"Senior, please don't get excited—these are trivial matters! You should first take the Soul-Concentrating Elixir to stabilize your residual soul."
Ling Xiao smiled—a genuine smile. For the system's notification sound had rung again in his mind. This feeling of plundering others' destiny bit by bit was quite satisfying indeed. Ling Xiao had made up his mind: he would stick firmly to this path! If he kept plundering, he could keep feeling this satisfaction forever!
"Jiuming!!"
Chu Yang's voice grated out through clenched teeth. He stared at the elixir in Jiuming's hand, his eyes completely bloodshot. This damned Ling Xiao had the audacity to poach his person right in front of him! He hated this—yet hatred was useless. He couldn't defeat Ling Xiao in a fight, and now even Jiuming showed signs of betraying him.
A wave of panic suddenly washed over Chu Yang. His earlier madness had stemmed from not feeling threatened; he'd thought Jiuming could solve all his troubles. But now that he'd calmed down a little, he realized this boy in front of him could truly strip him of everything.
Thankfully, he still had that blood pact!
"Senior, do you have any other hesitations? You should know what the forces behind me represent. As long as you're willing to follow me, I guarantee I'll help you regain your peak strength as soon as possible."
Ling Xiao's tone remained calm, but his attitude was sincere. Whether it was the Grade-5 elixir or the reconstruction of her physical body, both were irresistible temptations for Jiuming. Her hesitation had nothing to do with being reluctant to leave Chu Yang—it was all because of the pact between them.
She wasn't worried that Ling Xiao would refuse to tolerate Chu Yang; after all, from what she'd seen so far, this young master of the Ling family had a broad mind. Moreover, Ling Xiao had never deliberately targeted Chu Yang—instead, it was Chu Yang who had kept provoking him.
Of course, Jiuming could understand this. The life or death of an ant was of no concern to Ling Xiao. He probably hadn't killed Chu Yang only because he didn't want to offend her. To be honest, Jiuming felt a slight touch of gratitude at this moment.
In reality, she was flattering herself. What Ling Xiao cared about was the Destiny Value on Chu Yang and that kill mission. Whether Jiuming surrendered or not was merely a bonus reward.
"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master, but I still cannot accept this."
With a guilty sigh, Jiuming handed the elixir back to Ling Xiao. Her heart ached at this moment—but she couldn't tell Ling Xiao directly that she had a blood pact with Chu Yang and that she couldn't leave that cyan jade pendant for now, could she?
"Hmph! Ling Xiao, do you think everyone is as easy to deceive as Ye Qingchan?"
Chu Yang snorted coldly, a hint of pride on his face, though the gloom in his eyes hadn't faded much. Young Master? This bitch actually called Ling Xiao "Young Master"? Fine! Since all of you are so shameless, I'll make you pay when I become stronger in the future!
"Oh, Senior—are you afraid Chu Yang will choose mutual destruction? You two have a blood pact, don't you?"
What neither Chu Yang nor Jiuming expected was that Ling Xiao seemed to have the ability to foresee the future—he immediately guessed what was troubling her.
It was obvious, after all: even Chu Yang could tell Jiuming was obviously tempted, yet she was putting on a righteous act. She must have scruples. The cliché of "recognizing a master through blood and accidentally awakening an old grandmaster" was nothing new. Ling Xiao had figured out what was going on with a little thought.
It was like a courtesan in a brothel saying "no" with her mouth, yet working extra hard in bed. She wasn't unwilling to have someone redeem her freedom—she was just afraid the madam would punish her behind the scenes.
"Never mind that. I just want to know your true thoughts, Senior."
Ling Xiao's expression suddenly became extremely serious. He had a thousand ways to help Jiuming break this mere blood pact—but he needed Jiuming to show her stance.
Jiuming naturally guessed this as well. Though she didn't know what methods Ling Xiao had, she decided to take a gamble at this moment. She had to avenge the blood feud of her clan's destruction. If Chu Yang had trusted her, she wouldn't have been so heartless. But today, he had threatened her repeatedly with the blood pact—there would definitely be a rift between them in the future.
Thus, it would be better to switch to a new master. The Ling Xiao in front of her was resolute, generous, sincere, and powerful—not to mention handsome. Jiuming really couldn't find a reason to refuse him.
Of course, these were all secondary. The most important thing was that the fortune Ling Xiao had promised her was truly too tempting. So it wasn't that there were too many women who switched partners easily in the world—it was just that some men weren't good enough.
You might not drive a Ferrari, and you might ride a bicycle, but you must wear our Peppa Pig watch! No, wait—Patek Philippe!!
"Jiuming, you must think carefully! Don't fall for his divisive tricks!"
Chu Yang roared at Jiuming, almost screaming. With his limited vision, he had no idea what Ling Xiao's identity meant. The more he screamed now, the more embarrassing Jiuming found it. But no one wanted to die until the last minute. Chu Yang was still waiting for his "thirty years on the west bank" to crush Ling Xiao—how could he be willing to die in this small cave?
"Divisive tricks?"
Jiuming smiled. She looked at the malice in Chu Yang's eyes and smiled gently.
"Xiao Yang, do you remember the first time we met? Back then, you were bullied and looked down on, hiding on the mountain and crying alone."
As the saying goes, when someone starts reminiscing, they're either drunk or about to turn hostile. Ling Xiao watched the two with interest, already wondering how to explain to Ye Qingchan later when he killed Chu Yang. After all, the two had once had some feelings for each other. Even if Ye Qingchan was now utterly disappointed in Chu Yang, she would definitely not be able to accept it immediately if he killed him.
"Jiuming… you…"
A deep unease welled up in Chu Yang's heart. From what he remembered, this was the first time Jiuming had looked at him so gently.
"I think I've never wronged you. But today, you've threatened me repeatedly with the blood pact—it really makes me… very disappointed."
Jiuming sighed, then turned to look at Ling Xiao. "Young Master Ling Xiao, I am willing to follow you…"
"Boom!"
Chu Yang froze. Suddenly, his vision went black, and he felt as if the world had collapsed around him. The person he trusted most—someone closer to him than his own parents—had finally betrayed him!!
"Haha ha ha ha! Good! Good! Since you've forced me, then we'll all die together! Ling Xiao, don't think you've won—you'll never have her!"
Chu Yang laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with nothing but malice. He took out the jade pendant around his neck and waved it at Jiuming. "Bitch, you want to follow him? Dream on!"
With that, he clenched his fist tightly. The cyan jade pendant instantly shattered into dust on the ground.
"Now, die with me!!"