nycdaug Chapter 130 Situation and Cooperation
Chapter 130 Situation and Cooperation
In the car, Xu Qingming remained silent, and Li Chenglong, of course, said nothing more. Xu Hu, however, drove to the back gate of the Xu family compound. Li Chenglong frowned: "Didn't you say we were just having a meal together? Why did we end up here?" Xu Qingming got out of the car and said, "Since we're having a meal, we need to find a safe and quiet place. And in Xuzhou City, this is undoubtedly the safest and quietest place." Li Chenglong got out of the car and saw that although it was just the Xu family's backyard, it was magnificent, just like a prince's mansion in a TV drama. Seeing Li Chenglong's puzzled expression, Xu Hu smiled and said, "Brother, you probably don't know this, but the Xu family is a very ancient and prestigious family, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. This house was also left by our ancestors."
Li Chenglong nodded, then looked around. Although this place was close to the center of Xuzhou City, there were no tall buildings around, and a park not far away, making it seem very peaceful. He then looked at the back gate, where two guards stood on each side, both level 3 ability users. Xu Qingming smiled and said, "Brother Li, let's go in. I've already had food prepared. Let's have a good chat." Li Chenglong thought that since he was already here, he might as well see what Xu Qingming wanted to do first, so he followed Xu Qingming inside.
The Xu family mansion was very deep inside. Although they entered through the back gate, it still took several minutes to reach their destination. Along the way, Xu Qingming introduced Li Chenglong to some ancient buildings and exotic plants, which surprised Li Chenglong, making him realize just how wealthy the Xu family must be. As soon as he entered, he saw a large spread of food on the octagonal table, with cold dishes, hot dishes, and various fruits. Behind a screen, a woman was playing the guzheng. Xu Qingming gestured for Li Chenglong to sit down, clapped his hands, and the servants on either side withdrew. The last person even closed the door behind him. The large room now contained only Li Chenglong, Xu Qingming, Xu Hu, and the guzheng-playing woman.
Li Chenglong spoke first: "I can't accept something for nothing. Before we eat, I hope you can explain why you're here. Besides, I'm just an ordinary level four strength-type ability user. I don't know how I can help you. Your Xu family has so many level six and five users; you don't need another level four ability user like me." Xu Qingming poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp: "Brother Li, you're so straightforward. Alright, if you're straightforward, I'll be straightforward too. Let's speak frankly. The reason I invited you here is to have you join us and help our Xu family overcome our current difficulties."
Seeing Li Chenglong's puzzled expression, Xu Hu spoke up: "Brother Li Long, you may not know this, but although the Chinese Federation, which comprises Xuzhou City and Suqian City, is nominally governed by the five major families, in reality, due to differences in strength, it is currently mainly controlled by the Nie and Lei families. The Chen family is neutral, and our Xu and Wei families have been squeezed out. Last month, after the giant beast attacked, the Nie and Lei families, as the strongest families, didn't stand on the front line. Instead, they left our Xu and Wei families to fight the giant beast alone for five hours before they arrived. In the end, the Xu family sacrificed one level 6 ability user and two level 5 users, and the Wei family fared even worse, with one level 6 and four level 5 users all killed in battle."
Li Chenglong feigned sudden realization: "So that's how it is. They're using alien beasts to eliminate dissidents." Xu Qingming continued, "Not only that, originally, 40% of the various revenues allocated to Xuzhou City went to our Xu family. Later, the Nie and Lei families reduced our share to 30% because they claimed we didn't have enough high-level ability users. Recently, they learned that there are three relatively small bases in Donghai Province to the north, and they proposed to conquer them. A few days ago, when my father and I went to Suqian City for a meeting, they again designated our Xu and Wei families as vanguards, ordering us to conquer the nearest Huaxing base once we were ready. Although we strongly opposed it, they passed the resolution by majority vote."
