Tian Gang had always thought that a man of the age of the one sitting in front of him would surely not be able to bear others poking at his sore spots, especially remarks about his identity.
However, to his surprise, the man immediately swallowed his anger and even prepared to continue talking with him. Just for this, Tian Gang was willing to listen to what he had to say.
Thinking of this, he waved his hand, indicating that they could sit down and talk.
Seeing this, Nangong Yunze sat on the stool with a smile and then said, "I'm here on behalf of my father to beg for cooperation with you."
Hearing this, Tian Gang raised an eyebrow and then asked, "What kind of cooperation? You should know that the Nangong family is a family of officials, while we... are just an assassination organization. Isn't it a bit of an overreach for us to cooperate with you?"
He didn't want to mention that they were the Golden Wolf Guards. He just wanted to gloss over it and find out what the man in front of him was really up to.
Hearing his answer, Nangong Yunze curled his lips into a smile and replied, "Sir, you're being too modest. An ordinary assassination organization couldn't wipe out an entire family silently overnight..."
The "entire family" he referred to was the mansion of Minister Dong in the capital city, which had been wiped out not long ago.
Hearing this, Tian Gang picked up the tea on one side and took a couple of sips. He didn't intend to refute. He never expected to be able to hide from those who were suspicious, especially the Nangong family. After all, it was they who had ordered the Dong family to hire the Wolf Guards. It was normal for them to be suspicious of the Wolf Guards now.
After thinking for a while, he asked the man in front of him, "It's you, Second Young Master, who is overpraising us. We're really just an ordinary assassination organization. Why don't you just tell me what kind of cooperation we can have?"
He decided to get straight to the point. After all, the more they talked, the more likely they were to expose themselves. He didn't want to reveal all his cards so soon.
Hearing this, Nangong Yunze burst out laughing twice and then replied, "Sir, you're really a straightforward person. Then I'll just say it straight. According to my father, our goals are the same. We both want to overthrow the current Helian Dynasty. So we won't beat around the bush with you. How about we form an alliance now? When our Nangong family takes control of the Dongsheng Dynasty, we'll definitely not stop any of your activities."
These words were naturally conveyed by Nangong Liuyun. The purpose was indeed to win over the Golden Wolf Guards. After all, the enemy of one's enemy was one's friend. Joining forces now could really save a lot of trouble.
Tian Gang didn't expect him to be so direct. He even revealed their purpose. So he couldn't help teasing, "I didn't expect the Prime Minister to be so ambitious. Aren't you afraid that I'll leak this out if you say it so directly?!"
He raised his eyebrows with a look of amusement on his face.
But Nangong Yunze didn't seem to care at all. He smiled and replied, "You're joking. Since our Prime Minister wants to cooperate with you, he naturally trusts you. So why would he be afraid that you'll leak it out?"
He had a smiling face full of trust, but there was no sincerity in his heart. He was only half - believing his father's words. After all, his father was like an old fox. Even if he really ascended the throne in the future, he would never allow the existence of a threatening force like the Golden Wolf Guards. If the two sides could really coexist, the previous emperor wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to exterminate them.
After listening to his words, Tian Gang lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. He wasn't thinking about the cooperation, but about how to fob him off for the time being. After all, he wasn't a fool. How could he not see what that old fox Nangong Liuyun was up to?
Nangong Yunze naturally saw his hesitation. Then he said, "My father said that he can give you some time to think. After all, our Nangong family can afford to wait. By the way, he also asked me to bring you a piece of news. Helian Qi has woken up, and the poison in his body seems to have been detoxified."
As soon as Tian Gang heard his last words, his face turned green. As if he couldn't believe it, he asked again, "Is what you said true?!"
He clearly remembered that the poison he had chosen was very difficult to solve. Unless one went to the doctors in the far - off northern regions, there was absolutely no way to detoxify it. But there was no news in his intelligence network that there were doctors from the Western Regions in the capital city. What exactly had happened?
"Of course it's true. I heard that the daughter of the Dongfang family sent someone to find a divine doctor. This doctor is highly skilled in medicine and is good at detoxification," Nangong Yunze replied.
Only then did Tian Gang completely believe it. He looked a bit absent - minded. He never thought that his momentary resentment would lead to such a big mistake.
At that time, he didn't choose a strong - acting poison. He chose the slow - acting and incurable poison just because he wanted all the people around Helian Qi to fall into pain. But he never thought that the result of his actions would be that Helian Qi finally found an antidote and was rescued from the gates of hell.
Was this his own stupidity or Helian Qi's extraordinary good fortune?
The man sitting in front of him naturally saw his abnormality and knew that it was not convenient for him to stay any longer. Then he stood up, bowed his hand to Tian Gang and said, "Then I'll take my leave first. You should think carefully about the cooperation. I'll come back in three days. I'll await your decision then!"
After saying that, he turned around and left the inn.
As for Tian Gang, who was still sitting there, his body suddenly went limp, as if something that had been supporting him had broken. Then he took off the black cloth on his face. A scar that extended from his eye to his ear was extremely shocking.
While he was lost in thought, a man climbed in through the window. It was Meng Yu in a red robe. As soon as he came in, he slapped the man in the room twice and then angrily scolded, "This is the result of your self - righteousness!"
He had also heard the news that Helian Qi had woken up, which meant that all their previous plans had come to naught. Now that the emperor had woken up, the Southern Neighboring Country couldn't send troops. With the current scale and combat strength of the Golden Wolf Guards, it was absolutely impossible to shake the Helian Dynasty at all.
Thinking of this, the anger in his eyes grew even stronger. He even wished he could beat the man in front of him to death to relieve his anger.
Tian Gang naturally felt the anger of his young master. He also knew that he had done a poor job this time. Then he knelt on the ground, lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Young Master. I was careless. I didn't expect Helian Qi to really find an antidote."