Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 264 Words are vexing, pear blossoms turn white

After Chu Tianshu and his group entered the city, they were soon greeted by people who came to welcome them.

The leader, who called himself Liu Shulin, was a national policy advisor to the Presidential Office and held the rank of lieutenant general. There was also a large group of other people with various titles.

The group's vehicles led the way, turning several streets before arriving at the accommodations arranged by the Beijing authorities for the peace negotiation delegation.

This is a European-style manor.

The sculpted patterns on the large, gold-lacquered, openwork iron gate are all of children with long wings and griffins crouching with their heads bowed.

After entering, there is a long, square brick road with lush green grass on both sides.

At the end of the road is a fountain square, surrounded by several flower beds and a few pointed-roof buildings. The windows on each floor are made of tea-red glass, and the curtains are half-drawn.

There are only a few tall osmanthus trees in the flowerbed, and their shade covers the doorway when the sun is hottest in the afternoon.

The main building, though only three and a half stories high, was extremely luxurious, with various sculptures adorning its exterior.

Just looking at the first floor, it appears that in addition to the spacious living room, it can be divided into more than a dozen rooms horizontally.

After everyone got off the bus, they looked around the square for a while.

Sun Feng'an twitched his nose and chuckled, "What a magnificent house. What you see here is only a corner of this estate."

Chu Tianshu also smelled many kinds of floral fragrances. Although they were very faint, they were still very layered to the senses of a person with a keen sense of smell.

“There is a low hill on the north side of this manor, which is covered with many flowers and plants.”

Liu Shulin seemed to pay special attention to Chu Tianshu, and said with a smile, "This place is not entirely a European-style manor."

“Go west from here, and after passing through that grove of trees, you will see artificial hills and flowing water, dry sand and white stones, and not far ahead, there is an artificial lake.”

"The covered bridges meander across the lake, and the pavilions in the middle of the lake are serene. The building materials used are various fragrant woods, which have the effect of repelling insects and mosquitoes, making it a good place to escape the summer heat."

The eastern half is in a Western style, while the western half is in a traditional style.

Cai Shanjun smiled and said, "Back when I was staying in the capital, I came here a few times. At that time, this was one of the residences of the Yuan family's young master."

"Exactly."

Liu Shulin said, "Young Master Yuan was short of money, so he moved to Tianjin and sold off many of his properties in Beijing at low prices."

“This manor was taken over by Cao Cao with his help. Cao Cao saw that the manor was luxurious and did not want to stay there for long, so he decided to use it for public purposes.”

As they spoke, Liu Shulin invited everyone to the main building's living room.

The living room was spotless and luxuriously decorated.

Even when it wasn't lit, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling seemed to gleam.

The sound of everyone's footsteps echoed in the living room as they stomped on the polished floor.

On the table, which is more than ten meters long, the center is filled with all kinds of fresh flowers, while the surrounding area is filled with a dazzling array of drinks, pastries, nuts and fruits.

The living room had sets of hardwood tables and chairs on both sides, as well as genuine leather sofas, and waiters were already standing in the corners.

Liu Shulin said loudly, "Gentlemen, you have come from afar. Please rest for a while. I will accompany you for now. Lord Cao will come to meet with you soon. We will proceed with the specific negotiations step by step."

Since entering the city, Chu Tianshu hadn't said much, only looking around with great interest, gripping the handle with his right hand and carrying the large wooden box horizontally.

Everyone casually took their seats, and he walked over to a sofa and sat down, with the wooden box standing beside him.

The oranges on the table looked quite appealing; I wondered how they could have ripened so perfectly in this era and in this weather.

Chu Tianshu took one and slowly began to peel it.

He ate an orange and a glass of chilled plum juice, then leaned back as if dozing, with only his right hand resting on the wooden box, his fingertips tapping lightly.

The hushed conversations and whispers from all directions did not affect him at all.

