Three days later, in the town of White Snow, Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling held a simple brotherhood ceremony.
Participants included Lan Xin, Long Xiang, Long Yongjun, Monk Ben Yin, and over a thousand elite guards. There were also hundreds of people brought by Zhao Benling, as well as representatives from Gu Beifeng and Du Tianxing assigned to Wuji Mountain—Gu Rui and Zhou Yong, each accompanied by over a hundred guards to witness the ceremony.
The ceremony began simply, with Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling kneeling towards Wuji Mountain:
"I, Zhao Benling, am willing to form a sworn brotherhood with Yang Xiao,"
"I, Yang Xiao, am willing to form a sworn brotherhood with Zhao Benling,"
"To share fortunes and hardships, to live and die together, with the mountain spirit of Wuji Mountain as our witness, should we betray this oath, we shall be devoured by the tigers of Tis City in Wuji Mountain."
After reciting their vows to beco brothers, the two proceeded to slay a King Level Tis City tiger that Yang Xiao had captured a few days earlier. The tiger, already critically wounded by Yang Xiao and gasping for breath, had its neck severed by his sword. Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling each poured the fresh blood of the Tis City tiger into their cups and drank it in one gulp.
The two embraced each other.
Zhao Benling, who was three years older than Yang Xiao, was considered the elder brother, and Yang Xiao the younger.
"Big brother!"
"Brother!"
As an East City native, Zhao Benling was originally a kind-hearted and forthright man, known for his magnanimous and straightforward nature. Although this alliance was ford as a temporary asure to curb Gu Beifeng and Du Tianxing, Yang Xiao still held a good deal of admiration for him.
Gu Rui and Zhou Yong, who were there to watch the ceremony, had been inford by Zhao Benling of an important banquet prior to their arrival, only to find out upon reaching it was the brotherhood ceremony of Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling.
The two exchanged glances, their understanding clear as crystal; this was to show them the alliance between Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling.
The two stood up and bowed to Yang Xiao and Zhao Benling:
"Congratulations to the two rulers. One is the East King and the other is the Southern King. It is indeed a joyous occasion to beco brothers today!"
Yang Xiao smiled and said:
"Ha, thank you both for witnessing this ceremony."
Zhao Benling laughed heartily:
"We’re all brothers here; no one stops drinking until we’re sated."
What followed, naturally, was a grand banquet. The offerings were simple; piles upon piles of Mutant Monster at accumulated on the snowy ground, akin to small hills. So were picked, slaughtered on the spot, and then grilled over the bonfires.
Dozens of bonfires dotted the area.
Yang Xiao, Zhao Benling, Gu Rui, Zhou Yong, Long Yongjun, and Monk Ben Yin sat around one such bonfire, eating at and drinking wine while conversing.
After three rounds of drinks, Yang Xiao raised his cup and proposed a toast to Gu Rui and Zhou Yong:
"Brothers Gu and Zhou, while Wuji Mountain is vast, Zhao’s generous invitation has brought our three families here to hunt. In the future, as we traverse Wuji Mountain, misunderstandings and conflicts are inevitable. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a small suggestion for us to consider its reasonableness."
Gu Rui and Zhou Yong’s hearts skipped a beat—damn, here cos the crucial part. It really was a Feast at Hongn in disguise!
Gu Rui imdiately declined, saying:
"Brother Yang, I am rely the Manager stationed by Gu Tianwang at Wuji Mountain. I can’t make decisions on major matters."
Zhou Yong imdiately chid in:
"Yeah, brothers Zhao and Yang, if you have any suggestions, why not invite Gu Tianwang and Du Tianwang over personally? The four of you can discuss it together. We are just subordinates and can’t make decisions."
Yang Xiao chuckled and said:
"You two haven’t even heard what I have to say yet, so how do you know it’s sothing you can’t decide about? I haven’t asked you to make any decisions, just to discuss it and then report my thoughts to Gu Tianwang and Du Tianwang, and they will naturally consider it."
Upon hearing this, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Alright, let’s hear what Brother Yang has to say."
