Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 308 Trump Card
The two sides were locked in a standoff, neither willing to let the other off the hook, each harboring their own thoughts and secretly vying for power.

The leader was confident that the three people opposite him, especially the young master, would not be in any danger even if he didn't make any real concessions, but simply modified his way of speaking to avoid embarrassing them.

In the leader's mind, even if the other party got angry, they would only make an example of him, not directly target him.

As for his teammates, he didn't really want to save them; he just thought they still had some value to him and didn't want to expose it openly, lest he incur their resentment.

Therefore, he spoke very nicely, so that his teammates would not have any complaints about him, and he could also give Jiang Xian and the other two an explanation in public.

However, he didn't need to worry about what happened next. Whether Jiang Xian wanted to make an example of him by killing one or two of his teammates, or whether he would temporarily put the matter aside and agree to take all his teammates back to their base, it wouldn't have much of an impact on his core leader.

He dared to be so fearless because he knew in his heart that Jiang Xian could also see through his thoughts at a glance and know that he was just playing football.

The Jiang family guard on horseback chuckled softly and said to his leader, "There's one thing you seem to have forgotten. There are only three of us on three horses. We can't take all of you with us."

After saying that, he didn't forget to look around at his teammates who were the backbone of the team.

Then, he turned his gaze to the leader, seemingly waiting with great interest for the leader's reply.

The reason why the leader is so fearless is because of his own value, and he is deliberately making a big fuss to maximize the value he will bring to Jiang Xian and the other two.

Only by displaying this arrogance could he convince Jiang Xian and the other two that he would bring them greater benefits, and that he himself would become more valuable to them.

So, after thinking it through, he was no longer as nervous and trembling as before. Instead, he deliberately put on airs to make Jiang Xian and the other two believe that he had extremely important information in his hands.

He knew that as long as he maintained a proper balance and adopted a more assertive attitude, it would actually be beneficial to him, making everything he did more convincing.

However, Jiang Xian was completely unconcerned about the meticulous calculations and schemes of the core leader.

These inner thoughts of the core leader and the little tricks he used were of little use to Jiang Xian.

No matter how high or low his stance is, no matter how good or bad his tone is, Jiang Xian will inevitably go to his stronghold to investigate thoroughly. He will not easily let this matter pass, nor will he easily let him go.

Jiang Xian didn't care about his attitude or demeanor for the moment. She was still patient enough to wait and see what would happen next, and she also wanted to see the source of his confidence at this moment.

Now that she's out of Yingzhou, she'll try to avoid getting entangled with people to prevent increasing the risk of her identity being discovered.

Now that she's encountered troublemakers at her door, she won't give them a chance to find out her identity.

Although the Jiang family's power is insignificant in the grand scheme of things in the entire Yuan Kingdom, and her status as a young lady of the Jiang family is even more negligible in the grand scheme of things, the fact that all three members of her family—father and sons—are martial artists is of paramount importance to the entire Jiang family, and is an extremely crucial trump card that the Jiang family holds in their hands.

This trump card could very well play a pivotal role in enabling the Jiang family to regain its former glory in the future.

The leader hadn't expected the Jiang family guard on horseback to speak so casually, and he hadn't expected the matter to return to the question of numbers.

The other party did not directly answer whether there would be punishment or not, nor did they answer whether they could be taken along.

Instead, the Jiang family guard on horseback only pointed out the seemingly objective problem that they couldn't take everyone with them.

The leader knew that if the three of them wanted to take all of them away, they would certainly have several different ways to bring them all back.

But now, it's clear that they've put this problem back on their shoulders.

Clearly, what the other side is trying to say is that if they want to take everyone away, then they'll have to figure out a way themselves.

In terms of attitude, they did not mean to refuse, but simply presented some objective facts to shut him up.

After regaining his composure, the leader turned to the Jiang family guard on horseback and said, "Why don't you give me some advice on how to handle this matter?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Jiang family guard on horseback remained as calm as before, with no change in expression on his face.

He naturally ignored the thoughts of the person in charge and replied, "You're in business around Qizhou, so how you do it and what methods you use are all your business. However, I need to remind you that we probably can't wait for you for too long."

To the leader, these words were a blatant threat. Although the Jiang family guard on horseback did not show it on his face, he was naturally dissatisfied with the meaning behind the leader's words.

As far as the Jiang family guards were concerned, their leader wanted to bring all his teammates back. He wanted to be the good guy, but he wanted the Jiang family to do the work. What a ridiculous thing that was! So naturally, he wouldn't agree.

Hearing what the Jiang family guard on horseback said, his backbone was indeed thoroughly choked.

Doesn't "doing business near Qizhou" mean they are regular thieves in the Qizhou area?
Even among criminals, few are willing to acknowledge their identity as robbers, let alone agree with this statement.

Although they commit heinous acts of murder and robbery every day, especially when they are doing something "big," they comfort themselves and deceive themselves by saying that they are helping the world get rid of parasites.

They never conduct investigations; they simply assume and forcefully label wealthy individuals with stigmatizing accusations. To legitimize their actions, they imagine these wealthy individuals as the perpetrators of heinous crimes before taking any action, even though this is merely their imagination.

But they never actually helped the poor; their Robin Hood-like actions were just a facade.

As time goes by, and the days pass by, they commit more and more evil deeds, and these people will fall into two categories.