People like Liu Shulin seemed to want to talk to him several times, but seeing his appearance, they had no choice but to give up.

Before we knew it, more than three hours had passed.

Outside, the bright red sun was almost reaching the top of the western mountain.

The faint sound of a car braking could be heard again outside the manor.

Cao Bokun walked in empty-handed, beaming, followed by men in suits and ties, as well as men in sharp military uniforms.

The long sword that he rarely parted with was now worn at the waist by a man in military uniform behind him, which did not seem so out of place.

"Brother Cai, Brother Liu, it's been so long, I miss you dearly!"

Cao Bokun shook hands with Liu Yanqi and Cai Shanjun, and then greeted Sun Feng'an.

“Feng’an, it’s been a long time since we last met. You’ve become more and more heroic. If Brother Sun knew in the afterlife that his child has grown up like this, he would be extremely gratified.”

Sun Feng'an chuckled softly: "If my father knew, he would definitely have seen how well Uncle Cao had taken care of my brother and me."

"Haha, it was my duty, I dare not take credit for it."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cao Bokun walked towards Chu Tianshu.

"Most of you are old acquaintances, but this Mr. Chu is someone I'm meeting for the first time."

Chu Tianshu stood up and shook hands with him, noticing a gaze fixed on him from the side.

"This must be Commander Cao Ying."

Chu Tianshu looked at Cao Ying and smiled, revealing his teeth, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

Cao Ying stared at him, gave a dry laugh, and didn't answer.

Liu Yanqi smiled to the side, then suddenly his right eyelid twitched and he looked at Guo Baozhi in the crowd.

Just then, Cao Bokun raised his hand, seemingly drawing the attention of most people around him to his arm.

"I think this house gets a bit stuffy when there are too many people inside!"

Cao Bokun raised his hand and pointed to the sunlight outside the window.

"Why don't we go to the west side of this garden and enjoy the scenery on the lake? We can also watch the sunset there."

Cai Shanjun readily agreed.

That small lake was no more than a hundred paces long.

However, there is actually more than one pavilion on the lake; there are three pavilions arranged in a triangular pattern.

One pavilion is located due west, and the other two are like the wings of the pavilion in the west.

Each pavilion is quite large, with red pillars, green tiles, and double eaves with upturned corners.

The upper part of the pavilion, when viewed from the outside, looks like a small tower, while the lower part has steep eaves and is adorned with large red lanterns.

The sun hadn't set yet, but the lanterns were already lit. They were inconspicuous in the sunlight, and only a few people could spot them.

The covered bridge is long and narrow, leading to these pavilions from all directions.

The group split into several groups, raising their voices slightly as they chatted as if they were having a great time.

Once they were seated in the pavilion to the west, the conversation inevitably turned to the main topic of peace talks.

Chu Tianshu and his three companions occupied the southeast sides of the pavilion.

The Cao brothers, Guo Baozhi, and Liu Shulin, are located on the northwest side.

The rest of the group sat in the other two pavilions or walked around in the open space between them, chatting idly.

Some of these people had swords at their waists, while others carried zithers in their hands.

Only Chu Tianshu carried the box himself, without needing anyone's help.

"...Brother Cai wants to exchange our opinions today so that we can start talking more formally when the talks begin."

On the way, Cao Bokun had already declined several times, but finally pondered and said, "Fine, I'll make my stance clear."

"Let's talk about Yuzhou first."

Cao Bokun pointed at Liu Shulin and asked, "Do any of you recognize him?"

Chu Tianshu chuckled and said, "This must be the younger brother of Liu Xueya, the commander of the Zhen Song Army."

Facing his brother's killer, Liu Shulin remained calm and composed: "It's an honor that Mr. Chu knows me too."

Liu Xueya had long been involved with bandits, while Liu Shulin had attended the Beiyang Military Academy.

