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"Sir, you have arrived!" The five people in the hall stood up respectfully upon seeing the newcomer.
"Yes, I have some matters to discuss with you. I happened to pass by," said a middle-aged man dressed in black, his serious expression exuding the authority of a superior.
"I heard that not long ago, you extorted two hundred thousand taels of silver from Panshan Town under the guise of bandits? Is that correct?" He glanced at the five seated below and asked.
"Sir, it is true. I just found out about it. Fifth Brother thought our usual expenses were a bit tight, so he came up with this idea on the spur of the moment. Is there... a problem?" The eldest among the five asked cautiously. He had suspected this might be the reason for the visit.
"What you did isn't entirely wrong, but you must understand that this is the territory of other sects. Your actions could easily attract their attention. I'm afraid they may have already sent someone here."
"Ah! We didn't consider that thoroughly. What should we do now? Should we eliminate them, or..." The other four looked at him with concern.
"This is a troublesome matter; it's best not to harm their people. The one who came might just be an Elite Disciple in the Qi Refining stage. If something goes wrong, the next visitor might be a powerful warrior. It's better to avoid provoking these sects if possible. Although we aren't afraid, if we expose ourselves and attract unwanted attention, it could lead to trouble," the middle-aged man said calmly.
"What about the two hundred thousand taels we extorted from Panshan Town? Should we still go collect it in a few days?" The burly man continued to inquire. If this matter wasn't handled properly, he would bear the responsibility.
"Collect it; take whatever they can gather. Since you've already extorted them, you can't let it go to waste. Hopefully, you can resolve it peacefully with their disciples. Otherwise, you'll have to change locations."
"Sir, you didn't come here just for this matter, did you? Is there something else?"
"Yes, there is something else. The previous matter was just incidental." The middle-aged man straightened up, still wearing a serious expression. "The Third Prince has sent word that His Majesty has decided to abdicate in five years and will choose a successor during this time."
"What? His Majesty has already confirmed his abdication! Didn't he say there were still about ten years left? This leaves us with many preparations that we haven't had time to complete!" The burly man exclaimed in surprise and regret.
"It is indeed a bit sudden. However, we believe that other princes are likely in similar situations. You all were secretly sent here three years ago as supporters of the Third Prince to develop your strength and avoid detection by other princes."
"Although time is tight now, you still have two years to prepare further. After two years, you will all need to return and contribute your strength for the final competition for the Throne. This is why I don't want you to create unnecessary complications right now. During this time, focus on development. As for other resources you may need, someone will deliver them later."
"Two years may be tight, but I believe we can accomplish about seventy or eighty percent of our assigned tasks. Moreover, with this buffer period, I should be able to break through my cultivation level by then and even advance further," the burly man replied after some thought.
"The Third Prince values you highly; as long as you break through your cultivation level, you'll become a valuable assistant. This isn't a large-scale battle; those warriors below the sixth level of Qi Refining are merely precautionary measures—just forces being cultivated along the way."
"So, all five of you need to seize this opportunity to break through as soon as possible. Cheng Fu, breaking through to become a powerful warrior or even advancing further should be no problem for you. If luck is on your side, the other four of you could also reach full mastery in Qi Refining by then. When that happens, assisting the Third Prince will allow you to gain whatever you desire once he succeeds."
"Rest assured, my lord. We, the five brothers, owe our current achievements to the grace of the Third Prince. We will certainly do our utmost to assist His Highness in becoming the ultimate victor. We would never dare to show even the slightest negligence!" The five immediately expressed their intentions.
They were originally just lower-ranking soldiers who were slightly stronger than ordinary people. Under normal circumstances, they would have spent their lives doing menial jobs in small towns.
However, they were valued by a noble, who not only taught them cultivation techniques but also spared no resources in nurturing them. In just three years, they achieved what they have today—something they had never dared to imagine! And that noble was none other than the current Third Prince.
Although they knew from the beginning that this prince had ulterior motives, they still felt grateful. It was precisely because of him that they attained their current level of cultivation. If luck were on their side, they might even break through to become powerful warriors in the future. A life of wealth and honor would be theirs to enjoy endlessly. Even their descendants would benefit!
"Very well. As long as the Third Prince succeeds, it is not impossible for you to advance further in your cultivation in the future. You must also seize the remaining opportunities. If there are any promising subordinates among you, inform me promptly. Two years is neither too short nor too long; it is quite possible to cultivate a few more strong individuals during this time."
