Chapter 75

To state the purpose at the outset—she had originally thought he would set up some traps or mysterious realms to test and maneuver against each other, and she might not necessarily have fallen into his setup. Yet, unexpectedly, he laid out this military formation directly, the light of thousands of miles of connected camps and sharp blades and arrows shining brightly upon her face.

To retreat would be a total collapse; to avoid would be to fall into a heavy siege. Yin Xiyu scrutinized the man with the refined appearance under the sunset, but unexpectedly saw not a trace of military hostility, only a gentle and profound air. After a moment of silence, she said, "I said I could agree to any condition, but I cannot use the Yue Ma Gang as an exchange."

Zi Hao said unhurriedly, "If that is the case, then another condition is fine. If I ask the Sect Leader to marry Ye Xuanshang," he raised his eyes slightly, and a calm, faint smile overflowed from his eyes, "what does the Sect Leader think?"

Yin Xiyu's eyes flashed like stars; her expression remained unmoved, but her thoughts raced. She looked up and said, "Young Master, this condition is somewhat unreasonable. Even if I were willing to marry, the Third Young Master Ye would have to be willing to take me. Do not forget, Young Master, the Yue Ma Gang has hunted him down many times. At least until now, there is no element of trust between us."

Zi Hao smiled lightly, seemingly with a touch of appreciation. Her rebuttal hit the nail on the head—given Ye Xuanshang's style of conduct, how could he be manipulated by others in such matters? Therefore, he had never intended to use this as a bargaining chip, yet he said leisurely, "With the Sect Leader's appearance, martial arts, and talent, plus the power of the Yue Ma Gang, I believe there are very few men in the world who would not be moved. Ye Xuanshang seems to have no reason to refuse."

From the moment he began to speak, Yin Xiyu had been watching him without blinking, as if trying to capture every trace of his emotional changes and see through his deeply hidden thoughts through that light smile. Alliances through marriage between various forces were nothing strange, but how many people could truly plan such a move that tilted two nations? Slaughter covered the finery, and iron-bloodedness covered the soft silk. This word "marry"—lightly, it could destroy the number one gang of Chu and Mu; heavily, it could overturn half the world of these Nine Domains. Yet he spoke of it as if discussing flowers under the moon or a golden marriage—even someone as arrogant as the Shao Yuan Jun might not have thought of it, let alone done it.

Yin Xiyu turned her face, her beautiful eyes lowered slightly, and the candlelight reflected on her cheeks like a halo, resembling a touch of evening glow. Her profile under the lamp was like a painting, almost making one mistake it for a girl's shyness, as if she did not know how to answer because the topic of marriage was suddenly brought up.

The faint flame flickered in his eyes, which were as black as night. Zi Hao appeared extremely leisurely, neither urging nor asking again, only a trace of a smile in his eyes deepening, as if waiting for or expecting something. Sure enough, she heard her own calm and clear voice, "Young Master, have you never thought that by forcing a marriage contract through such a transaction, even if I marry Ye Xuanshang for the time being, I could conversely help Tai Zi Yu to eliminate him and regain my freedom?"

Zi Hao raised his eyebrows in surprise, and only then did he seriously look at her for a while. "I truly had not thought of that. In that case, the first condition is more reliable." He toyed with the glass pot containing the snake gall in his hand, smiling yet not smiling, "Has the Sect Leader never thought that that condition is actually beneficial and harmless to the Yue Ma Gang?"

Yin Xiyu said, "The price the Yue Ma Gang will pay for supporting Ye Xuanshang is something I believe you are well aware of, Young Master. How can you speak of it being beneficial and harmless?"

Zi Hao said indifferently, "Helian Yiren recently suffered a great loss at the hands of Huang Fei and was dismissed from his post as Right Minister General by the King of Chu. After Huang Fei inserted Liefeng Cavalry generals to take over the Capital Forbidden Guard, he even took the opportunity to control the capital's forbidden guards and the city's water defense navy."

Yin Xiyu's delicate body trembled. Although the city's water defense navy was nominally just a guard force belonging to the Chu capital's forbidden guards and its rank was still below that of the Duqi Army, it was actually the core part of the Chu navy, and its warship equipment and combat effectiveness were incomparable. Controlling the Duqi Forbidden Guard and the city's water defense navy was equivalent to controlling more than half of the Chu capital. The Shao Yuan Jun took every step with a plan; from the moment he set the trap to eliminate Helian Qi, the bargaining chips that the Helian Marquis Mansion originally had to contend with him were lost one by one, gradually failing to maintain the previous situation where the Liefeng Cavalry was outside and the Helian Marquis Mansion firmly controlled the Chu capital.

He did not move unless necessary, but when he did, it was like thunder and a raging fire. Under the suppression of the Shao Yuan Jun, how much longer could the Helian Marquis Mansion hold on?

"Once the Helian Marquis Mansion loses power, given the Shao Yuan Jun's methods, what kind of situation will the Yue Ma Gang face in the Chu Guo? And as for the Mu Guo, what promise can Tai Zi Yu give the Yue Ma Gang? Are the Yue Ma Gang and those two families truly sharing honor and disgrace? Sect Leader, have you considered the consequences of offending both the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion and Mingyi Tower at the same time?"

After a series of questions, Yin Xiyu's red lips were pressed tight like a blade. She suddenly raised her eyes, facing the sharp, clashing, and piercing edge of his words.

