Chapter 318 - 250: To Wear Out Iron Shoes in Vain (Part 2)

Chapter 318: Chapter 250: To Wear Out Iron Shoes in Vain (Part 2)

But in the time he was delayed, the two hummingbirds that had just flown off returned, having eaten and drunk their fill.

"Alright, you two can follow me then."

Over the next few days, the major powers of the Inner and Outer Cities took turns hosting banquets for the White Tiger Tribe’s delegation.

All the city’s upper echelons attended.

「At the banquet the following day.」

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Hu Lan swept her gaze across the room. Noticing that Huang Ke from the Huang Family wasn’t present, she looked toward the Huang Family’s table and spoke. "Everyone, Tang Wen is now an Honored Guest Elder of our White Tiger Tribe. An Honored Guest Elder of our tribe is different from those in your factions. They hold a very high status and can mobilize a squad of our White Tiger Guard—that is, ten Fifth-Grade masters, plus ten Fifth-Grade White Tigers!"

The moment she finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

After a moment, Third Master Huang stood up and cupped his fists in a salute. "Could it be that a good-for-nothing from my family has offended you two?"

Hu Lan glanced at him but said nothing.

Third Master Huang gave his assurance. "I will return and launch a thorough investigation. I will give the Saintess a full account!"

No one uttered a sound. They were all still processing Hu Lan’s words.

’A single Honored Guest Elder can mobilize twenty Fifth-Grade masters?’

’Is that even possible?’

’And the implications behind it seem even more terrifying.’

’A single squad of the White Tiger Guard has a full twenty Fifth-Grade members.’

’How many of these White Tiger Guard squads do they have?’

’Does the White Tiger Tribe really possess such astonishing strength?’

Deep down, everyone was skeptical.

Patriarch Chen exchanged glances with several others, then rose to his feet. "Holy Daughter, forgive my bluntness, but since the White Tiger Tribe is so powerful, do you truly have no intention of conquering Ganshan City?"

As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy, as if the very air had frozen solid.

A cold sweat broke out on the backs of several young heirs.

’The Chen Family is too reckless! Aren’t there Fourth-Grade Masters at the table?’

The Little Jade Tiger had a whole table to itself, and a steady stream of food was being shoveled into its mouth.

Hu Lan began to speak slowly.

"Our White Tiger Race lives in the Ten Thousand Mountains to the south, where Fifth-Grade Exotic Beasts are a common sight. This year is a year of calamity. The Exotic Beasts are restless, stirring up a beast tide powerful enough to destroy everything. None but our people can withstand it!

Ganshan City’s destiny is to suppress the underground Demon Cave. The White Tiger Race’s mission is to guard the Ten Thousand Mountains.

You are skilled at managing cities; we are skilled at utilizing the resources of the mountains.

We could conquer you, of course, but our people would inevitably suffer casualties. Afterward, we would have to dispatch our own people to stand guard over the Demon Cave.

We would have to learn how to manage the hundreds, even thousands, of nearby camps and mines from scratch. We would have to send people to reopen trade routes and face retaliation from the remnants of all your families. If you were in our position, what would you choose?"

The expressions on everyone’s faces eased slightly.

Her analysis from the perspective of mutual interest was far more convincing.

Compared to paying a hefty price to control Ganshan City, taking twelve percent of the city’s profits for almost no cost was the real bargain.

Seeing their uneasy expressions, Hu Lan added, "Should a Fourth-Grade Master attack the city, you can hold them off until our forces arrive."

With that, the frozen atmosphere was swept away entirely.

Patriarch Chen raised his wine cup. "Thank you for dispelling our doubts, Holy Daughter!"

With that, he tilted his head back and drained the cup.

You couldn’t hire a Fourth-Grade Master even if you had the money.

Everyone knows their own business.

And the three great families knew better than anyone whether Ganshan City still had any Fourth-Grade Masters.

Of course, after the battle with the Jade Tiger,

any discerning observer could see that Ganshan City likely had only one Fourth-Grade Master left!

Combined with rumors like "only the City Lord wearing the Iron Crown is the real City Lord,"

it wasn’t difficult for people to deduce that there was probably something wrong with the City Lord.

After that day, Tang Wen could basically do as he pleased within the city walls.

Huang San personally brought Huang Ke—the man Tang Wen had encountered the night before—and the direct heir of the Huang Family to apologize at his door.

The faces of the latter two were swollen like melons, beaten to a pulp.

Their eyes were just single slits.

The matter was thus concluded, and both sides shook hands and made up.

Tang Wen seemed to have truly let it go, and the Huang Family seemed to truly believe it.

Afterward, he spent his days on his Martial Arts Training and his evenings taking Hu Lan out to eat and stroll around the city.

Occasionally, they would also leave the city to see the sights.

In this desolate land, there wasn’t much worth seeing.

They lingered for several more days.

On this day, the White Tiger Tribe was finally ready to depart.

Hearing the news, all the major powers breathed a sigh of relief.

Vice Gang Leader Zhao of the Black Water Gang and Supreme Elder Zhou led the procession. With them were one hundred Sixth-Grade and Extraordinary elites pooled from the Black Water Gang, the Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall, and the Inner City Chen Family, along with three hundred Martial Artists to handle manual labor.

Hundreds of Middle-level Exotic Beasts of all shapes and sizes pulled carts loaded with thousands of pounds of goods, forming a vast procession that departed from Ganshan City and headed south.

Tang Wen rode his Sand Wolf, mingling within the procession.

The Sand Wolf, a High-level Exotic Beast, kept its head low and its eyes downcast, trailing behind a pack of White Tigers as meekly as a lapdog.

Its four legs, however, were trembling so hard that when Tang Wen first mounted, he thought he was on a kiddy ride.

And that was considered a good reaction.

The rest of the Middle-level Exotic Beasts serving as laborers were much worse.

When the White Tigers walked ahead, the beasts refused to tread on the same path, not moving even when whipped until the lashes broke.

When the White Tigers walked behind, they would bolt forward in a frenzy, impossible to hold back.

When the White Tigers used Wind Manipulation to take to the air, the beasts were so terrified they scattered in every direction...

In the end, they had no choice but to have the White Tigers ascend to over a thousand meters in the air.

Only then could the other beasts pull their carts and travel properly.

SMACK. "Look at you, you coward!"

Tang Wen hopped off his Warg and went over to Hu Lan’s side. He had no plans to go to the White Tiger Tribe.

Neither he nor Hu Lan showed much emotion about their parting. With the [Unity Mirror] in hand, they could chat whenever they wanted.

"I’m leaving my White Tiger mount with you. It’s called Hu Qi."