People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Today, of the seven bronze boxes related to the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions, none have appeared in Korea; instead, each of the royal families of other countries possesses one.

The era of great contention is about to begin, and he also wants to compete for the legendary Azure Dragon Treasure, which is said to possess the secret to immortality.

"What are you thinking about?" Zi Nu chuckled softly beside Cao Ze.

Zi Nu's laughter was extremely clear and pleasant to hear. There seemed to be a strange resonance in her throat. Her tone was like singing, yet every word could be heard clearly.

Cao Ze was momentarily lost in thought, then smiled slightly: "Nothing, just thinking about how to destroy Zilan Pavilion and Liusha."

Han Fei, who was watching the fire from the opposite side, turned pale and looked at Cao Ze with a deep gaze.

Zi Nu rolled her eyes slightly and said in the same strange tone as before, "My Zi Lan Xuan is very expensive. If you dare to destroy it, you must compensate me with a new one."

Cao Ze asked curiously, "Your voice..."

Zi Nu coughed lightly, her voice returning to its usual gentle and charming tone.

"I've been trying to practice voice changing recently. Disguise isn't just about changing your face; your voice is also crucial."

Cao Ze suddenly realized that if Zi Nu hadn't been sitting next to him just now, he would never have thought it was Zi Nu based on her voice alone; he would have thought it was some singer practicing her voice next to him.

Han Fei couldn't stand Cao Ze's flirtatious chat with Zi Nu. Cao Ze claimed he wanted to be Han Fei's brother-in-law, yet he was flirting with another woman in front of his brother-in-law. This was outrageous!

"Brother Cao, do you really want to help Nightfall destroy Purple Orchid Pavilion and Quicksand?" Han Fei said, spoiling the mood.

Cao Ze glanced at Han Fei sideways. If it weren't for the fact that Han Fei was his brother-in-law, he would have given him two black eyes long ago.

"Brother Han, in your opinion, for an organization or a country, is the most important thing the land or the people?"

"Naturally, it's land. With land, there can be more people, more food, more abundant resources, and stronger fighting power. Nowadays, the strength of all countries is basically based on the amount of land they possess and the abundance of various resources they control. For example, South Korea only has two major cities, Xinzheng and Nanyang, and they are located in..."

Han Fei spoke eloquently, arguing from various perspectives about the importance of land, pointing out that from ancient times to the present, everything ultimately comes down to land.

Wei Zhuang, who was holding Shark Tooth on the railing, nodded repeatedly.

The strength or weakness of nations ultimately boils down to land. A smaller population can be created through births and acquisitions, but land is finite. If South Korea has more land, its neighboring countries will have less. The struggle for land has always been a struggle for survival.

After Han Fei finished speaking, he tilted his head back, gulped down a cup of water, took a deep breath, and said with high spirits, "If the State of Han has ample land and natural defenses, what is there to fear from the State of Qin!"

"Unfortunately, you have nothing..." Cao Ze said solemnly, "Brother Han thinks land is more important than people, but I don't think so."

Han Fei couldn't help but find it amusing: "Does Brother Cao think that people are more important than land?"

"Yes."

Cao Ze answered affirmatively.

Wei Zhuang leaned against the railing and gave a cold smile.

For many years, whether it was the Shang and Zhou dynasties or the Spring and Autumn period, whether it was prosperity or decline, what seemed to be people was actually the land. The more land that could be cultivated, the more people could be fed.

People without land are nothing but withered bones in a tomb.

Han Fei didn't have the same prejudice as Wei Zhuang. Even though he despised Cao Ze for having an affair with another woman behind his sister's back, he couldn't deny that Cao Ze was conceived.

He solemnly replied, "I would like to hear the details."

The silent Zi Nu and the ever-listening Zhang Liang perked up. It was rare to see Cao Ze lecturing so seriously; they almost doubted whether he was actually giving a lecture at the Hundred Schools Forum in Handan, Zhao.

