Chapter 151: Ultimate Individual Heroism!

Suppressing the retinue of followers around him with a commanding presence, Li Yuanjing took a deep breath, then strode across the suspension bridge directly into the gloomy, pure-blue-stone-framed gateway.

"Draw up the suspension bridge!"
"Close the city gates!"

Just as Li Yuanjing stepped into the gateway, the loud shouts of the Bluestone Pass bandits echoed from outside.

Shortly after.
The suspension bridge and city gates that had just been opened for Li Yuanjing were hauled up and slammed shut one after another.

Feeling the light inside the gateway suddenly dim by more than half at such close range, even Li Yuanjing could not help but repeatedly adjust his breathing, forcing himself to remain calm.

Given any other choice, how could Li Yuanjing possibly take such a risk?

However, Li Yuanjing had no choice!

First of all.
If he could not reach a certain consensus with the fierce bandits of the Boshan Faction, not only would Li Yuanjing’s business have no room for development, but the safety of Quanzi Village and indeed the entire Fengcheng would also leave Li Yuanjing entirely devoid of confidence.

What if the Boshan Faction were to be roped in by those people of the Incense Teaching? How could one dare to imagine the consequences?

Secondly.
This era demanded heroism, especially the ultimate individual heroism!

If Li Yuanjing were to cower at a time like this, not even daring to experience such a minor scene, what qualification would he have to enjoy the sweet fruits of victory?

By what right could he build the foundation that belonged to Li Yuanjing?

He who receives a gift from Heaven but does not take it will instead suffer its blame!
He who would wear the crown must bear its weight!

The core reason why Li Yuanjing dared to make this decision at this moment!

First, the people of the Boshan Faction valued loyalty; loyalty was the foundation of their existence. In other words, Zhao Zhanggong should be a reasonable man, and there was some possibility of him being persuaded.

Second.
It was the hand grenades tied tightly all around Li Yuanjing's waist!

"Hah."

Li Yuanjing took another deep breath, firmly touched the row of items around his waist that gave him the greatest sense of security, and then strode out of the gateway.

"Don't move!"
"Hands in the air! Make a move and I'll finish you!"

Yet just as Li Yuanjing emerged from the gateway, before he even had time to take a breath of fresh air, several blades and spears, reflecting the dazzling sunlight, were thrust directly towards him.

A short, stocky brute with a dark red complexion, a bristling mane of hair and beard, resembling the legendary "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui, tucked his two large broadaxes into his belt and strode forward to frisk Li Yuanjing.

Li Yuanjing's expression suddenly changed.
If he were to be searched by these savage-like bandits at this moment, this act truly could not go on. He immediately shouted in a resonant voice:

"Chief Zhao, I, Li Yuanjing, respect you as a hero of our times, which is why I came alone to attend this meeting! But is this how you, Chief Zhao, treat your guests?!"

"Tieniu, do not be impolite!"

Then, Zhao Zhanggong's reprimand came from right above.

Shortly after.
He took two steps as three, hurried down from the city wall, and looked at Li Yuanjing with a beaming smile:

"Mr. Li, the men underneath are merely crude and unpolished warriors. Please forgive Mr. Li if there has been any discourtesy."

"Heh."

Li Yuanjing could not help but smile as well:

"Chief Zhao is too polite. If this student had even three-tenths of your thick-skinned nature, Chief Zhao, why would I have spent my life reading the books of sages only to be reduced to this state?"

"Audacious!"
"You surnamed Li, how dare you insult my father?!"
"Uncle, let me slaughter this corrupt official with my own hands!"

As soon as Li Yuanjing said these words, Zhao Yunlu and Xingcai instantly flew into a rage, brandishing their weapons as they prepared to charge forward.

Zhao Zhanggong hurriedly waved his hand to stop them, though his aged face could not help flushing slightly. He rubbed his nose hard and laughed:

"Mr. Li, taking some liberties as an older brother, I shall address you as younger brother. Younger brother, if I were at your age and possessed your level of insight and courage, how could I have ended up like this?"

This seemingly brief probing had already allowed Li Yuanjing to grasp some of Zhao Zhanggong's temperament, and he burst into hearty laughter:

"After you, Chief Zhao!"
"After you, younger brother!"

Zhao Zhanggong could not help laughing heartily either, personally leading the way for Li Yuanjing.

Even if Zhao Yunlu, Xingcai, and the others behind them were displeased, they had no other choice. They could only follow resentfully, watching with their own eyes as Zhao Zhanggong treated Li Yuanjing like an honored guest.

...

Guided personally by Zhao Zhanggong all the way, Li Yuanjing walked among the majestic mountain fortress constructed of blue stone, and only then did he truly feel what kind of strategic pass the imperial court had lost.

