The Mountain said coldly, "Bald Soros, you are a stupid bastard. You, along with Ilyn and the Hound, are three idiots. Sir Edmure is free. How can you say that Sir Edmure was released first?"
Edmure stepped forward: "Sir Soros, my conflict with the Mountain has been resolved."
Soros snorted coldly: "Sir Edmure, come here first."
He always believed that Edmure was coerced by the Mountain and that he had no choice in what he said or did.
Looking at the people around the Mountain, they all have unfriendly faces; there are basically no good people among them!
Edmure walked over, and sure enough, the Mountain and the others remained motionless, with no one stepping forward to stop them.
The Mountain paid no attention to Soros's reaction. He looked at the Hound and said, "Hound, you've used a spear!"
"Since it's what you want, I'll naturally do as you wish," the hound said coldly.
The Mountain smiled: "Hound, you always try to deal with me the way I tell you, but how can you possibly defeat me? If you want to kill me, you'll have to figure out your own way!"
The hound's face hardened!
The Mountain is mocking his ignorance!
"I will!" the hound gritted its teeth, but it lacked real confidence. It was more like a show of bravado than substance.
"I will too. Hound, I've spared your life three times already. If there's a next time, it will be your death. I treated you like a brother, showing mercy every time; you treated me like a mortal enemy, always trying to kill me. I'm sorry, I'm married now, I have a family; I've also built the Clegane cavalry, and I have my own brothers-in-arms; I have responsibilities on my shoulders, a wife and future children to care for and love, and brothers to lead. So anyone who wants to kill me, I will kill him, including you!"
"Next time we duel, don't hold back. It makes me sick just thinking about it!" The Hound brandished his spear to bolster his authority.
Suddenly, the Mountain moved. While Soros and Edmure were talking, and no one was paying much attention to him, he suddenly moved and strode towards the Hound.
They started fighting without warning!
The Hound roared, his horse charging forward. He brandished his lance, aiming a thrust at the Mountain's chest. The Mountain was unarmed; his greatsword was sheathed on his back. This time, the Mountain had taken the initiative, without drawing his sword.
The spear thrust at his chest with lightning speed, but Mo Shan slightly shifted his body and reached out to grab the shaft of the spear: "Although a longsword cannot penetrate armor as well as a spear, the double-edged blade makes one hesitant to grab it."
The Mountain grabbed the spear, but the Hound struggled to wrest it back, trying repeatedly, but the spear remained unmoved.
"My turn!"
With a single pull, an irresistible force surged through the Hound's body; if he didn't let go, he would be pulled off his horse.
The hound had to let go; he wasn't wearing iron gloves, and the skin on his hands and the base of his thumbs was raw and bleeding.
The power of the Demon Mountain Gun-Snatching Technique is not only formidable, but also incredibly swift.
Too fast!
Edmure and Soros were talking on the side, while Ilyn Payne and Soros, though not quite understanding the details, both realized that the two sides had indeed resolved the issue.
Demon Mountain snatched the Hound's spear, weighed it in his hand, and seemed about to throw it at the Hound. Some soldiers were shocked and tried to stop him, but they only dared to shout in a show of force and did not dare to take any actual action.
With a clang, the hunting dog drew its longsword, ready for battle, but its expression had already changed.
Can he possibly block the iron spears projected by the Demon Mountain?!
Ilyn Payne, standing motionless with his hand on his sword hilt, thought, "If the Mountain wants to kill the Hound, let him." He felt no sympathy for the Hound either. If these two brothers were to duel, either one could die!
Soros also spoke up in rebuke, but it was too late; if the Mountain were to shoot the hound with his spear...
Who knew that instead of throwing the spear, Mo Shan tossed it upwards, caught it, gave a soft shout, and pulled hard with both hands, stretching the iron spear a bit longer.
The thirty men in golden robes were all astonished, and Soros and Ilyn Payne's expressions changed drastically!
The Mountain tossed his spear to the Hound, who caught it with a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.
"Next time, get a better gun, a longer and heavier one!" the Mountain said calmly. "Remember, you only have one last chance to kill me."
He turned and walked back, leaving his back to the hunting dog. The hunting dog froze on its horse, not daring to launch a surprise attack on Demon Mountain, nor daring to throw its iron spear.
The hound's confidence has collapsed!
The Mountain disarmed him with his bare hands, then stretched the iron shaft, mercilessly crushing the Hound's last shred of courage.
Bernie and his thirty brothers shouted in unison, and although there were only thirty of them, their voices sounded as powerful as those of three thousand.
The decisive battle here also attracted the attention of the Clegane cavalry and Count Leo on the west bank of the Red Fork River. The Clegane cavalry shouted across the river to cheer on their lord.
The hunting dog's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. Suddenly, it shouted, threw down its spear, turned its horse around, and rode off along the riverside road beside the Red Fork River, its hooves clattering.
Poor hunting dog!
*
Two days later. Earl of Harlowe town.
King Robert glared at the defeated trio kneeling before him.
Soros, the Hound, and Ilyin Pine knelt on one knee, like three statues bearing a sense of dejection.
