Chapter 1099 — A Cooperative Relationship
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Since that is the case, I will not waste my breath on you. All the same, the Xiao family's present position is hardly a strong one — and even if you are willing to take responsibility, what have you got to take it with?" Pi Zhifeng looked Xiao Ji and Xiao Ben up and down and said coldly, "As things stand, what has the Xiao family got to put on the table, beyond the two Mr. Xiaos' worthless lives?"
"Boy, you go too far! My Xiao family may have fallen on hard times, but it is not for the likes of you to sit in judgment on us! True, it was my wife Gou Huli who ran Uncle Pi down — but what has that to do with my Xiao family? When they are bent on convicting you, they never lack for a charge! Kill me or carve me up, as you please — here I stand, Xiao Ji. What can you do to me?" Xiao Ji was a hot-tempered man, and Pi Zhifeng's barbed words set him off on the spot.
"Big brother!" Xiao Ben was thrown into a panic; their eldest brother's temper was just the sort to ruin everything.
But before Xiao Ben could get a word out, there came a sharp crack. The next instant, half of Xiao Ji's face was swollen high, the teeth on that side had come loose, and he could only mumble without making himself understood. Yet neither Xiao Ji nor Xiao Ben had seen whether it was Pi Zhifeng or Pi Zhitao who had struck — or whether, indeed, either of them had lifted a hand at all...
Only now did Xiao Ji remember that the two young men before him, for all their youth, were fighters every bit as formidable as Uncle Pi.
At the thought, a chill crept over him — and when he recalled that scene at the gate, Pi Zhitao shattering the stone lion, his heart nearly stopped. Hot-tempered though he was, he was no fool. The moment he saw the crux of the matter, an embarrassed look came over his face.
"I'm sorry, young masters Pi... I... I spoke out of turn..." Xiao Ji clapped a hand over his swollen cheek and mumbled sheepishly. He was thoroughly cowed.
"That was a lesson," Pi Zhifeng said lightly. With a man like Xiao Ji there was no point in anything but a beating; otherwise the talks ahead would go nowhere. Now that Xiao Ji had submitted, Pi Zhifeng saw no need for further words. "Xiao Ji, you are a brute, and I will not hold it against you. But Xiao Ben, you are a clever man — tell me, what does your Xiao family still have to offer us as compensation?"
"That... we truly have nothing..." Xiao Ben had no wish to admit it, but the fact was the fact. The Xiao family's decline stood before them for all to see; no wonder Pi Zhifeng spoke as he did.
"I never dreamed the Xiao family had sunk this low — and one of the great families at that. Where is the bearing of a great house in any of this?" Pi Zhifeng frowned, sizing up the state of the villa, and clicked his tongue. "I wonder whether the family's decision was right or wrong — choosing to cooperate with the pair of you useless wretches..."
Cooperate? At Pi Zhifeng's seemingly careless words, Xiao Ji and Xiao Ben both gave a start. Could it be that the Hidden Pi Family had come this time to seek a partnership with them? If the Hidden Pi Family truly meant to work with the Xiao family, then did the Xiao family not still have hope?
At that, Xiao Ben hurriedly asked, "Eldest Young Master Pi — do you mean... you wish to cooperate with our Xiao family?"
"It is only a preliminary inclination at most. Whether we can work together will depend on how you perform and what you choose to give up," Pi Zhifeng said evenly.
"Please go on, Eldest Young Master Pi!" Xiao Ben was overjoyed. So long as the Pi family was willing to partner with them, the Xiao family would not go under — it might even have the chance to rise in a single bound to the foremost rank of the great families! So whatever it took, he would bring the Pi family into partnership with them, no matter the price.