Chapter 177 Performing On Stage (1/2)
The room was quiet. Monkey was very confident from start to finish. After he finished, Xiao Bing remained silent. He too did not speak. He was not nervous like a most advisors were.
After a two-minute silence, Xiao Bing smiled and said, ”I have to admit, just by your psychological quality alone, you've proven to be a very good lobbyist.”
Monkey said with a smile, ”You flatter me.”
”Lord Long has abilities like yours and Old Mr. Zhuge's and that makes him formidable enough.”
Monkey was happy in his heart. His expression remained unchanged as he said with a smile, ”If Master Long didn't have enough strength, and he’d never have swept away the two provinces in just a few years. You know that well.”
Xiao Bing smiled and said, ”But... I don't quite agree with what you have just said.”
”Oh?” Monkey was not anxious as he calmly asked, ”What do you think is wrong?”
”Actually, I have offended Master Hou and your Master Long almost at the same time, but in different ways. Although Peony Fairy, the North Heaven Queen, died, if I can bring Master Hou enough returns, a man as ruthless and ambitious as Master Hou would be too embarrassed and to take revenge on me afterwards. But the Long Family is different. Although the death of Long Yan's son had nothing to do with me, he is, after all, still his own flesh and blood. Blood is thicker than water. He must hate me in his heart and this hatred is never going to go away. Even if I helped the Long Family to destroy Master Hou, and Lord Long will not fight me, will Long Yan not fight me privately? They are brothers, and I am just an outsider. Don't you think?”
Monkey said, ”Lord Long has the final say in the Long Family.”
”Of course I know that Lord Long can control Long Yan's movements, but can he control the hatred in Long Yan's heart towards me?”
Monkey's heart gave a start. ”This Xiao Bing is amazing. He looked at the big picture.” He suddenly realized that he had underestimated Xiao Bing. Before he came, he'd already had his arguments prepared. Still, he also knew the flaws in his arguments. But most people would not immediately see it. As long as Xiao Bing was temporarily blinded and committed himself, his task was done, but...
”The power of Lord Long can suppress his younger brother Long Yan, but the hatred and anger in Long Yan's heart will not be extinguished. On the contrary, the more Lord Long suppressed him and forbade revenge, the greater the hatred will be and it will be difficult to control. The moment it gets out of control, the revenge will be even more frightening. When the day comes, will Lord Long kill his brother, or me, an outsider?”
Monkey frowned and said, ”All that is just your own imagination.”
”This is a fact.”
Monkey sighed. He thought that he would be successful this time. He didn't expect to be disputed by Xiao Bing till he was speechless. In the end, he still tried, ”Mr. Xiao, is there no room for maneuvering?”
Xiao Bing thought for a moment and shook his head. He said, ”There is none. I do have an idea in mind, but it will be useless even if I told you. Lord Long will not agree.”
Monkey asked, ”What is it?”
Xiao Bing said seriously, ”If Long Yan does not exist in this world, I naturally will have no worries.”
”Impossible.” Even the sophisticated Monkey couldn't help but become anxious. He stood up suddenly and said, ”Mr. Xiao, you don't have any intention to negotiate at all. How can my master agree to this condition?”
Xiao Bing said calmly, ”That's why I said Lord Long will not agree. Then there is no need to continue negotiating. You can go back and tell Lord Long that Xiao Bing does not want to get involved in such a conflict. But now, everything is no longer under my control. If Lord Long really intends to fight me, I have to be ready in Jiang City.”
Monkey looked gloomy and nodded. He said, ”I will go back and tell him.”
With that, he walked out of the room. Xiao Bing watched him disappear and heard the receding footsteps. He suddenly gave a mocking smile. Everything depended on Lord Long's reaction after this person went back. Xiao Bing suddenly came up with a few ideas.
After Monkey left, Xiao Bing immediately called Master Hou and told him about it. Even if he didn't tell him, it could not be hidden from Master Hou's spies, not to mention the people in the Northern Manor who were actually Master Hou's subordinates. As for this Monkey, both sides of the war zone would not harm the lobbyist, so he would naturally let him go back.
Very quickly, Xiao Bing put this matter aside. In Xiao Bing's view, even if the sky fell, there's someone tall to prop it up. In Jiang City, the tall person was obviously Master Hou, who would be at greatest risk if the Long Family wanted to occupy the underground world of Hei Province. Xiao Bing naturally would not be stupid enough to stand in front.
The current situation was very tricky. Master Hou's influence was unfathomable. Xiao Bing did not know how many trump cards Master Hou has up his sleeves. But one thing was certain, Master Hou could kill Xiao Bing with no difficulty. It was fortunate that Master Hou was now most afraid to offend Xiao Bing.
As for the Long Family, even if they hated Xiao Bing's guts, there was no way to bypass Master Hou if they wanted to destroy Xiao Bing. They had to deal with Master Hou first. So now, basically, Xiao Bing looks like the weakest party and it may even be impossible to place him on par with the other parties. However, no party could now get rid of Xiao Bing. The Long Family has power but there was nowhere to use it, and Master Hou did not dare get rid of him.