Chapter 408 - Terms (1/2)
Translator: StarReader
Editor: Elitecoder
On a bleak and lonely mountain laid a hidden courtyard. Leng Wuchang sat under a graceful pavilion in the backyard, free to sip at his wine in relaxation.
Whoosh!
A black figure popped out of the blue.
Facing the old frenemy, Zhuo Fan cupped his hands, “Ha-ha-ha, sorry, hounded by Gu Santong, only now did I manage to shake him off. “
“Ha-ha-ha, Gu Santong is all brawn, but it’s not easy getting away from him. I reckon Steward Zhuo is the only one in Tianyu who can do it. I’m impressed.” Leng Wuchang saluted back.
Zhuo Fan looked at the scene of paradise around him and sighed, “Such is Regent Estate. You are even hiding such a refined place on a lone mountain only ten miles from the imperial capital no one knows about. A true rarity.”
“Of course, with the imperial capital saturated in conflicts and people from all walks of life, intelligence is still of foremost importance. The Regent Estate wants the world and to do that it has built a secret network. And Steward Zhuo can relax. Not even the emperor’s spies can reach us here. We can talk at leisure.”
Zhuo Fan nodded, getting down to business, “Sir Leng, thank you for your assistance. I presume you have my clan in custody. Where, may I ask, are they now?”
Zhuo Fan faked curiosity by looking around, “How come I don’t see them?”
Leng Wuchang’s eyes flashed, “Steward Zhuo, you came to me for help to get the Luo clan in Regent Estate’s hands by all means and I’ve done it. That won’t make me your enemy, will it?”
“Of course not.”
Zhuo Fan said, “I told you. Help me in this and you’ll be on my side.”
“But wasn’t it something more afterwards?”
Leng Wuchang smiled, “I help you with this but I am still Regent Estate’s steward, working out in Regent Estate’s best interests. So even if you don’t take me for an enemy, Steward Zhuo, I can’t help but do it to you!”
Raising an eyebrow, Zhuo Fan nodded, “Quite right. Then, Sir Leng, are you going to do it like the imperial family, and use the Luo clan as a hostage to deal with me?”
“Would I? I know Steward Zhuo’s style all too well. The lesson at the Esoteric Debate was more than enough for me, thank you. With our strength, being testy with someone of Steward Zhuo’s caliber would be ill-advised. It would only make the imperial family happy watching both of us suffer, doing all the work for them. How could I do something so monumentally idiotic?”
“Then…” Zhuo Fan said.
“Bargain!”
Leng Wuchang was blunt, “Steward Zhuo wanted me to have the Luo clan thinking it would be far easier to rescue them from the Regent Estate than from the imperial family. The reality is indeed so. We would’ve never touched such a hot commodity in our lives, even more so keeping them perfectly safe to present them to Steward Zhuo. But giving them just like that is bad for business. I ask that Steward Zhuo give us something in return.”
Zhuo Fan searched himself puzzled, then spun around, “Take your pick? Be it integrity, conscience, or even chastity, you can take anything.”
“Did you even have them to begin with?” Rolling his eyes, Leng Wuchang chuckled.
Zhuo Fan’s brow rose in rebuttal, “Who says I don’t? I can vouch for my chastity that I have kept safe for dozens of years.”
Leng Wuchang turned serious, “Steward Zhuo, please don’t crack jokes. You only need to give us what we want and Luo clan will be safely returned. If you don’t, I guess we’re at an impasse. Your people can be anywhere by now too. And we will just have to fight one another, waiting for the imperial family to swoop in, ending with both of us dying.”
“Do I even have something so important on me?” Zhuo Fan frowned.
He got it from Leng Wuchang that this item was crucial to them, willing to get it even if it meant falling in a trap. It was either get it or die trying.
But what could he have that was of such value?
Leng Wuchang stared as he emphasized each word, “Bodhi Root!”