In Li Yuanjing's memory.
This Bluestone Pass should have once been the border pass between the states of Qi and Lu, with a heritage stretching back nearly two thousand years.

After several expansions over the years, the current Bluestone Pass could easily accommodate four to five thousand, or even seven to eight thousand people living within it without the slightest difficulty.

What a pity.
Such a majestic pass and vital transportation artery had been abandoned so easily.

Along with it, the critical commercial route leading from Boshan to Fengcheng and central Qizhou had also been discarded, leaving one truly speechless before the heavens.

Before long.
Li Yuanjing followed Zhao Zhanggong to the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness on Bluestone Peak, the main peak of Bluestone Pass.

Standing at this altitude, one could clearly overlook almost the entire strategic bottleneck of Bluestone Pass.

Since it was currently midday mealtime, one could clearly see the smoke of cooking fires rising from many places.

However.
Although these cooking fires brought quite a bit of mundane vitality, with Li Yuanjing's eyesight, it was not difficult to notice—

The density of these cooking fires was not high at all; in fact, they were rather sparse!

In other words.
The population inside Bluestone Pass at this moment was definitely not large.
It might even be much fewer than one would imagine!

"Heh."
"Younger brother, what do you think of this Bluestone Pass of mine?"

Arriving inside the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, they took their seats as host and guest while maidservants served fragrant tea. Zhao Zhanggong looked at Li Yuanjing with a beaming smile and asked.

Li Yuanjing smiled and said:
"Such a majestic pass—none other than a hero of Chief Zhao's caliber could inhabit it!"

"Hahahaha."

Zhao Zhanggong was clearly very receptive to Li Yuanjing's flattery and could not help bursting into loud laughter.

Yet after laughing a few times, his expression rapidly turned gloomy. Staring fixedly at Li Yuanjing like a night owl, he said:

"Younger brother, between you and me, isn't it a bit of a waste of time to speak such empty words? What this elder brother wants to know is, how on earth did Zhang Kewang, Feng Da, Zhao Baitiao, and the others die?!"

Even though Li Yuanjing had realized that Zhao Zhanggong could serve as the eldest among the ten brothers of the Boshan Faction and control this Bluestone Pass, he must certainly have some genuine capability.

Yet Li Yuanjing had not expected this old fellow to flip his face faster than turning the pages of a book!

However, this was all for the better.
For him to expose his true intentions at this moment undoubtedly made things much easier for Li Yuanjing.

As long as he had demands, Li Yuanjing could resolve those demands, thereby reaching a consensus in certain directions!

"I wonder~~, does Elder Brother Zhao want to hear the truth, or a lie?"

Faced with Zhao Zhanggong's aggressive questioning, Li Yuanjing did not panic. Instead, he took a sip of tea and looked at Zhao Zhanggong with keen interest.

"Uh..."

Zhao Zhanggong was momentarily stunned, looking at Li Yuanjing with a sense of disbelief.

Li Yuanjing's move had truly left him baffled.
What was going on here?
This was Bluestone Pass, his own territory under Zhao Zhanggong! How came it that Li Yuanjing, this fellow, seemed instead to be acting as if he were the host entertaining the guest?

Yet Zhao Zhanggong was an old hand after all. He quickly recovered and forced himself to remain calm as he said:

"Younger brother, what of the truth, and what of a lie?"

Li Yuanjing smiled:
"A lie would be that Zhang Kewang and the others defied the imperial court, openly rebelled, and died deservedly! As for the truth—"

Li Yuanjing smiled as he looked at Zhao Zhanggong and said:
"Well, that depends entirely on how Elder Brother Zhao chooses!"

"You—"

Zhao Zhanggong could not help drawing a sharp breath, pointing an angry finger at Li Yuanjing. Yet, as if about to hurl some harsh threat, he ultimately held it back and swallowed it down instead.

By this point, how could he fail to understand that this was Li Yuanjing's blatant and unvarnished threat to him?!

If he, Zhao Zhanggong, knew what was good for him, the imperial court could let bygones be bygones regarding the matter of Zhang Kewang and the others.
However...
If he, Zhao Zhanggong, did not know what was good for him...
I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before the imperial court's grand army arrived to encircle and annihilate Bluestone Pass!

After a long while.
Zhao Zhanggong looked as though he had aged several years all at once. Yet he still forcefully steadied his mind, stared straight at Li Yuanjing, and said:

"Then, I wonder if younger brother, coming here this time, wishes to speak the truth or a lie?"

Li Yuanjing could not help laughing out loud as well, saying:

"Elder Brother Zhao, to be perfectly honest with you, this younger brother came here this time to discuss a business venture with you, Elder Brother Zhao—a business venture beneficial to both of us. But! Before we discuss this business, this younger brother wishes to establish a few things with you, Elder Brother Zhao first!"

Having said that, Li Yuanjing poured a little tea onto the table and wrote three characters.