Chapter 559 - The Time Has Arrived
The reporters in Fishback City were feeling very weird. After staying here for so many days, when they saw An Chouchou, they had a feeling that a hot piece of news would break out soon. However, up till now, no news had been announced. All of them were puzzled.
Wen Yongming guessed that Ai Hui was waiting for the right chance to do so.
As such, unlike the other reporters, who stayed in the courtyard drinking tea and chatting every day while waiting for Ai Hui to announce the news, he went around interviewing the people of Fishback City. He was filled with curiosity toward the Central Pine Faction. He tried to gather any information that was related to the Central Pine Faction, but made little progress. There was very little information about the Central Pine Faction circulating outside. These people had almost zero communication with the outside world and had never released any information about themselves to the outside world.
Therefore, the Central Pine Valley was unusually mysterious to the rest of the world.
Even though Wen Yongming was in Fishback City and not the Central Pine Valley, it was still an extremely rare opportunity for him to observe the Central Pine Faction, the Sword of Lightning, and Ai Hui from such a close distance.
He clearly knew that no one in Fishback City trusted him at all. Any sensitive or out-of-line questions would put them on high alert against him and would cause them to be annoyed with him. As such, no matter what he did, he would always ask Ai Hui for permission first.
For some unknown reason, Ai Hui agreed that he could interview the the Sword of Lightning’s members on the condition that he did not disturb the members’ daily training sessions. However, when Wen Yongming asked for an interview with Ai Hu himself, he was simply rejected by the latter. Ai Hui seemed very busy and was seldom in Fishback City. No one knew where he went.
To be able to interview the members of the Sword of Lightning, Wen Yongming was also very excited. As compared to the other combat division of the Central Pine Valley, the Spear of Heavy Cloud, the Sword of Lightning did not have much of a reputation yet. The outside world did not think too highly of them. However, Wen Yongming was filled with expectation for the Sword of Lightning Sword. He firmly believed that a combat division built by Ai Hui would definitely be extraordinary in the future.
With Ai Hui’s approval, the members of the Sword of Lightning cooperated very well with Wen Yongming for the interviews. All of them were youngsters. Who did not want his face to appear in front of the world?
Be it Ai Hui, Wen Yongming, or the members of the Sword of Lightning, none of them probably expected that this information would be passed down forever. These accounts would become the most important historical evidence that the later generations used to study Ai Hui, the Central Pine Faction and the Sword of Lightning.
Due to this, Wen Yongming’s name would be remembered forever.
At this point in time, Wen Yongming had no knowledge that the contents he recorded would bring so much shock to the later generations. Thanks to his reporting, this fog-covered period of time could be presented to the later generations. During this period of time, the king had yet to wake up, Lou Lan was still wearing a cooking apron, the legendary combat division was still in its embryonic stage, and the world-shaking names who accumulated countless outstanding military merits were still shy youngsters.
Wen Yongming specialized in socializing and was able to easily mix with this group of innocent youngsters in a short period of time.
The Sword of Lightning also gave him a pleasant change of environment.
In this place, no one cared about status or fought and schemed against each other. Everyone sweat with all their might. Their daily training sessions had a terrifying intensity.
In a notebook that was passed down to the future generations, the few pages that mentioned the daily training sessions of the Sword of Lightning stunned the future combat divisions. Those future combat divisions underwent training that paled in comparison to the Sword of Lightning’s.
There were many minor details mentioned, such as the sword operator who would practice embroidery. In the future, one had to practice embroidery before becoming a sword operator. As such, many people also referred a male sword operator as a "male seamstress."
The praises for Lou Lan’s elemental soup mentioned in the notebook were enthusiastically talked about the most by the future generations. The number of compliments Lou Lan received per day was directly linked to the number of times he had served his elemental soup that day. If he served his elemental soups three times in a day, he would definitely receive more than three compliments for that day.
The number of times that the elemental soups was served had a direct correlation with the amount of praise Lou Lan would receive.
