Chapter 2110: Talking Fails, Then Hands On

The three brothers exchanged glances. Lu Zhenxian was still the first to speak: "Seek aid from Cangyan."

Those five short words made Lu Zhensheng freeze. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Cangyan, the powerful new nation in the east, has a long-standing grudge against Ya," Lu Zhenxian explained. "Since its establishment, it has been looking for an opportunity to exact revenge. If we ask for their help, they will certainly send troops."

"Ridiculous! How do you know?" Lu Zhensheng scoffed. "You send a letter to He Xiao, and he just agrees?"

His words were full of disdain, but to his surprise, Lu Zhenxian nodded and continued, "Yes. Cangyan's army is already on its way to Baile!"

Lu Zhensheng abruptly stood up, pointing at him. "You!"

Lu Qing'an spoke even before his father could. "Sixth Uncle, my father is the head of the family. How can you usurp his authority?"

The second brother, Lu Zhenyuan, calmly stated, "Mou has already withdrawn its troops, and we can't defeat Ya. Does your father have any other choice besides sacrificing A-Bang?"

The third brother, Lu Zhenxun, added, "Seeking help from Cangyan is not shameful. I don't believe Eldest Brother hasn't considered it. But why didn't he act?"

"Are you serious?" Lu Zhensheng's eyes widened. He gestured eastward. "He Xiao's so-called 'Dragon God Army' was beaten like dogs by Ya not long ago! Aid of that caliber..."

"It's better than nothing!" Lu Zhenxian cut him off. "Are you just going to let Baile perish without even trying?"

Lu Zhenyuan said earnestly, "We all know that Eldest Brother had disagreements with He Xiao in the past, but that's ancient history now. Eldest Brother must prioritize the overall situation in Baile and the lives and safety of its millions of people."

Lu Zhensheng's temper flared upon hearing this. His second brother always liked to undermine him; was he trying to label him again?

"You sought aid from him behind my back? Then tell me, what terms did you offer him?" Lu Zhensheng looked at them with a look of exasperated disappointment. "From the moment he started buying the Yangshan Archipelago, I knew he had ulterior motives. Dealing with him is like bargaining with a tiger; nothing good will come of it!"

Lu Feiyan, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "So letting Ya's iron hooves trample Baile is a good outcome?"

Lu Qing'an admonished her, "Shut up! You have no business speaking here."

Lu Feiyan never backed down. "What, only you're allowed to yell at my father?"

Lu Zhenxun then said, "Since Eldest Brother believes He Xiao cannot defeat Ya, what does it matter if he's a tiger or a wolf?"

His three younger brothers were clearly ganging up on him. Lu Zhensheng chuckled. "Why don't you first tell me what terms you promised He Xiao behind my back?"

"It's quite simple," Lu Zhenxian said, staring at him. "If he can drive back Ya, all the tribute we previously paid to Mou will, from now on, be transferred to Cangyan."

Lu Zhensheng and his son could scarcely believe their ears.

Transferring tribute? That was a very polite way of saying Baile would henceforth acknowledge Cangyan as its suzerain!

Lu Zhensheng could no longer contain himself. He slammed the table and stood up. "Nonsense! How dare you!"

What was Mou's strength, and how could Cangyan possibly compare? For Baile to abandon the strong for the weak, wasn't that just seeking their own demise?

"Baile is facing a great catastrophe, yet Mou stands idly by. Only Cangyan is willing to extend a helping hand," Lu Zhenxian said, spreading his hands. "We have no choice."

The third brother calmly added, "Eldest Brother, what are you afraid of? If Cangyan doesn't win, they won't get the tribute anyway. If they do win, then paying tribute to them is perfectly reasonable."

Pledging allegiance to the strong is the survival rule for most small nations in this world.

Lu Zhensheng suppressed his anger and said, "You haven't personally dealt with Mou, so you don't know how formidable it is! Even if Cangyan wins, once we transfer our allegiance to them as our suzerain, Mou will definitely not let it go. And we're right on Mou's border; we'll face great misfortune in the future!"

Lu Zhenyuan darkly replied, "Has the patriarch forgotten that we are also on Ya's border? Never mind the future; we're facing great misfortune right now!"

Between dying later and dying now, you must choose one, right?

We can't even survive now, so what's the point of talking about the future?

"Even if Cangyan's aid is a cup of poison, we must hold our noses and drink it now!"

Lu Zhensheng, furious, laughed humorlessly and casually smashed his cup on the ground. "Silence! This matter is absolutely out of the question!"

Smashing the cup was the signal! With a crisp sound of shattering porcelain, Lu Zhensheng's men, ambushed outside the garden, would immediately rush in.

Baile's capital was Lu Zhensheng's territory; from the city guard to the government offices, they were all his people. After the three Lu family brothers entered the Lu manor together, Lu Qing'an had gradually increased the number of guards inside and outside the manor to over a thousand, completely surrounding the place.

If negotiations broke down, all three Lu family brothers would be apprehended!

Unexpectedly, a figure flashed, and before the cup could hit the ground, it was snatched mid-air!

The crisp sound, naturally, never occurred. Instead, a few whistles came from the opposite side, and several bamboo sections were thrown over, hissing with red smoke.

Lu Zhensheng was startled and simply opened his mouth to shout, "Guards!"

But as soon as he opened his mouth, a gas, a mixture of pungent and putrid smells, ten times worse than rotten feet, assailed him. The words caught in Lu Zhensheng's throat, choking him back.

Everyone was caught off guard, coughing uncontrollably, unable to straighten their backs.

Lu Qing'an knew something was wrong. He intended to yell "Guards!" but his body honestly bent over and vomited.

Dong Rui himself had experienced the potency of this toxic smoke. Afterward, he personally improved it, turning it into a concealed weapon that would instantly burst into a large, stable cloud of smoke upon activation, unaffected by strong winds.

As the thick smoke rose, some naturally took advantage of the chaos.

The three Lu brothers held their breath and quickly retreated, while more than a dozen figures behind them charged forward.

These individuals, dressed as guards, had originally entered Lu Zhensheng's manor with their heads down, trailing behind them. Now, they activated their protective aura and rushed into the red mist, holding their breath.

The three Lu brothers only heard a commotion within the red mist: shouts, curses, agonizing cries, and the clash of weapons.

Soon, someone emerged—

Their people.

No, it should be said: the people lent to them.

Lu Zhensheng was dragged out by them!

The three Lu brothers were overjoyed.

Several highly skilled guards from the Lu manor rushed forward but were blocked by the three Lu brothers' men.

The person who had snatched the porcelain cup earlier now held a blade to Lu Zhensheng's neck. "Step back, or Clan Head Lu's head will roll!"

The Clan Head had been seized!

The guards exchanged bewildered glances, finally looking at Lu Qing'an.

Young Master, what should we do now?

Under everyone's gaze, no matter how unwilling Lu Qing'an was, he had no choice but to shout, "Stop! Everyone, stop!"

Outside, shouts echoed continuously. Immediately afterward, the Lu manor's forces retreated inside, closely followed by Lu Qingbang's Baile soldiers.

Today, in this act of "insubordination," Lu Zhenxian and his son had split their forces.

This was a classic case of the flood entering the Dragon King's Temple.