The corpse-birds surrounding Shangguan Xiaoyao lunged forward again with hoarse cries. Shangguan Xiaoyao spun in place with the fire from his furnace, slicing down the three giant birds closest to him before leaping into the air to break out of the encirclement.
"Say whatever you like, it's useless. The principles you hold dear are different from mine, and I won't let you lay a single finger on Changmen." Jiraiya was surprised, but not stunned. He stretched his wrists and shook his fist threateningly.
In truth, man proposes, but heaven disposes. Nothing could be reduced to numbers on a page; it was not as if ten thousand acres of land were guaranteed to produce six million bottles of red wine, nor was it certain that every bottle would sell for a hundred dollars. Nothing was set in stone—who could say what variables might yet arise?
Chapter 980