With nothing else to do, Cao Ze cleared his throat.

"To put it bluntly, in my opinion, land is important, but people are not."

"The saying goes, 'If you save the land but lose the people, you lose both; if you save the people but lose the land, you save both.' What do you think, Brother Han?"

Han Fei paused slightly, recalling Cao Ze's earlier words about destroying Zilan Pavilion and Liusha, which seemed to be reminding him of something.

"From this sentence alone, there is no objection."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Brother Han, let me ask you again. If the State of Han were to be destroyed by the State of Qin, do you think it would be better to fight to the death, preserve your own strength and wait for an opportunity, or perhaps surrender?"

Han Fei's heart sank. "Brother Cao's meaning..."

"Surrender, resistance, escape... seemingly three issues, but in reality one issue."

"What's the problem?"

"To be or not to be."

The elegant room was silent, while outside the window, the fire in Xinzheng was still raging, and the faint flames illuminated the Zilan Pavilion a thousand meters away.

At this moment, Han Fei, Wei Zhuang, Zhang Liang, and Zi Nu no longer cared about the importance of people and place.

No matter how sharp and reasonable the words may be, in the end, we must face the real problems.

To be or not to be.

Han Fei chuckled wryly, "Brother Cao... has really given me a difficult problem."

If it were just him, what would it matter if he survived or if he were destroyed? He could accept either.

But when his decisions affect the survival and destruction of millions of people, he can no longer act arbitrarily.

Wei Zhuang, who had always been as still as a rock, rarely spoke up and asked, "If it were you, would you choose to be a dog, to die in battle or to live a wretched life in this chaotic world?"

Brother Wei Zhuang's words are truly unpleasant to hear. Do you even know why you're called Er Gouzi (Second Dog)...? Cao Ze glanced at Wei Zhuang and said with a faint smile, "If I were Brother Wei Zhuang, I would choose to preserve my life in this chaotic world."

Wei Zhuang's expression grew even colder. His pride would not allow him to live a life of ignominy, to be hunted down like a dog.

Zi Nu's features were exquisitely beautiful. She looked at Cao Ze and blinked, her mysterious purple eyes like an uncharted abyss. She smiled gently and said, "And what about you?"

Cao Ze pointed to his face and laughed, "Me? Didn't I say that choosing to save people but lose territory, whether it's surrender or escape, are just means to achieve the ultimate goal?"

He paused, then said, "But compared to storing land, storing people is not simple. People's hearts are unpredictable, and not everyone has the same reason to continue as you."

After saying that, Cao Ze sighed softly.

Without faith, it's impossible for any group to survive.

"Without land, how can people survive?" Han Fei said with a self-deprecating smile.

Zi Nu knew that South Korea's situation was almost beyond human control. She smiled and said, "Let's talk about how to solve the Nightfall problem."

Zhang Liang said solemnly, "Only by solving the Nightfall problem can South Korea have even the slightest chance of saving itself."

Wei Zhuang said coldly, "Kill them!"

"How to kill them? How to kill them? If simply killing them can solve South Korea's chronic problems and lead South Korea to the road of revival, then what country in the world would perish?"

Cao Ze's blunt remarks made Wei Zhuang feel a bit suffocated.

If he weren't truly outmatched, he would have already drawn his Shark Tooth Sword and fought Cao Ze to the death.

Han Fei reached out to stop the two from arguing. "Gentlemen, let's first talk about how to use this arsonist to plunge Nightfall into internal strife."

"The treasures of Baiyue." Wei Zhuang slowly uttered four words.

Cao Ze said, "Now Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei both suspect that the Baiyue treasure is inextricably linked to the Ghost Mountain Blood Pool in the Ancestral Mountain. As long as Liusha intervenes at the right time, they will surely convince Ye Mu that the Ghost Mountain Blood Pool contains the Baiyue treasure. At that time..."

"Brother Cao will easily fan the flames and incite infighting between Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei," Han Fei said, rubbing his chin. "It's time to throw some gold and silver into the blood pool."