"My lord, we know what to do. For His Highness's success, we will certainly not spare any effort. We will also urge those with potential among our subordinates to cultivate diligently."
The group then discussed some specific orders conveyed by the Third Prince and various details regarding matters they needed to handle over the next two years.
"My goodness, I can't believe I heard such news! This is truly remarkable!" Ren Pingsheng's expression changed repeatedly as he processed the information.
He had sensed that Dapan Mountain was not simple, but he never expected these bandits were actually training according to military standards. Their leader turned out to be someone from the army. Even more astonishing was that there were not four leaders as rumored, but five; one of them was on the verge of breaking through to become a powerful warrior.
"Fortunately, I didn't act rashly before; otherwise, I would have been doomed. But what should I do about this mission now?" This left Ren Pingsheng in a dilemma; he definitely could not defeat them now. But if he gave up, what would happen to the extortion in Pan Mountain Town? This issue needed resolution; he couldn't leave empty-handed.
"The Third Prince of the Great Chu Dynasty... What a headache." He rubbed his forehead with a bitter smile, feeling at a loss for how to proceed.
The Great Chu Dynasty was a fourth-tier power that his Canglan Sword Sect could not afford to provoke. Moreover, nominally, the Canglan Sword Sect was still under the jurisdiction of the Great Chu Dynasty. This was one of the conditions under which the Great Chu Dynasty allowed them to establish their sect in the first place. Most importantly, the strength of the Great Chu Dynasty loomed large; it couldn't simply be ignored!
"Forget it; I'll return and think it over carefully. This matter cannot be resolved quickly. Should I report this situation to my sect? In terms of strength—after all, it's still about strength; otherwise, why go through so much trouble?" With no solution in sight, Ren Pingsheng had no choice but to give up for now.
"Are you planning to leave just like that? After listening here for so long, why don't we go downstairs and chat?" Just as Ren Pingsheng turned around, a serious-looking middle-aged man appeared not far away and quietly watched him!
Ren Pingsheng reacted swiftly; at the moment the man appeared, his figure blurred and he reappeared twenty yards away. He had perfected his mid-level Movement Technique Wind Step recently and could traverse twenty yards effortlessly.
"Hmph! Now you want to leave? Don't you think it's too late?" The middle-aged man snorted coldly and simultaneously reappeared close to Ren Pingsheng, blocking his path.
"A powerful warrior?" Ren Pingsheng's expression stiffened as he immediately halted and spoke softly. He sensed that this man was indeed one of the stronger ones—at least much more formidable than Luo Qingsong and that burly man from the Evil Sect he had encountered before.
"Oh? I didn't expect you, a mere eighth-layer Qi Refining brat, to have seen quite a bit."
"Seeing more won't save your life. It seems you don't intend to let me go easily?" Ren Pingsheng said with a grim expression, gripping the sword in his hand.
To think there was a Warrior Strongman here was something he had never anticipated. When he had eavesdropped in the main hall earlier, he hadn't seen anyone, so he couldn't determine their cultivation level. He initially thought it was just a Perfected Qi Refinement Stage expert.
"Your awareness is quite good. Since you know the news, naturally, I can't let you go. Oh... there's actually a little fellow here too!" The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise and struck towards the nearby bushes with his palm.
Suddenly, a figure in black jumped out from the bushes; it was the person who had followed Ren Pingsheng up the mountain earlier.
"My lord, it's our negligence. We didn't expect someone to sneak in." The five people in the Hall also emerged with angry expressions.
It was no wonder they were angry; if it weren't for their lord's discovery this time, the news might have leaked. If this delayed matters concerning the Third Prince, they would face the harshest punishment.
"It's fine. I didn't expect two people to slip in either. If it weren't for their fluctuating aura, I might not have noticed them. I'm curious about your purpose for sneaking in here. Logically speaking, with a group of Bandits here, there shouldn't be anything worth your scheming over."
Ren Pingsheng and the figure in black exchanged glances but remained silent, not revealing what they were thinking.
"Unwilling to speak? Then I'll take a guess. There are only two situations for someone to come here. The first is that they are disciples of this sect; I can understand that. The second seems unlikely; otherwise, you wouldn't be of such cultivation level."
The middle-aged man, who appeared serious, did not act immediately and spoke unusually much. Perhaps he felt that with his strength, everything was under control, so he wasn't in a hurry and wanted to clarify the situation.
"Then can one of you tell me what your other companion is here for? Looking at both of you, you seem surprised by each other; you probably don't know one another."
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