Chapter 399 – Mu Lin: East Sea King, You Have No Right to Negotiate with Me

Panicked and furious, Ji Yu hurled a torrent of abuse at Mu Lin. He acted this way because he sensed a crisis—a deadly one.

As the losses Mu Lin inflicted on the East Sea Kingdom grew larger, the East Sea King’s gaze toward Ji Yu grew increasingly cold and severe.

Ji Yu had a feeling that his father now wished he were dead.

The only reason he hadn’t acted on it was a matter of face—the East Sea King didn’t want others to think he had yielded, killing his own son to apologize under Mu Lin’s pressure.

Even though he hadn’t been killed, Ji Yu was already confined to his quarters, and in the foreseeable future, his fate would not be favorable.

Beyond the East Sea King’s disdain, what worried Ji Yu even more was the opinion of the other clan members in the East Sea King’s Manor.

Now, his uncles and brothers, having suffered heavy losses themselves, deeply resented him.

At the same time, the East Sea King was ambitious and highly valued his reputation, unwilling to reconcile with Mu Lin.

But the others in the East Sea King’s Manor lacked such resolve. They only wanted to exploit the people’s wealth and enjoy their lives, unwilling to continue living in constant fear.

Because of this, Ji Yu feared that the others might no longer want to fight and would hand him over.

Ji Yu’s fears… were justified.

While many aristocratic families harbored disloyal thoughts, and ordinary people, influenced by various propaganda and the effects of Manjusaka, believed the East Sea King was a foolish and tyrannical ruler, the clan of the East Sea King’s Manor also sent representatives to discuss reconciliation with the East Sea King.

“Tianhai, stop this. If we keep fighting, the clan’s wealth will be exhausted. By then, you will become a sinner of the East Sea King’s Manor. I believe this is not the outcome you desire.”

“Exactly, Uncle Tianhai. There’s no need. You have more than just Ji Yu as a child. He isn’t even your chosen heir or successor. It’s truly unnecessary to deplete the clan’s foundation for such an unfilial son.”

“Causing such heavy losses to the clan over a petty rivalry—no matter where or which clan, Ji Yu would be expelled from the family registry. Your Highness, by stubbornly protecting him, you will only disappoint everyone in the East Sea Kingdom.”

What matters most for those in power is to reward and punish clearly. Even an emperor cannot act solely on personal preference.

In a past life, even the Tang Emperor was forced to kill Consort Yang and Yang Guozhong.

Now, the trouble Ji Yu stirred up was even greater than Yang Guozhong’s, and everyone deeply resented him. If the East Sea King continued to shield him, it would only cause everyone to lose faith and loyalty.

The East Sea King understood this. Moreover, the Clan Elder before him was also an Earth Immortal, an important force within the East Sea King’s Manor. For this reason, the East Sea King did not dismiss him hastily but instead offered an explanation.

“I have no intention of stubbornly protecting Ji Yu. After causing such a great disaster, once this matter is over, whether that unfilial son is crippled or killed, I will not care.”

“In fact, after this is resolved, I have no objection to handing Ji Yu over to you for punishment.”

At this point, the East Sea King’s expression grew solemn as he said:

“What I have been protecting from start to finish is the dignity of our East Sea King’s Manor.”

“If we do not respond firmly after being attacked by a Mortal Shedding Cultivator and suffering so many casualties, the face and authority of our East Sea King’s Manor will be utterly lost.”

“And without prestige, do you think the other aristocratic families within the kingdom will still submit to us?”

“Our mineral resources, Spirit Fields, and even the city taxes we control—do you think they will be returned to us?”

“Without these resources, do you believe you can still live comfortably and cultivate properly?”

Gazing at the clansmen before him, the East Sea King spoke with a fierce intensity:

“Don’t be so naive.”

“Everything you enjoy today was seized by me from other Aristocratic Families. We are cutting their flesh and draining their blood.”

“Such actions are fine as long as we remain strong, but once we decline, these resources will never be returned by those Aristocratic Families and major sects. They will devour these resources like jackals, and without them, all of your benefits will be reduced, or even cut off entirely.”

“At that point, our East Sea King’s Manor will only slowly decline and perish, ending up in the same situation as Prince Liang’s Manor.”

At this, the mockery at the corner of the East Sea King’s lips grew even colder:

“Come to think of it, you probably don’t know the state of Prince Liang’s Manor. Due to scarce resources, all their clansmen, unless they are within three generations of direct lineage, are expelled from the residence and left to fend for themselves—unlike all of you, who hold various positions of authority within the East Sea Kingdom.”

