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Chapter 312 - The Value of Slaves

"Greetings, City Lord Qiu!"

"Greetings, City Lord Qiu!"

Seated comfortably in his sedan chair, City Lord Qiu Yeming nodded repeatedly in response to the countless greetings that came his way. Following the lead of General Tie Huaheng, he was slowly carried up the wooden platform that Fei Qing had set up for himself.

"Greetings, Fellow Cultivator Ren," General Tie Huaheng clasped his fists towards the handsome young man.

"It is my honour to be in the presence of City Lord Qiu and General Tie," Ren Xiexing returned the greeting before turning towards the crowd. "Since we are getting started, why don't everyone who has spoken earlier come onto the platform?"

"Fellow Cultivator Ren is right. We might as well get things started."

One by one, individuals started flying up from amongst the crowd, shocking those who had just been standing right next to them. They landed on the wooden platform, standing around Ren Xiexing instead of the members of the city hall. Though these individuals did not share a common background, it was clear that they still regarded this as a negotiation between two distinct sides.

General Tie Huaheng naturally noticed this as well, but thought little about the matter. "Thank you for coming, fellow cultivators. As mentioned before, the city hall is hoping to enlist everyone's assistance in the removal of the evil Scarlet Leaf Sect's presence in the area. As a show of gratitude, we will be providing hefty rewards for anyone who is willing to join in our righteous crusade."

"Before we proceed further, we would like to know more about this outfit of the Scarlet Leaf Sect," Ren Xiexing said. "We would appreciate if we can begin by hearing out all information available on this matter."

"That's a reasonable request," General Tie Huaheng nodded. "What we know is that-"

"Please wait, General Tie," Ren Xiexing quickly stopped him. "Since the returning members of the previous coalition are with us now, why don't we hear the details from them first? After all, they are the ones who have firsthand information. This would give everyone a clearer idea of the enemies that we will be facing."

"I have no objections to that," General Tie Huaheng gestured towards the returning group. "Would anyone like to share about what happened yesterday?"

"...I will do it," the same middle-aged man from the morning stepped forward after a moment of hesitation. "Following the intelligence that we have received, we quickly found members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect in a cave at the foot of Blueflag Mountain. We stormed the cave immediately, not wanting to give them any chances to prepare. There was indeed something that resembled a summoning ritual within, but that was completely inconsequential. The true problem lay in the members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect present – they were far too strong!"

"Just how strong exactly? And what kind of techniques did they use?" Ren Xiexing asked.

"I don't recognise the exact techniques that she has used, but they are incredibly powerful!"

"She?" Ren Xiexing probed.

"That's right. She – their leader," the middle-aged man emphasised. "The moment she made her move, nobody stood a chance. If you ask me, she might even be of the Midrib rank!"

"A Midrib-ranked member of the Scarlet Leaf Sect?" Ren Xiexing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Are you certain about that?"

He was not the only one who reacted in such a manner. Those who knew a little more about the Scarlet Leaf Sect showed similar signs of doubt. This included Zhao Yunxiao, who had also done his fair share of research on the unorthodox powerhouse.

Members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect were divided into four separate ranks, their names corresponding to the anatomy of a leaf.

Petiole, Base, Midrib, and finally Apex.

A member's ranking might not always correspond to their combat strength, but it was usually correlated.

Honey, whom Zhao Yunxiao had encountered along with the Mystic Cavalry in the past, was merely a Petiole-ranked member. In comparison, even Base-ranked members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect would already be extremely powerful, far beyond what Zhao Yunxiao could handle alone.

If there truly was a Midrib-ranked member leading the Scarlet Leaf Sect outfit at Blueflag Mountain, then even someone like Ren Xiexing would have to proceed with caution!

That said, Midrib-ranked members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect were not exactly commonplace. For one to be stationed out there in the middle of the wilderness just to oversee some ritual... it was either that this ritual was far more important than they had thought, or this middle-aged man was just exaggerating the strength of the enemy to justify their failure.

Nobody said anything, but most believed that it was the latter.

"Am I certain? Hah! Of course, I am not certain!" the middle-aged man rolled his eyes. "However, how else would she have been able to wipe the floor with so many people with such ridiculous ease? Not to mention those who failed to escape; even the few of us who reacted immediately still suffered heavy injuries and almost did not make it out in time!"

"Is that so?" Ren Xiexing did a quick scan of the six members of the returning group. "Pardon me for asking, but may I know what cultivation levels you are at?"

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on us, thinking that we are making a mountain out of a molehill?" the middle-aged man instantly understood Ren Xiexing's insinuation.

"They are all at the Essence Physique realm, Fellow Cultivator Ren," General Tie Huaheng interjected to prevent this conversation from going in another direction.

"I see," Ren Xiexing relaxed a little upon hearing that. "What is your assessment on the matter, General Tie?"

"Tch!" the middle-aged man clicked his tongue unhappily, understanding that he was being looked down upon.

"I do not know if the enemy is a Midrib-ranked member, but we cannot discount that possibility," General Tie Huaheng answered. "Though even if she is, it is not impossible to take her down with the participants that we have here today."

"It might not be impossible, but it would definitely be a tough battle at the very least," Ren Xiexing added. "A tough battle with real risks of dying."

"With great risks come great rewards. The stronger the enemy, the more valuable the spoils," General Tie Huaheng reminded. "For this second coalition's strike on the enemy, City Lord Qiu has agreed to not only allow the participants to claim all of the spoils, but also grant hefty rewards for those who managed to take down anyone from the other side!"

