It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Good wine! People say that Brother Li De is a drunkard. I would say that these are just bullshit rumors. I will personally host a banquet tonight to welcome Brother Li De. Goodbye!"

Vilotte bowed and tried to leave with the bottle in his arms, when he suddenly heard a shout from behind:

"stop."

Velote turned around and saw Lid smiling harmlessly. He pointed at the vomit on the ground and said calmly:

"Whoever pollutes should clean up the mess. Do you understand this principle?"

Alayya stood behind Reed, and the sword energy on her body was always on the verge of exploding.

Vilotte only felt a chill on his back. After panting a few times, the corners of his mouth moved and he answered obediently:

"Of course I understand."

Lid smiled and stopped looking at him. Only then did Vilot feel the invisible pressure on him completely disappear. Vilot naturally wouldn't do it himself. He gave a few looks, and the younger brothers covered their noses and went to clean up.

Reed didn't care. He just wanted the area in front of his house to be clean and free of garbage.

16.Introduction

Velote admired Lid's skills. He was about twice Lid's age, but he felt that he was not as good as Lid in terms of doing things and being a person. Moreover, Lid's expression did not change much from beginning to end, and he was always calm and unhurried. However, he inexplicably changed from a troublemaker who went to fight with a bottle of wine to a good brother who had just met Lid. In the end, they even made an appointment to have dinner and drink together in the evening.

Velote shook his head, feeling that he couldn't be careless for a moment on the journey north. He had thought that the biggest enemy on this trip was the giants, but he didn't expect to be tricked as soon as he relaxed. If the fight really broke out today, no matter how many casualties there were, Zhaoxin Territory would probably appear on Lingwu's blacklist.

If Lingwu Lord wants to establish his authority, he also needs to find someone to attack...

After Vilotte left, Bai Ye clasped his fist towards Lid as an apology:

"I'm sorry, you were too quick to help me just now."

Lid shook his head and said:

"That guy just got drunk and was taken advantage of. You don't need to do anything. If I can't even deal with this guy, I won't use Lingwu this time. But Vilotte did remind me that there are many people who want me dead. It will be really dangerous after we leave Yongtian Kingdom and reach the territory of the giants. It's too easy to kill a few people quietly there."

"So that's why you keep Villot as a friend? That's very thoughtful."

Bai Ye paused and said to Lid:

"I will help you check and see who is targeting you. But the other party is also prepared, so the investigation may not go smoothly."

Lid didn't have much hope. Since Vilot, the person involved, couldn't remember the other person's face, the probability that Bai Ye could find out was not high. He felt that it would be easier to wait and see than to let Bai Ye investigate. After all, people who like to stir up trouble will not give up because of a failure, especially this failure doesn't cost them anything. Soon someone will find him again, and Lid felt that he just had to keep waiting.

But he was still very grateful to Bai Ye. After thinking for a while, he asked:

"Will Yunhai offend anyone by doing this?"

Lily of the Valley smiled and said something very meaningful:

"Don't worry, there is basically no chance of us offending others. It mainly depends on whether others dare to offend us."

Bai Ye patted Lid's shoulder, raised the corner of his mouth, revealed a not-so-good-looking smile, and said:

"You're welcome. We'll be a family from now on anyway."

Linglan touched Alaiya's head again, praised her sword skills, and asked her who she learned from. Alaiya told the truth, saying that she learned half from Lide and half from Qingyun. Linglan praised her a few more times, touched Lide's head again, and was then called away by Baiye.

After the two of them left for a while, Reed felt that Bai Ye's words sounded strange.

After that, several more waves of people came and knocked on Lid's door. Their attitude was very friendly, but Lid remembered a few of the names of the territories they reported in his mind. After recalling, he realized that they were all enemies of Yunyang, and he couldn't help but sigh. He originally thought that he had become famous and attracted a large number of supporters with his charm, but in the end, they were just some guys who took advantage of his misfortune.

Li De also returned his kindness. However, if someone mentioned the topic of "dividing Yunyang", Li De would still send the guest away with a smile.

