Read I Can See Your Combat Power Novel

Four Hundred and One: Ransom

Over the past millennium, the martial arts world has flourished, weaving a fabric of distinguished clans. Yet, those families intent on settling scores through extreme measures often vanish to the pages of history. The surviving martial arts families have discovered that the key to long-term success lies not in battle retribution but in diplomacy and relationships.

Military power only provides the basic protection. To extend lineage longevity, the clans must balance force with flexibility.

Force signifies the uncompromising pursuit of clan interests. This is especially notable when it involves their core martial techniques, magical art forms, vital resources, and territory. Any aggression against these interests leaves no room for ambiguity. If anyone dares to reach out a hand, the clans are prepared to sever it, regardless of the domineering force behind it.

Meanwhile, flexibility implies that clans stop short of total destruction. Even when faced with sworn enemies, there is rarely an extermination among clans. For example, in Tang Clan’s task of territory expansions, many claimants are newly established young nobles striving to own their own domain. They would raise their own forces to conquer existing territories such as villages and townships.

Taking command is straightforward. It simply involves removing the current ruling class and promoting another group to their position. For bottom-tier commoners, it amounts to a change in rulers and regulations, with no significant differences in essence.

However, for the incumbent rulers, this is a matter of life and death. Over the past few millennia, very few rulers have been known to surrender without a fight or to change insignia without bloodshed.

Within the realm of warfare, nobody can claim absolute certainty of victory. Winners usually do not resort to absolute destruction. For instance, should young nobles lead soldiers and be captured after a failed assault, the victors do not immediately execute the captives. Instead, they extend a missive of surrender to captive families, offering them to negotiate a ransom.

Even for an illustrious Tang Family, upon receiving such messages, they would send representatives courteously to negotiate compensation and arrange the retrieval of captives. This is the common practice among nobility and rich clans.

be negotiated or in dealings with bands of thieves, most of the time, there are few

Mi Jing now faces. He must protect Mi Chu’s life and admit severe defeat

by losing control over his beast, tasting defeat. Ml Jing knows that public sentiment towards Mi Clan is currently at its worst. Thus, he did not hesitate nor negotiate on the matter of ransom. He straightaway asks Tang Luo

reasonableness, Young Tang. Please name your price.” At Mi ling’s statement, Mi Chu, whose head has been lowered since the start, shivers, clenching his fists

of Xiling, has now fallen to the point of needing to pay a ransom for his life. The spectators’ whispered comments seem to slap him

to roar in a blood-thirsty frenzy, boiling and burning in his organs. A suffocating sense of gloom in his chest nearly strangles his breath. He dare not lift his head, not because of fear or shame, but out of fear of the uncontrollable slaughter that could ensue.

Mi Chu’s inner voice, these spectators would call him incredibly weak-hearted. But they weren’t mocking. They found themselves enthralled by

masters and ladies who grew up in peace, ransom demands are things they only occasionally heard at their

least a

million? It’s at least a billion, after all,

a billion gold. Do you think a prestigious Beast Soul Blood lineage holder would be equal to

Celestial Being, among the other young masters, Wan Mann, who came from a large family has the best potential. At a young

have underestimated Tang Luo for if he just wanted to earn some pocket money today, he would have opened with ten billion or twenty

kill list during his shut-in phase, which included names of Mi Family’s younger generation. Mi Chu’s significant name was