Li Chenglong nodded, "I understand, but what you're saying doesn't seem to concern me much. If you want to increase your combat power, you need at least level 5, while I'm only level 4." Xu Hu smiled and said, "Brother Li, don't be modest. Doesn't our battle on the arena this afternoon prove anything? You might not know, but my young master is a different kind of Awakened from us other Ability Users. Moreover, he's an Awakened focused on perception, so you shouldn't hide your level anymore." Li Chenglong "suddenly realized," "Oh, I see. I've really been showing off my limited skills, hahaha. That's right, I am indeed a level 5 Ability User, and I'm almost at level 6, so it was relatively easy for me against Xu Hu on the arena today." Xu Hu nodded, "No wonder, I knew it. There's no way a battle-hardened level 5 like me couldn't defeat a level 4."
Xu Qingming stroked his chin, somewhat displeased, and said, "Brother Li, I consider you a friend and have told you so many secrets of the upper echelons, yet you still can't be honest with me?" Li Chenglong sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll tell you the truth now. I am a level 6 ability user, and I possess both speed and strength abilities." After saying this, he revealed his imposing aura, and Xu Qingming nodded, saying, "As long as Brother Li can help my Xu family, my Xu family will definitely treat you as a VIP with the highest honors. We will provide you with plenty of crystals and daily necessities. Even those ordinary people you brought, we can give them official positions and guarantee them a life of plenty."
Li Chenglong shook his head: "I want to hear your true feelings first, and then we can talk about cooperation." Xu Qingming and Xu Hu exchanged a glance, and then Xu Qingming said: "My father has already discussed with the head of the Wei family that we will win over the Chen family and launch an attack at the conference a week from now to overthrow the rule of the Nie and Lei families. Although the Nie family has two level 7s, one is relatively weak and the other has only recently been upgraded. If we gather the ability users from our three families and launch a sudden attack, we might have a chance of winning. Originally, we didn't have much confidence, but now that we have you, Brother Li, at level 6, we have at least more level 6 ability users than them. And to be honest, Brother Li, I'm already level 6 too." Xu Hu was a little surprised: "Young Master, you're already level 6? I didn't even know." Xu Qingming smiled and said: "To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your own people. Only my father and second uncle know about this."
Li Chenglong waved his hand: "This plan is good, but the most crucial point is how you will win over the Chen family." Xu Qingming thought for a moment: "My father and the head of the Wei family plan to overthrow the Nie and Lei families, and then the three families will jointly govern these two cities. In the future, Suqian will be jointly governed by the Wei and Chen families, and Xuzhou City will be governed by our Xu family. However, we will give 20% of Xuzhou's monthly income to the two families. This condition is already quite generous. The Chen family sent someone over yesterday, saying that they are initially willing to join us. After we completely take control of these two places, we will not advance north, but south. There are several cities in the east and south of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. With these places, it is more than enough for our development."
After thinking for a moment, Li Chenglong said, "Alright, I'm willing to cooperate with you." Xu Qingming was overjoyed upon hearing this, "That's wonderful! I'll send someone to bring your friends to our house in a bit. Brother Li, please rest here tonight." Li Chenglong directly refused, "The city is rife with various factions, and there are bound to be spies from other families. It's better if we don't get too close yet. Now that we've finished eating, I'll be leaving." Xu Qingming thought about it and agreed. He then clapped his hands twice, and a beautiful woman who looked to be about twenty-one or twenty-two years old emerged from behind the screen and slowly walked up to Li Chenglong. Xu Qingming said, "Brother Li, this is Jin Linwei, our Chen family's guzheng teacher. Don't let her young age fool you; she's won several international and domestic awards. What's even more remarkable is that she's also a level two water-based ability user. I'm entrusting her to you."
Li Chenglong frowned, then smiled and said, "What do you mean by this? Are you keeping an eye on me?" Xu Qingming quickly replied, "No, not at all. I just see that Brother Li, as a Level 6 ability user, is still all alone, and I think only a talented woman like this is worthy of you. I have absolutely no other intentions." Li Chenglong nodded, "Women aren't commodities; they can't be given away like that. I appreciate your kindness, Young Master Xu." After saying this, he walked out, and Xu Hu quickly followed to see Li Chenglong off. Xu Qingming looked at the woman, then at the departing Li Chenglong, and suddenly said happily, "Excellent, excellent! Only those with perseverance have credibility. Today you can be bought off by a woman, but tomorrow you might be bought off by someone else at a higher price. You should never cooperate with such a person. Only someone like Brother Li is the best partner." After saying this, he also left, heading towards his father's study.