399: Chapter 399 Kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own

A while later, Marquis Pinghai was also shuttling between various Families in the Modu Barrier, conveying the message to all of them.

The various Families all began to prepare. The Families that had been invited all wore smiles on their faces; after all, being invited by Ye Qing meant that they still held some standing in Ye Qing's mind.

Inside one Family.

"Clan Chief, I just received news that Lord Ye is hosting a banquet for guests tonight at Qishan Villa, and has invited many Clan Chiefs over..."

This single sentence made the Clan Chief's eyes widen abruptly; he simply could not believe what he had heard.

Lord Ye was actually going to hold a grand banquet at Qishan Villa? And he had invited Families to go, but he had not received any news yet. This...

"Any other news?"

"I heard that today, several King-level Experts arrived at the Modu Barrier, likely coming for Lord Ye. These King-level Experts should also be at the grand banquet tonight. If we could go, perhaps we might even get to know these King-level Experts."

"These King-level Experts seem to include the King of the Western Frontier, the King of Nanling, and a few others from the Imperial Capital."

"It can be said that they all possess illustrious identities."

Every word fell into the Clan Chief's ears, making him even more anxious. Such a good opportunity—not only could he build a relationship with Lord Ye, but he could also meet so many King-level Experts. However, it seemed he really did not know if he would have such an opportunity.

Immediately, the Clan Chief began pacing around his home. His face was filled with worry, just like an examinee waiting for their results.

"Clan Chief, how about I go and ask around again? To see if there is any news?"

"Good!" The Clan Chief listened and urged him, "Go quickly. If there is any news, report back immediately."

As that person left, the Clan Chief began to feel melancholy. It was almost evening; if there were to be an invitation, it should have arrived long ago. Since it had not arrived by now, he feared...

In an instant, the Clan Chief sighed, his face wearing a helpless expression. When it came down to it, it was just that his Family's strength was insufficient.

Over here, many other Clan Chiefs had also received news that Ye Qing was going to host a grand banquet that night. They were all waiting, seeing if they could receive an invitation. But looking at the situation, they were also quite helpless.

At the same time.

Quite a few Clan Chiefs who had received invitations gathered together.

"Lord Ye still remembers us. This time, going to Qishan Villa also represents that we still hold a certain position in Lord Ye's heart."

"That's right, not bad, not bad. We are still doing alright."

"By the way, what kind of gifts have you all prepared? Tonight is a grand occasion; our gifts cannot be embarrassing. We must prepare them well."

"That's for sure. This time it's not just Lord Ye, but also a group of King-level Experts like the King of the Western Frontier and the King of Nanling. If someone gives a generous gift, they might be able to leave an impression in the hearts of these King-level Experts."

"..." As everyone spoke, they began to discuss the gifts they had prepared, and they started to increase the value layer by layer.

A while later, the agreed-upon gifts had reached a terrifying level. Even for these large Families, it had reached an unacceptable critical point.

"Alright, alright, alright, let's settle on this. This is good enough. The weight of this gift is not small, and besides, recent expenses have been quite high; even a wealthy landlord has no surplus grain."

"Mm, I feel this level is fine. Let's just go with this."

"..." Everyone spoke and nodded, all agreeing. The rest was just to go back and prepare.

Just as they were preparing to get up and leave, a High-ranking Official from one of the Families hurried in from outside. He then looked at his Clan Chief, preparing to whisper something.

The Clan Chief looked at him; whispering in such a setting was not ideal, so he immediately said with a cold face, "What is going on? Just say it directly here; there's no need to be secretive."

"Clan Chief, didn't you ask me to go out and find out what gifts other Families have prepared? I went just now and asked a few people. They have all prepared..." Immediately, that person began to speak.

A while later, the faces of everyone present turned cold, and they were all stunned in place. Then, they began to gnash their teeth. Were these Families not planning to live anymore? Starting off by giving so many gifts? This was going to hollow themselves out.

Furthermore, if they gave so much, it would make the gifts they had just discussed seem very meager. In that case, it would not be showing their faces before Lord Ye and the group of King-level Experts, but rather losing face.

"Fine, fine, fine, so that's how we're playing, right? These old foxes, usually each one is like a miser, stingy iron roosters that won't pull out a single hair. When we go out to eat, it's always us footing the bill. Now it's clear, all the money they usually saved was for gift-giving now, to build good relationships with High-ranking Officials and Powerful Experts, right?!"

"Impressive, these guys are really something. Next time I see them, I must properly deal with them."

"..." At that moment, everyone began to complain, one by one filled with righteous indignation. However, for now, they could only rage impotently; apart from being angry, there was nothing they could do.

Sigh.

"Alright, alright, saying so much now is useless. Let's quickly think about how to cope. If things really continue like this, it won't just be a simple matter of losing face."

"That's right, hurry up and think of what to do."

..."What else can we do? Since they are not planning to live, then none of us will. Since they are giving so much, we will just give even more than them, won't we? Isn't it just comparing who gives more? Screw it! Damn it!"

"That's right, but let's not let the news leak out. We'll go back and prepare secretly. Since they want to give more than us, we will give them a counter-strategy and see what they do when the time comes."

"We will wait and go later. Let them go and deliver their gifts first to prevent them from increasing their amount after finding out how much we are giving..."

"Good! This is a good plan! I want to see what they do when the time comes!"

As everyone spoke, they began to discuss it again. However, this time the atmosphere of the discussion was significantly more silent than before. After all, in the current situation, they were going to suffer a major financial blow. It was truly killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of one's own.