nChapter 561: The Pagoda Cannon Alliance

nTranslator: TYZ Editor: X, TYZ

nHe had been fooled. An Chouchou felt like he was a clown.

nHe was calm toward this outcome. He realized he couldn’t blame anyone but himself.

nHe had underestimated Ai Hui.

nAi Hui was far more ambitious than he expected, far more daring than he thought.

nDeep down, An Chouchou sighed with sorrow. A newborn doesn’t fear the tiger, but did Ai Hui really think this was an easy feat to pull off? Was snow lava really that powerful? So much so that Ai Hui could use it to command everyone?

nIt was not that easy.

nMost of the combat divisions that went to the front line were under the Elders Guild’s command. They were motivated by Skyheart City’s generous rewards. Anyone who joined Ai Hui’s side would cause his or her relationship with Skyheart City to collapse. How many people were willing to take the risk of falling out with Skyheart City?

nWhat gave him the right to think that he could control the situation? To make everyone listen to him?

nThere were many things that couldn’t be achieved just by being ambitious.

nAn Chouchou was very curious about what Ai Hui would do next. From Ai Hui’s past, he could tell that Ai Hui wasn’t a brainless youngster. On the contrary, the way Ai Hui handled things displayed maturity that surpassed his age.

nHe had been stupid to underestimate Ai Hui once. He would be worse than stupid if he underestimated him twice.

nVery soon, An Chouchou regained his composure and told Ai Hui,

"Brother Ai is really bold.

"

nThe bandages on Ai Hui’s face twitched, appearing as if he was smiling behind the bandages.

"I’m not bold, but rather, I’m being forced into this situation. I can’t possibly resign myself to my fate.

"

nAn Chouchou did not believe Ai Hui. He felt that Ai Hui’s words were just civilities. However, he did not wish to linger on this issue and changed the topic,

"What about the Central Pine Valley? Aren’t you worried about it?

"

nThen, a look of realization appeared on An Chouchou’s face, and he continued,

"Ah, the bloody signboard in Lemon Camping Ground has yet to dry. There should be no one that dares to mess with the Central Pine Valley during this period of time.

"

nAi Hui declined to say anything about this issue. He merely replied,

"Brother Chou will know in two days’ time.

"

nUpon hearing these words, An Chouchou chuckled.

"I will have to be thick-skinned and stay for two more days then.

"

nMost of the people had left. Hoping that his message could be spread faster, Ai Hui used the Pinwheel Sword to send Wen Yongming and the rest back to Thunder City. The customers who wanted to buy snow lava were sent back as well. Ai Hui’s announcement had given them a great shock.

nWhen the Pinwheel Sword returned, Gu Xuan had an annoyed look on his face. Upon seeing this, Ai Hui asked,

"What’s with that look on your face? Something happen along the way?

"

nShi Zhiguang interrupted,

"These people are too vile. Along the way, they kept speaking ill of Boss. All of us were infuriated. They only shut their mouths when we threatened to throw whoever that kept on talking off the Pinwheel Sword.

"

n

"What did they say about me?

" Ai Hui looked interested.

nShi Zhiguang was an honest individual. When Ai Hui asked this question, he replied frankly,

"They said Boss is delusional. They also said you have overestimated yourself and that you think you’re a very important figure. Why can’t everyone survive without your snow lava?

"

nAi Hui laughed out loud. Then, he patted Gu Xuan and Shi Zhiguang’s shoulders and said to them,

"Go and have a rest.

"

nAfter flying such a long distance, both of them were tired. They knew they had a lot of things to do afterward, so they went back to rest.

nQiao Meiqi walked over to Ai Hui.

nAi Hui was shocked by Qiao Meiqi’s appearance. He asked,

"Brother, what happened to you?

"

nQiao Meiqi’s eyes were very red, resembling the eyes of a rabbit. His hair was unkempt, and he looked as if he had not slept for a few days. Disgruntled, he said,

"It’s your fault. You have created such a huge uproar. Haa, why did I have to fall in? If you want me to replenish your supplies, I will do it for you. Why did you have to trouble me by asking me to fall in?

"

nAi Hui smiled and did not say anything.

nQiao Meiqi clenched his teeth and said,

"After thinking it through over the past few days, I feel that I have more prospects for success following you. Anyway, in Skyheart City’s eyes, I am on the Gong Residence’s side. If the Ye Family really dominates the world, they will definitely target me as well. If that’s the case, I might as well take a gamble with you, Brother. What’s the worst that can happen to me? At worst, I die!