The people outside had basically dispersed. An inconspicuous young man walked to Li De's door and handed him a letter. Li De took a look and unexpectedly found that it was written by Xiao Hei, the prince of Nanchu. After opening it, there were only a few words in it. The gist was that Xiao Bai and I have entered the Lingwu territory. I have heard many people mention you in the Jubei Inn these days. I have recorded a few hostile guys here. Be careful. After all, you are a member of [Potian]. Don't get cheated when you go out. Remember to find us when you arrive in Lingwu. I heard that you offended the Lingwu lord last time because of the Xi Qin incident. We will see if we can help you ask for a favor or something.

What shocked Reed was the last sentence:

"Also, your little lover in the capital is here too, so you better pray for the best."

Lid received the letter and invited the young man standing outside to come in for tea. The young man waved his hand and said seriously:

"This is not a good thing. I obey the Lord's order and have to keep a certain distance from you. Otherwise, it will arouse suspicion from others and I might be exposed. Oh, by the way, my name is Yu Yan. If you have any questions, you can come to the kitchen to find me."

The classical Chinese was so fragmented that it was difficult for Lid to understand it.

But he probably understood what Xiao Hei meant. To put it simply, I left someone for you outside Lingwu. If you have any problems, find him and he will be able to help you.

After delivering the message, Yu Yan went back to the kitchen. He was still wearing an apron, so he was probably working there.

That night, Velott invited Reed to drink as promised. As an assassin, Shiloh was not very convenient to attend such occasions, after all, she had to ensure that she was lurking in the shadows most of the time. But when Reed was leaving, Shiloh carefully tugged at Reed's clothes, and only after Reed promised to bring her a lot of delicious food did Shiloh sit back on the bed. The little slime naturally could not appear at the wine table, although it also protested righteously, saying that it and humans should be treated equally, but Reed thought about it carefully and realized that unless the little slime was chopped up and cosplayed as cold jellyfish skin, there was really no way to bring it to the dining table.

In the end, it was Alayya who accompanied him.

Lid thought this was very interesting. For a banquet like this, people usually bring their families. It was a pity that Alayya was too self-conscious as a maid and did not understand Lid's crazy hint at all. She sat down and ate like a stone without saying a word, which made Vilott a little confused: If you say Alayya is a maid, how can the city lord eat with a maid? If you say Alayya is a lover, it doesn't seem like it.

Vilott could only ignore Alayya and chat directly with Reed.

Through chatting, Lid learned more about Vilot. He was not the son of Zhaoxin Territory, but he was now the deputy commander of the army of Zhaoxin Territory, and was considered a senior military official of Zhaoxin. Although he had a bad temper, he was good at fighting. His only shortcoming was that he loved drinking, and he often made mistakes when he was not fighting.

According to Vilot, he got into trouble after drinking more than once or twice. Such a person can still continue to be a senior military official under Zhaoxin, which either means that he has a deep background or that he is really good on the battlefield. No matter which one it is, since Zhaoxin currently has no diplomatic relations with Yuxi City, Lide doesn't mind making a good relationship with him. If they want to form an alliance in the future, Yunye will be easier to talk to when they go to negotiate.

After drinking two bottles of strong liquor, Velote started to speak incoherently again. Lid himself didn't want to drink much, so he pretended to be half drunk, leaning his head against his chest and not saying anything.

At this time, a voice sounded:

"Villot, you drank without inviting us, that's not very nice. Oh... this person looks a little unfamiliar, Vilot, why don't you introduce him?"

17. Bet

Vilotte had been drinking for a long time and his face was red. He glanced at the person who was speaking with his drunken eyes. However, he could not only see double but also blurry things. There were only a few people talking at the table, but in Vilotte's eyes, it seemed like a division of soldiers, and the key point was that he could not see their faces clearly.

But from what they said, it seemed that they were quite familiar with him. Velote answered in a daze:

"Oh... introduce, introduce! This is the mayor of Yuxi City... Lide! It's me, it's my good friend I just made, from now on we'll be wearing the same pants. Come on, buddy, have a drink!"

Lid complained in his heart that Vilot was a bit silly when he was drunk, and he was really different from his own Yunye. Yunye would kiss him a few times at most when she was drunk, but when Vilot was drunk, it was like alcohol washed his brain, no wonder he got into a fight with someone just because of a few words.

Perhaps when introducing himself to others, he remembered that he was drinking with Lid, and Velot staggered to pick up the glass and clinked glasses with Lid again. Lid smiled and did not refuse. After drinking a glass of wine, Velot lay directly on the table, mumbling about his heroic deeds in killing enemies on the battlefield, and was one step closer to unconsciousness.

