Ye Fan's direct words momentarily stunned Xu Sanhu, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Brother Ye is indeed wise. That's right, I had Hu Liu place the imperial seal beneath the corpse to frame you. To be frank, I need a lot of fresh blood. I was aware of the deaths of Xue Zhonglong and Xue Tao. Brother Xu is a smart man; you should understand your predicament. If you surrender to me, I guarantee you will have endless wealth and honor from now on."
Xu Sanhu extended an olive branch, but he knew that material temptation alone wouldn't sway someone like Ye Fan.
However, he wasn't in a hurry. Someone as opinionated, capable, and meticulous as Ye Fan wouldn't be swayed easily.
Xu Sanhu needed to probe and explore Ye Fan's weaknesses. Once he found them, everything else would be easy.
He genuinely admired Ye Fan, otherwise, he wouldn't have considered recruiting him.
To his surprise, Ye Fan didn't refuse. Instead, he smiled and asked, "If Village Chief Xu doesn't show some sincerity, it will be difficult to make me yield."
Sincerity? Ye Fan tossed the question back to Xu Sanhu.
His meaning was clear: I can surrender, but it depends on what you can give me. If the price is right, I'll submit.
Xu Sanhu frowned, his eyes slowly narrowing.
He wasn't foolish. Although he didn't know Ye Fan well, he had learned a bit from their interactions over the past few days.
Ye Fan spoke little, but his thoughts were extremely meticulous.
Most importantly, he had a strong personality and would never easily submit to others.
Yet now, Ye Fan agreed so readily, which made him suspicious.
"Brother Ye, I am talking to you very seriously. If you intend to joke around, the consequences may be unbearable for you."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, as if trying to penetrate Ye Fan, but Ye Fan's calm demeanor rendered his efforts futile.
Ye Fan looked at him with surprise. "What does Village Chief Xu mean? Do you think I'm joking? To be honest, a wise person knows when to adapt to circumstances. I understand this. My life is in your hands right now. Do I have any other choice besides surrendering? It's just that my demands for material and spiritual fulfillment are very high, and I fear Village Chief Xu cannot satisfy me."
These words almost made Xu Sanhu burst into laughter.
He wasn't afraid of Ye Fan asking for the moon, only of him remaining silent.
As long as Ye Fan could state his demands, Xu Sanhu would do his utmost to meet them.
"Brother Ye, you worry too much. When I recruit talent, I always give my all. As long as you state your requirements, anything within my capabilities as Xu Sanhu is not a problem."
His words were resonant and somewhat domineering.
But seeing the smug smile on Xu Sanhu's face, Ye Fan understood. It seemed the person behind Xu Sanhu didn't want him dead, which was why Xu Sanhu was trying so hard to recruit him.
If that was the case…
A cold smile curved Ye Fan's lips.
"Village Chief Xu, I can stay in Dong Village, but I wish to participate in the counterfeit porcelain work, and you are not allowed to harm the people I brought with me."
He needed to stall for time, as much time as possible.
Only then could he see hope for survival.
Xu Sanhu frowned, appearing to be in deep thought, contemplating Ye Fan's conditions.
"Brother Ye, these conditions are excessive."
"Oh? How so?"
"I can only allow one person to be spared. I will guarantee their life. As for the others, they must die. This is the greatest assurance I can give."
Although he was the village chief, he still had to obey orders. What he had agreed to so far was already a great risk.
After all, his orders from above were to eliminate everyone except Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's face darkened. He could clearly see Xu Sanhu's reaction and knew that Xu Sanhu might not be lying.
But if he agreed now, Old Lei and the others would be in mortal danger tonight.
He kept his face calm, but his heart was in turmoil.
Two people had already died; no one else should perish in vain.
He had to stall, no matter what, he had to find a way to hold on until morning.
"Village Chief Xu, this matter is of great importance. I'm afraid I cannot give you an answer immediately. May I have one night to consider?"
Turning to Xu Sanhu, Ye Fan asked sincerely.
Xu Sanhu appeared troubled. He had been instructed to get an answer from Ye Fan as soon as possible and not allow him any time to stall.
"Brother Ye, what's so difficult about that? Why do you need to consider it overnight?"
If Ye Fan truly defected, he would become his right-hand man in the future, so he remained very polite in his address.
"Alas."
Ye Fan sighed.
"Village Chief Xu, you may not know this, but there are many important people among my group. It's truly difficult for me to choose. Whether it's Old Lei, Old Ji, or Miss Shen, they are all crucial people in my life. Since you only allow one person to live, I must carefully consider the implications. After all, people live for their own benefit, and I must fight for my greatest interests, mustn't I?"
Ye Fan's words were irrefutable. Even with all his preparations, Xu Sanhu found himself unable to retort immediately.
"This..."
Xu Sanhu was caught in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Ye Fan's voice suddenly turned cold, and his volume increased slightly. "Village Chief Xu, this is my final request. If you cannot satisfy it, then kill me tonight. I'll be dead anyway."
Precisely grasping Xu Sanhu's hesitation, Ye Fan once again gained the upper hand in terms of momentum, completely shattering Xu Sanhu's psychological defense.
As expected, upon hearing this, Xu Sanhu gave a wry smile.
"Alright, I agree. I'll give you one night to consider. However, it's only for one night. If by tomorrow morning you still cannot give me a satisfactory answer, then I will have no choice but to resort to killing."
Xu Sanhu was no fool. Since Ye Fan had presented so many conditions, he naturally had his own demands.
Ye Fan nodded heavily. "Please rest assured, Village Chief Xu. Tomorrow morning, I will definitely give you my answer."
Ye Fan promised with utter conviction.
One night should be enough.
Returning to the ancestral hall, Old Lei and the others immediately gathered around.
"How did it go? Did they trouble you?" Shen Tianyin asked nervously.
Ye Fan shook his head. Glancing out the window and seeing no one was eavesdropping, he lowered his voice.
"We only have one night to prepare. Tomorrow morning, Village Chief Xu will likely make a move against us, so tonight, we must make all preparations to guard against unforeseen events."
They had to be prepared for all eventualities to avoid being caught off guard.
With their lives at stake, Ye Fan had no choice but to be cautious.