PNB Chapter 118 Openly Soliciting Bribes and Dividing the Spoils
Chapter 118 Openly Soliciting Bribes and Dividing the Spoils
Chapter 118 Openly Soliciting Bribes and Dividing the Spoils
The other one is quite interesting. This one comes from a small family with a weak background and very little power.
But the leader of this group was an old man who was well-versed in the principles of being a good person.
After learning Xiao Chong's purpose, the old man neither readily agreed nor refused, but instead bowed deeply to Xiao Chong.
Then, without getting up, he slowly said, "Young brother, you've been walking for quite a while, and your forehead is slightly sweaty. You must be a little tired. Let's go inside first, and I'll serve you some tea."
As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Chong out of the corner of her eye, blinking rapidly, the meaning clearly being, "You know what I mean."
Hmm, finally found someone who knows how to handle things, there's hope!
Xiao Chong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward to help the old man up, saying with a smile, "Old man, you are too kind. However, I am indeed a little tired and was just about to ask for a cup of water."
"Then please come inside quickly!" The old man grabbed Xiao Chong's sleeve and rushed into the inner room, his steps swift and agile, even more so than a young man.
"I want some water too, okay?" Seeing that Xiao Chong had no intention of taking him along, Liu Yun, who was standing to the side, felt a surge of frustration.
You're a martial arts apprentice, and your physique is even better than mine, a martial arts student. How come you seem a little tired? And you're sweating on your forehead. May I ask where the sweat is?
Even after Xiao Chong and the old man disappeared, Liu Yun still couldn't figure out what went wrong that made the two of them refuse to let him in.
Inside the hall, a heavy vermilion door shut out the noise of the outside world, and the old man and Xiao Chong sat facing each other.
Each of them had a cup of hot tea in front of them; one was as enthusiastic as fire, and the other was all smiles. They looked like long-lost friends who had been reunited despite their age difference.
"Young brother, you've had a hard time. As the saying goes, a guest is always a guest. If there's anything I haven't done well in our hospitality, please forgive me..." The old man bowed slightly, about to say a few more polite words, but was rudely interrupted by Xiao Chong.
"Stop beating around the bush. You didn't bring me in just to have tea, did you?" Xiao Chong looked the old man up and down and cut straight to the point.
Young people these days are becoming less and less refined. Their table manners are so unsightly. Can't they be a little more civilized?
The old man blushed slightly and said awkwardly, "I heard that you're from Flying Moon City, young man. I visited there when I was young, and it is indeed a wonderful place..."
Is this an attempt to play the family card? Xiao Chong lowered his eyelids and said in a deep voice, "Stop with the fluff and get to the point!"
"Cough..." The old man was immediately choked and coughed violently.
The psychological warfare tactic didn't work? Looks like this kid's not easy to fool; time to use the ultimate weapon.
After regaining his composure, the old man pondered for a moment, then took out a small card and placed it on the table. He then pushed it towards Xiao Chong.
"There are 10,000 points in this card, please accept it, young man," the old man said with a forced smile.
"Quite a generous offer!" Xiao Chong's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Is the old man trying to bribe me?"
"Not at all, not at all, don't put it so harshly," the old man waved his hand and said, "This is a tip for your trouble, we can't let you come all this way for nothing, can we?"
"Since it's the old man's kind gesture, I'll accept it." Xiao Chong put the Yuanli Card into his pocket and smiled meaningfully, "However, the Yuan Stones that should be paid still need to be paid."
The old man asked, slightly nervously, "How much will it cost?"
"Seeing that you are old and frail, I estimate that you can't mine many spirit stones. How about we pay this amount?" Xiao Chong smiled and gently gestured with one finger.
"Another thousand? Isn't that a bit too much?" The old man was clearly very unwilling, and he almost jumped out of his chair.
“No, it’s one hundred,” Xiao Chong said, shaking his head.
The old man was relieved and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "This should be paid, it must be paid!"
Deal done, all done! Since both sides are satisfied, let's get going. As for the hypocritical offer to stay for dinner, let's not even mention it.
Xiao Chong smiled and took his leave. The old man saw him off warmly, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder.
Upon arriving in the courtyard, Xiao Chong announced the final result he had agreed upon with the old man, and his men remained silent.
After a long pause, Liu Yun asked hesitantly, "Isn't one hundred yuan a bit too little?"
"Hehe, it's a bit little, but these people are old. How many spirit stones do you expect them to mine?" Xiao Chong chuckled dryly, his expression unchanged. "Besides, isn't respecting the elderly and caring for the young a traditional virtue of the Tianyun Continent? This kind of good thing should be inherited and carried forward."
Liu Yun was speechless for a moment.
The old man in front of you is indeed old, but the pioneering team he brought is full of young and strong people. Can you find one who is over thirty years old?
Furthermore, when did respecting the elderly and caring for the young become traditional virtues of the Tianyun Continent? The Tianyun Continent practices the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, isn't that right?
Liu Yun really wanted to argue with Xiao Chong, but remembering the instructions given by the town mayor of Hengshan before he came, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
"Next one, let's continue!" Seeing everyone silent, Xiao Chong waved his hand and led his men to sweep through the area once again.
The operation to collect the Yuan Stones did not proceed quickly; sometimes it went smoothly, sometimes it was fraught with setbacks. It continued until the afternoon of the second day, when they were finally able to collect them all by a combination of coaxing and intimidation.
The rest of the work was to divide the spoils—or rather, to award them.
More than 200,000 Yuan Stones were seized this time, and they were all transported to the town magistrate's office and placed under the unified control of Hengshan.
Many teams contributed significantly to the fight against the Wolf-Faced Silver Bear and performed admirably, thus deserving a reward. This portion amounts to 50,000 coins.
Another 50,000 yuan will be set aside as a reserve to reward all parties willing to contribute their efforts in similar situations in the future.
Hengshan and Xiao Chong contributed the most and played the biggest role in resisting the beast horde, and they deserve substantial rewards. The reward is limited to 100,000 coins, with the two of them splitting the cost equally.
The remaining tens of thousands of yuan should be distributed to the task force collecting the Yuan Stones. After all, everyone has worked very hard, and we can't let those who are putting in the effort be discouraged.
After the assignments were completed, Hengshan summoned Xiao Chong to his residence, dismissed the servants, and asked in a low voice, "What are your thoughts on the beast attack a few days ago, Brother Xiao?"
Xiao Chong did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a long time before saying, "I think this attack by the wolf-faced silver bear, like the repeated incidents of wild beasts injuring people, is not an isolated event, and there must be some connection behind it."
Xiao Chong had said something similar before, so Hengshan didn't take it too seriously. He simply asked casually, "Then what do you think the connection might be, brother?"
This time, Xiao Chong remained silent for an even longer period before finally sighing and saying, "In my opinion, the appearance of these wild beasts is very likely to be secretly manipulated by some force or power."
I even suspect that the discovery of numerous small spiritual veins in the Southern Wilderness might be related to this power.
"Hmm, so you mean, brother, all these things happened because someone was behind it all?"
Hearing Xiao Chong speak with such conviction, Hengshan's expression also became serious.