Cao Ze grinned slyly, "Brother Han, you're very rich?"

Han Fei's face immediately turned ashen, and he couldn't help but look at Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang couldn't help but turn his head away, and said, "I can only offer a thousand gold pieces at most."

Second Uncle's protection money is quite a lot... Cao Ze looked at Zi Nu. Although Zi Nu spends money generously, she is always frugal in her daily life. She is a little rich woman who keeps her wealth hidden.

Zi Nu glanced at Cao Ze with a hint of resentment, wondering why he was looking at her for no reason.

"Zilanxuan still has some savings, about two thousand gold, but Zilanxuan needs to run its business and can only contribute one thousand five hundred gold."

Han Fei shook his head repeatedly: "We haven't even gathered enough for a few boxes of valuables; we need to add more."

He looked at Cao Ze, "Brother Cao, what about you?"

"...Isn't it enough that I've provided manpower? But you, Brother Han, are really like a miser—not giving a single penny, are you?" Cao Ze said irritably.

Han Fei chuckled awkwardly, "Isn't it enough that I'll give you all my possessions?"

Zi Nu asked astutely, "How much wealth does Ninth Young Master possess?"

Cao Ze sneered and added insult to injury, saying, "The previous bet of one hundred gold coins has not yet been settled. How many gold coins do you have now?"

Han Fei snorted, "Don't you understand? Although I may not have any gold coins, I have plenty of good stuff. But Brother Cao, you're just 'slandering someone's innocence' with empty words. Aren't you being incredibly disrespectful?"

Cao Ze raised an eyebrow, realizing that his carelessness had allowed his brother-in-law to turn the tables on him.

He frowned, an idea forming in his mind, and followed Han Fei's words, asking, "What does Brother Han mean?"

Han Fei revealed a triumphant smile, "Since Brother Cao doesn't believe me, let's make a bet."

Cao Ze asked, "What kind of bet?"

"I have quite a bit of wealth, so let's bet on who can come up with more valuable items this time. Let's make it clear first, the items must be our own, and we can't borrow them." Han Fei used a colloquialism in his smugness.

He had inquired with his younger sister and, based on his own observations, concluded that even if Cao Ze had money, it would be at most around a hundred taels of silver.

His treasured collection was all bought at low prices by him during his travels around the world, based on his discerning eye. He would then sell them, and each piece would be worth at least two or three thousand gold coins, a sure win.

Cao Ze narrowed his eyes; his brother-in-law was itching to do something again.

What should the winners and losers do?

Han Fei said, “To avoid boredom, the winner will not only receive half of the loser’s wealth, but if the difference in value between the loser’s and winner’s wealth is less than three hundred gold, the loser should make up the difference of three hundred gold to the winner. If it is more than three hundred gold, the difference will all go to the winner.”

"No upper limit?"

Han Fei swallowed hard and said confidently, "There's no upper limit."

"Since Brother Han has decided on the method of the bet, how about I decide on the time?"

Han Fei cautiously said, "Let's make it clear first, it can't take too long, or it will affect the plan."

He had suffered losses at Cao Ze's hands several times, so he had to be careful.

This time, they're going to compete directly on wealth; he doesn't believe Cao Ze can amass a large sum of money in such a short time.

Do you really think you're Tao Zhugong? Even Tao Zhugong needs time to make his mark.

Cao Ze calmly replied, "I won't let Brother Han suffer any losses. Let's do as Brother Han says and settle the score before the plan begins."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhuang's lips curled slightly. He then turned around, opened the mechanism on the wooden frame, took out a small sandalwood box from the hidden compartment, and pushed it to Han Fei.

"Including the previous thousand gold coins, there are also ten gold notes worth a hundred gold coins each. That's a total of two thousand gold coins, now they're yours."

Wei Zhuang gave Cao Ze a provocative look. He wanted to see Cao Ze lose everything and be humiliated in front of him.