Chapter 108 Even Out of Balance

Upon hearing Zhao Xiong's words, Qi Huan was stunned for a moment, then realized that the other party had not only heard his muttering but was also using it to continue the humiliation. He was instantly so enraged that his whole body trembled, and what little reason he had left was burned away almost entirely.

Thus, he stiffened his neck and shouted hoarsely.

"Presumptuous! I, Qi Huan, am an official appointed by the imperial court, a Banner Officer of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division!"

"A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated! How dare you petty scoundrels insult me like this!"

"If you have the guts, kill me! Otherwise, I, Qi Huan, will surely return this humiliation a hundredfold in the future!"

He spoke these words with toughness, which, combined with his disheveled appearance, carried a certain tragic air.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiong did not buy it.

"Oh? An imperial official, a Prefecture Banner Officer?"

Zhao Xiong reined in his smile and leaned forward slightly, and a wave of Aura immediately began to permeate the room.

"Then I wonder, has Officer Qi ever heard of... the Jiang Family of the North?"

As soon as the four words "Jiang Family of the North" were spoken, the anger and toughness on Qi Huan's face instantly froze. His pupils constricted sharply, replaced by unbelievable shock.

As a Banner Officer of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, he had naturally heard of this name.

The Jiang Family of the North was a true military aristocratic Family entrenched in the northern borders of Great Wu, with unfathomable foundations, to whom even the royal Family had to show three points of deference.

Legend had it that they had three marquises in one household and nine generals guarding the frontier.

Their influence was deep-rooted, extending across both the military and political spheres of the imperial court. It was far beyond what a Banner Officer of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division could imagine; even the Commander of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division behind him would have to treat the Jiang Family with caution.

The man before him who called himself Zhao Xiong actually came from the Jiang Family. No wonder he had such bearing, such extravagance, and such disregard for imperial officials!

However, why would a core descendant of such a Family appear in the remote place of Yunmeng? And why get involved in the muddy waters of the Peony Pavilion?

Qi Huan's Aura completely deflated, but after all, he was a Prefecture Banner Officer with a resilient Heart-Nature. After a brief shock, the pride and dignity belonging to a warrior and an official surged back up.

Qi Huan took a deep breath, forced himself to stand still, straightened his spine, and cupped his hands in a salute to the other party, his tone becoming much more formal.

"So it is a noble from the Jiang Family of the North standing before me. Your subordinate, Qi Huan, belongs to the Jingzhou Demon Suppression Division and was ordered to inspect Yunmeng this time. Just now... thank you, noble one, for the rescue."

His tone paused, then suddenly turned hard, carrying a sense of determination.

"However, I am ultimately an imperial official, wearing the official robes of Great Wu, representing the dignity of the imperial court."

"Regarding today's events, if you still intend to humiliate me, or wish to use this to coerce me into doing things that violate the law and moral principles, then I, Qi, have no choice but to die to repay the country's grace."

"I would rather perish together than submit."

The last few words were spoken with iron-clad certainty. This was not posturing, but rather, as a Banner Officer, it was the final bottom line he could draw and the most helpless stance he could take after confirming the other party's Family background.

He could disregard his own life, death, and honor, but he absolutely could not implicate the laws of the imperial court, nor could he become a Puppet controlled by an aristocratic clan.

If the other party really wanted to use tonight's scandal to coerce him into doing things against his will, he had already prepared to perish together with them.

Zhao Xiong sighed softly, looking a bit surprised, yet also appreciative.

He then waved his hand, his voice returning to its previous casual tone.

"Alright, alright, put away that display of loyalty and righteousness. My Jiang Family of the North is not so low as to use such despicable means to manipulate a Prefecture Banner Officer."

"Tonight, I just happened to be here, watched the excitement, and saved two people along the way."

He spoke these words lightly, which made Qi Huan's tense mood relax slightly.

Zhao Xiong no longer paid attention to the ever-changing expression of Qi Huan and turned his gaze back to Chen Mu, who had maintained a high level of vigilance from beginning to end.

"Alright, the miscellaneous people have been dealt with. Brother Chen, shouldn't we talk about the real business now?"

