Chapter 336: Stating the Terms
The next second, the envoy turned towards Huo Tianyang and directed, "Iâll be limiting the number of terms in this peace treaty to three. Otherwise, there would be no end to your demands. So, think carefully and state whatever your requirements are within these terms. Once all of them are agreed upon by the two parties, the peace treaty will come into effect."
The envoy paused for a second and said while gesturing in the direction of the Feng Clanâs members, "...Meaning, as long as the terms of the treaty are not violated in the future, the Huo Clan shouldnât go out of their way to attack them. Is that clear?"
"Yes, itâs clear." Huo Tianyang said with a subtle smile on his face.
Although he was a little disappointed about being unable to exterminate the entire clan, now that things were moving in this direction, he was going to make sure to get the most out of this deal.
The envoy soon drafted the introduction of the peace treaty before saying, "State your first term then."
Hearing this, the smile on Huo Tianyangâs face turned to a grin as he said while raising his hand to show two fingers, "Two-thirds. Two-thirds of whatever is inside the Feng Clanâs treasury will belong to the Huo Clan starting today. Of course, we hold the right to determine what those two-thirds consist of."
"This..."
The expressions of all the Feng Clan members darkened the moment they heard this, as mutterings and rage-filled discussions spread out to reach Huo Tianyangâs ears.
However, Huo Tianyang didnât care a bit about their opinion and asked while glancing at Feng Haoran.
"Do you agree or not? Since youâre the new Patriarch, their opinions donât matter. Do you want to give up on the treasury or your life, along with that of your fellow clansmen? The choice is yours."
When put like that, Feng Haoran immediately knew what he needed to do and said with a firm expression on his face, "I agree with the term."
"Y-You!" Feng Lei was about to rush forward and exchange hands with Feng Haoran, but was stopped by Feng Xing the next second.
"B-But Xingâer!"
"Itâs the best decision for the clan right now... Elder Brother," Feng Xing said while shaking her head. Even she would have agreed to this term if she were in Feng Haoranâs position.
This feeling was also shared by Feng Jun, who was closely observing the changes as life slowly drained out of him.
Meanwhile, the envoy wrote down the first term on the paper as agreed upon by the two parties and asked for the second one.
"The second term?" Huo Tianyangâs eyes glimmered at hearing this, and while glancing towards the other Feng Clan members standing closely together just a few meters behind Feng Haoran, he said with a smirk, "The Crimson Fire Arts, pass down the complete Qi Absorption Art to our clan."
"You dare?!"
"We will never!"
"Yes! Weâll rather die than give up on our heritage!"
.
.
.
Similar feelings were expressed by almost all the Feng Clan members, as giving away the Clanâs thousand-year-old heritage to someone else was a red line they felt should never be breached.
However, Huo Tianyang didnât care about that at all and instead found their opposition rather pleasing to his eyes.
"This...I must request Patriarch Huo to reconsider..." Influenced by the strong opposition of his clansmen, Feng Haoran stated with apprehension in his voice.
Although he was afraid of Huo Tianyang, he, too, knew just how important the Crimson Fire Arts were to the Feng Clan members.
It was because of the Crimson Fire Arts that they had managed to attain the position of a noble clan in the capital city.
Hearing Feng Haoranâs words, Huo Tianyang didnât get angry and instead asked, "What were you called again?"
"I-Itâs Feng Haoran..." he answered with a subtle shiver, sensing Huo Tianyangâs gaze upon him.
Sensing this, Huo Tianyangâs lips curled as he asked, "Tell me, Patriarch Feng Haoran, do you have a family?"
"...I do." Feng Haoran nodded at those words.
"Then what about the clan members standing behind you? Do they also have a family?"
"Yes...they do." Feng Haoran nodded with apprehension, not understanding where he was trying to take the conversation.
"Then, as the Feng Clanâs Patriarch, shouldnât you be offering the Crimson Fire Arts to me to save not only your family but also theirs? As one of the Clanâs elders, you should already have a true copy with you right now, right?"
"Elder Haoran! Donât listen to him!" Feng Lei roared from behind. A sentiment shared by almost every other member in the clan.
"In the end, itâs your decision. I have no intention of negotiating on this term, so if you disagree, the treaty will be annulled.
At that time, I may not be able to target every Feng Clan member, but targeting the higher-ups like you and their family members wonât be a problem...so think wisely, Patriarch Feng Haoran, as this might be the only chance youâll have."
The next second, he lowered his voice by several degrees and said while leaning closer to his ears, "...of becoming the Feng Clanâs Patriarch."
"..."
A momentary glint appeared in Feng Haoranâs eyes, which disappeared the very next second as if nothing had happened.
Sensing the changes on Feng Haoranâs face, Huo Tianyang was greatly satisfied.
âItâs just as they had told me...â
Huo Tianyang had already been informed about Feng Haoran by the other elders of the Huo Clan. It was also the main reason why he had chosen him to act as the Feng Clanâs future patriarch.
Since they already had a hold on one of his secrets, instead of the Feng Clanâs Patriarch, he would more or less act as the Huo Clanâs puppet.
Therefore, seeing the glint in Feng Haoranâs eyes made Huo Tianyang feel reassured.
This was because even he had been fooled by Feng Haoranâs perfect act, making him think that he genuinely cared about the Feng Clan.
"I-I agree to pass the complete version of the Crimson Fire Arts to you."
"!!!"
"FENG HAORAN, YOU TRAITOR!"
Feng Lei lost himself in his rage and, like a wild dog, rushed towards Feng Haoran with all his might.