Naturally.
Since a few people had fallen into the water, before the meal.
Patriarch Zhu first had people bring ginger soup to everyone to ward off the cold.
Zhou Yu drank a couple of mouthfuls and then put it down.
Jie Yu, however, like an idiot, actually drank it all.
Then he opened his mouth and blew to cool it.
"It's a bit spicy..."
Jie Yu said with some embarrassment.
He hadn't expected the ginger soup brewed by the Zhu family to be so spicy!
If he hadn't controlled himself with great effort, he would have teared up!
Patriarch Zhu burst out laughing, "It's good that the ginger soup is a little spicy, it drives away the cold!"
"Come, come, drink a few more bowls!"
Jie Yu actually couldn't drink another mouthful right now.
But facing Patriarch Zhu's enthusiastic gaze, Jie Yu felt too embarrassed to refuse.
He could only twist his brows into a knot and drink it down.
After finishing the second bowl of ginger soup, Jie Yu was speechless!
This small interlude passed quickly.
When they were seated at the dinner table.
Anyone with eyes could see that Patriarch Jie and Patriarch Zhu must have been discussing things successfully.
The two exchanged pleasantries, and the initial tension of their meeting had disappeared.
Jie Yu kept winking at Zhou Yu from the side.
Zhou Yu just glanced at him and couldn't be bothered.
This kid was acting as if his eyes were twitching!
Who knew what he was trying to convey!
On the other side, Zhu Ling'er also kept glancing at Zhou Yu.
Her gaze was so intense it could almost melt butter.
It could be said that this meal was no different from hell for Zhou Yu.
Besides Zhu Ling'er and Jie Yu, who were attacking him with their eyes.
The two patriarchs also occasionally called on Zhou Yu by name, asking for his opinion.
Although the table was laden with delicacies from the mountains and seas.
Zhou Yu had no appetite.
Halfway through the meal, he made an excuse and slipped away.
Seeing Zhou Yu leave, Zhu Ling'er also wanted to follow.
But she was stopped by Patriarch Zhu.
"Young Master Zhou is leaving because he has something to attend to. Why are you following him?"
Zhu Ling'er pouted and squeezed her fingers.
So annoying!
He knew exactly what she wanted to do by following him!
However, with so many people present, Zhu Ling'er couldn't directly reveal her intentions.
She could only obediently sit in her seat under Patriarch Zhu's gaze.
Of course, she was distracted.
Originally, Zhu Ling'er had a good impression of Zhou Yu.
But it was all through a veil, vague and hazy.
Zhu Ling'er had even convinced herself countless times that she was merely interested in Zhou Yu.
But ever since Zhou Yu had rescued her from the water, Zhu Ling'er found herself liking him more and more!
She even entertained the thought of having Zhou Yu become a live-in son-in-law...
On Patriarch Zhu's side, seeing that they were almost done eating.
He continued to discuss cooperation matters with Patriarch Jie.
"Brother, the terms you proposed earlier, I've thought about it, and they're not entirely impossible."
"But you must understand, while your Jie family faces the greatest pressure in business, our Zhu family will bear the brunt of the martial force."
"When the Shi family attacks, lives will be at stake!"
"So, is a fifty-fifty split of the final distribution unreasonable?"
Patriarch Zhu argued.
The point of contention was how to divide the Shi family's profits after their victory.
Previously, Patriarch Jie had proposed a fifty-fifty split.
This was because the Shi family's primary focus would undoubtedly be on the Jie family.
The Zhu family was merely providing support.
If too much was given away, let alone Patriarch Jie, even the Jie family's dogs would feel the pinch!
However, Patriarch Jie hadn't expected that the Zhu family would still want to negotiate over such favorable terms.
Patriarch Jie pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.
He fell into thought.
Patriarch Zhu did not disturb him, quietly sipping his tea, waiting patiently.
After a moment.
Patriarch Jie looked up, "As far as I know, the Shi family has at least eighty martial artists. How many can your Zhu family contribute?"
The entire Jie family's martial artists only numbered eighty.
Although the difference didn't seem large.
In reality, it was a huge difference!
After all, the Jie family lacked the foundation, and these martial artists had been trained for a short time, with most of them still stuck at the Acquired Body Tempering stage.
At most, they were at the peak of Acquired Body Tempering.
Very few had reached Ming Jin.
On the Shi family's side, conservatively estimated, they could have sixty martial artists at the Acquired Ming Jin stage.
In terms of quality, they completely crushed the Jie family!
This was why the Jie family insisted on finding a partner!
Patriarch Zhu pondered for a moment and said cautiously, "At most fifty individuals at Acquired Ming Jin."
Although the Zhu family had slightly more martial artists, they also needed to ensure they had a resident force within their own territory.
Otherwise, if the Shi family's patriarch suddenly turned their attention to the Zhu family.
Without any martial artists remaining, the Zhu family might be gone before they could react!
Fifty was the maximum number Patriarch Zhu could offer!
Upon hearing this condition, Patriarch Jie's eyes lit up.
He immediately clapped his hands and said, "Done, then how about six for me and four for you?"
As long as the Zhu family could provide fifty martial artists at Acquired Ming Jin, even if the Jie family took a smaller share, it wouldn't matter!
After half a day of negotiations, Patriarch Zhu had naturally understood the Jie family's bottom line.
He knew that the other party could not concede any further.
He could only nod, his heart bleeding!
Every martial artist was cultivated by the Zhu family at a great cost.
Now they were to be involved in this conflict, and who knew how many would be injured or killed!
"Hahaha, brother, you're straightforward!" Patriarch Jie laughed heartily, the heavy burden that had been weighing on his mind for days had finally been lifted.
When people are happy, they tend to drink more.
Patriarch Jie pushed aside his teacup and, along with Patriarch Zhu, each took a cup of wine and began drinking.
For a moment, the atmosphere at the banquet was warm and harmonious.
"Brother, everyone says you're a man of integrity, but after meeting you today, I find that to be a misrepresentation!"
"You're clearly as cunning as a fox!"
After a bit of drinking, Patriarch Zhu also spoke more freely, with a hint of teasing in his words.
Initially, the Zhu family only wanted to gain the most profit with the least cost.
But through Patriarch Jie's negotiations, the Zhu family had to make a significant sacrifice!
Who wouldn't be tempted by that sixty percent share of the profits?
Even Patriarch Zhu, at his age, couldn't resist joining the Jie family in this gamble!
"What do you mean, brother? How have I made you lose out?" Patriarch Jie chuckled.
As they clinked glasses and drank.
Zhu Ling'er could no longer sit still.
She stood up and said to Patriarch Zhu, "Father, you all keep drinking here. I'm going to see what Doctor Zhou is up to."
Patriarch Zhu knew that Zhu Ling'er's heart had long since flown away.
Since the cooperation had been settled, he waved his hand, "Go, go, take Jie Yu and Jie Shishi with you, and don't disturb my drinking with brother."
Upon hearing Patriarch Zhu's words, Zhu Ling'er's face turned dark.
But she still led the two away as instructed.
However.
Just as Zhu Ling'er reached the entrance of the dining hall.
Bang—
A loud noise came from the main gate!