Chapter 74: Surrender

"Of course it won't be that simple to surrender." Jiang Xiaomu's mouth curled into a cold smile.

"You need to show your sincerity."

"What sincerity?"

Ma Ning pressed further.

"Give them what they like." A flash of cunning passed through Jiang Xiaomu's eyes.

"Sha Hu is lustful and greedy for wealth, so send him riches and beautiful women."

"You previously seized the Sand Gate Gang's territory; now return it all."

"Also, cede a few more territories to the Sand Gate Gang as compensation, treating it as an apology."

Ma Ning listened to Jiang Xiaomu's words, his face gradually darkening, barely restraining the urge to chop Jiang Xiaomu.

"This… this is too…" he said through gritted teeth, barely squeezing out a few words.

"It's too humiliating!"

Jiang Xiaomu seemed to have anticipated Ma Ning's reaction; he wasn't angry, but calmly continued:

"I know this is hard to accept, but it's currently the only way."

"You want revenge, and I also want to get rid of Sha Kui and his nephew; our goals align."

"Is there really no other way?"

Ma Ning's voice carried despair.

Jiang Xiaomu shook his head and said: "No."

Ma Ning fell silent; only the wind and the crackling of the swaying oil lamp remained in the ruined temple.

"Think of your wife and children," Jiang Xiaomu's voice sounded again, like a sharp dagger stabbing into Ma Ning's heart.

"Don't you want to avenge them?"

Ma Ning's body shuddered violently; he lifted his head, and the flames of hatred blazed fiercely in his heart.

"Good!" Ma Ning gritted his teeth and squeezed out a single word from between them.

"I promise you!"

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Jiang Xiaomu's mouth; Ma Ning had taken the bait.

Over the next few days, Ma Ning followed Jiang Xiaomu's plan and began his "wonderful" performance.

He gradually began to carry out Jiang Xiaomu's plan step by step.

After receiving Ma Ning's "apology," Sha Hu was naturally overjoyed.

"Haha! This Ma Ning is nothing more than that!"

"I thought he was formidable, but he's just obediently bowing to me!"

Although Sha Kui was old and crafty, seeing Ma Ning's such "sincere" apology, he gradually let down his guard.

He believed Ma Ning had been completely crushed, losing the courage to resist.

"Uncle, it seems Ma Ning is truly afraid of us!"

Sha Hu said proudly.

Sha Kui stroked his beard, a gleam flashing in his eyes:

"Don't be careless; Ma Ning is full of tricks, we must guard against him."

"Uncle, you're overthinking! He's already returned all the territory to us."

"Besides sending all this stuff, what other tricks could he pull?"

Although Sha Kui spoke of caution, he also thought Ma Ning was no longer a threat.

He began plotting how to annex Ma Ning's remaining forces and utterly exterminate him.

And all of this was within Jiang Xiaomu's expectations.

"Is everything ready?" Jiang Xiaomu's voice low.

Ma Ning nodded, his eyes flickering with the fire of revenge:

"Ready; when the time comes, wait for my signal flare to act."

Jiang Xiaomu produced a black porcelain bottle from his bosom and handed it to Ma Ning:

"This is my specially made poison—colorless, tasteless, and seals the throat upon contact with blood."

"Put it in Sha Kui and his nephew's wine tonight."

Ma Ning took the porcelain bottle, gripping it tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

"Remember," Jiang Xiaomu's voice sounded again.

"Success or failure hinges on this one move; do not slip up."

Ma Ning took a deep breath and said: "I understand."

Jiang Xiaomu nodded, turned, and vanished into the night.

Ma Ning watched Jiang Xiaomu's retreating back, always feeling that Jiang Xiaomu's eyes hid something.

The next evening, Sha Kui and his nephew hosted a banquet for Ma Ning, celebrating their "reconciliation."

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, Sha Kui and his nephew were already stinking drunk.

Ma Ning looked at the two enemies before him, took a deep breath, and poured the prepared poison into their wine cups.

"Cheers!" Ma Ning raised his cup, forcing a smile onto his face.

Sha Kui and Sha Hu threw their heads back laughing, downing the wine in one gulp.

"Ma little brother," Sha Kui, sloshed, slapped Ma Ning's shoulder, speaking unclearly:

"All past matters were misunderstandings, just misunderstandings!"

"From now on we are brothers, sharing blessings and hardships alike!"

"Yeah, Ma younger brother," Sha Hu also came over, reeking of alcohol.

"From now on, follow our Sha family, and I guarantee you'll be living the good life!"

Ma Ning forced down his nausea, put on a smile, and said:

"That's right, that's right, in the future we'll still have to rely on you two older brothers for lots of support."

At the same time, outside the Sha Clan, in the dense forest, Jiang Xiaomu was leading his men in ambush here.

"Stay alert!" Jiang Xiaomu lowered his voice and said:

"Success or failure hinges on this one move; whoever ruins my plans, I'll make him regret it!"

Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his mind:

【Warning! Warning! The host's ambush has been discovered by the enemy patrol team】

【The enemy is about to sound the alarm! The alarm will alert Sha Kui and another.】

【The host is forced to act prematurely; Ma Ning, seeing the situation exposed, is hacked to death by random blades.】

【The host enters the camp to pursue Sha Kui and others, falls into an ambush, is shot to death by arrows, and Yun Cheng falls without being attacked.】

Jiang Xiaomu's heart jolted, a chill shot up from his feet to his head.

How could this happen? He had clearly arranged everything flawlessly, so how was he discovered?

"Damn it!" he cursed silently; there was no time left to hesitate.

"Kuohai, take a few men and first wipe out that patrol team over there."

"Be careful, don't alert the enemy."

Jiang Xiaomu pointed at the moving figure in the distance.

"Yes, sir."

Xiong Kuohai waved his hand, leading a few subordinates forward stealthily.

"Ma younger brother, hic... from now on we're brothers!"

Sha Kui placed one hand on Ma Ning's shoulder, and Ma Ning continued to put on a smile.

Suddenly, Sha Kui's face changed, he clutched his stomach and groaned in pain.

"Ow... my stomach..." he said, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and the alcohol seemed to wear off a bit.

"You... you..." he pointed at Ma Ning, his eyes full of terror.

Sha Hu was greatly alarmed, just about to shout, when he saw Ma Ning fiercely draw the dagger hidden in his sleeve and viciously stab it into his abdomen.

"You... you dare..."

Sha Hu looked at Ma Ning in disbelief, blood pouring from his mouth.

Although he had been poisoned, his strong physique prevented him from collapsing immediately, and he roared:

"You bastard, you dare scheme against us!"

"Scheme? When your Sha clan killed my whole family, why didn't you call it scheming?"

Sha Hu was deeply poisoned, his strength fading, yet he still stared fixedly at Ma Ning.

"You... will die a horrible death..."

"Who dies is still uncertain!"

Ma Ning kicked Sha Hu away, then told the deputy commander behind him: "Send the signal!"

At the same time, outside the Sha Clan, Jiang Xiaomu saw the signal flare rise, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Brothers, kill!"

Shouts of killing shook the heavens, Jiang Xiaomu took the lead, leading his men in a charge into the Sha Clan.

"Kill every member of the Sha clan, leave none alive!"