They looked very unwell, lacking the high spirits they had when they set off, and their faces were dull.
They seem to have suffered a major setback.
But none of them were injured.
At least King Robert's eyes weren't blind.
The Hound looked even worse, his face ashen and reeking of alcohol. He had been brought back by Thoros and Ilyn Payne after passing out drunk at Kneeling Stable.
"Did the Demon Mountain escape?" the king asked.
Duke Renly looked at the defeated trio with a smile, his beautiful smile radiant.
"No, we intercepted The Mountain on the south bank of the Red Fork River. He beat us to a pulp. The three of us combined were no match for him; he threw us all into the Red Fork. Damn it, The Mountain has changed. He doesn't fly into a rage anymore, he doesn't attack rashly, he's almost flawless, and he's never impulsive. He always has a scheme waiting for you. The three of us attacked together, and he calmly chose Ilyn Payne on the right as his point of attack. His stride was too wide; my shot instinctively pierced his heart. Damn it, he's changed. He's become a winged devil," the Hound said.
The Hound answered the question that Soros should have answered, his voice tinged with alcohol and a sob.
King Robert frowned. He noticed that the Hound had lost its courage, which surprised him. The Mountain had almost made the Hound cry? What was going on?
All four Imperial Guards were astonished!
James looked at the dejected, drunken Hound with even more curiosity. Why was the Hound so desperate and heartbroken?
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The hounds are devastated!
"Barristan, help the hound to rest!" the king said.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Barristan stepped forward and helped the hound up. The hound's strong smell of alcohol made Barristan change his approach.
"Soros, what exactly happened?"
"Your Majesty, the cause of this conflict was Ser Edmure. At the Kneeling Lodge, he surrounded the Mountain with six hundred archers and four hundred cavalrymen, using oil to force him to disarm. He also robbed the Mountain and his party of all their money and belongings, forcing them to leave the Kneeling Lodge naked overnight."
His Majesty exclaimed, "Ah!" and said, "Edmünter did a good job! He was the first person to dare to thoroughly humiliate the Mountain. I like that! And then?"
"Later, Duke Horst and Duke Edmure spent thirteen thousand gold dragons to redeem Duke Horst, Duke Edmure, Riverrun and dozens of nobles in the city."
"Thirteen thousand gold dragons?" King Robert was reluctant to believe it, while secretly filled with envy. The king was a heavily indebted man, and the entire royal family was deeply in debt. Not only did they owe his father-in-law Tywin Lannister millions of gold dragons, but they also owed the Great Sept of Baelor millions of gold dragons, and a sum of money to the Iron Treasury across the Narrow Sea, though not much, but with very high interest.
King Robert was already very sensitive to money.
The Duke of Renly and dozens of courtiers were all astonished.
This is the first time in the Seven Kingdoms that such a large ransom has been paid in such a noble conflict.
In the past, people would redeem others by offering three to eight hundred gold dragons to a nobleman.
The Mountain pioneered the concept of 'ransom' this time.
"Furthermore, the Mountain drove away a thousand warhorses from Riverrun, which was Edmure's voluntary compensation to the Mountain for the humiliation."
King Robert and his courtiers were dumbfounded, while only Queen Cersei and Prince Joffrey listened with great interest.
*
On a ferry on the River Tengstone in the Westerlands, Edmure sat on the lap two stunningly beautiful prostitutes the Mountain had hired for him in Golden Tooth, along with a wandering singer. The ferry was small; the guards crossed on other boats. He was crossing with the Mountain.
"Mountain, thank you!" Edmure suddenly said.
The Mountain glanced at the alluring prostitute, then looked at Edmure.
Edmure blushed.
"Mountain, my gratitude has nothing to do with women. I want to thank you for not giving Soros my letter of apology and the statement of gifting the warhorse, nor for not sending the raven to His Majesty the King. I am very grateful for your change of mind."
Oh, so that's what happened. This was within the Demon Mountain's expectations and not surprising.
Edmure is a good kid, and his character is actually quite good!
He valued his empty reputation too much. This is a weakness common to nobles in this world.
The Mountain said calmly, "Sir Edmure, we have gone from adversaries to collaborators. Since you chose to believe in my courage to come to the Westerlands, in return, I should spare no effort to protect your honor and reputation. The Mountain is wicked, but only to enemies, not friends."
"So, are we already friends?" Edmure asked with a smile.
"I don't know. You are an earl, and I am just a common knight. I don't know if I am worthy of being your friend, an earl." The Mountain spoke disgustingly hypocritical words.
But to Edmund's ears, it sounded very pleasant and enjoyable.
Edmure was not only arrogant about his own bravery, but he also believed his courage was unmatched. His willingness to follow the Mountain to the Westerlands was proof of his audacity.
He is young, enthusiastic, and passionate, with good swordsmanship. He has a penchant for alcoholism and prostitution, but he is a good person at heart.
The Mountain understands Edmure! He moved Edmure's heart by returning the 'apology and statement that was originally intended for His Majesty the King,' and then won his favor with fine wine and women. Along the way, the Mountain subtly and deliberately accepted Edmure, and so far, it seems to be working very well.