After hearing that Liu Xueya had made a name for himself, Liu Shulin went to join him and served as a high-ranking general in the Zhen Song Army for a time. Later, in order to curry favor with the capital, Liu Shulin personally went to the capital to present gifts, and as a result, he was recruited by Cao Bokun and given the title of national policy advisor.

"Yuzhou, formerly known as Zhongyuan, is truly a wonderful place. If it is governed well, our national strength will increase considerably."

Cao Bokun said, “In the past, the east and west of Yuzhou were occupied by different military forces, and they could not reach a consensus, which was a great pity. Now, western Yuzhou is under Mr. Chu’s control, and we can also help out in eastern Yuzhou.”

"After Yuzhou is unified, it will be handed over to Liu Shulin. I believe that within three years, the region will be well-governed."

Chu Tianshu just smiled and didn't say anything.

"Liu Shulin, being in Yuzhou, had a foundation in governance and was more farsighted and strategic than his brother."

Cao Bokun continued, "Of course, we cannot disregard Mr. Chu's achievements. We would like to invite Mr. Chu to be the Supreme General, with the authority to inspect the nine provinces, supervise official conduct, and rectify social customs."

"Just like Bao Zheng, he will be remembered for all time."

Chu Tianshu confronted Cao Bokun and found that the man opposite him had no flaws in his expression or demeanor, as if he were truly sincere.

Even some of the people walking around the pavilions had strange expressions on their faces. Regardless of which side they were on, they all seemed to think that the offer was extremely generous.

Zhang Yi, who possessed the original text of Zhang Xiu, had worked so hard for so long, but all he wanted was to get the rank of major general.

Cao Bokun promised him the position of Supreme General who would inspect the nine provinces!
His brother, Cao Ying, is only at this level.

It certainly sounds incredibly impressive, far surpassing even Bao Zheng's titles.

But Chu Tianshu remained calm and unmoved.

Upon closer examination, this whole thing is utter nonsense.

With Chu Tianshu's strength, even without this title, he could still roam freely throughout the Nine Provinces.

Take Liu Xueya as another example. If he had this title, would Liu Xueya be willing to be killed if he wanted to kill her?

Therefore, adding this title is meaningless to the overall situation; on the contrary, it may create a lot of messy topics that people can exploit.

Seeing that Chu Tianshu remained unmoved, Cao Bokun felt a chill run down his spine.

How can someone so young be so indifferent to such a prestigious title?

Cao Bokun boasted that even if he were a few years younger, he would still be tempted by such a thing.

"Of course, this is just an opinion."

Cao Bokun turned to Sun Feng'an, "Furthermore, regarding Jiangdong, Feng'an, your younger brother is a genius in economic management."

“My fourth brother, Cao Rui, does business with foreigners from various countries in Shandong. Sometimes he feels helpless.”

"Please have your younger brother serve as a deputy governor in Qilu. This way, we can exchange resources and truly benefit the country, unleashing the full potential of Qilu and Jiangdong. What do you think?"

Sun Feng'an's heart stirred slightly.

Money, my brother, you really know how to make money, and you can certainly do a lot with money.

However… Sun Feng'an's gaze fell upon Chu Tianshu beside him.

Recalling the propaganda offensive launched by the Cao family, the Han government responded calmly, but some people in Jiangdong were clearly restless.

When my brother was doing those businesses, he said he firmly adhered to the bottom line, but whether he actually provided convenience to outsiders can be inferred from reality.

Sun Feng'an seemed about to say something but then stopped, and in the end just smiled and didn't respond.

Cao Bokun frowned slightly, secretly realizing that he had miscalculated.

Compared to the empty title he gave Chu Tianshu, he was truly prepared to make concessions in the terms he offered to Jiangdong.

As for Jiangdong itself, whether this will shake its foundation in the future is a matter for the future.

Sun Feng'an is strong-willed and arrogant. Having obtained the original text of Sun Ce, this will only amplify this flaw in his character. Even if he sees through the hidden dangers, he would most likely be willing to give it a try and be confident that he can cover the fallback. Why would he react like this?

