Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1743 - 1780: Bargaining

When Ding Fan heard Ruo Zhong’s words, he couldn’t help but feel a bit delighted. Borrowing soldiers from him, Ding Fan was indeed embarrassed about the implication, they were meant to be completely slaughtered, what else! Ding Fan felt a bit soft-hearted, after all, it was so many lives.

But that’s the nature of the battlefield. Showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself, your comrades, and your brothers. Ding Fan knew if he didn’t find a way to deal with these soldiers of Tufan Country, it would be his Great Ocean Sect that suffered. If he let these soldiers go this time, soon it would be his brothers, disciples of the sect, and even his beloved family who would pay the price.

Such a thing, Ding Fan would never watch it happen. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The battlefield is a place of cruelty, adhering only to the simplest and most brutal survival laws, survival of the fittest, the weak get devoured.

Despite feeling a bit awkward inside, Ding Fan showed no emotion on his face, only suddenly appeared a bit angry as he said to the adjutant:

"Our caravan was robbed by a gang of bandits in the mountain ditch ahead. Although most of the spirit stones were not discovered by them, they killed many of our brothers and seized some of our spirit stones, animal skins, and spiritual materials. Almost all the cargo was taken by them."

As Ding Fan spoke, he tried to display more anger on his face. At this moment, he saw the other side listening quite seriously, seemingly believing his words as he continued:

"Those goods represent our future five years of business income, although not much, incomparable to tens of millions of spirit stones. But I can’t swallow this rage, perhaps it’s a flaw of youth. Nonetheless, they killed my brothers, I must avenge them. I only need to borrow half the troops, and just help me wipe out that band of bandits, then there’s nothing more. All these spirit stones here would then be yours."

After Ding Fan finished speaking, he couldn’t help but kick those spirit stones, acting all rich and powerful.

The three elders of the Thirty-six Caves standing by Ding Fan’s side heard his words and were full of admiration for this guy. Not only did he have excellent talent in cultivation, alchemy, and formation setting, but also exceptional in acting, with no flaws at all.

If he got on stage to perform, he would definitely become a famous star across Jiangnan!

The three elders exchanged glances discreetly while the others weren’t paying attention, clearly showing their high regard for this Lake Master. Now that things had reached this stage, the three elders already knew Ding Fan’s purpose. The story about the bandits was total nonsense; borrowing half of the troops was naturally to kill them all.

The three elders knew that if they could lure out half of the opposing forces and slaughter them directly, it would be the best strategy. It would annihilate half of their troops and greatly aid their plans, also reducing the chance of others escaping significantly.

The three elders believed that Ding Fan’s current plan was definitely a good idea.

Even though the three elders held high and respected positions among the Thirty-six Caves, they knew this plan was not something an ordinary person could carry out. At least, they couldn’t. After all, not everyone could easily put so many spirit stones in front of others; this was nearly tens of millions of spirit stones, and who knew how much more was in that storage bag.

After all, the capacity of a high-level storage bag surely held far more than these millions spilled out.

Such a tempting offer wasn’t something an ordinary person could create; they believed there were only a few in the Cultivation World who could do it, and Ding Fan was definitely among them.

For Ding Fan, this idea was also thought up on the spot since doing it this way would be relatively safer.

At this moment, Ruo Zhong heard Ding Fan’s words and fell into silence for a moment. He felt that the other party wasn’t lying. There were indeed rampant bandits around here. If he wasn’t entangled with military affairs, he would have taught those reckless bandits a lesson himself. But these matters weren’t important to him right now.

Ruo Zhong pondered silently, while the soldiers behind him seemed a bit jubilant. They knew that anyone who joined the mission would get fifty spirit stones each! Dealing with bandits was considered one of the least risky tasks for them, compared to fighting other countries’ armies or attacking sects.

Even the smallest sect was a dangerous opponent for the soldiers, where life and death seemed as trivial as eating and drinking, with dead soldiers scattered everywhere, cries filling the air. But taking care of bandits was just too blissful.

Some soldiers even started to mock Ding Fan in their hearts, thinking he was overreacting by borrowing half of the troops just to eradicate a band of bandits and bringing out so many spirit stones. It was a waste, and they laughed at him being an outsider who didn’t know the rules; he was like a sucker.

Several military advisors beside Ruo Zhong, seeing the adjutant’s hesitant and thoughtful expression, felt a bit anxious internally. Their thoughts were akin to the soldiers’—thinking he was just a sucker. Spending such a great deal on wiping out bandits was foolish.

