My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

He could completely disregard the former; a mere slave was not worthy of his keeping his promise.

But he had to comply with the latter because the two were in the same circle of nobles.

It's not that you can't lie, you could even say all's fair in war, but reputation is a consumable.

Unless absolutely necessary, I will try my best to fulfill any promises I make.

Otherwise, he will lose all credibility in this circle.

Reputation is the foundation of one's existence.

You can regain your lost face.

If you lose a point, you can take it back.

Once credibility is lost, it is often very difficult to regain.

Even if Lü Xiang were to renege on his promise, the worst that could happen is that Wei Qing would be arrested.

Wei Qing only kidnapped him, he didn't actually kill him, so there will be disputes about how to deal with him afterwards.

But it was a foregone conclusion that Lü Xiang's reputation would be ruined, and this deal would be a complete loss.

Despite his surprise, Liu Yangxin said to Wei Qing with great joy, "Alright, Zhongqing, release Lü Xiang. He won't go back on his word."

Upon hearing Liu Yangxin's words, Wei Qing hesitated. He said tentatively, "But... Your Highness, I still feel that this kind of person cannot be trusted. How about I kill him and then escape to the Imperial Academy? I'm really confident, you can completely trust me."

Chapter 49: That Old Schemer

Lu Xiang was on the verge of a breakdown, wondering how he had ended up with this guy.

Liu Yangxin, standing beside him, also looked helpless. She said with a wry smile, "Don't worry, since Lü Xiang has agreed, if he dares to go back on his word, he can forget about staying in Chang'an City."

Wei Qing frowned, then looked at Steward Zhou and said, "Steward, is there a place here to talk? I'd like to speak with General Lü alone."

Seeing that Wei Qing was willing to talk, Manager Zhou nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, yes, there are some all around the top floor."

Aside from the central area used for selling weapons, the four attics on the top floor were all places for chatting and resting.

Wei Qing, holding Lü Xiang hostage, said to Liu Yangxin, "Your Highness, please wait here for a while. I'll go talk to General Lü. I'm quite skilled at negotiating."

Yes, yes, you're quite good at making bets.

Everyone was speechless; they all guessed how Wei Qing had negotiated.

With a tongue as big as a sandbag, even Su Qin and Zhang Yi would have to kneel down.

But it's a good thing that they're willing to sit down and talk.

As long as no one dies, the Hundred Weapons Pavilion won't be implicated, and the others won't be targeted by the Lü family.

The private rooms at Baibingge are indeed nice, quiet and elegant. If you open the windows, you can hear the hustle and bustle outside, adding a touch of liveliness.

After closing the door, Wei Qing immediately shouted twice towards the outside, trying to see if the person outside could hear him.

Once he was sure no one was coming in, he casually tossed Lü Xiang aside.

"Don't overthink it. Since I dared to let you go, I have the ability to kill you. You may be stronger than me in terms of strength, but if we fight, you will definitely die before me."

"My reputation is not that cheap."

Lu Xiang now realized that Wei Qing wasn't really going to fight to the death. The reason he rejected Liu Yangxin's proposal was just to intimidate him and gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.

What terms do you want to discuss?

Wei Qing walked to the window, opened it, looked down at the endless stream of people, and asked, "If I ask you to give me money, will you?"

Without a second thought, Lü Xiang agreed: "Here you go! How much do you want? I'll bring it to you right away!"

Wei Qing turned to look at Lü Xiang and smiled: "So you didn't have good intentions. If I didn't ask for anything, at most there would be conflicts between us. But if I took the money, it would be kidnapping and extortion. You can openly retaliate against me, right? I'm not stupid."

Lü Xiang: "..."

You're not stupid, you're incredibly shrewd!

Wei Qing then added, "I really need money, but I won't do it this way. You're not a barbarian Xiongnu, how about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal? Tell me about it."

Lü Xiang simply found a chair and sat down, intending to enjoy Wei Qing's performance.

Wei Qing said, "If I kidnap you today, your reputation will be severely damaged. I can help you solve this problem in return. You help me deal with three Xiongnu barbarians."

Lü Xiang was no ignorant fool. When he heard Wei Qing mention three Xiongnu barbarians, he immediately thought of the three Xiongnu barbarians who had reported Wei Qing.

He frowned and said, "Are you talking about those three people on the top floor?"

"It was them who made you lose face, not me, wasn't it?"

Wei Qing leaned back on the windowsill, a confident and nonchalant air about him that contradicted his previous demeanor. He continued to urge, "If they hadn't wanted to use you as weapons, you wouldn't have come looking for trouble with me. Am I wrong?"

"Although they come from a small tribe, they are still princes and princesses of the tribe. To deal with them, you need at least a good reason."

Wei Qing waved his hand and chuckled, "That's your business. There are plenty of ways to frame someone, fabricate charges, and spread lies. Don't tell me you don't even know that. Besides, they did use you. What, the descendants of the Lü family were used by the Xiongnu barbarians, and you didn't dare to utter a word? It's not like you're asking me to kill them right now."

"You're really vengeful. I kind of regret offending you."

“I’m not that petty, except when it comes to the Xiongnu barbarians.”

