Undying Life

Chapter 185: One Man, Three-Inch Tongue

Zhong Shan frowned as he observed the scene before him. He felt a peculiar sense of affinity towards the wolf clan; after all, the national beast of the Daxin Dynasty was a wolf. In other words, given his own identity, he held an 'incomparably eminent' status among these fire wolves.

Yuheng Sect, allied with the Kaiyang Sect, had a tenuous connection with him, so he didn't wish any harm upon them. Caught in a dilemma, Zhong Shan decided to remain neutral for the moment, or at least understand the situation better to mediate and possibly diffuse the tension.

Within less than half a stick of incense, the two men who had left earlier returned, dragging a cowering man in red. The red-robed man's eyes were filled with panic and fear.

"Father, Father, you must save me!" the man in red cried as he rushed towards Liu Suifeng upon entering the grand hall.

"Wretched son, kneel!" Liu Suifeng roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

With a 'thud', an invisible force seemed to press down, and the man in red dropped to his knees instantly.

"Father, Father, I am your son!" the man in red pleaded.

"Wretched son, hmph! Tell me, what have you not confessed? Why are there so many wolves? What trouble have you stirred up? Do you want to drag the Yuheng Sect to its doom?" Liu Suifeng shouted.

"Father, I didn't, I didn't! I've told you everything!" the red-robed man screamed in terror.

The others stood silently by, coldly watching, without uttering a word. The mighty Yuheng Sect had been brought to the brink of destruction by him. If he wouldn't speak now, when would he? After the sect was destroyed?

"Hmph, wretched son, if you don't speak now, I'll kill you with my own hands," Liu Suifeng said, enraged.

"Father, Father, I am your son!" the red-robed man cried, tears of fear streaming down his face.

"I have no son like you. The lives of the entire sect are in your hands, and you still won't speak?" Liu Suifeng bellowed.

The man in red looked fearfully at Liu Suifeng, then at the others, before collapsing to the side in a daze, muttering, "I can't say it. If I do, I'll die for sure."

Seeing his son in such a state, Liu Suifeng frowned and sighed, "No matter what, you need to tell us. If you don't, the wolves will attack Yuheng Sect, and if any more wolves die, the enmity will grow endlessly. It could even alert the Flame Wolf General, which would mean the end of our sect and certain death for you. Speak now, and there might still be a chance. No matter what happened, there is always a solution."

"Father, Father, kill me! Kill me, and the wolves will leave. They will leave," the man in red said, as if having an epiphany, and knelt upright before Liu Suifeng.

"What exactly happened? Speak!" Liu Suifeng demanded.

"The wolf I captured last time, it was actually the son of the Flame Wolf General. The general is currently in seclusion, so the young flame wolf was alone when we captured it. I didn't know at the time. If I had known, I would never have dared to capture it," the red-robed man explained in fear.

"When did you find out?" Liu Suifeng asked angrily.

"That day, when it was about to die, I took it out. Later, it was rescued by a man who said he owed a great debt to the Flame Wolf General and recognized the young wolf. He said the young wolf was the general's son and took it away. He also knew I was from Yuheng Sect. Father, it's my fault. I brought disaster upon Yuheng Sect. Kill me!" the red-robed man cried in panic.

"Liu Wushuang, you—" Liu Suifeng roared in anger.

"What did you do to the young wolf before it was rescued?" Princess Qianyou asked, her eyes narrowing. She quickly detected a flaw in Liu Wushuang's story. Was he still hiding something?

"I, I..." Liu Wushuang stammered, unable to speak.

"Speak quickly!" Liu Suifeng demanded.

"I heard that wolf meat is delicious, so I lit a fire and prepared to..." Liu Wushuang stammered in fear.

Everyone froze at Liu Wushuang's words. He intended to burn a Jindan stage wolf alive? Zhong Shan shook his head slightly; heaven may forgive natural disasters, but self-inflicted misfortune is inescapable.

Liu Wushuang confessed, expecting his father's reprimands. However, everyone turned to look at the woman standing behind them.

"Elder, this wretched son has committed an unforgivable mistake. The millennium foundation of the Yuheng Sect must not be endangered. He will bear the consequences alone," Liu Suifeng said with a face full of sorrow. It was clear he had decided to abandon Liu Wushuang.

Previously, Liu Wushuang had asked his father to kill him out of sheer terror, uttering confused words. When fear surpasses a person's limit, they often react in extreme ways. Now, as Liu Suifeng prepared to forsake him, Liu Wushuang's fear surged anew, and he sat shivering on the floor.

"Sect Master," the other four called out.

"My decision is final; there's no need for further persuasion," Liu Suifeng said with a frown.

A wretched son indeed. Despite Liu Wushuang's absurd actions, he was still Liu Suifeng's son. Though Liu Suifeng was acting in the best interest of the sect, it was clear the decision pained him deeply. As the sect master, he couldn't allow Yuheng Sect to be destroyed under his leadership.

