Chapter 179: Chapter 178: Not Giving a Single Penny!
Inner city number 88.
In less than a month, Le Yuxin came to the headquarters of the Silver Blood Association for another meeting.
And just like last time, this was again an emergency gathering, instead of the routine quarterly evaluation. If the routine quarterly evaluations are a time for everyone to share the cake, then the emergency gatherings are naturally a time for everyone to share the pot — that’s the way of the world. Good news is always kept hidden and reluctantly disclosed, like a tsundere, while bad news is like a yandere, eager to jump on your face.
Worse than last time, at least last time the gathering was in the morning, allowing the participants to have lunch afterward and catch their breath as if nothing happened.
But this time, it was a midnight gathering, which naturally doesn’t mean everyone can go for a late-night snack after the meeting—it means things are so severe that not even a day’s delay is possible.
This time, Le Yuxin specifically brought Jing Shou along, knowing his own limitations. To keep the Jing Family from crumbling, he needed to listen to the opinions of the old capitalists on such major matters.
Upon entering the meeting hall, Le Yuxin instantly sensed the solemn atmosphere. This solemnity was not due to everyone being silent but rather because everyone was whispering.
When this group of merchants sat on the chairs in the meeting hall, they had already entered the Sea of Consciousness of the Silver Blood. However, even the strong coverage of the Sea of Consciousness could not crush the unease in their hearts—precisely because they were lost, they couldn’t help but seek someone to discuss with.
They panicked, they really panicked!
The burning of Half City didn’t panic them, but now they truly are!
Le Yuxin, seated for a moment, saw a short old man with a cane being helped in by Ting Jiu.
He was dressed in a pitch-black robe, his gray-white hair straightened and fixed in place, his face covered in ravines, yet the countless wrinkles showed no signs of a decrepit spirit bowing to time, instead, they were filled with a wolf-gazing fervor of defiance!
At the same time, a beautiful instrument Le Yuxin was very familiar with—the water pipe—was also brought in.
Unlike the flashy nouveau riche style favored by Jing Qingfu, this water pipe appeared extremely gloomy and eerie, with an overall style of pitch black and gray, topped with a cold skull forged from white steel, the soft smoking hose extending from the skull’s forehead, as if sucking not on water vapor, but on the brain’s soul.
The short old man slowly sat in the main seat, and with a gentle swipe of his sleeve, Ting Jiu obediently placed the soft hose in his hand. He took a deep inhale, instantly filling the transparent hose with thick black smoke, making Le Yuxin’s eyebrows twitch wildly—it was known that smoke could be dyed different colors with additives; Jing Qingfu’s water pipe smoke was milk-colored, making it look mystical.
Who would dye it black?
Was it dyed with octopus ink?
Hooo hooo hooo hooo hooo...
As the short old man slowly exhaled the black smoke, the Sea of Consciousness of the Silver Blood seemed to be invaded by a rich and rampant consciousness, its dark and forceful will like night overwhelming the consciousness of the other eighty-seven people. All the attendees, including Le Yuxin, vaguely saw scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood in their minds.
Battlefields with bullets flying, wastelands filled with bones from famine, brutal slaughter from armed conflict...
The attendees couldn’t help but tremble, a natural fear of death rising within them. However, what followed was a sense of bravery and confidence from being part of a collective.
The Silver Blood Association had endured so many storms; why fear this momentary challenge?
Their spirits seemed to merge with the dark will, swept along by the Sea of Consciousness, completely erasing their inner weakness, becoming a part of the vast ocean!
"Is everyone here?"
The voice of the short old man was as light as a falling feather, yet it seemed to echo directly from within their hearts, prompting the other eighty-seven people to answer almost instinctively, "The Silver Blood wholeheartedly welcomes the President!"
This short old man was none other than the current president of the Silver Blood Association, the owner of the First Merchant Association of Silver Blood, the Firearms Factory, the Patriarch of the Ting Family, Ting Gu!
Le Yuxin vaguely realized that Ting Gu’s ’telepathy’ and ’spiritual contamination’ were likely because Ting Gu had been the president for many years, and his Spiritual Power had resonated with the Sea of Consciousness of the Silver Blood, even allowing him to gain some control, enabling him to use such direct-reaching spiritual techniques.
If the Silver Blood meeting had been a day earlier, Le Yuxin would surely have temporarily lost himself within Ting Gu’s dominated Sea of Consciousness, becoming a loyal fervent fan of the Silver Blood Association, dedicating all his efforts wholeheartedly to the sustenance of the Silver Blood Association.
But after activating the "Ice Blood Physique," Le Yuxin clearly felt the presence of the ’true self.’
It was a ’presence’ beyond spirit, closer to the soul.
Even if the spirit was completely enveloped by the Sea of Consciousness of the Silver Blood, Le Yuxin’s soul could still maintain a sense of self, standing apart, observing coldly.
If one were to compare Le Yuxin’s body and spirit to a Gundam and the soul to the pilot, now, it was as if the ’Zhengwei Gundam’ was being remotely controlled by Ting Gu, but pilot Le Yuxin could switch to manual control at any time and regain control.
No wonder Jing Qingfu would have Jing Shou stand in for the meeting... Le Yuxin couldn’t help but glance back at Jing Shou standing in the shadows. Immunity from spiritual influence is a common attribute of cold-blooded people, and Jing Qingfu probably recognized Jing Shou’s passive skill, which led to making such a decision.
