Chapter 218: Chapter 105: The 6th Transformation of Qi and Blood! 6th Realm Giant Whale Skill!_1
“Indeed, they came for the Divine Arm Crossbow…”
Su Changkong thought to himself.
The Divine Arm Crossbow was unique to the Ink Forest Army, a formidable weapon. Yet those Sea Pirates possessed eight of them, even using them against Su Changkong. Su Changkong knew that most likely, the Ink Forest Army, or rather the Gong Family, had lent them to Li Hun.
As for the purpose, it was naturally to boost the strength of those Sea Pirates, hoping that they could kill Sikong Yong, who had recently come out of seclusion!
The Giant Whale Gang was very famous in Ink Forest Prefecture City, and with the Gong Family being the de facto rulers of the city, it was only normal for them to consider weakening the power of the Giant Whale Gang.
What the Gong Family hadn’t expected was that, despite the advantage, the Sea Pirate alliance led by Li Hun would be defeated so miserably; Li Hun was killed on the spot, with his head delivered to the Yamen to claim the bounty.
The Gong Family knew that the eight Divine Arm Crossbows must have fallen into the hands of the Giant Whale Gang, and those crossbows needed to be retrieved.
Otherwise, it would be a handle against them. Divine Arm Crossbows, exclusive to the Ink Forest Army, appearing with the Sea Pirates? How would that look if word spread?
So the Gong Family found themselves in an awkward position but had no choice to send Gong Yuhu to request the return of the Divine Arm Crossbows.
Gong Yuhu first presented a bounty of three million Taels of silver as a reward. The reason for paying such a significant sum so readily was to curry favor with ‘Sikong Yong’ before broaching the matter of retrieving the Divine Arm Crossbows.
With a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, Su Changkong said, “And to think someone could steal eight Divine Arm Crossbows from the Ink Forest Army’s arsenal without a sound, that’s truly a feat!”
What Gong Yuhu claimed about the arsenal being burgled of eight Divine Arm Crossbows was something even a child wouldn’t believe.
The Divine Arm Crossbows were enormous, each the size of a small carriage, difficult to transport silently, and with the Ink Forest Army’s arsenal heavily guarded, how could the Sea Pirates possibly steal eight Divine Arm Crossbows without making a sound?
Gong Yuhu was both embarrassed and helpless, “Ah… the Ink Forest Army has been somewhat negligent recently. When I return, I will certainly give them proper instructions.”
At this point, Gong Yuhu bowed sincerely, “May I trouble Gang Leader Sikong to do us a favor? My elder brother and the entire Gong Family would be immensely grateful!”
In his heart, Gong Yuhu cursed those pirates as being useless. With such a large force and so many experts uniting against Sikong Yong, they ended up being defeated so soundly that it dragged the Gong Family into the mess, forcing them to come begging to the Giant Whale Gang to return the Divine Arm Crossbows.
In reality, Gong Yuhu had no prior knowledge of any dealings between members of the Gong Family and the Sea Pirates. After all, with the vast scale of the Gong Family’s operations, it was normal for some to have different ideas and to pursue their own interests.
“Returning the Divine Arm Crossbows to you is not impossible,”
Su Changkong said.
But before Gong Yuhu could express his joy and thanks, Su Changkong shifted his tone, “These eight Divine Arm Crossbows posed a great threat to me at the time, nearly damaging my skin. One hundred thousand Taels of silver!”
“One hundred thousand Taels?” The young man in white at Gong Yuhu’s side raised an eyebrow. The Gong Family had already lowered themselves to make a request, and this Sikong Yong dared to set conditions?
“One hundred thousand Taels? Well then…” But after a brief consideration, Gong Yuhu decided to agree. One hundred thousand Taels was a significant amount, but to get the eight Divine Arm Crossbows back, it would still be worthwhile!
But Su Changkong interrupted, “I said one hundred thousand Taels for a single Divine Arm Crossbow.”
Upon these words, both the young man in white and Gong Yuhu’s expressions changed; one hundred thousand Taels for a single Divine Arm Crossbow? This was nothing short of extortion!
The young man in white angrily said, “Sikong Yong, aren’t you being too excessive with such outrageous demands? These Divine Arm Crossbows are rightfully ours!”
Facing the young man’s indignation, Su Changkong didn’t even give him a glance, staring at Gong Yuhu and spoke indifferently, “One hundred thousand Taels for a single Divine Arm Crossbow, I’ll give you a discount: eight Divine Arm Crossbows for a total of one million Taels, and not a Tael less!”
Joking aside, how could Su Changkong ever easily return these Divine Arm Crossbows?
It was highly probable that the Gong Family had colluded with the Sea Pirates, lending them the Divine Arm Crossbows to deal with ‘Sikong Yong’. If not for Su Changkong’s strong Turtle Breathing Qi Armor, those Divine Arm Crossbows could have been a significant threat.
The Gong Family lending weapons to the Sea Pirates, who then used them against Su Changkong, but failed, and then had the nerve to ask for those weapons back? There was no such cheap deal!
Su Changkong made an outrageous demand for one million Taels of silver. If the Gong Family were willing to pay, then he might reluctantly return the Divine Arm Crossbows.
Gong Yuhu’s forehead throbbed with bulging veins. One million Taels of silver? The Gong Family was wealthy and could afford to pay, but that was undeniably a vast sum of money to buy back eight Divine Arm Crossbows. No matter how rich the Gong Family was or how substantial their foundation, they could not play the fool and be blackmailed!
Unable to hold back, Gong Yuhu pleaded, “Gang Leader Sikong, please do me the honor, and don’t make this difficult for me. My elder brother, our Gong Family, will also remember Gang Leader Sikong’s kindness.”
Playing his last card, Gong Yuhu mentioned the Gong Family and Magistrate Gong Yulong. As the undisputed powerbrokers of Ink Forest Prefecture City, they practically covered the sky with one hand and hoped to intimidate Su Changkong into returning the Divine Arm Crossbows.
Su Changkong chuckled, “I’ve always been one to return the favor only when shown respect. Your Gong Family aided the Sea Pirates to oppose us and now, after everything, you still have the audacity to come and demand back the weapons used to target me? Could it be… are the Sea Pirates nurtured by your Gong Family? Is your Gong Family the Sea Pirates?”