Chapter 68 | Table of Contents | Chapter 70
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Chapter Sixty-Nine: Not Hard
Ding Ning’s expression was calm and gentle, but in the eyes of these young women, he was terrifying. They looked at the short swords that had fallen around them and sensed the soreness of their arms. Two of the young women started to cry in terror.
“Are you afraid of me or your island master? If you fear me, there is no need to fear, because I will not do anything to you. If you fear your island master, you do not need to fear even more, because I am stronger than your island master,” Ding Ning looked at the young women and said.
The words were very simple, but very useful. Even the two young women who were crying in terror stopped crying and just sniffled.
“Are you truly stronger than our island master?” the young woman who had spoken at the first looked doubtfully at Ding Ning and asked.
Ding Ning nodded and smiled, saying, “I am in control of all of Jiaodong Commandery now. Do you not think that I am more powerful than your island master?”
In reality, the Chu army led by Consort Zhao Xiang had not entered Jiaodong Commandery. He and Lin Zhujiu had just taken over the pulse of the Zheng Family, they had not completely taken over and taken control. However, this was just a matter of time. Also, he could see that these young women were very innocent and had not seen much. To them, Jiaodong Commandery was likely the outside world in their subconscious. This simple and crude explanation was more effective than any comfort.
As expected, when the young women heard the words, they looked at Ding Ning differently.
“The island master is in the city, we will bring you,” the young woman who had spoken at the start gritted her teeth and said.
Such a place had a city?
This was the first thought in Shou Chen’s head, but then he realized. Since the border of the island was covered with docks, and it was his prosperous, it was reasonable for this island to have cities. The thoughts of this place being primitive and uncivilized should be eliminated.
They walked with the young women. Along the way, they crossed over wood bridges. The island had uneven sand and stones, but the path was very flat. There were many passersby along the way dressed in different styles. In Shou Chen’s eyes, the attire was very strange. But in the eyes of the people they passed, Ding Ning in cloth robes and Shou Chen in his Taoist robes were abnormal. On the way, they received strange gazes.
After walking several miles into the island, Shou Chen saw the “city” the young women spoke of.
This was a complete city. The city walls built with white coral were higher than the cities of most dynasties. However, the city was not very large. It appeared to just be able to hold dozens of thousands of people.
But unlike the cities of the dynasties, the structures of this city were very strange, and very dense. They were squeezed together. On the east side, there was a hall that appeared very large compared to the rest of the structures. It made up the city wall on that side.
The hall had been painted with something that caused it to appear deep blue in the sunlight. While it was a bit strange in Shou Chen’s eyes, but it had a vast presence. Without anything, one would know that it was where Guo Dongjiang had lived in the past.
They entered the city. In his sight, there were many men and women dressed similar to the young women leading the way. They all gave off energy vibrations. Under the sunlight, they seemed to flash like they were wearing fish scales.
From when they had fought Ding Ning at the dock to now, these young women leading the way had not sent a message, but the cultivators in the city looked at Ding Ning and Shou Chen like they were fearful of them like snakes and scorpions. They clearly knew the their identities.
Ding Ning ignored it all and casually walked behind the young women. They quickly reached the front of the blue hall in the middle of the city. Unlike the people in the city who feared and avoided him and Shou Chen, there were two cultivators standing respectfully in front of the steps to the building, waiting for him to arrive.
The one on the left was a man with snowy white hair. He was tall, his brow straight, and he gave off a very steady and solemn presence. However, he did not belong to here because he wore the yellow robes that signified the Zheng Family of Jiaodong Commandery.
The other person on the right was dressed in a grand robe of blue with many gems inlaid in it. On his head, he wore a gold coronet also inlaid with many gems. He looked like an emperor.
When Ding Ning walked on the path facing them, over a hundred feet away, the two of them bowed at the same time.
The younger man who looked like an emperor took off the gold coronet he wore and said, “I am willing to surrender.”
Shou Chen was shocked. The young women who stopped daring to walk forward after reaching the hall and the cultivators who were hiding around in the streets and alleys heard the words and were stunned.
Ding Ning frowned slightly. He did not respond. He just look at the man in the robes of Jiaodong Commandery. Then he asked, “Zheng Sha?”
The man was a bit surprised, but gravely answered, “Yes.”
“You are Guo Dongjiang’s disciple, Wu Dong Lian?” Ding Ning turned to the man dressed like an emperor and asked.
The man held the gold coronet in his hands and still did not rise, saying respectfully, “Yes.”
“He wants to directly surrender, what about you?” Ding Ning turned to Zheng Sha and smiled. “What do you intend?”
Zheng Sha said with great respect, “Since Mister Wang has been reborn, there is no chance to fight at all. I want to discuss with Mister. If Mister does not mind, I want to use some things to trade for the lives of some Jiaodong Commandery members.
Ding Ning shook his head simply. “I disdain it.”
Zheng Sha was stunned. “Does Mister not want to hear what I possess in Jiaodong Commandery?” he looked in disbelief at Ding Ning and said after a dazed moment.
“I do not.” Ding Ning shook his head again. Then he looked at the other man and laughed.
Zheng Sha frowned. His expression did not change much, but a fiendish air appeared around his brows. “Why?” he looked at Ding Ning with great seriousness and asked.
“Zheng Xiu once understood me greatly, but for a time, I understood her very well. From her, I learned many things about Jiaodong Commandery,” Ding Ning said coolly. “I know that there are several people in Jiaodong Commandery she is not willing to make transactions with. One of them is you. Later, I learned that you were one of the teachers in Jiaodong Commandery who taught her.”
Zheng Sha calmly listened to these words. Then he slowly put his hands behind his back and looked into the sky. He said, “I did not expect that you would have learned these things from her. It seems that she had some feelings towards you.”
“You made a good move.” Ding Ning did not respond to his words and said with slight scorn, “Two people who I want to kill. One makes a transaction with me, the other just surrenders. This move creates a difficult situation. If I kill you, what will my enemies think in the future?”
Ding Ning’s gaze landed on Zheng Sha and Wu Dong Lian’s faces. Looking at their trembling eyelashes, he said, “Just like on the battlefield, if a general does not accept the surrender and will execute the city, then no one will want to surrender, and they would fight to the end when encountering him. But if I do not kill you for my own interests, what will the people of the world think?”
Zheng Sha’s eyebrows rose slightly. He did not hide or explain anything. Because he knew that any explanation was unnecessary in front of someone like Ding Ning.
“But you think incorrectly.” Ding Ning smiled and then said, “When a person is strong to a certain degree, they do not have to think about the possibilities of their future enemies. Even more importantly, I am very direct in what I do. If I feel that there is the possibility for accepting and resolving peacefully, I will use the sword token first. I will not let my enemies be indecisive.”
Translator Ramblings: See status update.
Chapter 68 | Table of Contents | Chapter 70
- Sword Dynasty Volume 8 Chapter 72 “Regain Reputation”
- Sword Dynasty Volume 8 Chapter 71 “Ice”
- Sword Dynasty Volume Eight Chapter 70 “Same Generation”
- Sword Dynasty Volume Eight Chapter 69 “Not Hard”
- Sword Dynasty Volume Eight Chapter 68 “Step on the Island”
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