"What kind of rewards would that entail?" Ren Xiexing asked.

"That you would have to find out. But since we dare to announce it publicly like this, you can rest assured that we would definitely not renege on our words later," General Tie Hua Heng assured.

"Does that mean the city hall would still be sitting out of this strike?" Ren Xiexing questioned further.

"The city hall's primary duty is to defend the perimeters of Thousand Autumn City," General Tie Huaheng replied matter-of-factly. "Unfortunately, we simply cannot afford to leave our posts and expose the city to any unexpected dangers."

"So, that's why the city hall wants to delegate this task to us instead," Ren Xiexing turned towards the other cultivators who were on the platform with him. "What does everyone think about this assignment?"

"General Tie is right. With great risks come great rewards. I am willing to participate if everyone else here joins in."

"If Fellow Cultivator Ren is interested, then count me in as well."

"I will follow Fellow Cultivator Ren's decision."

While everyone hailed from different backgrounds, they seemed to share a common approach when it came to this matter – they would participate as long as Ren Xiexing chose to take on this job. From that alone, it was clear just how much they respected Ren Xiexing's strength.

That was not too surprising as well, considering the fact that his cultivation level was already at the Dao Rune realm. Even the powerful core disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect were also only around this level.

Of course, even if they possessed the same cultivation level, Zhao Yunxiao did not think for a second that Shadow Noble Ren Xiexing would ever stand a chance in a direct confrontation against the likes of Death Blade Wei Yuandi or Demon Hunter Han Xing.

The core disciples were of a completely different breed, after all. Even jumping ranks to defeat opponents of higher cultivation levels was not entirely out of the question for those monsters!

"Since everyone is kind enough to leave it to me, I shall take the liberty to decide on behalf of everyone," Ren Xiexing said with a smile. "With the support of everyone present, I am willing to take on this assignment. However, I do have my own conditions."

"Please feel free to speak of them," General Tie Huaheng urged. "The city hall will try to fulfil any reasonable requests you have."

Zhao Yunxiao was surprised to hear that.

Did General Tie Huaheng not have to consult City Lord Qiu Yeming before saying something like that?

Come to think of it, the latter had not spoken a single word since his appearance, except for returning greetings at the start. It seemed like he really had full trust in General Tie Huaheng when it came to resolving this issue.

"Regarding that..." Ren Xiexing turned his attention towards Fei Qing, who was still standing in a corner of the wooden platform. "Good sir, do you still believe that there is value to the lives of slaves?"

"Of course," Fei Qing answered without hesitation. "Slaves are human too, so there's naturally value to their lives!"

"In that case, what do you think about giving them a chance to escape their current fate?" Ren Xiexing continued.

"If that can be done, then it would naturally be for the best. Do you have something in mind?" Fei Qing asked.

"I do have an idea that would help in your quest in freeing the slaves, though it would probably require the city hall's help to bring to fruition," Ren Xiexing said before turning back to General Tie Huaheng. "What does General Tie think about forming a voluntary vanguard party?"

"A voluntary vanguard party?" General Tie Huaheng repeated in confusion.

"It will be a vanguard party that comprises any and all slaves who wish to be part of this. This party would lead the way in scouting out the Scarlet Leaf Sect outfit at Blueflag Mountain, helping us gather and confirm any information that we might have missed. And upon completion of this mission, they would be liberated from their current status as slaves," Ren Xiexing elaborated without batting an eye. "Of course, it would have to be strictly voluntary since I am opposed to forcing people to do things against their wishes."

"Oh?" General Tie Huaheng rubbed his chin in contemplation.

To form a vanguard party with slaves?

The logistics involved would be rather bothersome, but not entirely impossible. That said, there was no doubt that doing this would greatly improve the safety of all cultivators who joined the second coalition. By sending the vanguard party in first, cultivators in the second coalition could observe the situation from a safe distance, allowing them to prepare for any unexpected developments.

He said there was value to the lives of slaves?

Well, if their lives could be used to ensure the safety of cultivators, then that was quite valuable indeed!

And Ren Xiexing's suggestion to set this as strictly voluntary was a masterstroke in closing off any loose ends. As long as they did not force anyone into it, no one could accuse them of going against the orthodox path. After all, any slaves who participated would be doing so purely out of their own volition.

The only question was... would there really be any slaves stupid enough to volunteer for this when there was such a huge possibility of losing their lives?

"I'm sure there will be volunteers," Ren Xiexing said at this point, as though having read his thoughts.

"This is crazy!" Fei Qing objected immediately. "How is this giving them a chance to escape their fate? You are just sending innocent people to their deaths to ensure your own safety!"

"Good sir is exaggerating things there," Ren Xiexing shook his head calmly. "It might sound dangerous on the surface, but the cultivation world forbids inflicting needless harm on ordinary mortals. Because of that, they would be in far less danger than if they were cultivators."

"What? You think that members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect would adhere to the rules of the cultivation world?" Fei Qing questioned.

"The possibility is there," Ren Xiexing shrugged. "And in the first place, that is why I am suggesting this on a purely voluntary basis. How can you say that it is equivalent to sending people to their deaths when they are the ones choosing to participate? In any case, this would be a life-changing opportunity for them. It is either to live out their lives as slaves, or gamble on this opportunity to change their fates forever. As for which path to take, that is entirely up to them to decide. Or are you suggesting that because they are slaves, they do not have the mental capacity to make the right choice?"

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