Chapter 901: Chapter 901 - 413: It’s Not That Simple (2)
According to his thinking, it was naturally better to run as far as possible. Who knows if that guy from the Hei Family could kill the [Spirit]. If not, and the Spirit catches up, then running farther would definitely be safer.
The team resumed marching, and finally, as the sky was getting dark, they spotted the ruins of an abandoned village.
Broken tiles and remnants were everywhere, with most of the houses missing roofs, some even collapsed completely. Only one decrepit temple still had a barely intact roof that could barely block the wind, standing in the center of the ruined village.
From afar, they could faintly see a bonfire already lit there, with a group of shadows standing.
No need to guess, it must be Zuo Caicai and her group.
"Youyou Village."
Fang Yu glanced at the half-buried stone monument on the ground and led the team into the village.
...
Inside the abandoned dilapidated temple.
Zuo Caicai, sitting cross-legged on the ground, slowly opened her eyes.
"Since you’re here, come in and have a seat."
Ling Huxiang stood respectfully at the temple entrance and bowed.
"Zuo Caicai, we’re only staying for one night, we’ll leave in the morning."
Behind Ling Huxiang, there was Fang Yu and the team he led.
Fang Yu secretly assessed Zuo Caicai’s strength.
[Zuo Caicai: 5508/6513.]
Only a bit over six thousand health, not too impressive!
Fang Yu muttered to himself, without realizing that his own physique would be just over four thousand health.
"Leaving in the morning? There’s no need for such lies. You followed the trail left by Lv’er all the way here because you wanted to seek alliance with us, didn’t you?"
Ling Huxiang gave an awkward smile.
"Lady Zuo Caicai, more people means more support. We’ve been fortunate enough to journey along the same path, why not act together for now?"
"Stop pretending, our goals are the same. And there are only a few artifacts. Letting competitors like you die in the wilderness is exactly what I should do, isn’t it?"
With that, Zuo Caicai slowly stood up, and the people around also unsheathed their swords in unison!
This action terrified the people behind Fang Yu, who quickly drew their swords too.
The sound of unsheathing swords rang out continuously, both sides forming a standoff across the temple door.
Just moments ago, Fang Yu thought Zuo Caicai wasn’t much, but now he was sweating bullets.
Ling Huxiang, on the other hand, remained composed, although his gaze frequently scanned toward Fang Yu, as if seeking assistance.
Fang Yu didn’t speak, but his gaze went to Hei Ao and Zuo Lv in Zuo Caicai’s group.
Hei Ao now had no capital to speak, being piled together with the Hei Family like a kidnapped puppet.
Meanwhile, Zuo Lv’s status had risen, accompanied by several experts with three to four thousand health protecting him.
Feeling Fang Yu’s gaze, Zuo Lv frowned and barely perceptibly shook his head at him.
What did that mean?
Should they not make a move? Or directly surrender?
Fang Yu’s mind raced to think of a strategy.
Originally, he thought Zuo Caicai had tacitly allowed Zuo Lv to leave markers, aiming for the two teams to unite and collaborate.
But now it seemed like they might have been lured into a trap for a bloody purge.
The outdoors wasn’t like in town; killing someone could easily be blamed on demons without much fuss.
Fang Yu calmed himself down, seeing that the situation was merely a standoff and not a fight, indicating there was still a chance.
Looking again at Zuo Caicai’s team, though each had decent health and were strong fighters, their health wasn’t full. It appeared they had undergone intense battles and suffered considerable damage while fleeing from the Great Demon.
Of course, this level of damage was still nothing compared to their small team. Just one Zuo Caicai was already too much for them.
So Zuo Caicai’s intention was...
A sudden realization struck Fang Yu’s mind. He raised his hand and suddenly pressed down Ling Huxiang’s hand holding the longsword, then stepped forward to stand at the forefront of the team.
"Lady Zuo Caicai, I think we can have a discussion."
Zuo Caicai was visibly taken aback.
"Oh? So the spokesperson of the team isn’t Ling Huxiang but you?"
Ling Huxiang had been a captain in the Foolish Underworld for several years, and was somewhat known outside.
As for Fang Yu, his rapid ascent as a captain barely made him noticeable to the big figures.
But it didn’t matter because Fang Yu had caught onto Zuo Caicai’s needs.
"Lady Zuo Caicai, if we clash directly, we’ll only increase our losses. With just one word from you, we can turn and leave. We can pretend we’ve never met and won’t follow you anymore. Instead, we’ll find another path forward."
"But if... Lady Zuo Caicai has other conditions for cooperation, feel free to lay them out, and we can have a conversation, right?"
Zuo Caicai frowned, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"Do you, or should I say you all, think you’re fit to negotiate terms with me?"
Before the Elders of the Hei Family, she was utterly powerless.
But against this bunch of riffraff, her reputation as Lady Cai wasn’t just because she was Madam Zuo.
"That’s not right. Everyone has their own value. I imagine Lady Zuo Caicai already has a valuation of the value we possess, right? Otherwise, why lure us here, why merely have a standoff instead of direct obliteration? I’ve long heard of Lady Zuo Caicai’s name; you could easily kill a novice like me."
Zuo Caicai laughed.
She laughed at Fang Yu’s arrogance and also at his wisdom.
She extended one finger.
"It’s simple. You want to join my team? You can. But there’s a condition: your team must handle the outer perimeter. If you encounter demons, your people must engage first. Accept this condition, and you can stay. Don’t accept it, and you can leave now!"