At dinnertime, a tall, slender man in his middle-age walked into the city lord’s manor.

Ji Rui had already prepared wine and food at the side hall. The guest ordered his guards to keep watch outside while he himself sat down across the city lord. “City Lord Ji, long time no see.”

Ji Rui was full of smiles. “General Lu, how have you been?”

The general moved the corners of his lips ever so slightly to form somewhat of a smile. “How can I be well when Qianye has visited your manor under plain sight?”

Ji Rui sighed. “I have no choice in this matter! Just think about it, he burned our lumber mills and killed more than half out of the thousands of people we sent out. How am I to persist under such circumstances? I could only admit defeat! The children and elderly of Southern Blue need to eat!”

Ji Rui spoke from the bottom of his heart and almost looked like he was about to cry. General Lu, on the other hand, wasn’t moved in the slightest. “Is the logging business over?”

Ji Rui immediately retracted his somber expression....