After Li Miao sat down, he also observed Zuo Lishan.
Just by looking at Zuo Lishan's appearance, Li Miao could roughly judge Zuo Lishan's personality.
As the saying goes, appearance is born from the heart.
Judging people by their appearance is said to be a bad behavior, but in reality, surviving in human society, judging people by their appearance is a survival skill everyone uses every day.
Fortune tellers on the street also have a saying about 'face reading,' which cannot truly be called a superstition, but is closer to an empirical theory derived from summary and generalization.
Take Zuo Lishan, for example: This man is almost forty, in his prime, yet fine lines have already appeared at the corners of his mouth. This indicates that he often purses his lips in thought, meaning he is deep in thought.
The vertical lines between his brows are prominent, indicating that he habitually frowns and has a serious personality.
His clothing is simple; given Zuo Lishan's status, he should not lack money, which means he does not care much about others' opinions and is more self-centered and arrogant.
Not a single wrinkle on his clothes, perfectly tucked-in lapels, and neatly trimmed nails indicate that Zuo Lishan has a rigid, almost obsessive-compulsive disposition.
Zuo Lishan observed Li Miao, focusing on his martial arts.
Li Miao observed Zuo Lishan, focusing on his personality—because Zuo Lishan's martial arts were not worth much attention from Li Miao.
Zuo Lishan held up his sleeve with his left hand, and with his right hand, he picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for Li Miao.
"Sir, how should I address you?"
"Jinyiwei Commander, Li Miao."
Zuo Lishan pondered for a moment: "Four Seasons Commander?"
Li Miao smiled: "Master Zuo certainly knows a lot. Not everyone even within the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) knows this nickname of mine."
"Who told you?"
Zuo Lishan did not answer this question, but continued: "Of the ten Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) Commander offices, the other nine Commanders have more or less traveled outside the capital and gained reputations in the martial arts world. Only you have always been in Shuntian Prefecture, so few in the martial arts world know of you."
"I also heard your name by chance."
"You are a trusted confidant of the Commander."
"Coming to Mount Tai Sect, is it at the behest of Jinyiwei Commander Lord Zhu?"
Li Miao replied indifferently: "More or less."
Upon receiving a confirmed answer, Zuo Lishan looked up at Mei Qinghe, who was standing beside him. Without much pretense, he directly said to Li Miao: "If the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) needs Huashan Sword Sect, I can leave it alone."
"I, Zuo, have no intention of competing with the imperial court for profit."
"The integration of the Five Mountains Sword Sect is something I, Zuo, am determined to achieve, and I do need one to be suppressed, but it doesn't necessarily have to be Huashan Sword Sect."
"If the imperial court is interested, I can find another sect; Hengshan Sect would also work."
"It would just take a bit more effort."
From his tone, it seemed he did not hold the other four sects in high regard. Suppressing another major sect seemed like a minor concession to him, a condition he could offer lightly.
Mei Qinghe, listening from behind, was filled with anger. Her hand involuntarily gripped her sword hilt, and the veins on the back of her hand bulged.
Huashan Sword Sect was indeed struggling under the suppression of Mount Tai Sect, and in recent years, it had indeed been on the verge of annihilation.
Li Miao had already said these words when he first met Mei Qinghe, but Mei Qinghe was unwilling to admit it at the time.
But now, Zuo Lishan, the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, had overtly laid out his calculations on the table, treating Huashan Sword Sect as a bargaining chip to be tossed around at will, right in front of Mei Qinghe, a direct disciple of Huashan Sword Sect.
This was an unacceptable insult to Mei Qinghe, who valued her sect's heritage more than her own life.
If Li Miao were not sitting in front of her, Mei Qinghe would have already drawn her sword and lunged at Zuo Lishan.
Zuo Lishan glanced at Mei Qinghe, unconcerned.
The imperial court wanting to plant a 'nail' in the Five Mountains Sword Sect was something he did not mind much; in fact, he welcomed it.
Under heaven, all land belongs to the King. The imperial court indeed did not have the ability to eradicate every major martial arts sect, but appropriate surveillance and control were unavoidable; almost every major sect had Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) informants embedded within them.
Such an overt arrangement to plant a 'nail' actually implied the imperial court's tacit approval for the establishment of the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
In Zuo Lishan's view, Mei Qinghe aligning with Li Miao meant that Huashan Sword Sect had already sided with the imperial court. From the perspective of the sect's survival, there was nothing wrong with it. But from the perspective of martial arts world rules, Huashan Sword Sect's action had alienated itself from its peers.
With this leverage, Huashan Sword Sect would no longer be able to contend with Mount Tai Sect for dominance in the future.
Thus, surrendering Huashan Sword Sect to the imperial court in exchange for the imperial court's tacit approval of the Five Mountains Sword Sect's integration was, in Zuo Lishan's opinion, a worthwhile deal.
Li Miao understood Zuo Lishan's meaning and chuckled softly.
He raised his hand and pressed down, stopping Mei Qinghe's slow drawing of her sword, signaling her to calm down. He turned to Zuo Lishan and said: "Master Zuo, you certainly have many ideas."
"Excessive wisdom leads to harm. People who think too much generally don't live long."
Zuo Lishan frowned, staring intently into Li Miao's eyes: "Sir... what do you mean?"
"I mean you think too much," Li Miao said with a smile.
"Some of what you think makes sense, but from the very beginning, you've thought wrong, you've gone astray."
"You see that the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) didn't directly storm Mount Tai Sect, but instead, I, a Commander, came alone to summon you. Do you think I'm here to do business with you?"
Zuo Lishan did not speak, but looked at Li Miao with a bewildered expression, as if to say, "Otherwise?"
You, a fifth-rank Commander, bringing a first-rate subordinate to meet me, isn't that to show you don't intend to fight and want to discuss terms? What else could it be?
"Is there a possibility that the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) wants to annihilate Mount Tai Sect?"
"But it would be easier to lure you out and kill you first, then annihilate your sect later?"
Li Miao said casually.
Fei Junxuan, who was standing by, changed his expression and quickly walked out the door, looking left and right.
He was afraid that outside, Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) with strong bows and crossbows had already surrounded the place, intending to end Zuo Lishan's life here. If that were the case, he would have personally led Zuo Lishan into the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)'s trap, and he would be responsible for countless deaths.
But he anxiously leaned out and looked outside. The street was only bustling with people. A few martial artists were peeking around outside, and when they saw him, they quickly turned and pretended to be passing by.
No elite soldiers, no powerful crossbows, no ambush.
Fei Junxuan was not reassured. He walked onto the street and looked around, even grabbing a few martial artists to question them in detail, and then used his Qinggong to observe from the rooftops, but found no anomalies.
Only then did he relax, returning inside and nodding to Zuo Lishan.
Li Miao also said: "Don't worry, indeed only the two of us came."
He looked at Zuo Lishan, who had remained seated as if nothing was amiss: "Master Zuo must be thinking that even if there's an ambush, with your martial arts, it wouldn't be difficult to retreat safely."
Zuo Lishan did not answer, tacitly agreeing to the statement.