155: Chapter 156 Still Giving Way to Them?

Throughout today, several squads encountered similar situations.

It wasn't just the mineral veins; the medicinal fields were the same.

Some cities had attitudes even worse than Qinghe City, directly calling the Hua City Mercenaries "robbers" and "bandits," and some even drew their blades, posturing to attack.

The Hua City Mercenaries endured it all.

They retorted verbally, but gave up all the resources, avoiding any conflict.

However, when they returned to the Mercenary Guild, the atmosphere in the hall was completely different from the previous two days.

A few days ago, it was all laughter, scrambling, and competing to see who killed the most.

Today, it was silent.

Someone threw their prey onto the ground, sat down with a thump, and said nothing.

Others leaned against the walls with their arms crossed, their expressions gloomy.

No one argued, no one made a fuss, but a stifling atmosphere permeated the hall, like the heavy stillness before a storm.

Lei Lie saw it all but said nothing.

He knew what had happened—he had personally questioned each of the fourteen squads that returned today after encountering armies from other cities, and the situations were all similar.

But what could he say?

Wasn't he also feeling stifled?

...

City Lord's Mansion.

Zhou Yun sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea, quietly listening to the report from Shang Youjun.

After a long while, he put down his tea and sighed, "It is I who have made things difficult for them..."

...

Early the next morning.

The Mercenary Guild hall was crowded with people as usual.

But today's atmosphere was just as heavy as yesterday's.

Although the Mercenaries had arrived and brought their weapons, the enthusiasm seen in previous days was absent from their faces.

Some were whispering.

"Are we still giving way to them today?"

"What else can we do if we don't? If a conflict breaks out, wouldn't that cause trouble for Zhou Yun?"

"Hmm..."

...

Just as they were speaking, the area outside the hall suddenly went quiet.

Then, the silence spread from outside to inside, rippling layer by layer like water waves.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the entrance and discovered that Zhou Yun was standing there.

He rarely came to the Mercenary Guild.

He had come once on the day it was established and hadn't been back since.

Today, he was dressed very casually, not in his formal attire.

The hall was deathly silent.

Zhou Yun walked in, his gaze sweeping over each face.

Those faces showed fatigue, gloom, suppression, and a cautious anxiety—just like children who had done something wrong seeing their parents arrive.

He smiled, his tone very casual, as if making small talk.

"I heard you encountered people from other cities out there these past few days?"

This sentence was like a needle pricking a balloon that was about to burst.

With a "snap," it broke.

"Zhou Yun! They are bullying us!"

The first voice emerged from a corner, followed immediately by the second, third, and fourth—

"They said the mineral veins were theirs! Even though they were ownerless!"

"They even called us robbers!"

"A Guard Captain from one city drew his blade right in front of us!"

"We gave way! We gave up the mines and the medicine!"

"Their attitude—it was as if we had stolen their belongings!"

"We were clearly there first! We even cleared out the Demonic Beasts! By what right—"

...

Everyone spoke at once, getting more agitated and louder as they continued.

The gloom in the hall was like a lid being lifted, and everyone's grievances poured out all at once.

But as they spoke, their voices gradually lowered.

Because they remembered something.

A burly man scratched his head, his voice muffled.

"But... Zhou Yun, we didn't get into a conflict with them."

The people next to him nodded quickly.

"That's right! Not even once!"

"We absolutely won't cause trouble!"

"Exactly! We won't cause trouble for Zhou Yun!"

...

They looked at Zhou Yun's expression, as if waiting for a "well done."

Or at least, waiting for a "I know."

Zhou Yun just looked at them quietly.

Out of the thirty or forty thousand Mercenaries, only a small portion could squeeze into the hall, with a large crowd still standing outside.

Every face had the same thing written on it—we know our limits, we will endure.

Zhou Yun smiled.

But this smile was different from the previous one.

The previous one was casual.

This time, it was a gentle, serious smile, tinged with a bit of heartache.

"You have worked hard."

His voice was not loud, but the hall was so quiet that only breathing could be heard, and every word landed clearly.

The Mercenaries' gazes immediately fluctuated violently.

"Zhou Yun..."

"No! It's all as it should be!"

"Please don't say that, it's not hard at all! Really!"

"That's right! It's just a small matter!"

...

But Zhou Yun did not stop.

"However—"

Everyone's breathing became shallow at the same time.

Zhou Yun's gaze slowly swept over them.

"Don't be like this in the future."

"Seeing you unhappy makes me unhappy too."

Hearing this, it was as if something in the hall had been gently plucked.

"So... follow your own heart and act!"

"Remember."

"In our Flower City, we do not bully others."

"But we are also never weak."

...

The hall did not immediately erupt into cheers.

It was silent for several breaths.

But in those few breaths, a change was occurring in everyone—shoulders unhunched, chests puffed out, and hands tightened instinctively around their weapons.

The heavy lump in their chests didn't dissipate; instead, it was ignited.

It wasn't anger, but confidence.

Then, someone let out a heavy breath.

"Understood!"

The voice was loud, as if it had been hammered out from their chests.

Immediately following was a second, a third—

"Understood!!"

"Understood!!!"

The wave of sound rolled from the hall to the outside.

The Mercenaries standing on the street didn't know what had happened inside, but that Aura was contagious, and they joined in the shouting.

Zhou Yun stood in the middle of the crowd, his ears ringing from the impact.

He smiled, shook his head, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

As he walked out of the hall, the shouting behind him continued.

Nuan Nuan was waiting outside the hall, and seeing Zhou Yun come out, she trotted to catch up.

"Zhou Yun, what you said just now..."

"Hmm?"

"They seemed very happy to hear it."

Zhou Yun smiled and said nothing.

Nuan Nuan thought for a moment and asked again, "Then... if they encounter those kinds of people outside in the future, can they... not give way?"

"Of course."

Zhou Yun's tone was very peaceful.

"Giving way is right, and not giving way is also right."

...

That day, after the Hua City Mercenaries left the city, they were different.

They weren't fiercer; they were more resolute.

Previously, leaving the city was "going out to hunt," but today, it was "going out to do business."

The flags on their backs snapped in the wind, and everyone's steps were heavier than yesterday, but steadier.

The first squad to encounter a dispute with another city was a three-hundred-person unit in the northeast.

They ran into a gathering team from a neighboring city near a medicinal field.

The opposing group had about two hundred people, and the leader of their Guard Captain team showed coldness on his face the moment he saw the Flower City flag.

"It's you again."

The Flower City squad leader this time did not grip his sword hilt; he simply crossed his arms and stood his ground.

"We arrived at this medicinal field first, and you arrived later."

His tone was calm, without provocation or retreat.

"The medicinal field is ownerless."

"We will gather our share, and you will gather yours."

"If you are willing, we can divide the area, each gathering our own, and not interfere with each other."

The opposing Guard Captain sneered.

"Divide? Why should we divide it with you?"

"This land is originally—"

"An ownerless land."

The Flower City squad leader interrupted him, his tone still very calm.

"You say it's yours, but where is the deed?"

"If there isn't one, then everyone is the same."

"First come, first served, fair and reasonable."