"I believe you. You said you'd help me regain my dignity. How will you do that?"

"you guess?"

"You wouldn't expect me to humiliate you in public, would you?"

Am I really that cheap?

"No."

Lu Xiang shook his head honestly and said, "I truly believe you when you say you're not so petty, but you're not one to suffer a loss."

Wei Qing nodded thoughtfully, it was unclear whether he agreed with or disagreed with Lü Xiang's statement.

He paused for a moment and then said, "The Han Army Corps, I built it."

"Han Army...what Han Army..."

Lu Xiang stopped mid-sentence.

Because he immediately thought of a Han army regiment, the Han army regiment that was currently causing a great stir within the Imperial Academy.

Lü Xiang was in his thirties, which was actually quite young for the nobles.

Normally, people enter the Imperial Academy at the age of fifteen or sixteen. If they are of noble birth or willing to spend money, they will basically have to stay in the Imperial Academy for twelve years. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it takes about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years to graduate smoothly from the Imperial Academy.

Thirty years old is often the age when one has just graduated from the Imperial Academy.

Many noblemen in their thirties often had not yet settled down and started a family.

Lu Xianggang graduated from the Imperial Academy a little over a year ago and still maintains close ties with it.

He usually gets the news very quickly if there's any wind blowing or movement over there.

A Han army group suddenly appeared in the martial arts world a while ago, causing quite a stir. Even many students who graduated from the Imperial Academy in Chang'an City heard the news.

Lü Xiang was no exception. He stared at Wei Qing with wide eyes in disbelief and said, "You don't mean to say that you created the Han Army in the Martial Arts World?"

Wei Qing laughed: "Otherwise what? In reality, if I could create a Han army, would you even have the chance to arrest me?"

"But...but...but where did you get so many people?"

Lu Xiang's first reaction was not to question, but to wonder: even if you are highly skilled and daring enough to create the Han Army, you still need manpower, right?

I can't... I can't be alone...

Wei Qing calmly said, "Currently, I am the only one in the Han Army."

"Then how did you defeat the Ninth Army of Chu...? You...can you really summon the soul of the army?"

Lü Xiang finally understood. No wonder... no wonder the founder of the Han Legion had been hesitant to accept challenges from other legions.

The fundamental reason is that the founder was not a student of the Imperial Academy, and naturally, unlike those students there, they could not come into contact with "martial arts practice" every day.

No wonder, when he asked the nobles who had gone to the Marquis of Ruyin's residence with Wei Qing that day to inquire about the situation, they all knew nothing, and when he asked again, the Marquis of Ruyin said that he should not say anything.

No wonder the Ninth Legion of the Chu Army said that this newly emerged Han Legion was by no means a coward, because the Han Legion could truly summon the spirit of the army.

No wonder Wei Qing drew his sword at the slightest disagreement; he had a trump card up his sleeve.

Based solely on his ability to summon military spirit, even if he were to kill himself, there would certainly be forces trying to protect him.

This guy is a real schemer!

Chapter 50: Exorbitant Demands

In fact, we should have realized this long ago. The day the Han army appeared was the same day that Wei Qing went to the Marquis of Ruyin's residence to ask Xiahou Ci for a letter of recommendation.

In the entire Chang'an royal city, there are only fifteen martial arts competitions in total. Excluding the Imperial Academy, the Lü family, and the imperial palace, only the Liu family and the two mansions of Marquis Jiang and Marquis Ruyin remain.

The "martial arts demonstration" of the Marquis of Jiang's mansion would almost never be used. If it were the Liu family, even if they dared to create a Han army, they would definitely admit it with a clear conscience. Otherwise, their reputation would plummet after it was exposed.

Therefore, the most likely location is the Marquis of Ruyin's residence. In addition, the events that happened at the Marquis of Ruyin's residence that day were ordered by Marquis Xiahou Ying to be kept secret, so it is not difficult to deduce.

Even if you can't deduce it, you should at least be able to guess that this is a possibility.

However, from beginning to end, not only the Lü family, but also the Liu family and the Imperial Academy, no one would have associated it with Wei Qing.

The reason is so simple it's not worth mentioning: what makes a mere slave dare to create the Han army, and what makes him capable of defeating the Chu army's Ninth Elite Legion?

Military spirit?

Just kidding. Don't even mention that they wouldn't think of it that way. Even if someone told them that Wei Qing could summon the soul of the army, these people would definitely swear: A slave, a slave who has never truly stepped onto the battlefield, can summon the soul of the army?! If he can summon the soul of the army, I'll eat this training exercise right here and now!

To put it bluntly, it was contempt. Lü Xiang himself never expected that Wei Qing would dare to attack him in public without a word.

Lu Xiang stared at Wei Qing, then suddenly stood up and said, "Come to the Lu family. Money, status, women, weapons, mounts, mechanical beasts—whatever you want, the Lu family can provide! I guarantee that the conditions offered by the Lu family will be three times that of the Liu family!"

Wei Qing, you should know that Liu Yangxin does not represent the Liu family. Just because Liu Yangxin respects you does not mean that the Liu family will treat you like a treasure.

"You were born a slave, while the Liu family was the most noble imperial family of the Han Dynasty. Deep down, they would never respect you."