However, the thing that left the deepest impression on Wen Yongming was the unity and diligence displayed by this small combat division. All of them were filled with vitality, behaving differently from the people in the outside world.
This group of people was extraordinary.
It was a pity that he did not get to see the Spear of Heavy Cloud.
As usual, after the members of the Sword of Lightning had finished their training session, Wen Yongming eagerly went over to chat with them. At this moment, he felt slightly puzzled. The duration of the training session today was shorter than usual. By now, he was already very familiar with the members of the Sword of Lightning. They would greet each other, and he would even tease those members who were tired to death. Today, however, everyone responded to him absent-mindedly. Usually, they would burst out laughing and cheer him on.
Wen Yongming could sense that the atmosphere was becoming tense.
Had the time arrived?
At this moment, a figure suddenly descended from the sky. All the members could not help but stand up. Upon noticing this minor detail, Wen Yongming knew something was up. When he saw who the figure was, his mind shook.
Yang Xiaodong!
Being curious about any information that was related to the Central Pine Valley, Wen Yongming could recognize any important figure of the Central Pine Faction. Yang Xiaodong used to be a Master hired by Thunder City. Subsequently, he betrayed Thunder City, but was defeated by Ai Hui and his counterparts. Eventually, he and Mister Dou became captives of the Central Pine Valley. After Yang Xiaodong joined the Spear of Heavy Cloud, he became an important figure in the combat division and displayed outstanding performances under Shi Xueman’s leadership.
Yang Xiaodong had returned from the front line!
Indeed, after a while, the mysterious Ai Hui appeared in Fishback City.
After approximately four hours, Yang Xiaodong left hurriedly.
Fishback City was very small. Almost everyone saw Yang Xiaodong arrive and leave. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Whether it was the reporters or the snow lava buyers who had followed along, all of them understood that the time for the announcement was arriving soon.
"Mayor Qiao, the Division Leader wants to see you."
Qiao Meiqi was slightly surprised that his name was called first. Deep down, he felt anxious. No matter how he looked at it, Ai Hui was going to do something astonishing this time around. Right now, almost 60 percent of the profits that Thunder City made came from the snow lava. If anything was to happen to this business deal, Qiao Meiqi would suffer huge losses. Unfortunately, he had no say in this issue.
In the past, the Central Pine Valley needed to worry about how to sell the snow lava. Now that the demand for snow lava had skyrocketed, the Central Pine Valley could easily sell its snow lava. The only thing that made Qiao Meiqi felt at ease was that both of them enjoyed a pleasant collaboration. Ai Hui was someone who valued old relationships. However, he was also a businessman. If he knew there were no mutual benefits for both sides, he wouldn’t care about the relationship between them.
He did not know Ai Hui’s plan and felt uncertain.
When Qiao Meiqi walked into Ai Hui’s office, Ai Hui was looking at a map on the wall. When Qiao Meiqi took a closer look at the map, his body shivered. It was a map of the front line. The most eye-catching position on the map was where the Spear of Heavy Cloud was currently stationed.
Qiao Meiqi could not help but ask, "Brother, are you preparing to go to the front line?"
Ai Hui shifted his gaze from the map and nodded his head at Qiao Meiqi, "Yes, we will be going to the front line very soon."
Upon receiving a confirmed answer from Ai Hui, a cold tingle went down Qiao Meiqi’s spine. Even though Ai Hui’s face was covered by bandages and his eyes were blocked by the crystal chips, Qiao Meiqi could still sense Ai Hui’s resolution.
Suddenly, Qiao Meiqi asked, "What about the Central Pine Valley? Who will protect it?"
"I have already made arrangements for it," Ai Hui replied calmly.
He was too calm!
Ai Hui was so calm that Qiao Meiqi felt panic. He had been through countless difficult negotiations and had rich experience in this aspect. However, at this point in time, the experience he had was of no use to him at all. Ai Hui was calm like a silent sword, but released a sharp glint. This implied that Ai Hui had already made a decision and possessed the overwhelming determination to carry it out.
