Chapter 1178: Negotiation (1/2)
Chapter 1178: Negotiation
Meanwhile, the Hao branch strongly opposed the citadel lord’s proposal. They were quite adamant in this regard.
The Hao branch was a powerful family in the Heavenvine Citadel. They had an ancient and powerful bloodline, especially their main disciple, Hao Yuzhen. Hao Yuzhen had an old regal bloodline. Both their background and bloodline were extremely n.o.ble.
The reason was very simple. Hao Yuzhen and Teng Jiwen were evenly-matched and both were competing for the seat of the citadel lord.
At the same time, the current citadel lord and Teng Jiwen were from a different branch. Though this compet.i.tion between the two branches had yet to escalate to a life-and-death conflict, it had never ceased.
In particular, the rivalry between Hao Yuzhen and Teng Jiwen was quite fierce. The old regal bloodline of Hao Yuzhen made their cultivation quite strong. On the other hand, Teng Jiwen had his wooden eyes, so he was equally powerful. Both of them had the potential to become the new lord.
Thus, the Hao branch naturally wouldn’t agree with this matter. If Li Qiye could actually cure the ancestral vine, this would be a great merit for Teng Jiwen.
“He is only a charlatan of unknown origin, why should we trust his words?” An ancestor from the Hao branch was certain that Li Qiye was here for the calabash: “If our ancestral vine’s calamity was really as grave as he says, we would have felt it already. Even our forefathers don’t seem to think so. The calamity is clearly sealed, he is just trying to get attention.”
Many ancestors outside of the Hao branch agreed as well. After all, there were no negative signs coming from their ancestral vine.
If it was on the verge of collapse, the citadel would have felt it by now. There should at least be some ominous signs, but none could be found. This was indicative of the vine’s current status. Moreover, their seal was completely untouched as well.
“I don’t think so.” The citadel lord went against the crowd: “If Mister Li was a liar, he should know that there would be no place for him to stay at the Heaven Spirit World after tricking us. However, if he is confident enough in his own strength to deal with us, then does he need to lie in the first place?”
With that, he glanced at each ancestor and said: “Moreover, he knows more than even our imagination, secrets unknown to outsiders. How could a mere charlatan be privy to these things?”
The Hao Ancestor coldly retorted: “Some things will be found out if people try hard enough to learn about them. Plus, who dares to say with certainty that no one else has leaked the secret?”
The lord ignored him and focused on the other ancestors instead: “Let us take a step back and a.s.sume that Mister Li is simply exaggerating. Our ancestral vine was indeed inflicted by this calamity. Because of this, we have been trying to find treatments from one generation to another, yet we still haven’t found an alchemist capable of doing so. But now, Mister Li is confident in his ability to cure our ancestral vine — this is a once-in-myriad-generations opportunity for us.” [1. Once in a lifetime sounds so much better but it has been used recently. This phrase sounds silly in English, but it does elevate the scale and stay true to the raw]
The Hao Ancestor a.s.serted: “What if he is just bragging in order to scheme for the Heavenvine Calabash?”
The citadel lord looked at him and flatly said: “Gentlemen, all of our ancestors are here. Do you think a single junior can deceive all of us? If Mister Li is able to cure our ancestral vine, it will finally resolve this timeless agony. Even if he doesn’t, what do we have to lose? If we don’t even have the courage to try, we will never be able to cure our ancestral vine.”
These words were quite logical. The ancestors here took a gander at each other and thought that how could a junior possibly trick all of them?
“We can indeed let Mister Li try.” An ancient ancestor finally spoke: “It will be great if he can actually succeed, but he is asking for too much. You should know that the Heavenvine Calabash cannot be traded.”
“That’s right!” The Hao Ancestor immediately parroted: “Do you know what not having the calabash means for our citadel? We have too many ancestors relying on it to renew their lifespans!”
Many ancestors fell silent on this topic. At this moment, they had several heaven-defying ancestors that needed the calabash to prolong their lives. Without it, they would have fallen long ago. One could even say that without it, it would result in a huge loss for the citadel in the near future.
The citadel lord contemplated quietly for a second. In fact, he meticulously considered this problem before the meeting and had made up his mind.
He stood up to look at the ancestors and raised his voice: “Ancestors, apologies for the upcoming disrespectful words from this junior. Even though the calabash is very important to us, what is more important than the ancestral vine…”
“... Without the ancestral vine, the citadel will cease to exist. Upon its collapse, what will be left of this place? Only a few islands scattered about at sea! This alone cannot help us reach the pinnacle in the Heaven Spirit World! Without the ancestral vine, our children will have to leave their home! Please ask yourselves, is the calabash more important than the ancestral vine?!” He was very solemn in his speech.