Xia Junchen glanced at Er Gouzi with a faint smile, then extended his hand and invited, "You gentlemen must be tired from your long journey. Why don't we go to the village to talk?"

Xu Jinhuan smiled back and said in a carefree manner, "Okay, then let's go in and talk in detail. I'm really curious, what does the Second Boss want to say after going to all this trouble to lure us here?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Junchen glanced at Xu Jinhuan a few more times. He had been planning for many years, but he had never expected that the people who came to his door would be led by a young woman.

However, perhaps this girl is truly his benefactor.

Thinking of this, he chuckled and said, "Please be patient, everyone. I will explain the whole story in a moment. Now, please come in with me."

Xu Jinhuan nodded slightly and followed Xia Junchen into the house.

With her current skills, she naturally wasn't worried about any traps set by her opponent. If there were any, her opponent would die before her, so she was quite carefree.

Xie Datou, however, cautiously observed his surroundings from behind, not missing a single sound.

"Please, everyone, have a seat." Xia Junchen gestured for them to sit down in the main seat.

After Xu Jinhuan sat down, she looked up at Xia Junchen and asked, "Can you tell me now?"

If it weren't for the fact that the other party had the skill to make explosives, Xu Jinhuan would never have been so polite; he would have already put a knife to Xia Junchen's neck.

Xia Junchen took a sip of tea before speaking in a gentle tone: "You were all driven out of the capital by that dog emperor, weren't you? Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that your property was confiscated and you were exiled."

As soon as Xia Junchen finished speaking, Xie Datou gripped the hilt of his knife and drew it out slightly, as if he could rush up and finish off the man at Xu Jinhuan's command.

Xu Jinhuan's expression remained unchanged. She looked at Xia Junchen with a smile and said, "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't? This has nothing to do with the Second Master, does it?"

Xia Junchen seemed surprised by the answer, paused for a moment, and then explained with a smile.

"Please don't misunderstand, I have no intention of threatening you. I am just looking for allies."

Xu Jinhuan thought of what Er Gouzi had said before: Xia Junchen's family had been wiped out by the dog emperor. It was pretty much what she had guessed. This person seemed to be looking for allies to rebel.

Xu Jinhuan was somewhat interested, but not in becoming an ally; rather, he wanted to recruit this technical talent into his own team.

Although Xu Jinhuan already understood Xia Junchen's meaning, he pretended not to know and asked with suspicion, "Ally, does the Second Leader want us to join your stronghold?"

Xia Junchen chuckled, "Miss Xu, you misunderstand. I'm not looking for an ally to become a bandit."

He didn't elaborate further, but instead turned his gaze to Xie Datou, "Miss Xu is truly resourceful. She not only integrated the exiled troops but also incorporated the government officials into her own ranks."

It seems the young woman's true intentions extend beyond simply reaching her place of exile safely.

Xie Datou hated people who spoke in a pretentious manner and thought they were profound. Hearing this, he rolled his eyes.

“Our boss can do whatever he wants, what’s it to you? You’re a grown man, why are you acting like an old lady from the village, always asking questions?”

The atmosphere that Xia Junchen had worked so hard to create was shattered by Xie Datou, that simpleton, and the scene became eerily quiet for a moment.

After watching this scene, Xu Jinhuan shook his head with amusement. "Second Master, let's not beat around the bush. Just say what you have to say, or I'm worried you won't be able to say it later."

Xia Junchen was speechless at Xu Jinhuan's words, feeling extremely frustrated and unable to calm down.

He combed his hair for a while before exhaling a breath of stale air, and a smile returned to his face.

"Since that's the case, then I'll get straight to the point. I'm sure you've all seen the gunpowder I've developed, right?"

He paused slightly, intentionally observing the expressions of the three people, hoping to see surprise and admiration on their faces.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Jinhuan and Kong Duiyue remained completely calm and composed, their expressions unchanged.

Even the brainless brute Xie Datou showed a surprised expression on his face.

Why is this completely different from what he expected? Shouldn't such powerful gunpowder have given them pause for thought?

Xia Junchen felt that he had been constantly being attacked ever since they entered the house.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Xu Jinhuan spoke up: "Well, we've seen it, so what does the Second Master want to express?"

Xia Junchen breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that someone had given him a way out; he was quick to accept it.

"To be honest, I have a grudge against the dog emperor. More than three hundred members of the Xia family died at the dog emperor's order. I was spared because I like to explore places that are rarely visited by people."

The allies they're seeking now are a group of people who were harmed by the dog emperor and want to overthrow him.

"I can provide powerful gunpowder; once we gather the necessary forces, we can definitely knock the old emperor off his throne."

Xia Junchen glanced at Xu Jinhuan and the others before continuing, "So, after I became the second-in-command, I kept sending people to inquire about the exiles from the capital."

I thought you would arrive here soon, but I didn't expect to encounter another flood. Just when I thought you had perished in the flood, I found you again in Jizhou.

By this time, I had already made some guesses about your strength. Coincidentally, One-Eyed also had designs on you, so I decided to go along with it and see if you shared my assessment.

Xu Jinhuan nodded. To be fair, Xia Junchen's thinking was correct, and he was indeed intelligent. It was just that these roughnecks in the mountain stronghold only knew how to fight and kill all day long.

He hasn't experienced the true crushing defeat he's faced, so his ideas are still a bit unrealistic.

"Your idea is correct, but have you ever thought that someone who can kill that one-eyed man and dodge gunpowder would be easily controlled?"

Once the other side possesses a large quantity of gunpowder, will your ally truly be an ally? After they seize power, will someone like you, wielding such lethal weapons, still be alive?

Xu Jinhuan asked Xia Junchen a series of questions with a smile, and Xia Junchen's face gradually turned pale after hearing them.

Kong Duiyue, on the other hand, looked at Xu Jinhuan with pride, his eyes full of admiration. His Jinhuan was really amazing!

Xie Datou looked at Xu Jinhuan with admiration. After hearing Xia Junchen's words, he thought that this guy's mind worked pretty fast.

But after hearing the boss's analysis, he felt that Xia Junchen was utterly weak, and that their boss was the real genius!

At this moment, Xia Junchen was sitting on the ground, his face pale, and he no longer had the feeling of having everything under control.

"Then all my efforts are completely useless?"