Chapter 212: Great achievements shock the master
Xiao Yuansui quietly withdrew from the crowd, leaving the "battle circle." Those who remained in that circle were immediately at a loss. He slowly walked to the hall, sat down, and said, "What do you want me to promise you?"
Lu Yong took a big step forward and pointed at Shang Ruyi beside him, saying, "I can spare this woman according to the village rules, but according to what you just said, Brother Xiao, everything you conquered belongs to Wanggang Village, so shouldn't we transport the grain from Xingluo Granary back to our Wanggang Village?"
The lobby fell silent immediately.
Shang Ruyi stood silently to the side, listening to these words, her heart slightly stirred.
Surprisingly, she guessed correctly.
Just now, when Lu Yong returned with the others, Shang Ruyi vaguely sensed from their conversation that although these people had conquered Xingluo Warehouse and occupied the city, they did not seem to be of one mind.
The reason lies with Xiao Yuansui.
It seems that after he parted ways with them, he joined Wanggang Village. Although he was alone, he was exceptionally talented and quickly made a name for himself in Wanggang Village, which was just a gathering place for bandits and outlaws. Wang Quyi ranked him second and even formulated the village rules based on his opinions. It was because of his abilities that Wanggang Village was able to grow rapidly in a short period of time.
However, the saying "merit so great that it overshadows the ruler" does not only apply to the imperial court.
As his achievements increase, those around him will become resentful, as can be seen from Lu Yong's few words just now.
Furthermore, Xiao Yuansui came from a noble family and had different beliefs and styles of doing things than the people of Wanggangzhai, so the paths they took were bound to be different. This time, he led a team to attack Xingluocang, and Wang Quyi did not appear from beginning to end, which shows his intentions.
However, although Wang Quyi did not appear, his eyes followed him. Therefore, there was a group of people like Lu Yong in Xingluo Granary. They were obviously Wang Quyi's confidants, or rather, the old guard of Wanggang Village. They followed Xiao Yuansui out, not necessarily to charge into battle, but their biggest role was to keep an eye on him. More importantly, since Xiao Yuansui used the troops of Wanggang Village to conquer the world, the fruits of victory must also be shared with Wanggang Village. This is why Lu Yong kept urging him to transport grain to Wanggang Village.
Therefore, they are not of one mind.
Upon hearing Lu Yong bring up the old matter again, Xiao Yuansui, who was sitting in the hall, let out a deep breath, then raised his head and said with a smile, "Brother Lu, if I remember correctly, we have already transported grain back three times, a total of fifty-four carts."
"So what?"
"With so much grain, I'm afraid the village's warehouses won't be able to hold it all."
"Hmph, these days, who would complain about having too much grain? If we really can't store it all, we can just wash the villages below the stockade and use them to store the grain."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui's brows furrowed again.
Although Shang Ruyi was happy to see the competition, she couldn't help but glare at Lu Yong after hearing this.
However, Xiao Yuansui suppressed his anger and forced himself to say, "But the people who transported grain three times before have not returned yet, and there are no more people available in the city."
Lu Yong spread his arms and said, "With so many people here, there's no one we can't spare. It's just a matter of whether you, Brother Xiao, are willing or not."
Xiao Yuansui shook his head and said, "You have all seen how big Xingluo Granary City is after you came in. We only used three thousand men to capture this granary city this time because of the cowardice and incompetence of the imperial court. But now, the imperial court has sent troops to attack us. There are so many passes that need to be guarded. If we transfer more men, our defenses will really be insufficient."
"So what?"
Lu Yong said coldly, "Anyway, Yuwen Ye has already run away, so there's no point in having so many guards."
"..."
"Besides, even if he were here, what use would he be? He still suffered three defeats in three battles. Hmph, when we asked you to transport grain back before, you made excuses. If it weren't for his consecutive defeats, you wouldn't have agreed. What is he capable of that makes you so wary? Or is he just an excuse for you to stay put?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat—
Therefore, after Yuwen Ye suffered three defeats, they began transporting grain to Wanggang Village.
The moment she thought that, she immediately felt a sharp gaze fall on her. When she looked up, she met Xiao Yuansui's deep eyes.
His gaze was not only sharp, but also possessed a powerful penetrating force, as if he wanted to see through her thoughts and dig something out of her.
Shang Ruyi immediately lowered her head.
Xiao Yuansui's eyes flickered for a moment, but he said nothing. He then turned to Lu Yong, pondered for a moment, and said with a smile, "Brother Lu, you've misjudged me. I've said before that everything I've conquered belongs to Wanggang Village, so how could I have any selfish motives?"
"and you--"
"It's not that we can't transport the grain, but everyone was exhausted last night and needs to get some rest."
"snort."
"How about we transport the grain again in a couple of days?"
Seeing that he had finally relented, Lu Yong stopped pressing him and just sneered, "That's right. We're all brothers from Wanggang Village, so naturally we should think about the people in the village. Brother Xiao, don't hold a grudge against me."
"No, no."
Xiao Yuansui smiled gently and said, "Everyone must be tired after a busy night. Go and rest."
Lu Yong turned and glanced at Shang Ruyi again. His eyes, reddened by wine and women, still held a hint of wickedness, but he didn't say anything more. He simply waved his hand and led his men away.
There were several other people in the hall, who were clearly closer to Xiao Yuansui, and they all stepped forward and asked, "Master, are we really going to transport the grain back?"
"Although you came from Wanggang Village, those who fought alongside you to conquer the world were all people who joined you halfway through. The people who truly came from Wanggang Village with you, they didn't lift a finger; they've been reaping the benefits all along!"
"We can't ship any more; they're insatiable."
"We sent three groups of men to transport grain, but they haven't returned yet. Who knows what happened over there? They've always been worried about you, sir, and I'm afraid something might have happened—"
Xiao Yuansui waved his hand: "Let's not talk about these things anymore. You're all tired. Go down."
Helpless, the group could only sigh and leave.
After they all left, the hall returned to its previous tranquility. In fact, a gust of cold wind blew in, freezing the feverish minds and emotions. Soon, the two calmed down.
Xiao Yuansui sat in the hall and slowly raised his head.
Those bright eyes looked at Shang Ruyi again, as if they wanted to pierce her.
Then, he slowly got up, walked to Shang Ruyi, looked down at her, and said with a half-smile and a half-anger, "Young Madam, you are much smarter than I thought."
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