Reed was also staggering, and although he used his arms to support his body and did not fall down, he looked very drunk.

The uninvited guest who was leading the group was very satisfied with the two people's current appearance. He curled his lips and said to Lid with a smile:

"Lord of Yuxi City? I have heard of your name for a long time. Last time I went to the capital to celebrate the New Year, you were the only one outside the thirty-six territories who showed up. This time when I was heading north, Lord Lingwu even personally mentioned your name. It is worth the trip to have the honor of meeting Lord Lide."

Reed was holding a glass of wine, looking drunk and unable to speak, but he just nodded calmly.

Alayya didn't drink any wine. She just stared coldly at the person who came and was on guard carefully.

The leading young man smiled slightly, bent down, and whispered in Lid's ear:

"It's just that Lord Lide may not know that there are always some rules that cannot be spread to outsiders when traveling north."

Lid reluctantly raised his eyelids and asked:

"Rules? What rules? Rules for drinking?"

A hint of contempt flashed across the young man's eyes, but the smile on his face was very sincere:

"Of course it's the rules for solving problems. Lord Lide doesn't seem to know how many people he has offended, right? There are six or seven territories that are friendly with Yunyang alone, and the people from these six or seven territories who come to participate in the Northward Journey don't like you. Not to mention that Lord Lide is famous at a young age, and he has many talented people at his disposal. Many of them want to take over the leadership of Yuxi City. However, the Northward Journey naturally has its own rules. Since we are here, everyone is still rushing to kill the giants, so even if they hate you in their hearts, no one will be stupid enough to personally provoke civil strife."

Lid propped up his head, and the chicken pecked at the rice and nodded, not forgetting to cooperate and said:

"Right, right, right... We can't fight, we can't fight. What are the benefits of Yuxi City..."

The young man whispered:

"So, they want to make a bet with Lord Lide. If Lord Lide loses, he will give up part of Yuxi City's resources, surrender in public, apologize to Yunyang, and admit that he is an incompetent waste. If he wins, they will naturally not begrudge the wealth in their hands. I believe that with Lord Lide's ability, he will definitely not refuse such a benefit that is delivered to his door, right?"

Reed replied impatiently:

"Tell me first, are these you are talking about yourself?"

The young man was stunned for a moment, and Lid took a sip of wine and asked again:

"I've never been afraid. Tell me, what do you want to bet on? Cards or dice? Or dog fight or cricket fight?"

The young man secretly complained that the pampered young man only knew these things, and said:

"Neither... I just said that we are heading north. Since we are here to kill giants, of course we have to compare the number of giants we kill. The first time we gather in Lingwu and start free movement is the beginning, and the first time we gather is the end. The side that kills more giants during this period wins. The bet was signed in advance, and we have to accept the loss in the end."

Perhaps fearing that he might scare Lid, the young man hastily added:

"Don't worry, they will only choose one territory as a representative, and they won't gang up on you. Just imagine that you are here with Alayya, who ranks fifth on the rookie list. This is a good opportunity for you to make achievements in the Northward Journey. If you can perform well this time, even the Lord of Lingwu will look favorably upon you. By then, you will have both fame and fortune, and you will return home in glory. Who in the world, let alone Yunyang, can be your opponent?"

Lid threw the cup down with a bang, stood up suddenly, and said incoherently:

"Yes, that's what happened! But I know you guys very well. You show off when you win, and deny your debts when you lose. When you see that something is not right...hiccup, just pretend nothing happened. I won't fall for it."

The young man took out a document from his arms and said to Lid:

"Mr. Lid, do you think this is just a small fight like before? In Lingwu's sphere of influence, the number of giants killed is the bet. It is clearly written in black and white. Who dares to default? I guarantee that no one will dare to play tricks on this. Just trust me."

Lid took the document from his hand, stared at him with his eyes wide open, and said:

"What can I get if I win? Two thousand fast horses, ten thousand gold coins... Ugh, this is too little, what are you doing? If you want to gamble, then gamble, gamble big! If you drop this amount of money on the street, even beggars wouldn't be interested in it."

