Elder Xu stroked his beard and thought about the impending negotiation. It would be better if those guys from the Green Cloud Pavilion didn't know.

They could use the inevitable confusion to their advantage.

With the Cabinet in retaliation mode, the Green Cloud Pavilionwas bound to suffer a huge loss. He would like to see if those bastards dared to mess with them again in the future.

The Cabinet Elders couldn't afford to lose steam now, or the outside world might think they were easy to bully.

"That's right," Elder Lisaid. "If theGreen Cloud Pavilionknows about this, there's a good chance that the negotiations wouldn't proceed."

Even discounting the men who had died, what little of them left alive didn't even qualify as functioning human beings. In all likelihood, they would remain in this useless state for the rest of their lives.

The Green Cloud Pavilionwas notorious for its cruelty and lack of mercy.

If they knew that they would be getting a pile of dead and disabled bodies in exchange for Elder Chenand his disciple, they would certainly back out of the transaction.

It wouldn't be worth it, even if Elder Niewas thrown into the mix.

He wasn't even half as good as Elder Chen's disciple. Moreover, he was already old, and his body was far from its prime. He didn't hold that much value at all.

Yao Tang was silent for a while as she considered the elders' words. "I thinkYao Ranknows."

The old men noticed her hesitation, causing doubt to creep into their hearts.

"Did you discuss this on the phone with her?" Elder Xuasked.Who knew what else the girls could have talked about?

"It's not like that," Yao Tangsaid. "In any case, everyone is in one piece, so it shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry about it."

Elder Xu's lips twitched at that.

He thought about the field of bodies he had seen through the video call earlier. Those people were a mess, yes, but it was true that they were all in one piece.

They simply weren't breathing anymore, that was all.

Yao Tang was right.

Elder Li let out a full belly laugh and gave her a thumbs up. "Not bad, not bad. You're so clever,Tangtang! You really are worthy of being our disciple, you're even more shameless than your master! It brings me much relief, for some reason."

Elder Wang was grinning, too. "Ah, yes. There's no need to be considerate of those bastards. If anything happens later on, we shall take responsibility."

The deal stipulated that every single man must be turned over, but no one said anything about them having to be alive.

It wasn't as if they were breaching the agreement.

The Cabinet Elders laughed in satisfaction while gazing at Yao Tangin admiration.

Yao Tang merely blinked at them innocently.

Just then, she remembered another crucial matter and interrupted the elders' fun.

"Back then, Elder Niesaid that theGreen Cloud Pavilionhas a secret technique that can improve one's spiritual power. It's what enabled him to advance and become a Grand Elder."

The old men nodded sagely.

"We will interrogate these people before we hand them over."

Elder Wang called over his disciple,Liu Feng. He gave the latter a few instructions and sent him away to carry out his tasks.

Liu Feng nodded respectfully at the elders and went to do his bidding.

After further discussion, the elders finally decided on a strategy to deal with the bargain. At the same time, they assembled enough manpower to deal with the aftermath should things go awry.

​ With everything settled, Yao Tangtook out the mobile phone that she had seized earlier and placed it in the middle of the table.

Then, she called a number.

After a few rings, a middle-aged man's voice came through the line.

It sounded a lot like Vice-President Tang.

Yao Tang said as much to the elders in a low voice, and they, too, recognized the other party.

Elder Xu was the first to speak. "Vice-President Tang. How are you doing?"

There was a pause on the other end, as if he wasn't expecting to hear Elder Xu's voice. After a brief moment,Vice-President Tanglaughed heartily.

"Well, well. Hello, Elders. How have you been?"

He seemed to be aware of the other elders' presence, and it only fueled his arrogance. "Since the cat is out of the bag, let's cut to the chase. I'm sure that the Elders value this negotiation as much as I do. Probably even more, yes?"

Vice-President Tang's eyes flashed with hatred as he spoke.

"Naturally," Elder Xureplied in a lazy tone. "Likewise, I am confident that theGreen Cloud Pavilionwill not be careless about this matter. I think it's best that no one pulls any tricks, don't you agree,Vice-President Tang?"

Elder Xu gave extra emphasis on the words "Vice-President", almost as if he was taunting the other man.