This was what Qiao Meiqi was most afraid of because Ai Hui was a businessman.
Qiao Meiqi was so nervous that he did not even notice his trembling voice. "Brother, don’t do anything rash. After all, you’re someone who has a stable business now. You must be careful with any decision you make."
Ai Hui picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Qiao Meiqi. Then, he replied, "The reason I asked you come today is because I want to talk about our future collaboration. Whether you agree with my choice or not, it will not affect our relationship."
In the end, Qiao Meiqi was an experienced businessman. He quickly regained his composure and said, "Brother, speak your mind."
"Very soon, I will bring the Sword of Lightning to the battlefield. However, my relationship with Skyheart City will completely collapse as well. I hope that Brother can help me, but I also clearly know the risk that you will face if you help me. Therefore, I can understand the worries you have," Ai Hui said calmly.
Ai Hui’s relationship with Skyheart City would completely collapse!
Qiao Meiqi, who had just regained his composure, almost jumped out of his seat when he heard these words. Had the relationship between the Central Pine Valley and Skyheart City already deteriorated to this stage? Qiao Meiqi forced himself to stay calm and replied, "If I don’t agree, our snow lava business deal will no longer continue?"
"Yes, I will have other plans for the snow lava," Ai Hui replied bluntly.
Qiao Meiqi admired Ai Hui’s straightforward character. At this point in time, he had already calmed down completely. He asked bluntly, "If I agree to help you, what can I do to help you? And what will I get in return?"
Apparently, Ai Hui was already prepared for this question. He continued, "I want Brother to be in charge of our logistics. This war will continue for a long period of time. Our relationship with Skyheart City will deteriorate rapidly, so it is impossible for us to get any resources from them. Therefore, I hope Brother’s enterprise can provide resources for us. We will hand over our spoils of war to you. Other than this, Brother will continue to be the only channel where the outside world can get snow lava."
"So we are like an exclusive resource convoy that supports the Central Pine Valley’s combat divisions?" Qiao Meiqi palpitated with eagerness.
"That’s right." Ai Hui nodded his head.
Qiao Meiqi was incited by Ai Hui’s words. Of course he knew of the risk that came along with it. From the look of it, Skyheart City was naturally the most powerful at the moment. If he offended Skyheart City, he would have bad days ahead. However, the profits that Ai Hui could provide him were immense. Being the sole retailer for snow lava was like having a gold mine. Similarly, the profits from being the resource supplier that supported the Central Pine Faction enticed him.
Spoils of war were usually worth 10 times more than their original value after they were used on the battlefield. The profits he could earn from the spoils of war were immense!
Of course, the risk that came with all these benefits would be huge as well. Their lives would be in danger, and the transportation of resources would be filled with danger. They would be prone to sneak attacks by enemies.
If it were other people who came up with this proposal, Qiao Meiqi would have rejected it straightaway. However, it was Ai Hui who proposed it, causing him to hesitate. He believed in Ai Hui’s fighting capabilities. This fellow looked as if he was born to fight.
Furthermore, there was still the Spear of Cloud that kept on performing miracles.
In his mind, Qiao Meiqi was weighing the pros and cons. If he agreed to the proposal, it would be equivalent to him joining the Central Pine Faction. This was something that neither Skyheart City nor the Gong Residence, which he had close ties with, could tolerate.
"I need to think about it," Qiao Meiqi replied with difficulty.
"You indeed have to think carefully about such an important issue. I am sorry, but you will have to stay in Fishback City for a few more days and wait for me to complete my affairs," Ai Hui said understandingly.
Qiao Meiqi left Ai Hui’s office with a complicated look on his face.
Ai Hui’s voice was calm and collected the entire time. The aura he displayed was completely different from the past.
Qiao Meiqi realized that he might need to reassess Ai Hui.