Chapter 703: Intimidation
Chapter 703: Intimidation
September 25, 2017
After a day's time, the Qin people once again arrived at the Yinhuai Confusion Array, Lu HaiKong's camp.
Compared to the previous visit, which was a grand procession of several thousand people, this time, only a dozen or so individuals had come, and among them, leading the way was Meng Chao.
When they arrived, Lu HaiKong was observing the condition of Li Xiong and the others. Li Xiong and his group were not lightly injured, but thanks to the healing provided by the medicinal pills brought by Lu HaiKong, their injuries had stabilized. Now, they just needed a few more days, and Lu HaiKong would be able to arrange for Li Xiong and the others to be sent back to the mountain fort.
This situation put Lu HaiKong in a good mood, so when Meng Chao and his group arrived, Lu HaiKong warmly welcomed them.
However, what Lu HaiKong didn't expect was that after Meng Chao and his group arrived, they would directly state the purpose of their visit—they wanted Lu HaiKong and his group to evacuate Fengling Valley!
Despite the Qin people's strict surveillance of Lu HaiKong's group, they knew that the group hadn't left their camp the night before, and the knights from last night were not their people; at least, they weren't from Lu HaiKong's Black Wind Legion.
But in the end, Meng Chao still decided to ask Lu HaiKong and his group to leave Fengling Valley. On the one hand, the two consecutive mysterious night raids had put the Qin people in Fengling Valley on edge. On the other hand, Meng Chao wanted to test Lu HaiKong.
Regarding Meng Chao's request, even though he had tried to be as polite as possible, Lu HaiKong's expression still revealed a hint of displeasure when he heard it.
However, at this moment, Lu HaiKong didn't lose his temper on the spot.
On the one hand, he still had his suspicions about this group of Qin people, and on the other hand, he had almost settled the matters in Fengling Valley. All that was left was to find Zhao Er and bring him back. So, even if the Black Wind Legion withdrew from Fengling Valley, it wouldn't be a problem.
Since he had already expressed his goodwill and made compromises, Lu HaiKong didn't mind compromising once again.
Therefore, Lu HaiKong generously agreed to leave the valley, but he requested a few days. On the one hand, he wanted to wait for Li Xiong and the others to recover, and on the other hand, he wanted to use this time to find Zhao Er.
This was already a significant concession from Lu HaiKong, but what he didn't expect was that after he expressed his willingness to leave, a middle-aged man named Meng Xiu, standing next to Meng Chao, immediately lost his temper.
"No way, absolutely not! You must leave Fengling Valley immediately!"
As soon as he spoke, Lu HaiKong's eyes narrowed, and the kindness on his face turned cold as he glared at Meng Chao. "Is this your intention?"
Before Meng Chao could respond, Meng Xiu spoke up, "This is the shared intention of all the Qin people in Fengling Valley. Regardless of whether that group of knights was yours or not, we Qin people in Fengling Valley do not welcome you Han people. This incident happened because of your arrival..."
Meng Xiu's words made Lu HaiKong's face grow darker by the moment, and just as it seemed he was about to explode, a furious shout interrupted Meng Xiu.
"Enough!"
Meng Chao's words made Meng Xiu stop, despite his reluctance. He still stood there, looking at Lu HaiKong with anger.
"I'm sorry. They were attacked in their village last night, so it's understandable that he's a bit emotional. Please forgive him, Lord Lu."
Lu HaiKong didn't respond to Meng Chao's explanation but continued to stare coldly at the group before him. The amiability and compromise that had been on his face moments ago were now gone.
Lu HaiKong had never been known for his good temper. He could compromise and yield, but that didn't mean others could trample all over him!
This group of Qin people seemed to have misunderstood Lu HaiKong's previous compromise as a sign of weakness, which was quite awkward. Lu HaiKong had to dispel this misconception, so he let his domineering aura surge forth without restraint.
Lu HaiKong was a battle-hardened veteran who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He commanded tens of thousands of elite troops and held the lives of millions of people in three provinces in his hands. When Lu HaiKong unleashed his domineering aura, even someone like Meng Chao broke into a cold sweat.
