"No."

Luo Ying slowly took off her gloves while holding the coffin and said, "Father is right, I don't need to make friends."

The mountain lord said, "That's right."

Luo Ying glanced at Wen Hu and said, "He and I are not friends. He gave me the opportunity to gain fame and fortune, and I did things for him."

"Then you should be even more careful; choosing a master is more important than choosing a friend."

The mountain lord looked at Wen Hu and asked, "What kind of opportunity do you desire?"

Getting to the point, Wen Hu became serious and said solemnly, "I humbly request that you, senior, come out of seclusion, enter the Western Regions, and intimidate the hundred kingdoms!"

The mountain lord asked, "Which flag are you flying?"

Wen Hu said, "My lord is Wen Tai."

The mountain lord said, "So, you are the Wen Hu who killed two emperors?"

"Exactly."

Wen Hu looked up and said, "The mountain lord has gone into seclusion in this Black Mountain, but he is still well-informed about the outside world."

The mountain lord glanced at the children on either side and said, "Although I am not concerned with worldly affairs, these two children, one black and one white, are at the age where they are eager to learn. They can easily find out about things outside the mountain."

Wen Hu glanced at Hei Tong and Bai Wa, and already knew what was going on.

Even if a child is the only one who can serve the mountain lord, they are certainly not ordinary people.

Which of the children who emerged from these Black Mountain Grottoes was an ordinary person?

The mountain lord said, "With your and Luo Ying's abilities, plus the military strength of Xijing, it wouldn't be difficult to intimidate the kingdoms of the Western Regions. Asking me to come out of seclusion, I'm afraid it's not just about intimidation, is it?"

Wen Hu frankly stated, "The world is in chaos, and it's time to change the格局 (geju, a concept encompassing political, social, and cultural aspects) in the west as well."

The mountain lord said, "This is a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of people. How do you plan to ask me to come?"

Wen Hu said, "The wealth collected from the Western Regions can all belong to the Mountain Lord!"

The mountain lord suddenly stroked his beard and burst into laughter.

Wen Hu said, "Senior, do you not love money? If I remember correctly, the Princess of Dajing spent all her money to buy people from you back then."

"Times have changed, the past is the past."

The mountain lord patted his chest lightly and said, "Now that I'm this old, what use is so much money to me?"

“But you still have a son.” Wen Hu glanced at Luo Ying.

The mountain lord chuckled and said, "He can earn it himself."

Wen Hu asked, "What does the mountain lord desire?"

"Without desires or wants."

The mountain lord placed his hands on his knees and said, "My legs aren't very strong these days. I'll spend the rest of my life in this Black Mountain, watching Black Child and White Child grow up."

Then the mountain lord said, "Black Boy, White Boy."

“Grandpa!!” the two replied.

The mountain lord pointed at Luo Ying and said, "Remember him. If he is still alive after I die, you will serve him. If he is dead, you will avenge him."

"yes!!"

The mountain lord's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Luo Ying, and he said, "Little brat, this is the only thing I can leave you."

Upon hearing this, Luo Ying knelt down and bowed to the mountain lord, saying, "Father, the world, after a long period of unity, will inevitably divide, and after a long period of division, will inevitably unite. Now we have reached the most critical moment. Your emergence from the mountain at this time will surely be recorded in history and your name will be remembered forever."

The mountain lord gently shook his head and said, "You shouldn't kneel down to me only when you're begging me for help from others."

Luo Ying said, "I'm doing this for ourselves, not for anyone else."

Wen Hu seized the opportunity to interject, "You painstakingly nurtured so many children back then, you must have had a burning desire to realize your ambitions. With the Luo surname becoming famous and the Luo family prospering, even if you don't think of yourself, you should at least plan for a good future for your descendants."

"Since you are not interested in money, then please become the Grand Preceptor of our dynasty!"

"Once our dynasty achieves its goal, the court can provide you with any resources you wish, and you can continue to nurture as many children as you want!"

The mountain lord said, "These words have finally made me somewhat tempted, but with my abilities, where can't I become the national advisor? Why should I choose you?"

As he spoke, the mountain lord raised his hand and affectionately stroked the faces of Hei Tong and Bai Wa, continuing, "Hei Tong and Bai Wa have told me about the overall situation in the world. The Great Jing Princess was able to succeed before, and now, with her assistance, wouldn't the Zhao family of Dong Jing be an even better choice?"

"With the Great Jing Dynasty splitting apart, the once weak Southern Zhou Dynasty is now the dominant power. Is their chance of gaining control of the country greater than that of the Western Jing Dynasty?"

"To put it another way, although Hou Cang is closed off and confined to the southwest, and its ruler has no ambition to conquer the world, if I were to enter Hou Cang and persuade its ruler, when you divide the world into three, we could conquer the western Jing territory to the north and swallow half of the southern Zhou territory to the east. Hou Cang would then have a chance to become the final winner."

"If you're going to be the national advisor, then you must be the national advisor who unifies the world."

"Is your Wen family up to the task?"

Wen Hu pondered for a while, then bowed to the mountain lord and said, "The Cang Lord is weak and incompetent, and his subjects are a bunch of rats. Even with the help of seniors, they might cause trouble on a whim, but I don't think it's feasible to keep them in a state of war for a long time."

"The civil and military officials of Southern Zhou are all a bunch of sycophants and refined people. After Grand General Yang Zhanbei retired, Prince Zhou Jinghuan tried every means to seize power from Yang Qingzhi. The court is full of factions and in complete chaos! Southern Zhou now only looks strong, but in reality it is all show and no substance."

"Although the Zhao family of Dongjing is currently in power, the father and son are nothing but petty scheming men who play power games while trying to maintain a facade of virtue. Zhao Huan is obsessed with reputation and acts timidly, lacking the vision to unify the world. As for Zhao Cheng, needless to say, he is nothing but a treacherous man who only knows how to amass wealth!"

"The only family truly deserving of the ambition to unify the world is my Wen family!"

"Xijing may seem weak now, but the ruler and his subjects are united in their hatred of the enemy. With your help, senior, we can advance westward and expand our territory. Then the fate of the world will be in the hands of the Wen family!"

The mountain lord said, "The emperor and his subjects share a common hatred for the enemy? Are you joking to hear this from the mouth of someone who killed two emperors?"

Wen Hu shouted sternly, "If we kill them obediently, we'll be united against a common enemy!"

The mountain lord was unusually taken aback for a moment, his gaze revealing neither admiration nor anything else, and remained silent for a while.

After a long silence, the mountain lord said, "I can agree to let you leave the mountain, but on the condition that you must provide one thing."

Wen Hu quickly asked, "What does Senior want?"

The mountain lord said, "It is your most cherished possession."

"Your most cherished possession?" Wen Hu frowned slightly.

The mountain lord said, "Think carefully about what you cherish most and be willing to give it up. If you do, I will believe in your determination."

"Don't lie, you can't fool me," the mountain lord added.

Wen Hu lowered his head and fell silent. After thinking for a while, he clenched his fists tightly, and his shoulders trembled.

"The most exciting moment of my life was when I beheaded Yuan Li in the imperial court that day, and the eunuch Xiang Hua said that I was the Dragon Slayer."

"Dragon Slayer, Dragon Slayer, what a wonderful title!"

"The thing I cherish most now... is these three words!"

As he spoke, Wenhu slowly raised his right arm and looked at his hand.

"My dragon-slaying hand is my most treasured possession."

"Senior, what do you want..."

"Then take it!"

Wen Hu drew his sword with his left hand and slashed at his right hand!