After exchanging glances with Zhu Xianye, the elders didn't refuse and sat down opposite the two.
"You must be tired from the march. Uncle and all the seniors, please have some food first to fill your stomachs."
Scanning Tang San, whose expression was gloomy, Zhu Xianye secretly speculated about his identity. After a while, he looked at Dai Mubai and smiled,
"Mubai, aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Haha, look at my memory."
Dai Mubai apologized with a smile, then gestured towards Tang San and introduced him,
"This is the Sect Master of the Tang Sect, Tang San."
"Tang San..."
The Zhu Family members had also heard of Tang San's notorious reputation. Although they didn't quite believe that he could overthrow the Star Luo Empire by himself, this didn't prevent them from having a poor first impression of him, especially the faint evil aura that occasionally emanated from him, which deepened their negative feelings.
Seeing that Zhu Xianye and the Zhu Family elders looked displeased, Dai Mubai immediately began to explain for Tang San.
"Uncle and all the seniors, you guessed correctly. This brother of mine is the legendary Evil King Tang San."
Hearing the title "Evil King," Tang San subconsciously frowned, feeling very repulsed. But he understood that Dai Mubai was trying to clear his name, so he didn't intend to flare up.
Zhu Xianye picked up the wine in front of him and took a sip, asking with an noncommittal look,
"Oh? You know who he is, and you're involved with him?"
"Haha, Uncle, you don't know. Tang San was my classmate at the Heaven Dou Empire Advanced Soul Master Academy. We even teamed up and participated in the Soul Master Competition together, achieving a good result of third place."
"Moreover, after the Soul Master Competition ended, this brother of mine was shamelessly hunted down by the Spirit Hall. It was only after much difficulty that he managed to hide in the deep mountains and old forests for a few years. He only returned to the continent when the situation eased slightly. He had no motive or time to cause trouble in the Star Luo territory. I can vouch for this."
"And that title of Evil King is likely a false accusation planted on this brother of mine by the Spirit Hall."
As Dai Mubai defended Tang San, the sneers and disdain on the faces of the Zhu Family elders grew even stronger.
"We believe that the Spirit Hall had a hand in the fall of Star Luo, but if you say that the Spirit Hall would go to such great lengths to frame this kid, I can't agree. To put it bluntly, this brother of yours... let's tentatively call him a brother, does he make keys? How many?"
Tang San, who was beside Dai Mubai, seemed not to have heard their insults and continued to drink his wine calmly. However, his knuckles, which had turned purple, indicated that his heart was far from calm at this moment. But reluctantly, he knew Dai Mubai still needed these people, and he had to save face for Dai Mubai.
Otherwise, mere Soul Sages, in Slaughter City, he had killed at least eighty, if not a hundred.
"What the seniors said makes sense, but that's under normal circumstances. My brother's identity is the fundamental reason they are wary."
"Oh? Tell me about it? What kind of identity does this brother of yours have that requires the Spirit Hall to go to such great lengths?"
Seeing that Dai Mubai was not angry and continued to patiently explain, Zhu Xianye, who had not stopped the elders from making things difficult for Tang San, also became interested for a moment, wanting to hear what extraordinary identity Tang San possessed.
Dai Mubai turned his head and exchanged glances with Tang San. Seeing him nod almost imperceptibly, he smiled and looked at Zhu Xianye.
"Uncle, this brother of mine is the son of Tang Hao, the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent, and the only remaining bloodline of the Clear Sky Sect."
"Hmm?"
"Hiss."
When Tang San's identity was revealed, Zhu Xianye and the Zhu Family elders simultaneously gasped. If this was true, then it was indeed possible for the Spirit Hall to target this young man, Dai Mubai's peer.
After all, the previous Pope of the Spirit Hall had died at the hands of Tang Hao, and the Clear Sky Sect had not been annihilated before the fall of Star Luo. It was understandable to be cautious.
Zhu Xianye's heart stirred. With this child here, he wondered if Dai Weisi and his daughter could still succeed. Regardless, he had to proceed according to the plan today.
Without voicing his inner speculations, Zhu Xianye cupped his hands towards Tang San and resumed his smile, saying,
"Then should I address you as the Sect Master of the Tang Sect or the new Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect?"
The meaning behind Zhu Xianye's words was also clear: don't try to scare us with the name of a newly established sect and a sect that has already been destroyed. That won't work.
These blunt words not only failed to anger Dai Mubai and Tang San but also made them feel slightly relieved. After all, as the head of the Zhu Family, it was necessary to exert some pressure to gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.
"Duke of the Netherworld, I will rebuild the Clear Sky Sect in the future, but not now. As for now, I am naturally the Sect Master of the Tang Sect."
The two foxes exchanged glances for a moment while speaking, neither able to discern anything from the other's eyes. Then they smiled at each other and toasted, each taking a sip as a sign of mutual respect.
The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Dai Mubai also appropriately smoothed things over.
"Haha, this time it's all thanks to Uncle's support. Otherwise, it would have taken us a lot more effort to take down the Nili Kingdom."
Hearing Dai Mubai's flattery, Zhu Xianye waved his hand, indicating it was unnecessary, and subtly cast a glance at the elder beside him. The elder immediately understood, stood up, and looked at Dai Mubai with a benevolent expression, saying,
"Mubai, you have indeed achieved something now, but you still have too little experience in managing territory, and you are also short on manpower. The Zhu Family can help you manage this Nili Kingdom for now."
As soon as these words were spoken, Dai Mubai and Tang San both raised their eyebrows. They hadn't expected the other party to reveal their claws so quickly. At the same time, they were completely relieved. They understood the principle of asking for the moon and settling for less.
"Haha, this senior is joking. Although Mubai has never managed an empire, having grown up in the royal family and being influenced by it, he understands some principles of governance. How about this, the four cities on the eastern border of the Nili Kingdom border Spirit Cat City. Those cities can be managed by the Zhu Family."
"Ah, Mubai, you are mistaken. You currently have only a few thousand soldiers and generals under your command, and you also need to worry about the Kville Kingdom. How can you have the energy to manage more than ninety percent of the Nili Kingdom's territory? How about this, aren't the several cities on the western border bordering Kville? Those will be managed by you, and the rest will be allocated to the Zhu Family."
Tang San and Zhu Xianye both watched the two haggle without saying a word. It wasn't until Dai Mubai, who was slightly less composed, almost flipped the table that Tang San spoke up to ease the tension.
"Mubai, today is a day for celebration. Let's not say so many hurtful things."
"How about this, including the Nili Royal Palace, all the cities to the west will belong to you, and the cities to the east will belong to my Netherworld Manor? How about that?"
Hearing this, Dai Mubai's angry gaze softened slightly. After glaring at the old man who had asked for too much, he nodded in agreement with the distribution plan. This was also what he and Tang San had discussed beforehand, their bottom line. Otherwise, they would have worked so hard to capture cities and conquer territories only to end up working for the Zhu Family, which was impossible.
"Then let it be as Uncle says. Let's drink, let's drink."
The haggling was over, and the atmosphere at the table became much more harmonious. After all, without conflict of interest, only kinship remained, right?
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