Chapter 636: Chapter Six Hundred and Thirty-Two: Responsibility
“Let’s not rush to talk about major issues, let’s first discuss the matter at hand!” From the crowd, a warrior holding a sword suddenly intervened, interrupting Tang Zuo’s speech and attracting everyone’s attention.
The warriors originally standing next to him suddenly dispersed, revealing an open space. The sword-bearing man stepped forward, nted the sword in the ground and held on to the hilt. He shouted towards Tang Zuo, “Last time Captain Tang said that inviting us to Cloud Dispatch Peak during the first month was to discuss important matters. Yet, we arrive to see the Tang family in Xiling defeated and surrounded. This seems far removed from discussing important matters, wouldn’t you agree?”
Most of the families gathered here weren’t too concerned with the ‘important matters’ to be discussed. Everyone was wondering if they could get a bit more food from the Tang n. However, upon arriving in Xiling and seeing the Tang n’s territory destroyed, they all knew that any hope of securing more food was lost.
The reason everyone still gathered here was twofold. Firstly, during the most severe floods, the Tang n showed favor to each n. Now that the Tang n is in trouble, most people are thinking of lending a hand, at least ensuring that Tang Zuo and his group could safely get away. This way, they would settle their debts of gratitude.
The second reason was their belief that even a thin camel is fatter than a horse. The wealth and prosperity of the Tang family in Xiling had beenuded in every major city along both banks of the Lingjiang for a thousand years. Given their close ties with the Xuanji Sect in Beimang, they were certain that even in defeat, the Tang n would not suffer too much loss of top-tier power.
With the foundation of the Tang n, they would surely rise again in the eastern part of Beimang. It was worth it to connect with them now for the potential benefits in the future.
Many of those who remained had lost hope of securing any food, so they felt somewhat disheartened. However, with Tang Zuo maintaining his unwaveringposure, he undoubtedly incited some people’s fury. The words of the sword-bearing man acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the meeting hall with leaders chattering away.
“Captain Tang, victories and defeats aremonce in military affairs. Why insist on enduring alone? We are here to support you. Let the Mi n open a path in the Auspicious Cloud Valley. Let the Tang n abandon the familynd and start afresh, and isn’t it great to live in harmony?”
“What’s this about holding the line? I came here for food, not to lend my fist to someone else. Damn it, I’m leaving!”
“Coward! Have you forgotten who gave you food to survive the winter when the Wang Family pushed you to the brink? Now that you see your benefactor in trouble, you not only forget to repay them but also make sarcastic remarks. I’m ashamed to be in yourpany!”<div>
While several local gentries from Shen Ping were arguing, a few others from Lanshan Cityughed and smirked. With the speech of the sword-bearing man, the entire meeting venue lost its original order.
After all, everyone here was a local tyrant, and even if they had fallen, their pride remained high. With the name of the Tang family in Xiling holding them back, they could still control their emotions and listen to Tang Zuo. But now with the Tang family showing defeat, the idea of dominance among these strong men didn’t weigh much on a Mortal Realm Tang Zuo.
Li Huangxuan and a group of old guys from Fuling Mountain stood in a corner of the hall, each one wearing a bitter smile upon seeing the chaotic meeting hall.
The seats in the meeting hall were arranged ording to the arrival time at Cloud Dispatch Peak. They arrivedst, so they could only stay at the back. Some of them weren’t happy with this arrangement. However, looking at the chaotic atmosphere, this unattended corner proved to be a good spot to slip away unnoticed.
“Leader Li, let’s leave. The Tang n is about to be defeated. There’s no point in us staying here.” The tall and thin Wu Guang sighed, “This time I have to bring home some Spiritual Food Beast Meat for Fuling Mountain. Otherwise, I’m too ashamed to face the n.”
It was his suggestion toe to Cloud Dispatch Peak together, but he didn’t expect to encounter such a situation. Wu Guang felt guilty and thought he had let them down. On the other hand, the middle-aged schr-like Liu Shutong was more open-minded andforted him, “Nothing is constant in life. Old Wu, you don’t have to take it to heart. But now the Tang n is in great trouble. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for us to go just like this…”
Before the winter, the four houses had almost exhausted their food reserves. At that time, they could fight and kill each other over a little fish. It was Tang Zuo who arrived on an ice boat to mediate, kill and drive away the strong from Fuling Mountain, providing them with a ce to live and winter food. It can be said that the Tang n had done a great favor to the several ns.
However, at that time, Tang Zuo was so strong that they chose to forget about this favor unconsciously. It felt like, since you are so powerful and have so much food, it was just a coincidence. You must have had an ulterior motive.
Everyone came to Cloud Dispatch Peak with a great deal of caution. But now, seeing the Tang n’snd destroyed, the forgotten feeling of gratitude surged up again. To abandon them like this would be like repaying kindness with enmity. Liu Shutong, full of schrly spirit, found it hard to decide.
“Head of the Liu Family, you shouldn’t let emotions rule!”
Hearing the hesitation in the middle-aged schr, the robust Zhou Shun red and quickly rebutted, “Indeed, the Tang n has been kind to us, but we are not returning kindness with hostility, but protecting ourselves. Look at the nearly three hundred strong warriors in the meeting hall. If Tang Zuo wants to stop the war and make peace, we are certainly willing to stand by him. However, he pretends to be calm and speaks obscurely about discussing important issues. This is clearly a n to drag us into the battlefield.”
“Old Zhou is right.” Strong man Li Huangxuan remained silent for a while then finally spoke up, “Xiling is the center of the battlefield in Longzhou. The longer we stay, the greater the risk of exposure. If the Mi n discovers us, even if we don’t want to fight, we will have to. It’s better to leave this ce of conflict as soon as possible. I heard that Red Cloud Mountain to the east of Xiling is a neutral ce and there has never been a starvation death. How about we go there and see if we can purchase some grain and fodder from the neutral families to meet the urgent needs of our n?”
“I agree with Leader Li’s view.” The strong Zhou Shun, after hearing Li Huangxuan’s words, quickly agreed and looked at Wu Guang.
Wu Guang, who already felt guilty, heard that there was still a way to find food and quickly agreed, “That sounds great.”
Among the four houses of Fuling Mountain, only Liu Shutong had not given his opinion. Li Huangxuan sighed, came forward, and patted the shoulder of the middle-aged schr, “Head of the Liu Family, I understand that you want to repay the kindness of the Tang n. But right now, the ones we should take care of are the people of Fuling Mountain. I promise you, as long as we find food and settle down our people, we wille back to Cloud Dispatch Peak with you and see how to return the favor to the Tang n.”
Repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. The world of warriors is simple butplicated. As a family head, one cannot make decisions based just on personal preferences.
Li Huangxuan had been dealing in Fuling City for more than twenty years, and he had never owed anything to anyone. Given his temperament, faced with such a great favor from the Tang n, he would definitely stay at Cloud Dispatch Peak to see if there was any chance to repay it.
However, besides being a warrior, he was also the head of the Li n of Fuling. He was not just living for himself; he had to struggle for the elderly and children of the family as well.
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