Chu Xiao'ang stirred his tea slowly with a teaspoon.
His gaze, however, remained fixed on Qin Siyang's face.
Qin Siyang's expression—he was all too familiar with it.
It wasn't bravado.
He truly wasn't afraid to die.
Even Chu Baxing, who was sitting beside them, was momentarily awed by Qin Siyang's presence and, for the first time, gave him a serious look.
Tang Wanjing's brows were furrowed with concern.
The entire meeting room was swallowed by an unbearable silence.
A moment later—
Chu Xiao'ang let out a long sigh and finally spoke, "Qin Siyang, not many people can leave me with no way out. You count as one."
"And to think you're just a snot-nosed brat. How embarrassing."
"Name your price."
Chu Xiao'ang uncrossed his legs and shook his head in reluctant compromise.
Qin Siyang let out a deep breath and chuckled twice.
Though he had just been gambling with his life—
Who wouldn't prefer not to die?
Seeing Qin Siyang's visible relief, Chu Xiao'ang raised his brows helplessly.
"So, Commander Chu is willing to negotiate?"
"Not like I have a choice."
"Good. Then let's talk."
Qin Siyang sat back down in his seat.
"Fifty thousand points. I think this condition is fair, so I won't change it."
Chu Xiao'ang nodded, "No problem. I can add one more condition: I'll make sure Chu Baxing doesn't surpass your points before the school year starts."
Qin Siyang waved a hand with a smile, "Appreciate the offer, Commander, but that won't be necessary. Let him hunt as much as he wants. If his points surpass mine, that's my own failure."
"You're that confident?"
"Commander Chu, I'm not the type to boast just for appearances."
Chu Xiao'ang fell into brief contemplation before looking at Chu Baxing, "What do you think?"
Chu Baxing responded indifferently, "If he wants to compete with me, then I'll compete with him. The military gains points far easier than you do. To make it fair, I won't take on any military point missions, only those from the management department."
Qin Siyang smirked, "Suit yourself. Wanna bet on something?"
"What do you want to bet?"
"I need a Tier 4 Hunter's God Weapon. If you lose, give me one."
Chu Baxing was slightly taken aback, "Tier 4?"
"What, the great son of a legion commander doesn't even dare to bet a Tier 4 Hunter's God Weapon?"
Qin Siyang added, "Or are you saying that without military point missions, you're not confident? If you're unsure, you can still do the military missions."
His casual, unbothered tone made it seem like he didn't even regard Chu Baxing as an opponent.
That only ignited Chu Baxing's fighting spirit further, "Fine, I'll bet with you. Beating you doesn't require military point missions."
Qin Siyang scoffed, "Bold words. If it weren't for military point missions, how many points would you even have?"
"You'll see for yourself."
"Alright. Just don't back out later, Young Master Chu."
The two teenagers thus established a gentleman's agreement.
Chu Xiao'ang quietly observed from the side without interrupting.
His son, perhaps not remarkable in other areas, but when it came to hunting gods, he was an undisputed prodigy.
That eighty-thousand-plus points of his?
Most of it wasn't even from military missions. He had earned the bulk of it with his own hands.
And honestly?
Because god-hunting was too monotonous, Chu Baxing didn't even put in his full effort, often slacking off.
This led to many military officer's children having higher points than him.
If he actually did grind military missions, his points would easily be over three hundred thousand.
As for Qin Siyang?
He had skill, sure, but luck played a massive role.
There was no way he could stumble upon rare divine remains every time he left the safe zone, right?
This bet, Qin Siyang was bound to lose.
So, watching his son earn a Tier 4 Hunter's God Weapon out of this?
A comforting thought.
Tang Wanjing, on the other hand, was desperately suppressing the corners of his lips from curling upward.
His mind was filled with giddy anticipation.
Neither of them had any idea that Qin Siyang had already made a deal with him to issue a bounty for hunting Corrosive Black Centipede.
That alone would net him over a hundred thousand points in an instant.
Without military missions, even if Chu Baxing worked himself to death, there was no way he could beat Qin Siyang.
Unless he had Qin Siyang's luck, finding rare divine remains every time he stepped out.
Qin Siyang had sidestepped the crime trap set by Chu Xiao'ang, but the father and son had failed to see through Qin Siyang's own scam.
They were about to lose a Tier 4 Hunter's God Weapon for nothing.
Tang Wanjing stole a glance at Qin Siyang, whose expression was calm and righteous.
He had to admit, this kid was truly a mix of good and evil.
You never knew what he'd pull next.
Qin Siyang spoke again, "The points are settled. Now let's discuss the rest of the conditions."
"Hmm."
"I originally wanted sequence potions and money."
"But according to Minister Tang, the military neither has sequence potions nor sufficient funds. So, what do you have?"
Qin Siyang's question actually took Chu Xiao'ang by surprise.
"The military's primary task is hunting gods, so we do have plenty of divine remains. Of course, some rare materials are in short supply."
A grin tugged at Qin Siyang's lips, "Commander Chu, do you think I lack divine remains?"
Chu Xiao'ang considered this.
Qin Siyang had already obtained the Vine Core, Crimson Crystal, and Titan Foxtail Grass.
The military barely had any of these.
As for rarer materials?
The military had some, but there was no way they'd trade them away.
Aside from divine remains, the military's greatest asset was manpower.
But what, were they supposed to give Qin Siyang a squad of elite Sequence Awakeners?
He had nowhere to even house them.
For the first time, the high-ranking Chu Xiao'ang, the formidable legion commander, felt a little short-handed.
"Commander Chu, do you have Tier 4 Hunter's God Weapons?"
"Well… not in abundance."
"Then what about Yellow Silver Star Ore?"
Chu Xiao'ang pondered for a moment, "Yellow Silver Star Ore? Isn't that something only Zhong Dingming has?"
"Uh, alright then."
With no suitable weapons or materials from Chu Xiao'ang, Qin Siyang immediately lost interest in further negotiations.
Watching Chu Xiao'ang rack his brain for possible trade items, Qin Siyang decided not to make things too difficult.
If he asked for something too valuable and Chu Xiao'ang decided to kill him for it, that would be the end.
Besides—
The Titan Foxtail Grass Inner Leaf Fragment he had put on the table was already a lost cause.
Chu Xiao'ang would fight for it.
Sacrificing the fragment in exchange for his life?
A deal worth making.
So, Qin Siyang said, "Let's not trouble Commander Chu any further. Just fifty thousand points will do. I've got nothing else to discuss."
"Huh? Student Qin, are you serious?"
"Yeah. Commander Chu doesn't have anything I need. And I'm not lacking sequence potions or money."
"Let's leave it at that."
Qin Siyang wasn't going to drag things out.
Running into Chu Xiao'ang was just bad luck.
No need to fight a losing battle.
For now, surviving was the priority.
Besides, other than points, what else did he even need?
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