"

nAfter Qiao Meiqi finished this sentence, he looked as if he was relieved of a burden, calming down in an instant.

n

"Brother thought so highly of us?

" Ai Hui cast a glance at Qiao Meiqi.

n

"It’s not that I thought highly of all of you,

" Qiao Meiqi shook his head as his tone changed,

"but rather, it’s that I think highly of you. You’re born to be a troublemaker. The more chaotic a situation is, the more effective you are. I guess you have never noticed this characteristic of yours before. In the past, I was puzzled about why you were willing to stay in a desolate place like the Central Pine Valley. Now that you’re going to the front line, I feel that you’re back to normal. Can the Ye Family solve the chaotic situation now? No, I don’t think so.

"

n

"Brother feels that I can solve it?

" Ai Hui was extremely surprised.

n

"No, you can’t,

" Qiao Meiqi replied bluntly.

"You don’t have this capability yet. However, if we talk about who has the higher chance of surviving, I would pick you. I am very confident in you regarding this aspect. Furthermore, with your snow lava trump card, no matter who you seek help from in the future, no one will reject you. At worst, I will surrender along with you. Since there’s a way out and I can have the opportunity to make big bucks, this little bit of risk is nothing to me.

"

nAi Hui was astonished by Qiao Meiqi’s thought process. He was truly a businessman!

n

"Welcome aboard!

" Ai Hui reached out his hand to Qiao Meiqi.

nIt was only after careful deliberations that he chose Qiao Meiqi to become his partner. Both of them had collaborated for a long period of time, and they had enough trust and confidence in each other. If it was someone else, Ai Hui would not be at ease. He or she would not be on Qiao Meiqi’s level either.

nQiao Meiqi high-fived Ai Hui’s hand delightedly. Following which, he frowned and sighed deeply.

"Haa, why do my Masters always become your subordinates eventually? Huo Da just told me that he wants to be a sword operator and requested that I ask you about it.

"

n

"He wants to be a sword operator?

" Ai Hui was slightly surprised, but soon nodded his head.

"All right, he can follow Shi Zhiguang and train for a period of time first. He is a Master and I believe he will master the position very soon.

"

nAn elementalist who could become a Master definitely had an outstanding level of intelligence. A person that solely depended on diligence would never become a Master. A Master had a deep understanding of elemental energy. No matter what new skill they learned, they could pick it up easily.

nAi Hui also had not expected that Huo Da wanted to become a sword operator. He hadn’t expected the position of sword operator to be so attractive to a Master.

nImmediately, he thought of a brand-new opportunity.

nCurrently, Shi Zhiguang was already very competent with operating the Pinwheel Sword. Shi Zhiguang was still young, so he had more potential than Huo Da. However, as a Master, Huo Da was at his peak now. Huo Da would rapidly grasp the trick to operating the Pinwheel Sword. However, an ordinary Pinwheel Sword did not have enough room for a Master to display his entire might.

nBeing a Master at his peak, Huo Da was able to manage a higher speed, carry out more complicated maneuvers, endure a more powerful impact, and exhibit a better control over the Pinwheel Sword.

nShould he make Huo Da a solo Pinwheel Sword?

nThe image of an enormous sword that was covered with a thick sword gleam disappearing into the sky and then creating a bloody trail in the enemy camp appeared in Ai Hui’s mind.

nFast and invisible!

nAs long as it was fast enough, it could produce a horrifyingly destructive power.

nSword operator was a new profession Ai Hui had made up. A master sword operator was something that he had never thought of. There were many areas that he needed to think about in detail. However, Ai Hui felt that this idea was really worth considering.

nThe addition of Qiao Meiqi was extremely beneficial for the entire Central Pine Faction.

nThe Central Pine Faction was mainly made up of combat elementalists. If they were asked to handle business deals, they would definitely cause a huge mess.

nGetting rid of their dependence on Skyheart City for resources was the first step of Ai Hui’s plan. With the snow lava, Ai Hui wasn’t afraid of not having enough money. However, whether it was selling snow lava or buying an enormous amount of resources, they needed people who were capable of doing it.

nBy joining the Pagoda Cannon Alliance, one had to undertake a huge risk and break ties with Skyheart City. However, he or she would have no risk in buying snow lava. Skyheart City’s influence was not enough to hinder people from buying snow lava.

nNow, there was one final issue left. The Central Pine Valley.

nLou Lan ran over to Ai Hui and yelled,

"Ai Hui, the arrangements in the valley have been settled!

