SWDnovel Chapter 2075: Retreat and then retreat
Chapter 2075: Retreat and then retreat
Chapter 2075: Retreat Again and Again
After Hall Master Jiang Hui showed up at Hongye Ridge, the aura he displayed was always quite gentle and polite.
Now that I can say "not enough" so decisively, the mood has become a little more cheerful.
But it can also be seen from this that she is really serious.
"Hongyeling is giving away a batch of weapons for free," Qu Jianlei also said seriously, "How can it be that what we have is not enough?"
"I have been waiting for more than a month to see Master Qu Ling," Jiang Hui said slowly, "but it's not for this."
The corner of Qu Jianlei's mouth twitched. Did I ask you to wait? Or do you feel wronged by condescending?
Jiang Hui continued, "My purpose of coming here is to invite all the masters of Hongye Ridge to settle in Zhongzhou!"
This was expected. Qu Jianlei looked at Yuan Yi Zhenxian and asked, "Does the deacon also know about this?"
How could I not know? The deacon on duty was speechless, but he couldn't admit it yet - otherwise he would have to quit his job.
The reason why he stayed was that he wanted to act as a witness and buffer in the negotiations between the two parties to prevent any accidents.
Who would have thought that Lord Qu Ling would actually play such a trick, clearly intending to embarrass himself?
He forced a smile and answered evasively, "Zhongzhou is in danger, and the Star Palace is managing this world on behalf of the upper world. Lord Quling, please think twice."
"Dongsheng is also a part of the Cangwu Realm," Qu Jianlei said in a deep voice, "I have feelings for this place."
His attitude sounded very firm, but Jiang Hui understood, so she nodded slightly, "It seems that Master Qu Ling is not determined to refuse."
She didn't wait for the other party to express his opinion, and spoke on her own, "Then it's a matter of conditions."
"Master Qu Ling, I came here with enough sincerity!"
Then she raised her hand and bowed towards the west - that was the direction of Zhongzhou, "Palace Master, please allow me to do what is convenient for me."
It can be seen that she is quite respectful to the Palace Master, and even when speaking here, she has to show respect to him from afar.
But Qu Jianlei didn't care, he just shook his head.
"We may go to Zhongzhou, but not now. We have our own plans!"
If the other party insisted on asking when, he had also thought of an answer.
However, Jiang Hui did not follow the usual path. She shook her head and said seriously, "Master Qu Ling, please forgive me for being frank, but your plan is wrong."
"You have your own arrangements, which is good, but please also consider the issue from Zhongzhou's perspective."
"Now is the time when Zhongzhou needs you most. Any conditions can be discussed. When the time passes, it will be hard to say."
"I don't have any other intentions. I just want to remind you: if you want to maximize your benefits, you must seize the opportunity!"
However, Qu Jianlei was unmoved. He just nodded slightly and said, "Master Jiang is very eloquent. I admire you!"
"But I am very curious. Fellow Daoist, do you think this is the most critical moment?"
"Of course not," Jiang Hui answered without hesitation, as if she had expected him to ask this.
"But for the upper realm, the more complete the Cangwu Realm is, the greater the merit will be..."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "When the land is in ruins, if you make another move, we may not be able to pay you."
She came truly prepared, and she did not even deny that the Star Palace might suffer heavy losses in the future.
She is indeed frank enough to face the possible cruel truth. Sincerity is indeed the ultimate skill.
However, Qu Jianlei asked back, "Are you sure that the upper realm prefers the complete Cangwu realm?"
Jiang Hui's expression suddenly changed when she heard this, and her voice became colder, "What do you mean, Brother Qu?"
The Star Palace is named after the stars and has obtained official authorization from the upper realm to manage this realm. It will never tolerate others slandering the upper realm.
"It means exactly what it says," Qu Jianlei replied nonchalantly, "The appearance of this demon may just be a test for us."
"Or in other words, the elite warriors who can survive this disaster are what the upper realm needs!"
"That's too much!" Jiang Hui's face became even darker. "You are presumptuous in speculating on the intentions of the higher realm... You should be thankful that there are no outsiders here now."
"So what if there are outsiders?" Qu Jianlei smiled indifferently, not affected by her words at all.
"The upper world looks down on the lower world. They are so high up. If they really have mercy, they should have sent reinforcements long ago."
Jiang Hui stood there. This possibility had once occurred to her mind, but... she had abruptly extinguished it.
As the head of the Liyue Hall, he actually had such disrespectful thoughts. Is he still qualified to talk about rites and music?
But when she heard Master Qu Ling say this, for a moment, she was unable to refute it.
Even Yuan Yi Zhenxian was stunned when he heard this.
What’s interesting is that in Qu Jianlei’s perception, the shocked look of the deacon on duty should have been pretended.
This old guy understands everything. He is pretending to be stupid at this moment just because he doesn't want to get involved in this storm.
Master Jiang's assistant also kept silent - she was just an assistant, how could she steal the limelight from the main master?
But Zhiyuan Zhenxian couldn't stand it. He was also from the Star Palace. "Master Qu Ling, the sealing formation of Dongsheng... was built by the upper realm."
Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes at him and said, "The isolation formation was built by the Star Palace... How Zhongzhou looks at Dongsheng is how the upper realm looks at the lower realm."
"Strictly speaking, the latter may be more excessive... the lower realm is nothing more than a pawn."
Jiang Hui finally came back to her senses, "Then why do you still want to go to the upper realm?"
"I didn't say we have to go to the upper realm," Qu Jianlei spread his hands and said frankly, "We just want to leave our body."
Jiang Hui calmed down and waved his hand, "Okay, let's not talk about these irrelevant things. On behalf of the Palace Master, I ask you to make some conditions."
Qu Jianlei shook his head. "To be honest, I can't go for the time being."
"You state the conditions first," Jiang Hui stopped mentioning those minor details - she really didn't dare to mention them anymore, because they were scary and could scare people to death.
She stuck to the topic and said, "It will take time for us to bargain."
Qu Jianlei stretched out his hand and said, "Then let me show you the treasure list of your Xingchen Palace."
"Treasure list?" Jiang Hui was stunned. "What are you thinking about? When did the Star Palace become so humble..."
"Stop pretending, I know you have it," Qu Jianlei interrupted her directly.
"There is definitely a spy in the palace!" Jiang Hui raised her hand and angrily slammed a jade slip on the table, "We must investigate thoroughly when we get back!"
Seeing her angry expression, she doesn't look like the head of Liyue Hall at all - where's the politeness she promised?
"You're using too much force," Qu Jianlei raised his hand and took the jade slip, "I suggest you take a look at 'Self-cultivation of an Actor'."
As he spoke, he handed the jade slip to Qi Ya behind him, "Let everyone have a look."
Jiang Hui felt upset when she saw that the list she had applied for with great difficulty was to be viewed by everyone.
"Master Qu Ling, this information is in the Star Hall, and it is inaccessible to anyone below the Hall Master!"
As expected of the head of the Hall of Rites and Music, even though he was expressing warnings and dissatisfaction, his words did not cause anyone to feel disgusted.
Qu Jianlei replied nonchalantly, "You know, we don't have many people, and we are absolutely reliable."
What he said... Jiang Hui's mind raced. No matter how small your team is, there won't be any accidents, right?
Then, she guessed another possibility: Could it be that this team has not integrated into the local society at all?
In this case, the other party might really be from the outside world...
In about a minute, Qi Ya came back with the jade slip and placed it on the table.
Not everyone has finished reading it, but they have copied the relevant content.
"Then we will discuss it," Qu Jianlei looked at Jiang Hui and said calmly, "I will give you a reply as soon as possible."
"Your side should do it as soon as possible..." Hall Master Jiang couldn't help but complain. Jing Yuexin's words made me wait for more than a month.
But there was no need to bring this up again. "Can you give me a deadline?"
Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei could only reiterate, "In the short term, we cannot consider moving into Zhongzhou."
"Well," Hall Master Jiang could only make the next best thing, "Is it okay for you to send an elite team to Zhongzhou?"
This time when she came, she did not expect to be able to persuade the other party to move the mountain gate.
This is just the ultimate goal. If she, as the head of the Liyue Hall, can complete the task, it can be considered a pleasant surprise.
The second task is to strive to complete - to invite an elite team from Hongyeling to go to Zhongzhou to help kill the demon.
Because of the existence of the blocking formation, Hongye Ridge’s reputation in Zhongzhou is far less famous than Dongsheng, and its recognition is not very high.
Moreover, there are enough high-level cultivators in Zhongzhou, so they don’t really care about having a few more Nascent Soul helpers.
What the Star Palace values is their endless methods and their familiarity with the group of demons.
They invited people from Hongyeling to come and observe their fighting style and methods and learn something useful.
It would be even better if the other party is willing to teach some key points and methods.
Anyway, there is no need to rush this matter. As long as someone can go to Zhongzhou, we can find a way to deal with it slowly.
The Star Palace had never thought of using force. It was impossible to do so at this critical juncture. All they had to do was to cater to their needs - who doesn't have weaknesses?
"This is still impossible," Qu Jianlei replied solemnly, "We have explored the void before, but the prerequisite is that we have absolute control."
Jiang Hui also knew about this matter and could understand Hongyeling's concerns - no one wanted to be cannon fodder.
But can this be the same now? She could only say, "We will give you a high degree of autonomy."
"However, we must retain the relevant right to make recommendations and... the right to supervise."
When people arrive in Zhongzhou, it is up to the Star Palace to decide which problem should be solved first. The other party cannot be allowed to act as they please without supervision.
In short, it is impossible to reach an agreement on this matter, and Qu Jianlei does not want his family to be put under a magnifying glass.
In the end, they could only give away some laser weapons, but in this regard, Hongyeling was still very generous.
Even ten sets of regimental-level ship-borne laser cannons were allocated.
In Dongsheng, laser cannons of this level are not sold outside. Hongyeling "lent" three sets to the Cultivator Alliance in case of emergency.