Chapter 661: Verbal Extortion (1/2)

Chapter 661: Verbal Extortion

At this moment, the scene was so silent that one could even hear the drop of a needle. There was only a gentle breeze blowing by the imperial palace. In fact, even Madam Zi Yan next to Li Qiye and the eighteen monarchs behind him took deep breaths out of worry for him.

This was a Virtuous Paragon! Anyone who was glared at by one would be nervous and feel uneasy; they would no longer dare to act so bold.

And yet, Li Qiye was still unperturbed while seated in his chair. He was not even sitting straight, he was partially lying down, completely relaxed while waiting for the ancestor to say his piece.

The ancestor looked at Li Qiye for a while and only had one thought — if this brat ahead was not insane, then he was an idiot. However, since Li Qiye didn’t look like an idiot, he had to be crazy then!

When everyone thought that the Huangfu Ancestor would angrily take action against Li Qiye, against their expectations, the ancestor slowly spoke: “It is fine if the Giant Bamboo Country do not want war, but your country sneak-attacked our Hao’er. Harming our descendant is a heinous crime! Our Hao’er’s injury is grave, and outside of supreme medicines, nothing can cure him. This is an unbelievable loss that must be paid by your country!”

Li Qiye smiled and asked after hearing the ancestor: “Oh? What kind of compensation do you want for your Huangfu Clan’s loss?”

The eighteen monarchs heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Li Qiye. They all assumed that Li Qiye was prepared to negotiate with the Huangfu Clan instead of his previous declaration of murdering all of them. Now, with the new development, the monarchs felt that there were still room for reconciliation between the two sides.

Upon hearing this, many people felt that Li Qiye was acquiescing to the Huangfu Clan. Some of them shook their heads after recalling his initially arrogant attitude. It looks like it wouldn’t last till the very end as he had to eventually accept his defeat.

Meanwhile, the Qing Clan Master only sneered while his head was full of expectations. He understood that with the appearance of the Huangfu Ancestor, the Giant Bamboo Country had no choice but to accept defeat. This was a resounding success for their clan as well.

In the courtyard, only Madam Zi Yan slightly shook her head since she knew very clearly that there was no way Li Qiye would accept defeat.

At this time, the Huangfu Ancestor coldly said: “It’s simple. Your Giant Bamboo Country has to give up the eight western grand prefectures to my Huangfu Clan. That will be your compensation for our losses.”

The moment this demand came out, the eighteen monarchs’ expressions quickly soured. This initial demand already brought up the ownership of land, and it was eight big prefectures at that. This was more than just extortion, it was basically wanting to take the entire country!

They shuddered inside at this time since they realized that their reignited hope was only grasping at straws. The Huangfu Clan had never considered resolving this peacefully or letting go of their previous animosity!

In the distance, the expressions of many cultivators, including even great characters, changed after hearing this. Some of them already knew that there wouldn’t be a peaceful resolution, but they didn’t think that the Huangfu Clan would ask for so much.

“Oh, so you want eight grand prefectures. Very well, I have heard your condition.” Li Qiye slightly nodded his head, then he turned towards the Qing Clan’s group and asked: “What is your condition regarding your dead son?”

The crowd was stirred the moment Li Qiye spoke. Even the monarchs standing behind him were startled. Some of them were even angry since they thought that Li Qiye was accepting the Huangfu Ancestor’s demand. In their minds, their Giant Bamboo Country would never yield to such a humiliating demand.

One Demon Monarch could no longer bear it and was going to step out, but Madam Zi Yan gently waved her sleeve, telling him to calm down.

“This, this is too much.” A cultivator standing in the distance couldn’t help but say: “Where did the Giant Bamboo Country find this weak and incompetent person? They even left him in charge…!”

A rowdy furor appeared among the crowd. Some were even enraged because the majority of the cultivators were still very loyal. Now, when Li Qiye seemed to be agreeing to the Huangfu Clan’s condition, some of the cultivators here couldn’t bear this shame.

In fact, even people from the Qing Clan and Huangfu Clan along with the supporting lineages were caught off guard. This negotiation was a bit too easy.

The Qing Clan Master stumbled a bit after being asked by Li Qiye. He felt a bit dazed because this came too easily. He calmed down and took a deep breath before speaking: “You tricked my son, so this crime is unforgivable. However, Her Majesty even gave you protection — this is not only abusing her power for personal gains in an arbitrary and prejudicial manner against the Giant Bamboo Country’s reputation, it is also breaking the tradition of having wise rulers until now…”