"Roasting a wolf? What a notion. Do you think your death will make the wolves forgive Yuheng Sect?" Princess Qianyou asked, her brow furrowing.

"Elder, what should we do?" Liu Suifeng asked anxiously.

Ignoring the crowd, Princess Qianyou began pacing back and forth, deep in thought, her frown deepening with each step.

Liu Suifeng and the others waited patiently, while Zhong Shan stood silently.

"Shuijing, do you have any solutions?" Gulin asked Mr. Shuijing.

"Solutions? None. The Flame Wolf General is in seclusion. The wolves in the Flaming Wolf Mountains must obey the general's son or another significant wolf. The fact that they are besieging Yuheng Sect shows they deeply care for the young wolf and seek revenge. The young wolf was tortured and nearly roasted alive. Do you think they would be appeased? Only if the Flame Wolf General himself comes, perhaps we could negotiate," Mr. Shuijing said, shaking his head.

Someone behind Liu Suifeng spoke, "It's hopeless. Since it's the Flame Wolf General's son, there's even less chance. I've heard that the Flame Wolf General only has one offspring, whom he dotes on immensely. That's why the wolves from Flaming Wolf Mountains are so protective. If the general learns of the young wolf's torment, he'll be even more furious."

Hearing this, everyone grew more worried.

"So we'll have to use force to subdue them?" Gulin asked, frowning.

At this moment, Princess Qianyou stopped and said, "Yuheng Sect might not fear the Flame Wolf General, but is it worth making an irrevocable enemy of him?"

"Elder, as long as we can resolve the threat of the wolves, I'm willing to relinquish my position as Sect Master," Liu Suifeng immediately offered.

Princess Qianyou glanced at Liu Suifeng and said, "Relinquish your position? The wolves didn't come because of you, but because you failed to discipline your son."

"Yes," Liu Suifeng nodded.

Princess Qianyou thought for a moment, then looked at Zhong Shan, who stood there, observing everything with an indifferent expression. She felt a wave of frustration.

"Zhong Shan, you're from Kaiyang Sect, an ally of Yuheng Sect. In times of trouble, you should help. What do you think we should do?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"Does he even have a solution?" Gulin sneered.

Mr. Shuijing also stared at Zhong Shan, curious to see what he would do.

Ah Da and Ah Er also looked at Zhong Shan with worried expressions.

Seeing Princess Qianyou calling on him, Zhong Shan took a deep breath and broke his silence. He glanced at the fallen Liu Wushuang and said, "Liu Wushuang is indeed to blame for Yuheng Sect's plight. Even if he dies a thousand deaths, it wouldn't be enough to save the sect. However, there is always a solution. The situation is dire, but not hopeless."

"Oh?" Princess Qianyou looked at Zhong Shan with surprise.

In the current predicament, even she and Mr. Shuijing had not been able to think of a quick solution to drive away the wolves. She knew Zhong Shan was incredibly wise, but this situation seemed beyond mere wisdom. Yet Zhong Shan seemed confident—did he truly have a way?

"Ha! Qianyou, your subordinate is quite the braggart," Gulin sneered.

Mr. Shuijing, however, looked at Zhong Shan with a glint of surprise and expectation in his eyes.

Ah Da and Ah Er took a deep breath. They knew that if Zhong Shan said he had a solution, then he certainly did.

Liu Suifeng and the others looked at Zhong Shan with hopeful eyes. Was there really a way?

Zhong Shan looked at the group and said, "When demonic beasts reach the innate stage, they gain intelligence and can communicate. Many of them are highly intelligent. If we can communicate, there's always a way to resolve things. The wolves' withdrawal doesn't depend on the depth of their hatred for the young wolf, but rather on how tempting the terms we offer are."

"Ha, negotiating with these beasts? Do you think they'll listen to you? The only terms they want are the destruction of Yuheng Sect. Can you give them that?" Gulin mocked.

Gulin's words angered the members of Yuheng Sect, who glared at him with resentment.

"What kind of terms do you think will make the wolves withdraw?" Princess Qianyou asked, frowning.

Mr. Shuijing also watched patiently, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Zhong Shan's logic was sound, but how could it be implemented? As the noble heir had said, would the wolves listen? Would they sit down at a negotiation table?

"The terms need to be discussed with them first. It's too early to decide on the terms now," Zhong Shan replied with a smile.

"Then, you can make the wolves retreat?" Princess Qianyou asked, puzzled.

"I used to be a merchant and know how to negotiate. I can lower the terms to the minimum for you, Princess," Zhong Shan said with a nod.

"Haha, you're going to negotiate with wolves? How?" Gulin mocked, echoing the doubts of the others.

"What do you need?" Princess Qianyou asked directly, looking at Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan pointed to himself and said, "One person, three-inch tongue."