And on the side of the Three Major Families, they found this proposal even more appealing.
Just think about it, wiping out the Duan Family would likely require a considerable amount of resources and entail massive losses, but helping Duan Shaojie ascend to the position of Family Head would be much simpler.
Especially when Chu Ge is the one dealing with the Poison Sect, the largest obstacle, it can be said that they hardly spent anything and gained half of the Duan Family’s assets for nothing!
With such a premise, subsequent negotiations went a lot smoother. In less than half an hour, every detail had been meticulously planned.
Of course, it was basically just the two Old Masters and Xiahou Longhu negotiating with Mr. Duan, while Chu Ge was merely an observer since he had no interest in such mundane resource struggles.
After seeing off the four individuals, Chu Ge stood in the pavilion with his hands behind his back, gazing at the scenery around him in silence.
About several dozen seconds later, Chu Ge suddenly spoke, "Uncle Jian, next time you decide to come in, just do so openly, there’s no need to sneak around like a thief."
As soon as his words fell, Jian Chunqiu, dressed in a white robe carrying a long sword and looking like an ancient person who’d traveled to the modern age, descended from the top of the pavilion. He rolled his eyes at Chu Ge and said irritably, "You brat, do you have any respect for your elders when you talk?"
Seeing Jian Chunqiu’s demeanor, Chu Ge couldn’t help but shake his head, with a mix of laughter and tears, "There aren’t many elders who act as sneakily as you do!"
"I have no interest in those so-called mundane families. The only reason I stayed on top of the pavilion was to study the array within this estate."
Jian Chunqiu looked around and clucked in admiration, "Well done lad, this array seems quite complex, to the point where it makes the spiritual energy here no less than that of an average small sect!"
"Are you interested in this array, Uncle Jian?" Chu Ge looked at Jian Chunqiu, a thoughtful look flickering in his eyes.
"Of course." Jian Chunqiu didn’t bother to hide his interest and nodded openly, "This array can be considered a masterpiece, even I can’t find a single flaw. To say I’m not interested would be a lie."
After that statement, both fell silent, and the pavilion was engulfed in stillness.
Finally, after about a minute or so, Chu Ge suddenly said, "Actually, Uncle Jian, if you are interested, I could give you a copy of the array map!"
"What?" Jian Chunqiu’s eyes bulged as he stared at Chu Ge, incredulous, "You’re saying you’ll give me a copy of the array map?"
It’s no wonder Jian Chunqiu had such an expression. Even in the days of abundant spiritual energy and prodigious talents, arrays were the taboo of the prominent sects.
Almost every large sect had its own Mountain Protection Array, and the array map was one of the sect’s top secrets, sometimes even more important than the sect’s core technique!
If that was the case in ancient times, what about the modern era where spiritual energy is scarce and many arrays and martial arts have been lost?
Take Jian Chunqiu’s sect, the Sword Pavilion, for instance. It’s surrounded by an ancient Mountain Protection Array. Although the array is incomplete, it’s still highly guarded by the sect, and only a very few individuals, including him, are privy to the exact details.
And now, Chu Ge was offering to give him a copy of this array map directly, how could Jian Chunqiu not be astoundingly shocked!
"Chu Ge, do you realize the preciousness of arrays?" This time, Jian Chunqiu forwent his usual informal address of "kid" and instead used Chu Ge’s full name.
In truth, Chu Ge was not part of any sect and didn’t understand these matters too well, so he simply shook his head in ignorance.
Seeing Chu Ge’s reaction, Jian Chunqiu sighed, "Arrays are incredibly important to sects. Even the well-known large sects hold array techniques in high esteem. In other words, if you were to reveal this array, it could easily rival a sect’s core technique, and in some ways, may even be more precious. Now, do you understand the value of an array map?"
After Jian Chunqiu’s explanation, Chu Ge was somewhat taken aback.
He had guessed the array map might be valuable, but not to such an extent. If all of the All Spirits Return to One array maps were revealed... wouldn’t that drive all sects of the Ancient Martial World crazy?
Correct, the All Spirits Return to One Array was not a complete large array.
It was composed of countless smaller arrays, each capable of standing alone or connecting with others to eventually form a major array!
Such an array was formidable because, unlike other large arrays that one simply needed to break through, the All Spirits Return to One Array, being made up of numerous smaller arrays, required breaking each one individually.
Whether it was the tiny makeshift array set up in the villa room or the one covering the entire estate, each was just a single array among the tens of thousands that comprised the All Spirits Return to One Array.
Therefore, even giving away one array map was not a big deal, and it was merely a copy; the original array maps were always stored within the Jade Pendant.
With this thought in mind, Chu Ge smiled and said, "Uncle Jian, you didn’t mishear, I do intend to give you an array map. However, please note that the array has its flaws, and I obtained it by chance. Its coverage is only as large as this estate."
Despite Chu Ge’s statement, Jian Chunqiu’s face was still a picture of shock.
With the presence of a Mountain Protection Array, the Sword Pavilion’s spiritual energy was already several times denser than a regular sect, and with the enhancement of this array... he dared not imagine that within the array’s confines, the spiritual energy could possibly rival that of ancient sects!
This time, Jian Chunqiu didn’t refuse. After all, his relationship with Chu Ge wasn’t such that he could ignore considerations for his own sect.
"Alright, I’ll accept the array map. Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"
Hearing Jian Chunqiu agree, Chu Ge couldn’t help but smile and said plainly, "The matter should be easy for Uncle Jian. You should know about Mu Bingtong, the chairman of the Jinxiu Group, right?"
"Of course." Jian Chunqiu nodded, "I also know that your relationship with her is complex. Tsk tsk tsk, such unparalleled beauty, even in my over a hundred years of life, I’ve never seen anyone who could compare to her. You really are a lucky guy!"
"Hehe." Chu Ge chuckled, then spoke seriously, "In a few days, I may have to leave Shanghai, and I don’t have reliable friends in the Ancient Martial World. So, I’d like to ask Uncle Jian to secretly protect Mu Bingtong while I’m away."