"

nAi Hui’s mind jolted.

nAfter Yang Xiaodong returned to the Spear of Heavy Cloud, he repeated everything Ai Hui said to Shi Xueman. After hearing the message, Shi Xueman did not say anything.

nEarly in the morning, Shi Xueman sent her subordinate to a nearby city to buy a mirage bean pod.

nInside a tent, Shi Xueman, Fatty, Jiang Wei, and the rest were staring at the mirage.

nFatty was slapping his thigh as he watched the mirage,

"Oh my! This move of A’ Hui is really beautiful! Did you see the look on An Chouchou’s face? Hahaha!

"

nThe rest had their faces filled with shock. They needed some time to digest Ai Hui’s sudden announcement.

nClearly, they understood what Ai Hui’s declaration implied. From today onward, their relationship with Skyheart City was completely broken. This meant that they were going to establish a power of their own. In the past, the Central Pine Valley was too small, and they had too few people. It was very hard for them to establish themselves as a power back then.

nEveryone was startled by Ai Hui’s audacity and resolution.

nWhen the mirage finished playing, there was absolute silence in the tent.

nShi Xueman looked around and calmly said,

"Let’s talk about it.

"

nWithout hesitation, Fatty yelled,

"I support Ai Hui! Everything we do, we have to do according to that old witch! Boring! Skyheart City is obviously trying to snatch our snow lava. This is a golden egg laid by our old hen. Even if we die, we are not giving it to them!

"

nThe rest nodded their heads. Fatty’s words spoke for their minds.

nMadam Ye and Skyheart City were not really popular among the soldiers on the front line. Everyone was limited by the

"Elders Guild.

" Deep down, they lacked respect toward Madam Ye. The more battles a combat division fought against the blood elementalists, the more they would feel this way. Why would they respect Madam Ye when she was doing nothing in Skyheart City while their comrades kept dying on the battlefield?

n

"I agree. However, we still need to discuss any unforeseen events that we might encounter. For example, will our relationship with the Infantry Division and the Sky Edge Division change? In our original plan, we needed the coordination of four God-subduing Peaks to form a defensive line. If our relationship with the Infantry Division and the Sky Edge Division drifts apart, do we need to have a backup plan?

" Jiang Wei spoke with a deep voice.

n

"How do we resolve the issue of resource replenishment?

" Sang Zhijun asked.

n

"After all, it is obvious that we are trying to form a power of our own.

"

n

"What if no one joins our Pagoda Cannon Alliance?

"

n

"What will happen to the Central Pine Valley? Who will protect it?

"

nEveryone broke into a lively discussion. The atmosphere heated up in an instant.

nAi Hui’s audacity had shocked everyone. However, they subsequently felt more excitement than shock. All of them were still young, filled with vigor and courage. Of course they did not want to stay and hide in a desolate valley. All of them wanted to make a name for themselves.

nFurthermore, the enmity between them and the blood elementalists was unresolvable.

nThey completely disagreed with Skyheart City’s style of handling things. Deep down, they disdained and hated Skyheart City’s actions. Now that they could finally expand their power and influence to step onto the world stage, they were filled with hope and expectation.

nEveryone knew that this path was arduous and dangerous. Even so, this couldn’t suppress their fervor or stop them from pursuing what they desired.

nThese invisible restraints had been suffocating them for a very long time. They longed to be free from them.

nAs for the danger and risk that came along with this decision, none of them cared at all. Weren’t they in danger every day on the battlefield? No matter what dangers or adverse effects came along with this decision, it couldn’t be worse than the dangers and tragedies they faced on the battlefield.

n

"We will discuss these issues again when Ai Hui is here. I’m not too sure about his exact arrangements either. However, everyone doesn’t need to be too worried. Ai Hui already has a solution to the issue of the Central Pine Valley. He will give all of you a surprise,

" Shi Xueman said.

nSurprise?

nEveryone looked at each other, feeling even more curious.

n