X-Dragon Era

Although the Sky-opening Sect had plundered a large amount of gold from the Kashi Family, in fact, that was merely what the Kashi Family had displayed for everyone to see, the gold stored in various Gold Smelting Fields. Even though the loss this time was significant, for the Kashi Family, it was far from a devastating blow.

All things considered, interests come first. If it's possible to keep secrets hidden, by all means do so, otherwise, once all the Kashi Family's secrets are laid bare, they would inevitably incite envy from others. Once they become the coveted target of everyone, no matter how powerful the Kashi Family might be, danger would likely be imminent.

The most important thing was that the Kashi Family absolutely could not let the other major powers realize the significance of wealth. Once everyone grasped that, they would undoubtedly swarm to plunder, and by then, the Kashi Family would not only be facing the power of one family or clan, but the invasive assaults and plundering of hundreds of mighty forces, an ordeal no human could withstand.

Considering this, Carter took a deep breath and said loudly, "The conflict between the Kashi Family and the Sky-opening Sect, indeed, was our fault to begin with; we did not give the Sky-opening Sect enough respect. This is indeed our fault. However... at this point, you have already plundered a massive amount of gold from our family. No matter what was owed initially, such a punishment should be enough, right...?"

Hearing Carter's words, Xin Yun was momentarily taken aback. Honestly, before coming here, Xin Yun had considered many possibilities, but the one thing he hadn't expected was that the Kashi Family would actually concede, which was utterly inconceivable!

If it were any other family acting this way, subordinates would likely start to waver and lose heart immediately. As a Martial Artist, it's all about that pride. Without it, who would stick with you?

Yet, looking around, those top Ten-star Experts had no expression whatsoever, as if everything was as it should be. What exactly was going on?

Seeing Xin Yun frowning deeply without uttering a word, Carter's heart stirred slightly, and then he abruptly waved his hand, shouting: "Come on, bring Ka Men, Kaso, Speedy Slash, and Ke Zhan all to me!"

Following Carter's command, the surrounding crowd stirred, and quickly... four disheveled figures were escorted over. Upon closer inspection, Xin Yun recognized all four of them. Ka Men and Kaso were one thing, but Speedy Slash and Ke Zhan were very familiar to Xin Yun.

Looking at Xin Yun's astonished expression, Carter spoke solemnly: "The incident that day was solely caused by Kaso and Ka Men. Their actions brought huge losses to the Kashi Family. They should have been executed a long time ago... The only reason they were kept until now was to execute them in front of you. This way, hopefully, the grievances between us should be sufficiently resolved."

Coldly observing the haggard Kaso and Ka Men, Xin Yun knew... Their lives had definitely not been easy during this time. From the lofty heights of Young Clan Leader to their current destitution, everything had changed too swiftly.

As Xin Yun looked at Ka Men, Ka Men was also looking back at him, involuntarily recalling the words Xin Yun had said that day. Yes... he regretted it, deeply regretted it. It was precisely his insults directed at Xin Yun, Yi Luo Xiang, and Yan Qingying that day that led to the current situation.

If he had known it would come to this, even if threatened with a knife, he would never have acted that way. Now... Xin Yun had kept his promise, stripping him of everything, filled with regret. But all of this was far from over; only with the end of his life would everything be brought to a full stop.

As his gaze slowly shifted, in the next moment... Xin Yun saw Speedy Slash and Ke Zhan. Observing their dejected state, he sighed deeply, his initial sense of betrayal by the two men having already faded. The saying goes, 'A great man does not dwell on past grievances; a prime minister's belly should be big enough to sail a boat.' Always dwelling on these small matters would be exhausting!

What's more significant is, through these two men, Xin Yun finally realized a problem: expecting others to be loyal was nonsense. When you are wealthy, naturally, you'll have many friends, but when you are in despair, where can you find friends? Everything is just as it should be.

The proverb 'Unrecognized in a bustling market when poor, yet distant relatives emerge when rich in the mountains' applies here. Of course... Xin Yun didn't completely dismiss loyalty, but supposed loyalty must be established on the foundation of affection, like children not betraying their parents. That is the foundation of emotion. Loyalty without any foundation is like castles in the air: illusory, insubstantial, and prone to collapse at any moment!

Towards these two individuals, Xin Yun did initially believe in loyalty, but it was also because of them that he, while not completely discarding the idea of loyalty, would no longer naively rely on it to maintain everything. That would be far too dangerous.

His eyes slowly swept over the four men, Xin Yun's mind racing. Today's battle was forced upon him; the existence of the Kashi Family had interfered with Xin Yun's banking plans. As such... regardless of how much he didn't want to, Xin Yun had to rely on outside help to directly destroy the Kashi Family!

But now, the Kashi Family suddenly posed an attitude of negotiation, and what was especially important was that the strength Xin Yun had displayed was enough to intimidate the Kashi Family into compliance. To be aware... although there were only thirty-six diamond Ten-star Experts, they might not succeed in a direct confrontation, but sabotage, sneak attacks, assassinations and the like could indeed deal a destructive blow to the Kashi Family unless they chose to be in a do-or-die situation. Otherwise, negotiation was the only choice.