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The warriors originally standing next to him suddenly dispersed, revealing an open space. The sword-bearing man stepped forward, planted the sword in the ground and held on to the hilt. He shouted towards Tang Zuo, “Last time Captain Tang said that inviting us to Cloud Dispatch Peak during the first month was to discuss important matters. Yet, we arrive to see the Tang family in Xiling defeated and surrounded. This seems far removed from discussing important matters, wouldn’t you agree?”

Most of the families gathered here weren’t too concerned with the ‘important matters’ to be discussed. Everyone was wondering if they could get a bit more food from the Tang Clan. However, upon arriving in Xiling and seeing the Tang Clan’s territory destroyed, they all knew that any hope of securing more food was lost.

The reason everyone still gathered here was twofold. Firstly, during the most severe floods, the Tang Clan showed favor to each clan. Now that the Tang Clan is in trouble, most people are thinking of lending a hand, at least ensuring that Tang Zuo and his group could safely get away. This way, they would settle their debts of gratitude.

The second reason was their belief that even a thin camel is fatter than a horse. The wealth and prosperity of the Tang family in Xiling had been lauded in every major city along both banks of the Lingjiang for a thousand years. Given their close ties with the Xuanji Sect in Beimang, they were certain that even in defeat, the Tang Clan would not suffer too much loss of top-tier power.

With the foundation of the Tang Clan, they would surely rise again in the eastern part of Beimang. It was worth it to connect with them now for the potential benefits in the future.

Many of those who remained had lost hope of securing any food, so they felt somewhat disheartened. However, with Tang Zuo maintaining his unwavering composure, he undoubtedly incited some people’s fury. The words of the sword-bearing man acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the meeting hall with leaders chattering away.

“Captain Tang, victories and defeats are commonplace in military affairs. Why insist on enduring alone? We are here to support you. Let the Mi Clan open a path in the Auspicious Cloud Valley. Let the Tang Clan abandon the family land and start afresh, and isn’t it great to live in harmony?”

“What’s this about holding the line? I came here for food, not to lend my fist to someone else. Damn it, I’m leaving!”

“Coward! Have you forgotten who gave you food to survive the winter when the Wang Family pushed you to the brink? Now that you see your benefactor in trouble, you not only forget to repay them but also make sarcastic remarks. I’m ashamed to be in your company!”

While several local gentries from Shen Ping were arguing, a few others from Lanshan City laughed and smirked. With the speech of the sword-bearing man, the entire meeting venue lost its original order.

After all, everyone here was a local tyrant, and even if they had fallen, their pride remained high. With the name of the Tang family in Xiling holding them back, they could still control their emotions and listen to Tang Zuo. But now with the Tang family showing defeat, the idea of dominance among these strong men didn’t weigh much on a Mortal Realm Tang Zuo.

Li Huangxuan and a group of old guys from Fuling Mountain stood in a corner of the hall, each one wearing a bitter smile upon seeing the chaotic meeting hall.

The seats in the meeting hall were arranged according to the arrival time at Cloud Dispatch Peak. They arrived last, so they could only stay at the back. Some of them weren’t happy with this arrangement. However, looking at the chaotic atmosphere, this unattended corner proved to be a good spot to slip away unnoticed.

“Leader Li, let’s leave. The Tang Clan is about to be defeated. There’s no point in us staying here.” The tall and thin Wu Guang sighed, “This time I have to bring home some Spiritual Food Beast Meat for Fuling Mountain. Otherwise, I’m too ashamed to face the clan.”

It was his suggestion to come to Cloud Dispatch Peak together, but he didn’t expect to encounter such a situation. Wu Guang felt guilty and thought he had let them down. On the other hand, the middle-aged scholar-like Liu Shutong was more open-minded and comforted him, “Nothing is constant in life. Old Wu, you don’t have to take it to heart. But now the Tang Clan is in great trouble. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for us to go just like this…”

Before the winter, the four houses had almost exhausted their food reserves. At that time, they could fight and kill each other over a little fish. It was Tang Zuo who arrived on an ice boat to mediate, kill and drive away the strong from Fuling Mountain, providing them with a place to live and winter food. It can be said that the Tang Clan had done a great favor to the several clans.

However, at that time, Tang Zuo was so strong that they chose to forget about this favor unconsciously. It felt like, since you are so powerful and have so much food, it was just a coincidence. You must have had an ulterior motive.

Everyone came to Cloud Dispatch Peak with a great deal of caution. But now, seeing the Tang Clan’s land destroyed, the forgotten feeling of gratitude surged up again. To abandon them like this would be like repaying kindness with enmity. Liu Shutong, full of scholarly spirit, found it hard to decide.

“Head of the Liu Family, you shouldn’t let emotions rule!”

Hearing the hesitation in the middle-aged scholar, the robust Zhou Shun glared and quickly rebutted, “Indeed, the Tang Clan has been kind to us, but we are not returning kindness with hostility, but protecting ourselves. Look at the nearly three hundred strong warriors in the meeting hall. If Tang Zuo wants to stop the war and make peace, we are certainly willing to stand by him. However, he pretends to be calm and speaks obscurely about discussing important issues. This is clearly a plan to drag us into the battlefield.”

“Old Zhou is right.” Strong man Li Huangxuan remained silent for a while then finally spoke up, “Xiling is the center of the battlefield in Longzhou. The longer we stay, the greater the risk of exposure. If the Mi Clan discovers us, even if we don’t want to fight, we will have to. It’s better to leave this place of conflict as soon as possible. I heard that Red Cloud Mountain to the east of Xiling is a neutral place and there has never been a starvation death. How about we go there and see if we can purchase some grain and fodder from the neutral families to meet the urgent needs of our clan?”

“I agree with Leader Li’s view.” The strong Zhou Shun, after hearing Li Huangxuan’s words, quickly agreed and looked at Wu Guang.

Wu Guang, who already felt guilty, heard that there was still a way to find food and quickly agreed, “That sounds great.”

Among the four houses of Fuling Mountain, only Liu Shutong had not given his opinion. Li Huangxuan sighed, came forward, and patted the shoulder of the middle-aged scholar, “Head of the Liu Family, I understand that you want to repay the kindness of the Tang Clan. But right now, the ones we should take care of are the people of Fuling Mountain. I promise you, as long as we find food and settle down our people, we will come back to Cloud Dispatch Peak with you and see how to return the favor to the Tang Clan.”

Repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. The world of warriors is simple but complicated. As a family head, one cannot make decisions based just on personal preferences.

Li Huangxuan had been dealing in Fuling City for more than twenty years, and he had never owed anything to anyone. Given his temperament, faced with such a great favor from the Tang Clan, he would definitely stay at Cloud Dispatch Peak to see if there was any chance to repay it.

However, besides being a warrior, he was also the head of the Li Clan of Fuling. He was not just living for himself; he had to struggle for the elderly and children of the family as well.