Chapter 652 - 383: Pulling the Ladder After the Guest Ascends the Room (2)

He Kao: "Indeed, let’s deal with this matter first, and I await Senior Brother Hu’s news!"Hu Weidong watched He Kao’s figure disappear into the distance, beyond the scope of his Divine Sense, still pondering in the mountains and forests. He was deeply stirred by He Kao’s last proposal, and couldn’t fully think it through at the moment.

He had vaguely considered having his son pledge allegiance to the Hidden Moth Sect, for a simple reason: to keep a way out. But this was just a thought, never a real decision to implement.

At that time, he also believed that the Hidden Moth was likely Gu Chun.

Directly allowing his son to join the Magic Sect was not a good idea, but the Hidden Moth had not formally returned to the Magic Sect and was theoretically still an Independent Cultivator outside the sect.

Having his son pledge allegiance to the Hidden Moth could be said to have no relation to the Magic Sect, yet undercover, he could receive protection from the Ancestral Hall. On the other hand, even if matters were exposed in the future, he could explain within the Xiao Alliance that he was seeking the secret transmission of Insect Concealment Skill.

However, today "Huo Qing" directly revealed the identity of Hidden Moth and expressed the intention to take on disciples, which caught Hu Weidong off guard and indecisive.

Because, in this way, many things could not be reversed, and he would be bound in an alliance with Hidden Moth.

He thought about it and decided to first get through the current hurdle! If he truly completed this gambling duel as planned, he and Hidden Moth would indeed be allies in practice.

Thinking of this, Hu Weidong suddenly paused again, feeling that something was amiss, as if he had been fooled by Hidden Moth?

Initially, Hu Weidong’s attitude towards the gambling duel was one of indifference, not wanting to get involved at all. How did this exchange lead him to strive to become the one taking action?

But then again, if things were truly as Hidden Moth analyzed, this task would eventually fall to him, so might as well go with the flow, as there were no better choices.

...

When He Kao and Hu Weidong were meeting in the wilderness, a hundred miles away, somewhere else, the Great Elder Arthur of the Supreme Council was secretly conversing with his ancestor Water.

There was a table between them, Water was sitting, and Arthur was standing.

Water looked about fifty or sixty years old, with well-trimmed gray short beard, very tall, carrying an aura of imposing might.

Arthur was brewing coffee for the ancestor before the desk, handmade, using magic to grind a handful of beans to the ideal granularity, levitating in the air before adding water, letting the coffee fall into the cup at just the right temperature and taste.

Nothing else added, just a cup of black coffee, offered to the ancestor with both hands.

Water took a sip and said, "Besides coffee, I also enjoy the taste of tea."

Arthur: "I’ll brew a pot of tea for you, what would you like to drink?"

Water: "Nothing too fancy, just some plain tea."

What he meant by plain tea was green tea. This time Arthur did not operate purely by hand but brought out a complete set of equipment, brewing tea while speaking: "Today, I came to see the ancestor just to consult your opinion on who is most suitable to handle the gambling duel?"

Water bluntly replied, "Of course, that newly promoted Elder Hu. You should have figured out this choice the moment you agreed to the duel. Why bother asking me specifically?"

As He Kao anticipated, the person they decided upon was Hu Weidong.

Firstly, it could probe Hu Weidong’s background to see how skilled he really was. Secondly, it could test Hu Weidong’s attitude to see whether he was willing to obey and serve.

More importantly, it was also intended to suppress Hu Weidong’s prestige. In other words, none of them believed Hu Weidong was a match for Kang Rulin.

Arthur hurriedly explained: "I want to seek your advice on how to make it so he cannot refuse and must exert all his efforts, ultimately losing in the most disgraceful manner."

Water said nothing but quietly sent a Divine Thought.

Arthur’s eyes lit up, and he handed over a cup of tea, saying, "The tea is ready, please enjoy!"

...