"What the Helian Marquis Mansion can give, the Shao Yuan Jun can give just the same; what the Tai Zi Yu cannot give, the Third Young Master can offer double. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. As the one managing such a large foundation as the Yue Ma Gang, you must be very clear about this principle." The bright red snake gall set against his pale fingers, the shimmering glass reflecting his deep eyes, "Of course, the Sect Leader can also completely refuse my condition; Mingyi Tower will respect your choice."

The casual words sank into the deep darkness along with the last ray of the sunset. The slightly flickering lamp flame seemed startled by this sudden silence, flashing restless, hurried shadows, reflecting a turbulent, heaven-and-human-warring intensity in his clear, mirror-like eyes.

Under the desk, Yin Xiyu clenched one hand into a fist. On one hand, every question the other party asked hit the vital point; on the other hand, the interests involved were too astonishing. The other party held her brother's life in his hands, while she held the survival of the entire Yue Ma Gang in hers.

Now, what she faced was not just the life or death of a relative, nor just the path of a gang, but a game of chess for the country and a war for the founding of a nation.

The hands in the shadows had already stirred up the winds and clouds of the two nations. Betting on the Helian Marquis Mansion and Tai Zi Yu, the Yue Ma Gang might still be the number one gang of Chu and Mu; betting on the Shao Yuan Jun or Ye Xuanshang, the Yue Ma Gang might leap to become founding ministers and enjoy the dignity of the imperial court.

To lose everything or win it all—did she have the courage to stake this bet?

To win and become a king, or lose and become a bandit—did she have the boldness to take the gamble?

"What guarantee can the Shao Yuan Jun give the Yue Ma Gang?"

"The Sect Leader should know in her heart that the Shao Yuan Jun's conditions will definitely not be worse than the Helian Marquis Mansion's."

"The matter is of great importance. How do I know if Mingyi Tower can represent the Shao Yuan Jun in making promises?"

"If the Shao Yuan Jun were here, do you think he would insist on being an enemy of the Yue Ma Gang rather than forming an alliance as friends?"

"Ye Xuanshang's situation is dangerous. Even if he returns to his country smoothly, on what grounds can he topple Tai Zi Yu?"

"That depends on how much ambition the Shao Yuan Jun has and how much sincerity the Yue Ma Gang has."

One question and one answer, one answer and one question—an extremely fast clash, sharp dialogue. Yin Xiyu finally narrowed her beautiful eyes, her voice also crisp and sharp, "Cooperating with the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion while helping the Mu Guo contend with the Chu Guo—straddling two boats, if it goes wrong, it will result in the boat being destroyed and people dying, with nothing left. Young Master, how exactly do you want the Yue Ma Gang to conduct itself?"

Zi Hao smiled faintly and said calmly, "People often say 'a rare commodity is worth hoarding.' May I ask, if we have a piece of merchandise in our hands, is it better to place it on a high platform and let two families compete for it to show its value, or to let one family hold it in their palm while the other is constantly thinking of destroying it? The principles of the world are much the same, nothing more than the two words 'flexibility.' To move freely between all parties, advancing and retreating without losing one's way, even if the world changes, one will not lose a single bit. Given the current situation of the Yue Ma Gang, you can use flexibility to survive. Why can you not assess the situation later and become the key to balancing the Chu and Mu families, thereby obtaining the greatest benefit? The boat I am asking the Sect Leader to board—who is steering and who is rowing, everyone has the possibility of influencing the final result. How do you know that the person steering in the end is not Mingyi Tower, or not the Yue Ma Gang?"

Yin Xiyu secretly gasped, stunned by this bold idea.

The profits of business are in the millions, but the profits of governing a country are infinite. In the face of huge interests, anyone will have a moment of being moved; it is human nature. But Yin Xiyu could become the Sect Leader of the Yue Ma Gang and make the Yue Ma Gang stand in the Jianghu, becoming a major force that all nations must compete for; she was ultimately not someone who sought quick success and instant benefits. She said in a deep voice, "Is this the purpose of Mingyi Tower? Should I think that the Yue Ma Gang might become a stepping stone for Mingyi Tower, or a soldier sent to die, or a shield to block swords?"

Zi Hao raised his slender eyes slightly, colliding with the light in her eyes, and laughed aloud, "Does the Sect Leader think that the number one gang of Chu and Mu is so easily reduced to someone else's stepping stone, sword in hand, or even a soldier sent to die against their will?"

Her raised eyebrows were like swords, and that gaze was also like a sword drawn from its sheath, sharp in an instant.

The room suddenly fell into a long silence. Zi Hao waited with a smile for Yin Xiyu's answer.

The night curtain was dark as congealed blood, deep as a ten-thousand-foot abyss, and the great Chu river flowed far away in this darkness, surging endlessly...

Finally, Yin Xiyu looked up from under the dazzling firelight and said word by word, "Good, I agree to your conditions and will exchange with you for this snake gall that is worth a country."

For such a crucial promise, Zi Hao only smiled upon hearing it. In his calm eyes, however, a trace of deep meaning spread gently. There was a hint of rain, covering the breath of the deep night. He took the medicine bottle in his hand, stared at it slightly, and seemed to sigh softly, "The Sect Leader's decision will surely bring great benefits to the Yue Ma Gang, but..." He raised his eyes and smiled, "I cannot give you this snake gall."

This change was too unexpected. Yin Xiyu was stunned and blurted out, "What did you say?"

Zi Hao said, "I once promised someone else that I would never give this snake gall to the Yue Ma Gang."

(End of chapter)