Chapter 468: The Soldiers Share Helmets

A starved camel is still larger than a horse.When Mu Lan spoke of the lingering heritage of her Grand General's Manor, Ning Zhuo absolutely believed her.Yet, this did not prevent Ning Zhuo from ruthlessly refusing her once more.Mu Lan, thwarted again, couldn't help but retort coldly, "Then, Strategist Ning, go back and tell General Liu Er. It is utterly impossible for me to favor him, let him abandon this extravagant hope."Ning Zhuo sighed, bowed, and took his leave.Returning to the Three Generals' Camp, he conveyed Mu Lan's refusal to Liu Er, as tactfully as possible.Liu Er clenched his fists, stating that he would not simply give up because of Mu Lan's rejection.He still wanted to keep trying."Liu Er is overly confident, clearly holding back some cards he hasn't revealed," Ning Zhuo gained a deeper understanding in his heart.And from then on, he no longer acted as a messenger for Liu Er's two sides, instead saying, "My Lord Liu, I require a few days leave.""During this period, an envoy from my family has arrived, bringing the latest orders from the Old Ancestor.""I need to leave the camp to receive him."Liu Er immediately said, "Why must the Strategist seek from afar? This Three Generals' Camp is precisely the Strategist's second home, here lies the Strategist's contributions, and even more, the fruits of the Strategist's day and night efforts. Why not invite the esteemed family envoy to the military camp? We will surely entertain him well!"He greatly desired to use this to draw closer to the Ning family.From Ning Zhuo's repeated production of precious materials, Liu Er judged the Ning family to be extremely wealthy, and greatly wished to gain more support from the Ning family for the Three Generals' Camp, and for himself, after forging this connection.But Ning Zhuo shook his head, "I have already proposed this matter in a letter.""However, the family is concerned that this is, after all, the land of Two Spears and One Arrow. My participation as a strategist in the conflict is already slightly beyond the norm.""If a family envoy were dispatched, openly entering the Three Generals' Camp, and furthermore bringing assistance, it might be very difficult to explain to outsiders.""Furthermore, my Lord Liu, we must also consider the current predicament of the Three Generals' Camp.""Now that you also desire to pursue General Mu Lan, you will surely be seen as a thorn in the side of Shuang Jing and Sun Gan. Under such circumstances, if an envoy from a foreign family were to openly enter the Three Generals' Camp, it would undoubtedly become a handle in their hands, thus targeting us!"Liu Er's heart startled, "The Strategist's considerations are exceedingly thorough, that is indeed the logic."Only then did he abandon the idea of entertaining the Ning family envoy.Ning Zhuo secretly let out a sigh of relief, and under Liu Er's eager gaze, quietly left the camp.He first rendezvoused with Sun Lingtong, and then, with the aid of the Myriad Miles Roaming Dragon, traversed the void, crossing vast distances, once again entering the territory of the Thousand Peaks Forest.In a pre-arranged mountain forest, Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, and the Stone Sphere once again combined to form the "Old Monster in Stone," and secretly met with Lu Hongtu, the Great Cave Master of the Six Caves Sect."Brother Stone.""Brother Lu."The two exchanged greetings.Lu Hongtu smiled, "Brother Stone delves deep into enemy territory, braving extraordinary dangers, truly a model for our generation..."He had not finished speaking when Ning Zhuo interrupted him unceremoniously."Let's dispense with the flattering pleasantries.""I am here solely for business.""These spoils of war, I will sell them all to you!"Saying this, Ning Zhuo produced a Pool of Earth Milk Pure Spiritual Power, three Towers of Sagely Radiance, hundreds of White Plume Light Dust, and numerous military artifacts such as Jade Armor, Startling Light Spears, and Moon Phase Shields, placing them all on the mountain ground.The power pool was in good condition, but the three Towers of Sagely Radiance were all damaged. The hundreds of White Plume Light Dust were much leaner.As for the Jade Armor, Startling Light Spears, and Moon Phase Shields, these military artifacts were of excellent quality.Lu Hongtu displayed a serious and cautious expression, immediately using his divine sense to scan the entire area, carefully discerning.A Nascent Soul level divine sense is extremely powerful.Lu Hongtu was skilled in the art of painting, and his divine sense had been long refined, allowing him to survey the whole picture while also focusing on a single point.Soon, he had tallied the numbers and confirmed the quality.He took out a storage bag and handed it to the "Old Monster in Stone," "The spirit stones here include low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and a few top-grade spirit stones. The total value is thirty-one million mid-grade spirit stones. Please verify."Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong similarly activated their divine sense, conducted a thorough inspection, confirmed everything was correct, and both were very satisfied."Brother Lu is generous! Maintaining such a collaboration will be beneficial to both of us," Ning Zhuo replied.The total value of these spoils of war for Ning Zhuo was approximately thirty million and fifty-four thousand mid-grade spirit stones. On the surface, Lu Hongtu had given nearly half a million more mid-grade spirit stones.However, in reality, if Ning Zhuo were to quickly sell off the spoils of war in his hands, the price would inevitably be suppressed.Therefore, if operated this way, the actual gains Ning Zhuo received would be significantly reduced.Collaborating with Lu Hongtu was both convenient and cost-saving. More crucially, it avoided a personal meeting with the Ginseng Beard Dragon King. If this wasn't achieving multiple goals with one action, what was?Seeing the "Old Monster in Stone" about to leave, Lu Hongtu, while collecting the spoils of war spread across the ground, quickly said, "Brother Stone, please tarry a moment.""Might I inquire if Brother Stone has any intention of selling the 'Gao Sheng's Legacy Manuscript' in your possession?"Ning Zhuo immediately denied, "Since the ambush battle, I have become very interested in military treatises.""Even if I cannot cultivate it myself, I can gain understanding and study military tactics and battle formations by reading it, preparing for the upcoming great battle."Ning Zhuo, as the Military Advisor and Libationer, saw the three generals, Liu, Guan, and Zhang, training their soldiers every day. After participating in the ambush battle, he not only witnessed it firsthand but also personally experienced the benefits of battle formations.Therefore, he became increasingly curious about this power, developing a considerable desire for research.Even if he couldn't master it now, gaining more understanding of battle formations to increase his chances of survival on the battlefield was highly worthwhile.Thus, even though Ning Zhuo had long known that the "Gao Sheng's Legacy Manuscript" could fetch a good price, he still wanted to keep it in his hands.Lu Hongtu did not find the Old Monster in Stone's statement strange; he also greatly agreed."Brother Stone speaks the truth.""I deeply understand that Brother Stone will not let go of the 'Gao Sheng's Legacy Manuscript'.""However, the greatest disadvantage of our Thousand Peaks Forest against the Two Spears and One Arrow is the scarcity of talented generals, and the urgent need for excellent military treatises to bridge the gap.""Otherwise, once the decisive battle occurs, our chances of victory will be far smaller than those of the Two Spears and One Arrow."Speaking here, Lu Hongtu smiled slightly, clearly having a draft in mind long ago."How about this, Brother Stone, why don't we change the way we trade?""Since you will not sell, we dare not force a purchase.""Why don't we cooperate?""We will lend you the General and Soldier's Unified Helmet, helping you quickly study the 'Gao Sheng's Legacy Manuscript'. In exchange, please hand over the 'Gao Sheng's Legacy Manuscript' and the General and Soldier's Unified Helmet to our side when necessary, for crucial operations!""General and Soldier's Unified Helmet?" Ning Zhuo recalled a passage in a book, and immediately developed intense interest.Lu Hongtu looked up and laughed heartily, "Genuine, without a doubt!"