That afternoon, in the conference hall of Arthur Manor, all thirteen elders of the Supreme Council were present. These thirteen could roughly be divided into three major factions,

Arthur and his supporters occupied six seats, including Merlin, Fabre, and Arthur himself as three Great Elders.

Hu Weidong’s faction mainly consisted of three people, him, ordinary elder Julie of the Lingxi Lineage, and Wenges, an ordinary elder newly promoted from the Xingshen Lineage.

Hu Weidong took the lead in coordinating support, which helped advance Wenges, thereby offending another candidate, Hailari.

As for the other four elders, including two Great Elders, they were relatively neutral.

At the beginning of the meeting, they typically discussed a minor issue unrelated to the main topic to set the atmosphere.

Besent, an ordinary elder from the Qi Observation lineage in charge of finances, reported: At the beginning of the year, the Red Forest Canyon District in the suburbs of Luoshan City was impacted by a mountain fire, causing damage to many homes and public facilities. Now the reconstruction work is about to begin.

With nearly three hundred high-end residences in that district, it’s a typical elite affluent area, and its public property services and owners’ committee are under the control of the Xiao Alliance, which is one of the many industrial resources the Alliance possesses.

Reconstruction costs for private homes don’t involve the property service department, as owners need to deal with their insurance agents.

The property company needs to repair the irrigation system supplying water to lawns, regional fences, replant a batch of landscape trees, and conduct various cleaning tasks... all of which require fees.

Estimated direct costs are between one and two million US Dollars, but this is just the direct cost, with eventual expenses also borne by those nearly three hundred households.

Some residents voiced objections, as they didn’t want to make significant payments shortly after enduring a disaster.

After hearing the report, Merlin was the first to speak: "This is the way to restore their own asset value efficiently, other communities wish they could do this, they should be thankful!"

Besent quickly explained: "This is how we explained it, and it has gained the agreement of most residents. I’m presenting it here for a final plan."

The final plan was simple, Merlin settled it within minutes, while others hardly spoke.

A total "Special Property Fee" of 640,000 US Dollars was to be imposed, with each household paying slightly over 20,000 US Dollars, law stipulates a minimum 30-day buffer time, so notifications would be issued 30 days in advance.

From the notification’s issuance, complete payment is required within 30 days!

For the Supreme Council, this was a minor matter not worthy of discussion on such occasions, but today it was deliberately brought up to warm up the atmosphere, leading to the discussion on the landscaping duel with the Stone Gang.

Arthur proactively began: "Everyone should have heard of this matter, so there’s no need for further introduction. I firstly propose that whether we win or lose, whoever acts should first declare our attitude.

We can lose and be defeated, but we must not voluntarily surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Weidong felt a pang in his heart, secretly acknowledging that Arthur’s move was quite cunning, anticipating some possibility beforehand, thereby sealing off any exit.

This gambling duel distinguishes only between victory and defeat, not life and death; Kang Rulin emphasized this when proposing it.

Experts at their level, knowing they are overmatched, could voluntarily concede, which would be more dignified, but there’s also the possibility of someone deliberately pulling punches, not fully exerting themselves.

Another scenario is where no one wants to concede voluntarily until one party completely defeats the other. Such a victory is a clear rout, leaving no room for argument about the outcome.

In this situation, the loser loses great face. Even if Kang Rulin doesn’t take their life, there’s timely intervention and protection by weapons, they can still be injured, and might suffer severe damage to their Cultivation.

Arthur’s plan is precisely for this!

Hu Weidong, though well aware of his goal, couldn’t oppose it. Because this is an open scheme, a classic ploy where the escape ladder is removed, leaving everyone stuck!

The specific person to act was not determined yet; first, they established the attitude towards the gambling duel. Who could declare, if it were themselves, they would voluntarily concede? If it weren’t them acting, would they sensibly support someone else voluntarily conceding?

Thus, no one opposed the proposal, and the elders unanimously voted: Regardless of who represents us in the duel, the outcome isn’t important, but one must never voluntarily concede!

**