Of course, as military advisors, they considered things more comprehensively. But regardless of their thoughts, most believed it was a rare opportunity, as eliminating bandits wasn’t a challenging task and was straightforward for the troops.

Seeing the adjutant hesitate, these military advisors couldn’t help but feel anxious. They were afraid the adjutant might miss this opportunity. Tens of millions of spirit stones were a massive windfall that would never come again. Although they knew that even if the adjutant agreed, they wouldn’t get all those spirit stones.

They understood everything depended on the adjutant’s decision, but they were sure they’d receive a substantial hush money cut from this. Using these millions of spirit stones as a base, even a one percent hush money was one hundred thousand spirit stones—a sum they might never accumulate in their lifetime.

This undoubtedly was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these military advisors.

Several military advisors couldn’t help but persuade Ruo Zhong:

"General, it seems reliable to us. It’s just helping them wipe out those bandits, and you get so many spirit stones. It’s definitely worth it!"

"That’s right, General. Although we have a mission at hand, eliminating the bandits wouldn’t affect the main force’s actions. Plus, this opportunity is unique; if missed, it won’t come again."

"Yes, General, let’s agree..."

"..."

For a moment, all the military advisors started persuading Ruo Zhong. Ding Fan saw this and felt somewhat pleased; his plan seemed almost foolproof.

Ruo Zhong listened to the advisors around him, feeling a bit hesitant, and with some doubt on his face, he looked at the advisors uneasily and asked:

"But it’s half our force; if something goes wrong, it would be a major issue!"

Several advisors, upon hearing Ruo Zhong’s words, couldn’t help glancing at the Spirit Stones with burning eyes and continued to persuade:

"There are only four people on the other side; even if something goes wrong, it won’t be a big issue."

"Exactly. Besides, there indeed are many bandits nearby; what they say doesn’t seem false."

"..."

The advisors joined in the persuasion, focusing entirely on the millions of Spirit Stones before them without truly considering the worst outcome. They knew even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be their responsibility; the deputy would still be there.

One elder advisor, aged, did not join in persuading Ruo Zhong but kept pondering.

At this moment, as Ruo Zhong was deeply hesitating, the elder advisor approached him seriously and said:

"General, I have a way that can alleviate your worries."

Upon hearing the elder’s words, Ruo Zhong found some reliance and asked eagerly:

"What way?"

"I believe these millions of Spirit Stones are indeed a rare opportunity for both us and the entire army. But the General’s cautious consideration isn’t redundant. After all, mobilizing half the forces at once could lead to our downfall if things go wrong. Even if we obtain the Spirit Stones and escape, our families in Tufan Country won’t be spared, which none of us wish to happen..."

The elder’s words made those who feverishly persuaded Ruo Zhong quiet down significantly. His realistic warning cut through their infatuation, making them realize the worst possible consequence—a truly unacceptable outcome.

For them, the opportunity and the millions of Spirit Stones offered drastic changes, illustrating the great risks bringing great rewards. The advisors, along with Ruo Zhong, listened to the elder continue.

"I have a strategy that can reduce the risk without changing the reward. I propose the General negotiate once more, agreeing to send only three to five hundred troops instead of half, as dealing with bandits isn’t exceedingly difficult."

Upon hearing this, Ruo Zhong’s eyes gleamed; it was indeed a good strategy.

The advisors concurred with the elder, having been almost blinded by the millions of Spirit Stones without attempting any other solution, solely focusing on the stones... starting self-reflection.

After consulting his advisors, Ruo Zhong told Ding Fan:

"I can accept your terms, as I too despise those bandits fiercely. As a young man of integrity, you somewhat resemble me, so I can lend you some troops to eliminate the bandits. However, it won’t be just any troops. I’ll lend you five hundred troops, sufficient for eliminating the bandits."

Hearing this, Ding Fan was momentarily stunned, surprised at the negotiation. Before Ding Fan could speak, Ruo Zhong continued:

"Although I’m willing to lend you troops for revenge on your brother and eliminate the bandits, the Spirit Stones here, those in the storage bag, and the reward of fifty Spirit Stones per soldier you promised must be honored!"

Ding Fan heard his words and couldn’t help but smile, leaving Ruo Zhong puzzled until Ding Fan directly responded:

"The Spirit Stones are right before your eyes; I can’t take them away in a short time. The ones I promised are insignificant compared to what you have now; I won’t be lacking. But five hundred troops is definitely not enough!"