The young man quietly took back the document in Lide's hand and quietly exchanged it for another one. This time, the materials on it were doubled, 4,000 war horses and 20,000 gold coins, which was really not a small number. Yuxi City didn't have many cavalry now, so it would suffer a little in the war, but war horses were not so easy to get. Among the territories that Lide knew, only the Huaiwang Territory produced a lot, but his relationship with the Huaiwang Prince was not very good, so if he wanted to buy them, he would probably be ripped off.

In fact, the horse dealer in the Huaiwang territory offered Yuxi City forty gold coins per war horse.

According to the bet, if Lide loses, he must return all the cities under his control except Yuxi City to Yunyang, and hand over He Yue, Fang Shisan and other high-level officials of Yuxi City.

Lid pointed to the last one and said:

"That won't work. Although Fang Shisan and the others are staying in Yuxi City, I don't have the right to decide their future, and I can't sell them to you like trading goods."

Lid looked confused. He pointed his index finger at his head and said to the young man with a smile:

"However, if I lose, I can give this to you. After I die, the people of Yuxi City will naturally leave or scatter. It will depend on your ability to dig out as many as you can."

18. Be cautious when smuggling

After some bargaining, a new gambling agreement emerged in full view of everyone. Before the journey north officially began, the atmosphere had already become very heated.

When it came to signing the contract, Lide was very cautious. The young man brought a man named Mu Risheng, who was said to be the fourth son of the Ceylon Territory and the most powerful group in the Ceylon Territory besides the Crown Prince. However, Lide knew that Mu Risheng alone could not afford such a big bet, and it should be the result of several parties putting together. In other words, although the representative this time was the Ceylon Territory, there were still many participants behind it.

Li De first confirmed Mu Risheng's identity to prevent the other party from sending an unrelated person to sign the contract. After confirming that the person in front of him was indeed Mu Risheng, Li De signed his name on the bet with a stroke of his pen. The whole process was very bold and he really looked like a coward who was drunk and emboldened.

Mu Risheng also signed his name and pressed his fingerprints. Both parties took a copy of the bet. Lid asked Mu Risheng with a big tongue:

"Why do you want to give them a head start?"

Mu Risheng replied cautiously:

"Lord Yunyang promised to give Ceylon more."

Reed nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Alayya helped Lid back. After he left, the young man who had come to trick Lid into making a bet immediately put his arm around Mu Risheng's shoulders and said with a smile:

"Congratulations in advance. If you make this deal and perform well in Lingwu, the Prince of Ceylon might change his master when you return. After all, Ceylon is facing many internal and external troubles, and it needs a smart person like you to come to power and put things right. The Lord of Ceylon will understand this."

Mu Risheng nodded, put the bet close to him, and said lightly:

"He is a young man after all. He can't control his temper after a few provocations. This is his first time to come to the north, but we are not. We definitely know more about the intelligence outside the Great Wall than he does. We have learned which is a hard bone and which is a soft persimmon by risking countless lives. For a newcomer like him, there will be no other result except a bloody head. Besides, there is no army in Yuxi City for him to bring. I have thousands of soldiers under my command!"

The young man agreed with this and said with a smile:

"We have checked his background. When Li De was in Yunyang, he was an uneducated young man. He often ran rampant in Lingyun City and did whatever he wanted relying on his status as a young master of Yunyang. Although he has changed a little since he came to Yuxi City, he was also advised and restrained by people like He Yue and Fang Shisan. Now that he has come to the north alone and is drunk, of course his true nature will be completely exposed."

Mu Risheng looked at Lid's leaving back, breathed a sigh of relief, and said with emotion:

"So it is said that education is very important. Children who are brought up in a free-range environment will be unpresentable no matter where they go. The most frightening thing in this world is self-esteem. Yuxi City has won a few battles, but if he really thinks it is his own credit, then he is totally wrong. As long as there are no mistakes in domestic affairs, Fang Shisan has never lost a foreign war. What does it have to do with Li De?"

The young man smiled slightly, removed his arm from around Mu Risheng's neck, bowed, and said:

"After the matter is completed, the reward promised by our Huaiwang Territory will not be reduced by a single copper coin."

Mu Risheng said lightly:

"I believe in your credibility, and I believe even more in your prince's desire to avenge Lid. But I advise you not to use Ceylon as a weapon. Ceylon will only act according to its own will."

The young man smiled and said:

"I know, but at least now, we have the same interests. So... happy cooperation?"

"Pleasant to work with."

The young man extended his hand to Mu Risheng, who simply shook it.

……