99: Chapter 99 Refusal to Cooperate

"Forget it, I'm in a pretty good mood right now. The Bai Family isn't even a Great Family, and they came with good intentions to seek cooperation and deliver news. It wouldn't be right to scare them too much," Pei Qingyun thought to himself.

Just as Clan Head Bai Qihua was growing anxious, Pei Qingyun spoke up. "As for the cooperation, my Pei Family will not participate. If those two families dare to touch the Pei Family's property, let them come. I'd like to see if they have the courage to attack my Pei Family caravan."

Clan Head Bai Qihua hurriedly said, "Ancestor Pei, won't you truly consider joining forces? My Bai Family has come with sincerity. If our two families can join hands this time, we can engage in even deeper cooperation in the future."

Pei Qingyun smiled disdainfully. "Deeper cooperation? Your idea is good, Clan Head Bai, but you've forgotten one principle. The prerequisite for cooperation is equality between both parties. The Bai Family isn't even a Great Family; what makes you think you're qualified to cooperate with my Pei Family?"

Hearing this, Clan Head Bai Qihua felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation surging from the depths of his heart.

He had believed his plan was flawless.

The Bai Family would surely rise under his leadership and become a true Great Family.

But reality dealt him a harsh blow.

Especially just when he was on the verge of success.

This sense of shame almost drove him mad.

But he knew even better that he couldn't have a falling out with Pei Qingyun here.

Clan Head Bai Qihua's face flushed red as he forced down the turbulent emotions in his heart.

In the next moment, an invisible wave of Blood Qi swept out, crashing forward like a vast tide. But in just an instant, this Blood Qi vanished without a trace, as if everything before had been a mere illusion.

But Clan Head Bai Qihua knew very well it wasn't an illusion.

The moment the Blood Qi struck, the humiliation in his heart was instantly suppressed, replaced by a deep, bone-chilling cold.

Under this chill, cold sweat seeped from his forehead. These dense beads of sweat were undeniable proof of the reality of it all.

It wasn't until Pei Qingyun's voice sounded again that he snapped out of his daze.

"If there's nothing else, please leave, Clan Head Bai. My Pei Family caravan needs to continue its journey."

Clan Head Bai Qihua nodded repeatedly. "Understood, understood."

With that, Clan Head Bai Qihua fled the Pei Family caravan without looking back, taking the Bai Family Elder, Bai Qicheng, with him.

Only after they were some distance away from the Pei Family caravan did Bai Qicheng ask in confusion, "Clan Head, why did we run so fast just now? Did the Pei Family agree to join forces?"

"Say no more. The Pei Family harbors a great terror. We are returning to Jinhe County immediately. We will no longer involve ourselves in this matter," Clan Head Bai Qihua said, still shaken.

Whenever he recalled that Blood Qi, an instinctive sense of dread would envelop his heart, making his body tremble involuntarily.

Just how massive was that Blood Qi?

It was something he had never felt from any Five-Viscera Martial Artist.

Thinking about it now, Clan Head Bai Qihua realized just how terrifying it was.

As for the source of this Blood Qi, he no longer wanted to investigate further.

In fact, Clan Head Bai Qihua's judgment was correct.

After these two months of accumulation, Pei Qingyun had invested all the Family's Luck into his cultivation.

His path through the Six Bowels Realm was already halfway complete.

If there weren't no such thing as a "Half-step Six Bowels," then that would be his Realm.

Compared to when he first broke through to the Perfection of the Five Viscera Realm, his Blood Qi was nearly twice as dense.

Factoring in the bonuses from the traits of his three Cultivation Techniques, his Blood Qi was far stronger than that of an ordinary Five-Viscera Martial Artist.

...

On the trade route.

The Pei Family caravan continued forward along its established route.

Pei Tianlin was also curious about why Clan Head Bai Qihua had acted that way, as his departure was clearly abnormal. He asked, "Old Ancestor, what did the Bai Family come to see you for? I noticed they left in quite a hurry."

Pei Qingyun said indifferently, "They came to cooperate. Since Clan Head Bai Qihua was unwilling to leave, I gave him a reason to go more decisively."

Hearing this, Pei Tianlin immediately understood.

The Bai Family wanted to cooperate but had hit a wall with the Old Ancestor. What the Old Ancestor detested most were people who lacked self-awareness.

The gap between the Bai Family and the Pei Family was like a vast chasm. Clan Head Bai Qihua must have kept pestering the Old Ancestor, and the outcome was obvious.

At this, Pei Tianlin could only mourn for Clan Head Bai Qihua in his heart.

It was just because their own Old Ancestor was too strong; Clan Head Bai Qihua was simply unlucky. In truth, Pei Qingyun didn't particularly dislike Clan Head Bai Qihua, otherwise, he wouldn't have let him leave.

If he hadn't transmigrated into this body, his predecessor might have agreed to the cooperation when faced with such a predicament.

From that perspective, Clan Head Bai Qihua's scheme was actually feasible.

However.

All of this was merely a play directed and performed by Pei Qingyun himself.

So, the Bai Family's calculations naturally came to naught.

But Clan Head Bai Qihua wasn't a total failure either.

Instead, it could be considered a blessing in disguise.

At least the Bai Family survived, while the Liu Family and Ma Family can only leave their fates to the heavens.

Meanwhile, the Ma Family and the Liu Family were already on their way to Qingshan Ridge.

As the only way out of Jinhe County, Qingshan Ridge was also an excellent spot for an ambush.

Surrounded by mountains, the terrain was very deep.

If a force lay in ambush at the mountaintops and attacked with boulders, they would surely succeed.

"There are three li left until we reach Qingshan Ridge. The terrain there is treacherous, surrounded by mountains. To pass through Qingshan Ridge, we must go through a canyon about one li long and less than three zhang wide," said an experienced Escort from the escort agency.

Pei Tianlin frowned and asked, "Is there any way to bypass this canyon?"

The Escort thought for a moment and slowly explained, "There are two ways. One is to change routes. We would need to switch from the trade route to a small path. With so many carriages in the caravan, a temporary detour would delay our departure from Jinhe County by at least two shichen. The second is to bypass Jinhe County entirely and go through the neighboring county to reach the Prefectural City. That would add over a hundred li to the journey."

Whether it was two shichen or a hundred-li detour, neither aligned with the Old Ancestor's plan.

But entering the canyon like this felt like being a turtle in a jar.

Although he had almost no experience fighting in such terrain, he understood that such canyons had historically been burial grounds for armies.

Martial Artists were different from ordinary people; their bodies were far stronger. However, if boulders fell from a hundred zhang above, even a Foundation Martial Artist wouldn't be able to withstand it, and a Divine Strength Martial Artist would be injured.

Only a Five-Viscera Martial Artist like him could guarantee safe passage. But he wasn't alone; he was leading a caravan.

If they were attacked in the canyon, even if they achieved final victory, the casualties among the transport personnel would be heavy. Without enough manpower, he alone, with only two hands, no matter how great his ability, could not transport this batch of grain to the Prefectural City.

Thinking of this, Pei Tianlin also felt a bit of a headache.

"Stop the caravan for now, and let's see what the Old Ancestor decides."

At his command, the hundreds-of-meters-long caravan came to a halt.