The first scenario is that they are no longer clear-headed. These people genuinely believe that they are the mighty and righteous side, that they have rid the people of one corrupt official after another, and that the people who have been oppressed by the powerful should be grateful to them.

The second situation is that there are some people who, although they have done a lot of bad things, still remain clear-headed and always aware that they are criminals and not engaged in any legitimate profession. Therefore, people who do not succumb to this mindset will feel the pain of the great gap between their ideals and reality even more.

Being clear-headed is not a mistake, but the most painful time is when one is clearly aware that they are living against their conscience, that they have committed many evils and harmed the people, yet cannot extricate themselves from it and cannot break free. They too will feel uneasy about their conscience. As long as one is human, one cannot be as solid as a rock, unaffected by external influences and unshaken.

In fact, if it weren't for his boss and his lack of ability to resist, he would have stopped staying in the team long ago.

At first, he wanted to repay his boss's kindness. The boy on the rainy day was very grateful to the adult who took him back that day, but now the backbone of the family regrets leaving with his boss that day.

After he saw through his boss's schemes and tricks, and understood his boss's ulterior motives, he began to consider leaving the team.

But he was helpless; he only regretted his own lack of strength.

Although he had a good mind, he lacked the talent for martial arts.

Ever since his boss took him back, he has been practicing martial arts with them in that place. Because of this, he gradually mastered some moves that would prevent him from being bullied, as well as ways to protect himself.

Years passed, but he still couldn't reach the threshold of the Heavenly Realm.

He was intelligent and could grasp the movement techniques and sword techniques required before reaching the Heavenly Rank faster than others, but he could not break through the limitations of his body and was not qualified to even touch the Heavenly Rank.

His boss was a Heaven-rank martial artist, and he taught him and his teammates a lot about martial arts.

Therefore, the core of the group still doesn't understand whether he truly lacks the aptitude to reach the Heavenly Rank in martial arts, or whether he has missed some necessary and crucial knowledge, or whether there are many new things he hasn't learned that could help him advance to the Heavenly Rank and become a Heavenly Rank martial artist.

Now that he has personally dealt with his boss, his boss no longer exists in the world, and soon his boss will also disappear without a trace.

Therefore, whether it was kindness or resentment, it has all become the past.

The core leader is a smart person, so naturally he won't dwell on the past so much.

Things have already come to this point, and regretting or being sad now will be useless; it will only be self-criticism. He wants to let go of the past and live a more open-minded life.

Today, he encountered Jiang Xian and his group of three.

In his view, although his chances of survival were still slim, he had a good chance of saving his own life if he made good use of his teammates' strength and gradually lured Jiang Xian and the other two into the trap.

This was the first turning point for him in a long time.

He had the idea of ​​leaving the team when the rumors started flying around, but at that time he hated his own lack of ability and power to resist, and had no chance to escape and leave the team.

For some reason, he had never thought that his boss was so cunning as to scheme against him.

Before he had any suspicions about his boss, he had no idea that anything was going on.

But ever since he became the target of many people in the team and was pointed at and gossiped about, his boss arranged for people to follow him in and out for various reasons, and he was not allowed to go out alone.

Therefore, even someone as intelligent as him, if he couldn't access any of the team's resources, obtain anything to deal with them, or rely on external forces, how could he, a mere Earth-rank martial artist, possibly defeat multiple Earth-rank martial artists? Sometimes, even his boss, a Heaven-rank martial artist, had to personally accompany him.

He had thought about this, and his conclusion was that extreme trust can indeed blind people and numb their minds.

So this time, whether he lives or dies, it is a turning point for him, and he must make good use of it and seize this opportunity firmly.

Therefore, even though he was momentarily speechless after being choked by the words of the Jiang family guard on horseback, he still had to face it.

His teammate, Zhu Zi, had spent most of his time following his boss before today, so he wasn't stupid. He could understand the meaning behind the words of the guard on horseback, which was to embarrass them. His words were full of sarcasm.

But Zhu Zi also knew that now was the time to swallow their anger. Not long ago, the eight of them had taken the initiative to attack the three people on the other side, but they were countered and even hit hard by the three people on the other side.

The situation has now reversed, and both sides have roughly figured out each other's strength; they are the ones who are completely at a disadvantage. Therefore, there is naturally no equality to speak of.

The pillar didn't know what the leader was thinking, so he didn't want to speak rashly, lest he ruin the leader's plan.

After all, his life is still firmly in the hands of his master, so naturally he has to act according to his master's wishes.

Meanwhile, the teammate who had lost an arm, standing some distance away, frowned slightly, feeling a pang of worry for his teammate.

He knew it was time to be patient, but his mind was indeed leaning towards his mentor, and the reason for this was precisely because of the kindness of his mentor in saving him and waking him up.

Jiang Xian and his two companions also kept observing their leader, trying their best to do so discreetly.

The current leader's gaze was fixed on the ground, seemingly not wanting anyone to notice the activity in his eyes.

Everyone was waiting for his answer, and he finally made up his mind to tell the truth.

He had been considering this matter for a long time, but for Xiaolu's safety, he could no longer keep it a secret.

He could have told the three people opposite him that he wanted to take the shortcut, which would have meant adding or replacing one person, but doing so would have exposed his weakness to them.

Now, even for Xiao Lu's sake, it's time to reveal one of their trump cards.

(End of this chapter)