knife

Chapter 667 If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch the tiger’s cubs?

(My friend's mother passed away due to illness. I need to attend the funeral and keep vigil, so I will probably need to take a day off. Please forgive me!)
"Protector, are you sure you don't need me to accompany you?" At the crossroads, Jiang Chong said, "Linghu Ye is no saint. His invitation to meet you, Protector, is probably not just for a simple meeting and talk. I'm afraid that if things don't go well, they'll start fighting. After all, that's the simplest, most direct, and most effective method! If it were me, I would definitely try it!"

Xiao Zhongren nodded and said, "Your Highness, I also think that what Lord Jiang said makes sense. You have now gained the upper hand. The Central Plains are completely surrounded by the Guanwai, Shujun, and the eight towns of Jiangnan. Chu is in internal strife and cannot take care of itself. This is too dangerous for Linghu Ye. However, if you kill you, these three places will probably split immediately, and he will naturally be freed from this predicament! I think it would be more appropriate for Lord Jiang to accompany you!"

Li Dachui smiled and shook his head: "Jiang Gong is my biggest backup plan in the Great Chu. If he is exposed to Linghu Ye, he will lose his effectiveness. At that time, Jiang Gong will have no choice but to immediately move his family to the border. Neither Xiang Zhuang nor Na Wei will tolerate you anymore. The Jiang family is wealthy, but in terms of martial arts, apart from Jiang Gong, there is nothing else to boast about. This is probably why Jiang Gong has to jump around every time, right?"

Jiang Chong nodded somewhat helplessly.

The Jiang family of Jiangling was a leader in the silk industry. From mulberry planting and silkworm rearing to the final production of high-quality silk, they operated a complete industrial chain, from upstream to downstream. It was precisely because of this that they were able to control the silk market in the entire Chu Kingdom, along with the Xiang and Xiong families.

They have enough financial resources, but the Xiong and Xiang clans will naturally not tolerate the Jiang clan's continued development in terms of military force.

Fortunately, each generation of the Jiang family has produced outstanding individuals in terms of personal martial prowess, which has ensured that the Jiang family has been able to maintain its current influence.

Even so, the Jiang family could only rely on the powerful.

Money is nothing compared to power!

Jiang Chong's initial promise to Jiang Qian was a crucial step in his attempt to break free from the control of the Xiong and Xiang families. However, due to bad luck, he ultimately failed and had to return to his old ways. Now, he faces failure again.

Li Dachui's actions represent yet another attempt by Jiang Chong.

He hopes he can succeed this time.

"Has Liao Ran, that old bastard, and Hong Zhan, that scoundrel, already gone?" Jiang Chong suddenly remembered the two of them and then realized something.

He naturally didn't have a good impression of these two people. During the Battle of Red Cliffs, these two old geezers even abandoned all shame and hid in the army to ambush him.

If I had reacted even slightly slower at that moment, I would have surely perished in the river, and there would have been no future.

Even so, he was seriously injured.

It was only after obtaining a dose of Fu Qingzhu's medicine from Hu Tianying some time ago that he saw hope for a full recovery.

I'll keep this in mind; there'll be plenty of time to settle the score later.

While innate martial arts represent the pinnacle of martial prowess in the world, once injured, recovery is an extremely long process. Sometimes, it may never fully heal.

I still remember Kou Zhong, who was once known as a half-step divine traveler, was injured by He Qingqiu's Phoenix Fire and could only stay in the fifth underground level of the Black Ice Platform for the rest of his life, rarely coming out.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chong glanced at Li Dachui again.

He Qingqiu was his mother, and Kou Zhong ultimately died at the hands of Li Dachui.

Life is a circle; it goes around and around, and eventually returns to the starting point.

Upon hearing Jiang Chong's words, Li Dachui knew that the guy still harbored resentment. He couldn't help but find it amusing, realizing that the ambush of Jiang Chong was actually his doing.

Hong Zhan didn't care, but Liao Ran was extremely concerned about his reputation. In the end, Liao Ran only agreed to join forces with Hong Zhan to deal with Jiang Chong after Liao Ran promised that his Nine Palaces Sect on Qingcheng Mountain would become the legitimate successor.

Li Dachui's goal was to injure Jiang Chong and force him to retreat, thus facilitating his subsequent actions.

Otherwise, under those circumstances, it would have been impossible for Jiang Chong to escape unscathed. Although both were innate masters, Hong Zhan and Liao Ran were both more skilled and experienced in combat than Jiang Chong.

