Supported by a strong force, Emperor Shun’s proposal was approved unanimously. Human leaders in the hall left in groups, all with serious looks, sparkling eyes, and countless thoughts hiding in their heads.
Ji Hao stood by a pillar with his hands held in sleeves, looking at these people.
Soon, someone noticed Ji Hao. A tall and slim young man with an oddly-shaped longbow carried on his back split the crowd and walked to Ji Hao with big steps.
"Earl Yao, Ji Hao?" The man walked to less than half an inch away from Ji Hao, such that his nose almost touched Ji Hao’s nose when he asked with a weird tone.
"p.i.s.s off!" Heng Xing was standing beside Ji Hao, with his arms resting on the hips. Before Ji Hao responded, Heng Xing had already popped out his eyes and swiftly thrown a punch at the young man’s cold face. Heng Xing admitted Ji Hao as his master already. To a not so smart spirit creature, the master should always be loyally protected.
The young man had nearly pressed his nose against Ji Hao’s nose when asking a question. Without a doubt, that was provocative.
Heng Xing hadn’t yet realized what exactly was happening, but his body reacted the first.
The young man carelessly raised his right arm and conveniently slapped at Heng Xing’s fist. A thunderous bang was generated, then the young man’s look changed suddenly. His right wrist popped loudly, while his upper body leaned backward. His feet could no longer steady his body, and consequently, he staggered a few steps backward.
"You!" The young man glared at Ji Hao, subconsciously putting his hands on his bow.
"I am Earl Yao Ji Hao!" Ji Hao coldly looked at the young man and said, "If you want to avenge Yi Shen and Yi Tian, wait until the flood is handled. Human beings are facing a disaster, and under the current situation, I don’t want to fight you and weaken the humankind for no reason."
The young man swung his hand, coldly and sharply staring at Ji Hao for a while. Then, he abruptly lowered his voice and laughed, "No, I just want to say thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have the chance to succeed the greatest power of Eastern Wasteland. Remember, I am Yi Di, Yi Tian was my elder brother."
Grinning weirdly, Yi Di continued in a soft voice, "Ten Sun Country elders have already set the rule. Since Yi Shen has died, whoever gets you killed will be the new prince. Therefore, keep your head well, because I will take it away personally."
Ji Hao blandly looked at Yi Di. Raising his hand, Ji Hao quickly pointed at Heng Xing and said, "Defeat my mount first if you want to kill me. You failed to take a slight punch of my mount, how dare you say that you want to kill me?"
Yi Di glanced at Ji Hao in a complicated way. He raised his right palm and looked at the blood on his palm. As he swung that hand, the blood disappeared right away. He glimpsed at Heng Xing and said in a strange tone, "Kill people…A great strength is not the only thing that allows you to kill."
Snorting coldly, Yi Di turned around and walked out of the hall.
Soon later, another young man carried a longbow and came to Ji Hao. The young man looked at Ji Hao from head to toe, then pointed at his own nose and said, "I am Yi Ren. Did Yi Di challenge you? Don’t die in his hands, please, because your head, and the glory and power that will be delivered by your death, will all be mine!"
Yi Ren proudly held his head high and walked out of the Town Hall.
"It seems that I have indeed caused myself quite some troubles these years." Ji Hao smiled and said in a low voice. "If the flood didn’t exist, I wouldn’t even give you a chance to walk out of this hall." Clicking his tongue, Ji Hao continued.
Back then, Ji Hao beat up Wuzhi Qi and Zhu Rong Tianming in front of everyone, right in this hall. With his bad temper, if human beings were not facing a great disaster, and he wasn’t afraid of causing internal cleavages, he would have slaughtered Yi Di and Yi Ren already.
Soon, people in the Town Hall all left. The mysterious twelve had disappeared already, but n.o.body knew when that happened.
Ji Hao took Heng Xing, walked to Si Wen Ming and said grinningly, "Uncle Wen Ming, my place is in lack of food too. When the food from your family arrives, can you give me some? Just now, I let Yao Meng and the other few brothers take all their people to my place."
Si Wen Ming squeezed a faint smile out of his serious face, nodded to Ji Hao and said, "Tushan Family have already sent over an installment of food. s.h.i.+pping overnight, it will arrive in the city in less than one day. I will distribute some to you when the food arrives."
Emperor Shun had been holding a serious dark face all the long. But on hearing Ji Hao, he finally smiled, warmly nodded to Ji Hao and said with a strong voice, "Ji Hao, just now, you held your temper and didn’t start conflicts with those two kids. This is good. In the future, you shall help Wen Ming as much as you can. The duty is heavy, and you can’t be as emotional as before."
Ji Hao smiled. Judging from Emperor Shun and Si Wen Ming’ words, as he thought, all of this was planned by them.
With the food aid from Tushan Family, the food crisis in Pu Ban City would be eased largely. Apart from this, Si Wen Ming could also reasonably be in charge of the flood-control mission, handling the overall situation. Once the flood was overcome successfully, Si Wen Ming would definitely ascend to the throne with this credit, and no one would be able to doubt him.
"But, uncle Wen Ming, how much food did Tushan old man send?" Ji Hao knitted his eyebrows, pointed at the gate of the Town Hall, and said, "If those people join hands…"
Si Wen Ming smiled and said confidently, "Let’s not mention if they can reach an agreement within three days to select one or two people to compete against me… Even if all large clans in Pu Ban City join hands right now and put together all their stored food, that wouldn’t be more than the installment sent over by Tushan Family this time."
Ji Hao was stunned. Si Wen Ming’s words made he show his teeth in shock.
Tushan Family was indeed super rich. They were even confident enough to believe that the food they sent over was in a larger quant.i.ty than all the stored food in the entire Pu Ban City!
Ji Hao suddenly realized that compared with super rich clans like Tushan Family, his Yao Mountain territory was way too poor.
Ji Hao didn’t leave the Town Hall. Arranged by Emperor Shun, it was practically certain that Si Wen Ming would shoulder the main responsibility for the flood-control mission. Therefore, Si Wen Ming had already started to make overall arrangements.
Emperor Shun’s ministers and the commanders of his family armies, family ministers from Si Wen Ming’s family, and those princes from large human clans and families who were willing to support Si Wen Ming, all gathered in a smaller hall behind the main hall. Everyone was busy. Tasks started to be a.s.signed, and resources began to be allocated. Si Wen Ming already had a plan, which was greater and more imaginative than Si Xi’s ten-thousand dragons water-sealing magic formation. This greater plan included the perfect solutions for all possible future problems, but it was hundreds of times more complicated and difficult than Si Xi’s water-sealing magic formation.
Ji Hao was a knowledgeable one, but on hearing about this plan of Si Wen Ming, he had all his fine hairs standing straight up. He felt like weak electric bolts were moving across his skin.
Great, magnificent, Ji Hao couldn’t even imagine how Si Wen Ming came up with this plan!
Once it worked, not only this flood, even many other problems that the human society had would be solved naturally.
When Ji Hao was absorbedly in listening to Si Wen Ming, a beam of red light dazzled out of the latter’s sleeve. In his sleeve, a triangle-shaped jade talisman exploded suddenly.
Si Wen Ming’s look changed immediately.
"The food transportation troop from Tushan Family is under attack. The enemies…are extremely powerful!"