"Since everyone is here, let’s begin."
Ting Gu exhaled a long breath of black smoke, an indifferent expression on his aged face.
"The Heyang Army lost, defeated terribly by Chenfeng’s Linhai Army. It was a devastating loss, a collapse, a major defeat, a crushing defeat — everything you worried about in your minds is correct, they lost as severely as you imagined."
No one spoke; unlike the meetings hosted by Ting Jiu where everyone strategized and joked, now the members of the Silver Blood had no intention to speak. They looked trustingly at the President, waiting for him to lead them through this current predicament.
Ting Gu coughed twice, "However, the Linhai Army doesn’t intend to invade Dongyang to seize cities and land for their lord Governor Lv Zhong. After defeating the Heyang Army, they sent people over to state that they were merely having a ’mock battle exercise’ with the Heyang Army."
"If the Heyang Army is unwilling to continue, they won’t be forced, but they require Dongyang to bear the cost of provisions for their journey."
The Sea of Consciousness suddenly lightened, and the members of the Silver Blood Association couldn’t help but smile.
Oh!
So that’s what it was!
They just want money!
Why didn’t they say so earlier!
It’s just about money, no need to be so impulsive, it’s so harmful to camaraderie!
However, when Ting Gu reported the numbers, everyone’s smiles disappeared.
"The Governor’s Office, the Announcement Office, Lord Wanghai, and the Heyang Army have already approached me," Ting Gu exhaled black mist: "The Silver Blood Association needs to bear eighty percent of the cost."
"We can definitely gather the necessary funds, but it will severely hurt us. If we send someone to negotiate, maybe we can reduce the burden by one or two percent. By then, the Silver Blood’s responsibility will be divided into one hundred and sixty-three shares: Chambers ranked after forty will bear one share, those ranked twenty-one to forty will bear two shares, those ranked six to twenty will bear three shares, the Jing, Luo, Quan, and Lan families will provide four shares, and as the president, the Ting Family will provide ten shares. Does this sound good?"
Everyone quickly calculated in their hearts. Although this division still required each chamber to cut out a significant chunk, and even forced some heavily damaged in the Half City attack to sell assets, no one dared to oppose the president’s suggestion and they all said in unison, "We will follow the president’s orders!"
Le Yuxin secretly thought things were amiss.
The Silver Blood will certainly pass on the loss afterward, but of course, they cannot pass it upward, only downward!
This way, Le Yuxin wouldn’t need to take action; after this, the chambers will surely exploit the workers even more harshly. Coupled with the growing public grievances, a massive uprising is almost imminent!
But the problem is the Heyang Army was only defeated, not destroyed!
The Silver Blood aren’t fools; they will foresee the possibility of the ensuing unrest and will naturally draw in the Heyang Army to help with the suppression.
Even though the Heyang Army might be a group of internal strife and external endurance rubbish, to unarmed civilians, they are still a group of professional troops equipped with firearms. Civilians facing a professional army are like flowers and grass in a storm, doomed to ruin!
I’m afraid, after any disturbance, the Governor’s Office and the Heyang Army will proceed with ruthless slaughter without mercy!
Moreover, with the influx of refugees from the horizon, many people in Dongyang might starve this year. Instead of waiting for them to rebel out of desperation, it’s better to nip the rebellion in the bud from the start.
Originally, Le Yuxin planned to lull the Silver Blood into complacency, nourish the workers’ groups in secret, and then confront the Silver Blood. But now, with the Linhai Army losing the group battle, if the workers’ groups want to train further, they’ll surely get picked off by the jittery Silver Blood!
The original plan wasn’t that sophisticated, but now that the Linhai Army stirred things up, the success rate has plummeted to the bottom!
While Le Yuxin was contemplating countermeasures, Ting Gu opened his narrowed eyes, tremblingly placed his left hand on the table, removed the soft tip from the hose, exposing the sharp corner within, and fiercely stabbed it—
Slash!
Everyone shuddered, watching Ting Gu slowly raise his left hand, letting everyone see the crimson liquid flowing from his wrinkled hand covered in age spots.
"Do you all remember the purpose of the Silver Blood Association?" Ting Gu revealed a cruel smile: "It’s to earn a position for merchants."
"Those with firearms, those with pens, those with knives, they all can gain their rightful status, so can those of us with money!"
"We are not pigs waiting to be slaughtered, not someone else’s purse, and certainly not helpless cowards!"
Ting Gu coughed several times, hoarsely saying, "I, Ting Gu, will not give them a single penny!"
"Blood can be spilled, Silver Blood cannot!"
"Silver Blood cannot be spilled!"
A low roar echoed in the assembly hall, and everyone looked at Ting Gu with fervor in their eyes, wholeheartedly agreeing with and venerating this president!
I understand, the purpose of the Silver Blood Association is all about money, not about life... Le Yuxin secretly mused.
"But this matter still needs to be resolved, however, besides giving money, there’s an easier solution."
Ting Gu handed his left hand to the Medical Officer beside him for treatment and lightly ran his right hand across his neck:
"Kill them all.’
Le Yuxin’s heart stirred, he turned his head towards the dark corner of the assembly hall and noticed a young man emerging from the shadows.
With white hair.