However, there was no need to discuss these matters with Jiang Chong.

"No!" Li Dachui shook his head and said, "Liaoran has gone back to Shu County to oversee things. Linghu Ye will definitely make moves in Shu County. Without top-tier martial arts forces to oversee things, I'm always a little uneasy. Hong Zhan is currently overseeing the eight towns in Jiangnan. Jiang Jiang's injuries haven't fully healed yet!"

"So, you really intend to go to the meeting alone this time?" Jiang Chong asked.

“If we don’t do this, we won’t be able to see how many cards Linghu Ye still has up his sleeve,” Li Dachui said. “If I go with my helpers, Linghu Ye won’t have this idea. I want to give him this opportunity to find out who else he has up his sleeve.”

Jiang Chong paused for a moment and said, "Protector, Linghu Ye now has the support of powerful clans. The North is more martial than the South. The Cui family of Boling now has two Xiantian masters, plus Cui Ming and his son Cui Shu, and Linghu Ye, that makes three. If there's another hidden trump card, that's four! Back then, Princess Qingqiu..."

When Jiang Chong brought up the past, he would stop halfway through his story, but Li Dachui understood what he meant. Back then, He Qingqiu was besieged and killed by four innate masters.

“Princess Qingqiu was in a dreamlike state back then!” Jiang Chong said.

Li Dachui shook his head: "When my mother was pregnant with me, she had already fallen from her cultivation level. After giving birth to me, she fought with Kou Zhong and the others. She didn't have the ability to travel in spirit. In fact, she was only at the peak of the Innate Realm, half a step into the Spirit Realm. It's just that she stayed at that level for a long time, so she was able to kill three and injure one in a four-on-one situation!"

Jiang Chong stared at Li Dachui without saying a word.

Li Dachui laughed loudly, "Don't worry, Lord Jiang, even if I can't win, I can still escape! When it comes to the ability to escape, probably no one in this world can compare to me! They have three Xiantian cultivators now, but if a fourth one comes out, I'll run away immediately!"

Jiang Chong was somewhat surprised and uncertain. He could tell that Li Dachui was beating around the bush and must have something else to rely on, but Jiang Chong couldn't figure out what Li Dachui was relying on.

Li Dachui entered the Innate Realm at most last year, which should be similar to the time difference between Linghu Ye and himself. It was much later than me. Even if he was exceptionally talented and even if he cultivated the Qi of Heaven and Earth, the years were still there. Even if he worked tirelessly, how much stronger could he become?
But since the other party was unwilling to talk about it, Jiang Chong naturally couldn't press them for details.

Li Dachui isn't the kind of person who's stubborn; if he's so confident, he must have his reasons.

"In that case, I'll take my leave!" Jiang Chong said, bowing slightly.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you outside the pass!" Li Dachui said with a smile.

He turned around and took a step, already several feet away. With another step, Xiao Zhongren could only see a blurry back, and then his vision blurred, and he could no longer see Jiang Chong's shadow.

"This is the power of the Innate Realm!" Xiao Zhongren was extremely envious. However, he was only at the peak of the Profound Origin Realm, not even at the ninth rank. The Innate Realm was far too far away for him.

“No need to envy him!” Li Dachui laughed. “Yesterday I helped you straighten out your seven meridians and eight channels, and I also healed most of the hidden injuries you had from your previous martial arts training. As long as you proceed step by step, you will reach the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan in the next two years.”

"I will forever remember the great kindness of the Protector-General!"

"You risk your life for me, so naturally I'll help you advance further. The stronger you become, the stronger I become, right?" Li Dachui laughed. "Don't kill those people from the Cui family. Keep them. We can use them to make some deals with Cui Cheng. Cui Cheng lost to his younger brother Cui Shu in the family struggle. This Cui Haogu is one of the few experts in the family who supports him. He definitely won't be willing to abandon this person!"

“Since you’re so reluctant to part with him, then I’ll have to squeeze some money out of him!” Xiao Zhongren laughed.

"That's only right!" Li Dachui said. "You should go back too. The days ahead will get better and better!"

Amidst laughter, Li Dachui turned and drifted away.

Watching Li Dachui, dressed in a blue robe, swagger into the enemy's lair with an air of nonchalance, Xiao Zhongren's eyes practically sparkled.

This is what a man should do!
(End of this chapter)