“Moreover, Prince Liang’s Manor has extremely weak control over the Dragon Veins within its territory. Because of this, each generation can only support one Earth Immortal (Dragon Vein Earth Immortal).”

“Hah, if you want to sever your own roots and future paths, I have no objections.”

“After all, even if we surrender, as a prince, my position as an Earth Immortal will remain secure, and the resources of my residence will not be lacking. But as for all of you—you’ll have to find a way to support yourselves.”

“Oh, and one more thing—the Aristocratic Families are terrified of our resurgence. Even if you leave, they will guard against you at every turn and suppress you relentlessly.”

“Anyone confident enough to thrive without the resources of the residence and unafraid of suppression by the Aristocratic Families, step forward now.”

“…”

After the East Sea King finished speaking, naturally… not a single person stepped forward.

It must be said that the East Sea King was quite capable. With his words, he not only completely reversed the situation where he was being held accountable but also shifted the anxiety and urgency onto others.

The thought of losing their resource supply and falling into poverty sent a collective shiver through the assembled clansmen.

Life is indeed important, but sometimes, resources and status are even more crucial than life itself.

Anyone who isn’t a complete fool knows that countless commoners risk their lives to climb the social ladder.

And often, even after paying with their lives, they still fail to rise.

“We must never let our family’s standing decline under our watch.”

With this thought taking root, their desire to deal with Mu Lin grew even stronger and more fervent than the East Sea King’s.

However, while some regained their courage, others remained doubtful.

For instance, the Clan Elder furrowed his brow and said:

“Our prestige has been damaged, and morale has faltered. It’s true that our position as leaders is precarious. Killing Mu Lin and restoring the reputation of the East Sea King’s Manor would naturally be the best outcome, but… can you actually kill him?”

“Regardless of how he managed it, the fact remains that two Earth Immortals have already fallen at his hands.”

“Moreover, after this incident, the Earth Immortals from other Aristocratic Families will absolutely not fight for us again. In such a situation, relying solely on ourselves…”

The Clan Elder did not finish his words, but the East Sea King already understood his meaning.

If they could kill Mu Lin, it would be fine. But if they failed to kill him, letting him escape or causing even greater destruction—

At that point, their situation and condition might be even worse than Prince Liang’s.

Even if they won, if it was only a pyrrhic victory, they would not be able to maintain their current status.

Only a great, decisive victory could restore their prestige.

But Mu Lin’s strength was too formidable; they might not be able to win… This was a vicious cycle.

“Bang!”

“It’s all Ji Yu’s fault! If not for him, we would never have fallen into such a predicament!”

The Clan Elder of the East Sea King’s Manor was furious, and the East Sea King himself was also hesitant.

He was unwilling to let the East Sea King’s Manor’s reputation suffer damage, yet he lacked the confidence to guarantee victory over Mu Lin.

In the end, he chose to find a way to deal with Mu Lin himself, while having the Clan Elder go and negotiate with him.

“Dealing with Mu Lin while negotiating at the same time… That works.”

This Clan Elder was not truly inclined toward reconciliation with Mu Lin; he simply did not want the East Sea King’s Manor to suffer further significant losses, which was why he had advised the East Sea King.

Now, finding that the East Sea King’s proposal was the best option for the East Sea King’s Manor, it naturally aligned with this Clan Elder’s intentions, so he did not object.

Afterward, the two of them, having reached an agreement, discussed the terms and bottom lines for the negotiation.

—To preserve the East Sea King’s Manor’s dignity and strength to the greatest extent, the East Sea King laid out several bottom lines.

“You can go negotiate with Mu Lin. Tell him I can stop pursuing him, but he must also apologize to my East Sea King’s Manor. Moreover, he must return my Rivers and Mountains Cauldron…”

…

The East Sea King proposed many conditions. Since the Clan Elder was not truly sympathetic to Mu Lin, he not only did not reject the East Sea King’s bottom lines but also added several more conditions.

As was to be expected, after the East Sea King’s conditions were conveyed through the Yan-Chu Families, Mu Lin did not agree to a single one.

Not only did he refuse, but he also sneered and sent back a message.

“Tell the East Sea King that what he cannot obtain on the battlefield, he will certainly not obtain at the negotiation table.”

“This war was started by him, and he is the one who lost. He has no right to set conditions for me!”

“If he wants to surrender and admit defeat, fine, but he must adopt the correct attitude… an attitude of apology and admission of fault!”

(End of Chapter)