"It seems you still don't understand who you're dealing with. Who do you think I am? I command tens of thousands of elite soldiers and hold the power of life and death over millions. I could easily wipe out your entire Fengling Valley with a single word. My agreement to leave Fengling Valley isn't because I fear you but purely out of goodwill towards you."
"What do you take my goodwill for? Proof of weakness and vulnerability? That's quite embarrassing for me!"
"It seems I need to make you understand what you're doing right now. Don't trample on my goodwill, or my wrath will be something you cannot bear."
As Li HaiKong spoke, his aura reached its pinnacle, a terrifying force that seemed to crush the dozen or so Qin people. They all felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their chests, making it hard for them to even breathe.
Meng Xiu, who was at the forefront, was especially terrified, feeling as if he might be crushed into powder at any moment.
Fortunately, Li HaiKong's aura, after reaching its peak, subsided. He didn't want to completely turn against these Qin people, as it would make it more difficult for him to recruit them later. A lesson was enough.
Many of the Qin people were taken aback by Li HaiKong's sudden display of power, though not all. At least, from Meng Chao's expression, he seemed to have anticipated Li HaiKong's reaction.
Meng Chao had only wanted to test Li HaiKong, to see his response. And Li HaiKong's reaction confirmed Meng Chao's suspicions about his identity.
"Lord Li, please calm down. You've misunderstood. We didn't mean to offend you. It's just that we got carried away with our words and emotions," Meng Chao apologized again.
Meng Chao bowed to Li HaiKong, and Li HaiKong calmly accepted his apology.
After bowing, Meng Chao repeatedly apologized, trying to soothe Li HaiKong. As Meng Chao prepared to leave, Li HaiKong called out to him.
"Wait, don't leave yet. Hold on a moment!" Li HaiKong said, leaving Meng Chao confused about his intentions. Without explaining, Li HaiKong returned to his camp, gave a few instructions to Dian Wei, took his Savage Axe, and rode out on Xiao Luzi.
"Lord Li, what are you doing?" Meng Chao asked, puzzled.
"I'm going out with you. Later, you can arrange for someone to send me to where Zhao Nanli went. They'll stay here," Li HaiKong replied nonchalantly.
This statement startled the Qin people, and their faces changed. "You want to go there?"
"My men disappeared there. I need to check it out. Is there a problem?"
Of course, there was a problem!
The dozen or so Qin people thought to themselves. Wasn't Li HaiKong walking into a death trap? They wanted to advise him against it, but before they could, Meng Chao remembered the intelligence he had received not long ago.
Li HaiKong had single-handedly ventured into the Yinhuai Confusion Array, staying for three to four hours and rescuing four people. If he could move freely in and out of the array, it probably wasn't that dangerous for him.
However, Meng Chao still tried to dissuade Li HaiKong, explaining the dangers of the place.
Meng Chao knew his words would likely fall on deaf ears, but he had to try.
As expected, Meng Chao's advice had no effect on Li HaiKong. In this situation, Meng Chao didn't say more. After some thought, he couldn't refuse Li HaiKong.
Li HaiKong followed Meng Chao's men to Meng Qu's village. Along the way, the Qin people reacted to Li HaiKong's presence in various ways.
There was curiosity, fear, suspicion, and even some unexplained hatred.
As they observed Li HaiKong, he also paid attention to the Qin villages he passed, silently gathering information.
Although Li HaiKong only glanced at these villages, he sensed an undercurrent among the Qin people.
This situation made Li HaiKong frown, but he didn't delve deeper. He lacked the information, time, and opportunity to do so.
Throughout the journey, Meng Chao's men showed respect to Li HaiKong, but they were also wary of him. If Li HaiKong's gaze lingered on a Qin village for too long, they would subtly urge him to move on.
This level of caution prevented Li HaiKong from entering any Qin village. Before they reached the mysterious place, Meng Chao found a Qin man, a guide, to lead Li HaiKong there.
Surprisingly, the guide Meng Chao chose was none other than Meng Qu, whom Li HaiKong had defeated with his axe.
Meng Qu had volunteered to come, not sent by the others. He wanted to see the place where Zhao Nanli had gone, hoping to find some clues about the black cavalry they had been searching for the past two days.
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