"Um, my question is simple: let’s temporarily divide Wuji Mountain, so from now on, everybody operates within their own territory and does not interfere with each other, to avoid misunderstandings and harming the harmony."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Benling, Gu Rui, and Zhou Yong nodded in agreent.
"How does Brother Yang propose dividing the territory of Wuji Mountain?"
Gu Rui asked cautiously. Gu Beifeng’s territories were scattered around more than a dozen strongholds near Wuji Mountain, occupying almost two-thirds of the area. Although they temporarily had not ventured deep into Wuji Mountain, they already had the upper hand.
Yang Xiao lifted the wine cup in his hand and downed it in one gulp before saying:
"First, let’s correct a concept. Currently, Wuji Mountain’s territory belongs to Brother Zhao. We are rely guests invited by Brother Zhao, temporarily permitted to enter Wuji Mountain for hunting. If Brother Zhao decides not to share it anymore, we cannot forcibly occupy Wuji Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Gu Rui and Zhou Yong’s faces changed imdiately, especially Gu Rui.
Yang Xiao waved his hand at Gu Rui,
"Brother Gu, stay calm and let finish. This matter is not for you to decide. Just pass my ssage to Gu Beifeng. You occupy most of the strongholds in Wuji Mountain, and now people from and Du Tianxing are squeezing in, which obviously seems a bit too crowded. Also, Brother Zhao, as the host, hasn’t even entered Wuji Mountain yet. That doesn’t seem right does it? We can’t override the host, can we?"
At this point, Zhou Yong was inwardly pleased. Just like Yang Xiao, he had also just entered Wuji Mountain with only one stronghold. They both recently increased their manpower, just to hunt more resources. However, with many Monster Levels high and the territory vast, they were limited in their expeditions from one stronghold; they even needed to return to their stronghold before dark to avoid Monster attacks, which greatly reduced hunting efficiency. Hearing Yang Xiao’s suggestion to redistribute the strongholds near Wuji Mountain, this policy seed beneficial to him, so he nodded and said:
"Indeed, what Brother Yang says makes sense. Our four parties do indeed need to sit down and discuss the division of Wuji Mountain’s resources."
At this mont, Zhao Benling fully understood that after becoming sworn brothers with Yang Xiao, the first thing he did was to help him gain actual jurisdiction over Wuji Mountain, having ford an alliance with Du Tianxing to squeeze out Gu Beifeng together. Yang Xiao’s strategy was incredibly astute.
As the host, Zhao Benling now had Yang Xiao, his sworn brother, backing him up, and Du Tianxing would also stand on his side, which significantly boosted his confidence. He imdiately gave a light cough, glanced at Gu Rui, and said solemnly:
"Brother Gu, Brother Yang’s thoughts are exactly mine. Initially, I only agreed to give Gu Beifeng two strongholds after much pleading. Yet, you all have developed so rapidly that you’ve almost completely taken over Wuji Mountain. Now, both Brother Yang and Du Tianxing are short of strongholds. Moreover, as the host, it can’t be that I’m unable to enter Wuji Mountain myself, can it? My thoughts are simple: there are more than thirty strongholds in Wuji Mountain. Now, Brother Gu, Brother Zhou, Brother Yang, and myself, the four of us will temporarily share them equally, each occupying eight to ten strongholds. We’ll delineate our own areas of activity and not disturb each other.
Additionally, Brother Gu, the two strongholds you’ve entered in Changling must be promptly vacated. It’s not proper for you to sneak into Changling without my permission, is it?"
Zhao Benling said, venting a sigh of pent-up frustration. Ever since Gu Beifeng had entered Wuji Mountain, this Gu Rui, relying on Gu Beifeng’s influence, had been commanding and insolent before Zhao Benling on multiple occasions. To protect himself, Zhao Benling even had to feign a smile in front of Gu Rui, speaking deferentially.
Both he and Gu Rui were King Level Evolvers, but with Gu Beifeng behind Gu Rui, he had had no choice but to tolerate the arrogance.
Zhao Benling never expected that the first thing Yang Xiao did after becoming sworn brothers with him was to help him vent his frustration. The satisfaction he felt inside was indescribable.
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