Chen Mu sheathed his blade and did not answer, merely waiting calmly for what the other party had to say.

"Last time outside Yunmeng, I gifted you the Flying Bear Dream Entry gloves, helping you survive the ordeal at Sangye Village."

"Tonight, I helped you out of a tight spot here in the Peony Pavilion and even gifted you the ancient demon seal, allowing you to escape."

"There is no free lunch in this world, nor is there help without reason, Chen Mu, don't you agree? Now I need you to do something for me."

Chen Mu lifted his eyelids, his eyes calm and waveless. Without waiting for the other party to state what the matter was, he spoke slowly, his voice exceptionally clear.

"No."

The private room suddenly went silent.

Qi Huan looked up abruptly, staring at Chen Mu in disbelief, thinking he had misheard.

This guy is crazy. He just offended Xu Changze to death, and now he dares to so bluntly refuse a big figure from the Jiang Family?

Even the calm smile on Zhao Xiong's face showed a distinct stagnation. He clearly did not expect Chen Mu to refuse so bluntly, leaving no room for negotiation.

According to common sense, shouldn't someone who was just saved by him and accepted his gifts be grateful, or at least listen to what his request was?

"Oh?"

Zhao Xiong narrowed his eyes slightly, the sense of scrutiny and investigation growing stronger, mixed with a hint of displeasure at being offended, but he still maintained his composure.

"Why won't you, Brother Chen?"

Chen Mu looked up, meeting Zhao Xiong's sharp gaze. There was no fear or fawning on his face, only a calmness that had seen through the truth, even carrying a hint of faint mockery.

"Why should I?"

"Brother Zhao, or rather, Brother Jiang, it seems there is no talk of favors between us."

Chen Mu's eyes were as sharp as knives. Instead of retreating, he advanced, analyzing point by point.

"You knew long ago that there was a problem in Sangye Village, and perhaps even knew the background and nightmare methods of that cat demon old woman. Giving me the gloves—rather than saying you were helping me, it's more like you, as a chess player, saw me as a chess piece with some potential and casually played a spare move."

"With a pair of gloves that weren't very important to you, you made me enter the game, scout the path, and bear the risks for you. In the end, I luckily broke the game; I was the one who profited, but the one who saw through the reality of Sangye Village and verified the speculation was likely you, right?"

"What kind of favor is that? It is clearly using me as a scout stone, as a chess piece."

Chen Mu's words were as cold and hard as knives, peeling away the calculations behind Zhao Xiong's help layer by layer.

Qi Huan listened in astonishment. When he first heard about the Sangye Village incident, he only felt it was strange and dangerous and had never thought about it from this angle.

Zhao Xiong did not speak either, but his breathing paused slightly for a moment.

Chen Mu glanced at him, his tone becoming increasingly calm.

"Furthermore, regarding tonight's events, you appeared at the Peony Pavilion and bid for me and Qi Huan, seemingly saving us from fire and water. But with your status and strength, if you really wanted to save us, would it need to be so troublesome? Would you need to wait until we were almost humiliated, our trump cards exhausted, and Xu Changze had personally entered the field, before belatedly auctioning to save us?"

Chen Mu snorted coldly, paced to the window, and turned his back to everyone.

"You were probably in this private room long ago, weren't you? You watched Xu Changze lay out his plan, watched us fall into a desperate situation, watched me be forced to use all my trump cards, and then made your move at the most critical and desperate moment, buying me off with a demon seal that I could not refuse."

"This is also not providing charcoal in snowy weather, nor is it acting out of chivalry; it is still playing chess."

"You watched coldly from the sidelines, seeing through Xu Changze's trump cards, seeing through my limits and potential, and even seeing through the more hidden currents beneath the water in Yunmeng. Then, at the right moment, you dropped your chess piece, saving me and making me owe you a huge favor."

"Therefore."

Chen Mu summarized coldly and turned back nonchalantly.

"From Sangye Village to the Peony Pavilion, your so-called help is essentially you, as a chess player, investing in and manipulating a chess piece."

"I used your investment and got the benefits, but I also bore the risks for you and completed your game. We are even."

"At the very least, there is no favor that requires me to go through fire and water to repay."