I Don't Agree to the Terms

Chapter 870 461: Suppressing the Horse Bandits? The Prominent Families Still Have to Pay?

These invitations, he had received quite a few, all from some prominent families and gangs in the city, mostly just looking to expand relationships or to leech something off Gu Shanhai.

When Gu Shanhai settled down, he was inconspicuous, combined with throwing money around, which stirred quite a few people's thoughts.

In the beginning, many came to test him, but all to no avail, and those who thought of causing trouble without following the rules found their plans falling apart before they even started.

As a result, they all became deeply wary and did not dare to continue probing.

They were indeed local tyrants, but Gu Shanhai wasn't an overseas dragon coming to seize their territory, and the authorities had warned them to keep their hands clean.

Otherwise, if wealthy people came to settle in the city and ended up dead one after another, what would that mean, slapping the face of the authorities?

If they wanted to make a move, they had to follow the rules, at least no random killings, or else what of the imperial law.

"It's an invitation from the City Lord, not only inviting you, sir, but also all the renowned families, martial arts schools, and gangs in the city," the steward hurriedly said.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shanhai understood; it shouldn't be aimed specifically at him, but rather at all the factions.

"Even I got invited. It seems something big is indeed happening," Gu Shanhai muttered to himself.

"When?" Gu Shanhai directly asked.

"Tonight. Would you like me to prepare for you, sir?" the steward implied it was best to attend the banquet, as it was the City Lord, and not attending would be disrespectful.

"Go prepare, and remember to prepare a generous gift," Gu Shanhai said with little apparent interest.

"Yes, sir." The steward left to make preparations.

"What happened?" Qing Feng asked curiously.

"How would I know? I have to see for myself." Gu Shanhai rolled his eyes. Qing Feng really thought he was omnipotent. Gu Shanhai usually didn't care about these things, so naturally, he didn't know.

He had no interest in the power struggles among the upper echelons, as long as it didn't affect him. Whatever they wanted to do was up to them.

"I won't bring you both tonight. Neither of you has any cultivation, and going won't be of any help. Stay home and study diligently," Gu Shanhai didn't plan to take Qing Feng and Ming Yue with him, as they were just ordinary people and wouldn't be of much use if they went.

The two naturally had no strong reactions, knowing that Gu Shanhai was going to handle serious matters, and following him would bring no benefits, only more trouble.

Evening came in a flash, and Gu Shanhai arrived at the gate of the City Lord Mansion.

He arrived in the most humble manner; while others were either surrounded by attendants or in a crowd of servants, Gu Shanhai was accompanied only by a steward and a coachman.

After getting off, others only glanced at him more, without any sneering or provocations.

Gu Shanhai neither made enemies nor acted ostentatiously, naturally making him belong to the realm of invisible people.

After presenting the invitation, a servant led the way, bringing Gu Shanhai to the main hall, where many people had already arrived.

His seat was in a relatively cornered position, understandable as he was just a small transparent figure. The invitation was likely due to the fact that he bought a seven-entry-seven-exit mansion with just a blink of an eye, a financial power rare in the city.

While some of the families and gangs might be able to come up with such money, they definitely wouldn't spend it on buying a mansion, which indirectly showed Gu Shanhai's wealth. However, how rich he really was, no one knew.

In this world, being a merchant wasn't considered a lowly profession but rather a proper occupation that required enough martial force to protect their properties, or else they couldn't even secure their own businesses.

"Are you that one from the north of the city?" A nearby prominent family seemed to recognize Gu Shanhai, though they hesitated, unsure if it was him.

"Yes, I hadn't thought you would recognize me." Gu Shanhai smiled. Being recognized wasn't a big deal; these people had extensive networks and connections, and a relatively unfamiliar face like his naturally seemed a bit abrupt.

"You just seemed a bit unfamiliar, so I guessed. I didn't expect the City Lord to have invited you as well. I wonder what it's about," the other party was just a bit contemplative and slightly wary in their heart.

He had experienced such City Lord banquets before, usually with two possibilities: one for forming alliances, which wasn't likely this time as he had never seen Gu Shanhai at such alliance-focused banquets.

The second possibility was obvious, something required their involvement, a significant matter, hence the inclusion of Gu Shanhai.

'This time might cost a lot,' the prominent family thought reluctantly.

Gu Shanhai didn't mind much, if it was about money, he'd use his drawn silver notes, as they were just paper anyway. As for contributing goods, he had none.

Just contributing money, not manpower or effort.

They waited for over half an hour for everyone to arrive, and the City Lord eventually appeared, apologizing for being busy with affairs, essentially an intimidation tactic.

A Postnatal Realm City Lord, quite good for a small place.

Anchang City was merely a small place, not a major city, located in a remote area.

It served the purpose of allowing the protagonist to change locations. If not, the protagonist starting off in some Divine Domain or Holy Domain wouldn't allow for gradual development. In such high-level maps, even a small thug from a gang might have Grandmaster Realm strength.

Sure, this world wasn't that ridiculous, but the gaps between cities were still considerable.

In Anchang City, a cultivator at the Postnatal Realm was already at a high level.

At least in the entire Anchang City, only the City Lord had mid-third-grade Postnatal strength, while other gangs or families had top strength not surpassing the Peak of Gang Sha, with only three such individuals, unfortunately stuck in the lower third grade due to their own qualifications and lack of breakthrough insights.

Thus, all power in Anchang City was concentrated in the City Lord's hands, as he was powerful, and others had no choice but to submit.

After the City Lord arrived, he started chatting off-topic, building rapport. The three Peak of Gang Sha cultivators also conversed back and forth with the City Lord, giving the banquet a lively atmosphere.

It wasn't until everyone was well-fed and content that the City Lord revealed his purpose.

Suppressing bandits!

That's right, suppressing bandits.

Recently, a group of horse bandits had wandered near Anchang City, plundering multiple merchant caravans, so the City Lord wanted the city forces to find a way to eliminate this bandit threat.

As soon as this was said, the previously lively hall quieted down.

Mainly because the City Lord's demand was excessive—requiring them to contribute people, effort, and money while the credit went to the City Lord.

Indeed, the City Lord just wanted to reap the benefits without getting involved.

Thus, the three Peak of Gang Sha cultivators politely expressed refusal. Not speaking outright was to leave some room as it seemed the City Lord intended to use force to compel them.

After a round of negotiations, they eventually couldn't escape the predicament.

As for other dissenting voices, they held no sway over the City Lord.

'Martial strength is a good thing,' Gu Shanhai couldn't help but lament, feeling a little gleeful.

The bandit suppression had little to do with Gu Shanhai; he just needed to provide money, not effort or people, those tasks were for the gangs and martial schools, as they had plenty of fodder.

As for the money, it didn't matter since he drew it himself. Finance for the bandit suppression didn't necessarily have to be settled with gold and silver; instead, silver notes circulated better among the upper layers.

The banquet soon ended, but unlike the buoyant atmosphere when arriving, everyone's expressions carried some dissatisfaction and gloom on the way back.

Gu Shanhai didn't show a gleeful attitude but wore the same expression as everyone else; otherwise, he would seem like an issue and might be targeted.

"Let's head back to the mansion." Once in the carriage, Gu Shanhai said in a rather disinterested manner. Tonight, in essence, had been a waste of time.