gold brick from his bosom and handed it to the official, saying: "This is a greeting gift."

"Greeting gift!" The official widened his eyes, looking at that shiny golden thing; at the same time, what shocked him was that these people treat money as not...

"... money?"

Seeing the official's shocked expression, Feng Yan smiled; he knew his plan had worked.

The official stared at the gold ingot, drooling, fixed his gaze on the gold as if afraid it would fly away any second.

"Well, how's the consideration going?" Feng Yan asked.

The official lowered his head, sweat trickling down his forehead bit by bit; he was contemplating whether he needed to make such a decision; he clearly understood his situation here and now. He needed to make a decision beneficial to himself. But why? Did he still have other thoughts in his heart?

Feng Yun and Jin Meng watched him, waiting for his decision.

This is a very difficult decision.

The soldier official, although afraid, what they really want is money, and also the ability to support their families that matches it.

Finally, because the official made his decision.

"Okay, I agree." After pondering for a long time, the official finally answered Feng Yan's question.

Feng Yan smiled; it seemed this answer had been decided from the start, yet it made Feng Yan feel a bit sad, and he still said: "Then I can now give you the gold I have on hand, but the equivalent price is that you can now take your soldiers and leave this place; as for how to explain things to your prince, I don't need to teach you that, right?"

The soldier official nodded, then silently left Feng Yan and Jin Meng's side, heading toward his own troops; Feng Yun also knew deep down that this negotiation was very successful, but he wondered why he himself couldn't feel happy.

"What's wrong with me?" Feng Yan thought, watching the official's departing direction, his heart a mix of emotions, yet he didn't know how to express it.

Chen Hao stood on the treetop, watching the official lead the soldiers slowly back the way they came; Chen Hao smiled and said: "Looks like this counts as a successful trade, not bad, huh?"

The bounty hunters had already formulated a preliminary plan; they clearly know why they are bounty hunters? So they gathered together, just for money. You expect them to risk their lives? Sorry, they simply cannot do that.

The bounty hunters secretly set up hidden posts; they began secretly monitoring the domestic soldiers' actions, while also looking for an opportunity to gain great wealth without losing their lives—perhaps this is hard! But they still gave up.

The vanguard soldiers of Li State finally left the golden parasol forest; perhaps they never want to come back here again.

But some of them still looked back at the beautiful parasol forest behind them.

As the sun set, that group of soldiers who had not yet achieved merit lowered their heads and slunk away from there; the sunset's afterglow stretched their shadows, making them look dejected and disheveled; although they had not experienced real combat, this official could no longer bear it all.

"I always feel I've slightly let down the prince, forgotten?" The official lowered his head, thinking that, and unconsciously arrived beneath the walls of Li State's city.

The city soldiers opened the gate; the soldiers walked forward slowly, all listless.

Passersby saw their country's soldiers return, thought they had won, gathered around the troops cheering, acclaiming these heroic triumphant returnees, and they encountered the dwarves who had destroyed the golden parasol forest.

But only the soldiers themselves knew they had gained nothing from this expedition, returning empty-handed, yet they could not speak those words.

The army continued slowly forward, finally arriving before the royal palace hall.

They returned once more to the starting point; following the official's order, they stood beneath the hall.

The prince stepped out of the hall, looking at the soldiers returning from afar, anticipating they could bring him good news.

"Your Highness the Prince! They, they've returned!" A servant ran over, shouting as he ran.

"Returned? So fast?" The prince was puzzled, but even more bewildering was that they had returned in just half a day.

At that moment it was noon; the sunlight beat down on them like a vicious snake, and they stood under the sun.

The prince didn't want to come out at this time; he waved his hand and said disdainfully: "Just let them go straight back to the camp."

"Yes!" The servant replied, then hurriedly passed on the message.

"Coming back this early must mean something's up!" The prince muttered to himself, simultaneously feeling something was off.

"Ah, money, treasures, what an astonishing thing this is! But now, you belong only to me." The guards watched the king clutching the treasure chest, already losing his mind; he went mad, his eyes fixed only on the treasure chest Feng Yan had thrown down.

"Father, you are now the richest person in the whole country." The prince came to the king, seeing his state, felt somewhat sad, but more so, pleased.

That way, he could become king; the prince thought so.

The noon weather was extremely sultry; a large chorus of cicadas sang in the trees, making people more irritable.

Feng Yan's mood was complex; he no longer knew what he was doing.

Watching the soldiers retreat in disarray, and the guard duty having been handed back to Jin Meng once again, Chen Hao accompanied Feng Yan as they gazed upon the calm lake surface.

The two said nothing, just staying still.

Feng Yan didn't know that on the other side of the lake, a pair of eyes were watching him; she worried for him, but upon seeing Feng Yan's face again, the stone in her heart finally settled.

"Really, that's great." Lin Xiyan said happily.

Lin Xiyan just looked at Feng Yan; he looked a bit unwell, perhaps because recent events have been too many.

Feng Yan crouched, cupped water in his hands to wash his face, and at the same time cleared his mind.

"Perhaps I truly don't understand what love is, what liking is." Feng Yan said somewhat sadly.

"Why?" Chen Hao asked.

"As it turns out, I've always been guilty." Feng Yan didn't answer the question, but rather spoke as if self-questioning.

"Let's go, we should do our business." Feng Yan said, then turned and left.

After hearing Feng Yan's words, Chen Hao hadn't even had time to think before he could only follow Feng Yan's steps toward the dwarves, contemplating the next plan.

Watching the two figures' receding backs, Lin Xiyan came out wearing a white dress, appearing on the lake surface like a blooming jasmine.

"Looks like those two are going to do something big!" Lin Xiyan smiled, watching their backs, as the two walked farther and farther away, their figures gradually faded.

"When the time comes, what can I do?" Lin Xiyan asked herself.