Cao Ying looked at the two young men who didn't respond to her, her eyelids tightening and relaxing almost imperceptibly, her gaze fixed as if she were looking at the scenery outside.

However, his perspective still included Chu Tianshu.

A strong wind pushes the lake surface, causing ripples to spread like scales for a long time.

Chu Tianshu was like a stubborn rock stuck in this beautiful scenery.

And that wooden box.

I really wish I could swallow that wooden box whole.

Even Chu Tianshu couldn't immediately tell where Cao Ying's gaze was now focused.

Cao Bokun went on to mention several conditions regarding the exchange of prisoners.

"How about we exchange the people from the Han government and Jiangdong that we captured with the people you captured who hold official positions in the capital?"

Cao Bokun seemed exhausted. He sighed and said, "The previous conditions can all be put aside, but this one is a matter of goodwill from Heaven. Exchanging our comrades back together would be entirely beneficial."

Upon hearing this condition, Cai Shanjun, who had remained composed since taking his seat, finally showed a hint of interest.

"Where's the list?"

Liu Yanqi suddenly spoke.

As soon as he spoke, Cai Shanjun calmed down, as if he had also thought of something.

Liu Yanqi continued, "Of all our men you captured, how many are still alive?"

"Will the number of people alive now be the same as the list you provide after agreeing to this condition?"

Those who survive being captured, unless they are traitors, are mostly considered to be of great intelligence value, in other words, very talented.

The Cao family had already made plans for these people: to execute them immediately or hide them, and send the rest of the ordinary members back.

We can't just send all these talented people back, can we?

Cao Bokun was certain that Cai Shanjun would be tempted by the offer, but he couldn't predict how Liu Yanqi would choose.

"Of course Cao is sincere."

Cao Bokun said, "Even if some have already met with misfortune, don't you hope to see their remains return home?"

Liu Yanqi simply said, "Then let's each compile our lists and discuss this further with those lists in hand."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianshu couldn't help but turn his head to look at the shimmering water outside and let out a long sigh.

"They want me to hand over western Henan to the Zhen Song Army in exchange for a hollow title, and they demand that the high-ranking officials in Jiangdong go to Shandong alone to take up their posts..."

"They want to use the remains of the victims to threaten and allow a group of criminals to go unpunished..."

Chu Tianshu gagged, placed his hand on the wooden box on his right, and turned his head to say, "Sorry, I ate some sour oranges just now, and I feel a little nauseous."

Outside the pavilion, Cao's subordinates all showed expressions of anger.

Cao Bokun maintained his smile: "It's alright..."

Cao Ying suddenly stood up: "My son died tragically at your hands, but today, in order to make peace talks, I will make things clear and this matter can be wiped clean."

"If we can put aside this kind of hatred, can't we express our sincerity?"

Cao Ying took two steps forward, extended her hand, and said, "Come on, let's shake hands."

Cao Bokun had always been wary of his seventh brother losing his temper, but there was nothing he could do about it.

If he were to meet this group of people alone, and by any chance, they were to launch a joint attack, the situation would be quite dangerous.

While having my seventh brother and his group with me might make me uneasy on some fronts, it also provides a rare sense of security and trust.

Seeing that Cao Ying was able to suppress his temper and say these words, Cao Bokun couldn't help but relax a little.

"Shaking hands doesn't mean we've reached an agreement, but it at least shows a foundation of sincerity, and we can continue the discussion tomorrow."

Cao Ying was still speaking when her right hand, gloved in white, was already outstretched.

He was standing, while Chu Tianshu was sitting, so his hand appeared slightly higher.

Under the setting sun, the gloves appeared exceptionally white, almost shimmering.

When Chu Tianshu saw the hand, his eyes suddenly ached.

It's as if I was hurt by that "white"!
The fingertips of that hand suddenly tightened, and before anyone around could react, it stabbed towards Chu Tianshu.

(End of this chapter)