We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Upon hearing this, Li Che was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help shaking his head and laughing out loud.

Mr. Gao spoke haltingly, but his words were full of simple kindness.

Li Che originally thought that this official gathered the able-bodied men to resist or drive him away, but he did not expect it to be for this reason.

He obviously mistook Li Che and his group for private soldiers of aristocratic families, and thought they were here to abduct people and rob property.

Yes, all of Li Che's personal guards were tall and strong, and even when they put on their robes, they were still bulging.

It's okay to fool ordinary people, but it's impossible to deceive people like Mr. Gao who have seen the world.

In this world, a country landlord would rather give up his valuable flock of sheep in order to protect an insignificant farmhand.

This kind of thought can be considered a rare kindness.

Li Che did not explain much. In such a rural place, facing a group of frightened villagers, any explanation beyond their cognition might arouse more suspicion.

He simply followed Mr. Gao's lead and replied with a smile, "This Mr. Gao is indeed kind-hearted. Since you are so kind, we would be remiss not to accept your offer."

"We'll take these sheep."

When Mr. Gao heard this, the muscles on his face twitched and he was obviously in pain.

But he finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of it as a loss of money to avoid disaster. As long as the other party didn't kill anyone, he could still raise more sheep.

However, before he could completely relax, he heard Li Che continue, "However, I have always been fair and never take things for free."

"Here, this is for you. It's your money and compensation for the trouble."

After saying that, he casually took something from Qiu Bai's hand.

With a flick of his wrist, the thing drew a golden arc and landed on the open space in front of Gao Yuanwai's feet.

Mr. Gao was startled and subconsciously took a step back.

When he looked closely at the thing, his eyes widened instantly, he took a breath, and could hardly believe his eyes.

It turned out to be a bright yellow gold ingot as big as an adult's fist!

Under the sunlight, the gold ingots reflected an alluring light, which dazzled Mr. Gao and the strong men behind him, and made their breathing a little disordered.

"This...this..." Mr. Gao's tongue was a little tied and he couldn't speak clearly.

Such a big piece of gold, not to mention buying his dozens of sheep...

Even if all his house and land were converted into money, they probably wouldn't be worth that much!

Li Che smiled and asked, "How about it, Mr. Gao, is this enough for us to eat, drink and rest tonight?"

Gao Yuanwai finally woke up from his dream and waved his hands repeatedly: "Enough! That's enough!"

"Your Excellency, this... this is really too much. There is no need for this!"

Although he was a country gentleman, he also knew that wealth should not be displayed openly, and was afraid that taking this huge sum of money would bring him into greater trouble.

Seeing his reaction, Li Che looked up to him again in his heart.

Although Mr. Gao has the shrewdness of the landlord class, he is not extremely greedy.

"Just take it if I give it to you. Don't refuse it." Li Che said casually, "Let's disperse your fellow villagers first. Swords and guns have no eyes. Don't disturb everyone."

"We don't want to cause any trouble. We just want to find a place to rest our feet."

Mr. Gao looked at the dazzling gold ingot on the ground, and then at the followers behind Li Che. How could he not understand?

This group of people were definitely not some guerrillas. Although they were all wearing robes, they could not hide their murderous aura, and their hands were always on the hilts of the swords at their waists.

Judging from his aura, he might be a core private soldier of a top-tier clan, or even...

Mr. Gao didn't dare to think about it anymore, but he was very sure of one thing: the identity of the young man in the lead must be extremely noble!

This kind of person is someone that even the county magistrate, let alone himself, cannot afford to offend.

If they turn against us, slaughtering the whole village would be a matter of a snap of a finger, and there would be no consequences at all.

Instead of disobeying the other party, it is better to take a gamble.

Betting that the other person is really as reasonable as he appears to be, perhaps by trying to please him, you can even create an unexpected good relationship.

Thinking of this, Mr. Gao no longer hesitated and quickly bent down to pick up the heavy gold ingot.

Then he turned around and shouted to the young men who were still stunned behind him: "It's okay, it's all a misunderstanding, you are here to reason with me!"

"What are you still standing here for? Everyone, please go home!"

After dispersing the anxious villagers, Mr. Gao turned around and bowed respectfully to Li Che, leading the way:

"My dear gentlemen, my humble abode is simple. If you do not mind, please follow me."

"Gou Wa! What are you still standing there for? Go and drive the sheep into the pen!"

Li Che smiled and reached out again, this time successfully patting Gou Wa's head.

Gou Wa shrank his neck, obviously still a little confused.

He looked at Master Gao, who was usually very fierce, with a confused look on his face, and then looked at Li Che.

The little head couldn't figure out what kind of magic these soldiers had that made Master Gao become so kind.

The group entered from the village entrance and soon arrived in front of the Gao family's house.

From a close distance, you can feel the difference between this house and the surrounding villages.

The wall was built with large blue bricks, more than ten feet high, and there were battlements on the wall for lookout and shooting.

Although it is crudely built, it has complete defensive functions.

The black lacquered wooden door was very heavy, covered with iron sheets and nailed with thick copper nails.

Rather than being a house, it is more like a miniature fortress built to cope with chaos.

From this we can see that although Mr. Gao is very rich, his life is not easy.

Before entering the house, Yue Yun made a calm gesture.

Ying Bu immediately took more than ten nimble personal guards and quietly left the team, quickly controlling the commanding heights and entrances and exits around the mansion, forming an outer perimeter defense.

When Mr. Gao saw this scene out of the corner of his eye, his heart was startled.

His suspicion of Li Che's identity increased a bit, and his attitude became more respectful.

Li Che acted as if he didn't see it and followed Mr. Gao into the house.

When you step into the courtyard, the scene is different from outside.

The yard is quite spacious, the ground is paved with bluestone slabs and is kept clean.

The front is a row of tall northern houses with blue bricks and gray tiles. The carved window lattices are not gorgeous, but they show a sense of prosperity.

There are wing rooms on the east and west sides, which were probably used as living quarters for servants or as warehouses.

There are several fruit trees planted in the corner of the yard, and stone tables and benches under the trees.

Although the overall layout is neat and not luxurious, it reveals a kind of down-to-earthness unique to the wealthy families in Guanzhong.

The air is filled with the faint smell of livestock and firewood smoke. Compared with the grandeur and antiquity of Chang'an City in the distance, this is another real world of fireworks.

Li Che looked at all this with interest. This was more practical than the landlord's house he had imagined.

He couldn't help but ask, "Does Mr. Gao know about military affairs?"

Gao Yuanwai's body stiffened: "Why do you say that, sir?"