Chapter 292 - 275: Danger Approaching?

Chapter 292: Chapter 275: Danger Approaching?

"We can do that!" the tall, thin man readily agreed.

"Words are wind. You both need to swear a Heart Demon Oath, guaranteeing you’ll keep your mouths shut about this and won’t reveal it to anyone else in any way, shape, or form."

"Don’t worry, we both know the rules."

With that, the two brothers both swore the oath.

"Right, you should be aware of my prices. One hundred Spirit Stones per mortal. Five hundred Spirit Stones for a Qi Cultivation Early Stage clansman. One thousand Spirit Stones for a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage clansman, and fifteen hundred for a Qi Cultivation Late Stage clansman."

"As for Sun Fan, from your description, he sounds quite formidable—not like a typical Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator. So let’s just count him as a Qi Cultivation Late Stage clansman. That’ll be a gracious fifteen hundred Spirit Stones!"

The tall, thin man, who had been filled with joy and eagerly anticipating Sun Fan’s death to avenge his deep-seated hatred,

...turned pale as a sheet the moment he heard the exorbitant price quoted by the middle-aged man. A number, filled with shock and disbelief, escaped his lips:

"Fifteen... hundred Spirit Stones?!"

"How... How can it be so expensive!"

His eyes widened and his throat bobbed, his voice thick with disbelief.

The middle-aged man’s attitude did not soften. His expression darkened in an instant, and a powerful pressure, like a collapsing mountain, descended upon the tall, thin man and the short, stout man.

The pressure was immense and chilling, instantly pinning the two men to the ground, unable to move. It was as suffocating as if the very earth were collapsing around them.

"You dare come to me for business without Spirit Stones? You’ve got some nerve!"

The middle-aged man snorted coldly, and the pressure intensified as if intending to grind their bones to dust.

The stones beneath them began to crack under the pressure, and their agonized groans echoed throughout the room.

"We... we have Spirit Stones! Spare us!"

Under the immense pressure, veins bulged on the tall, thin man’s forehead and sweat poured down his face like rain. It was as if he had to summon all his strength just to squeeze a few words through his gritted teeth.

"Haha, you should have just said so from the start!"

The moment he heard there were Spirit Stones, the middle-aged man immediately withdrew the pressure he was releasing.

He burst out laughing as if nothing had happened, stepping forward to help the two struggling men to their feet. Since they had no hands to dust themselves off, he even made a point of patting the dust from their clothes for them.

"Well, if you have them, take them out!"

The tall, thin man looked awkward and nervous, his eyes darting around as he tried to find a way out of this.

But after sensing the middle-aged man’s increasingly sharp gaze, he knew this was bad and had no choice but to explain tremblingly:

"Sir, we were indeed not fully prepared when we came this time. All the Spirit Stones we have on us right now only add up to a little over eight hundred... Please, be merciful! We also have some Magical Artifacts and materials, could you see if they can cover part of the cost?"

Before he could even finish speaking, he was already rushing to hand over his and the short, stout man’s Storage Bags to the middle-aged man.

But because they both had no hands, they anxiously tried to use their feet to untie the Storage Bags.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man impatiently snatched the Storage Bags away.

After a quick inspection, his expression grew even darker, and his gaze turned hostile.

"You have a little over eleven hundred Spirit Stones here. That’s still more than three hundred short of fifteen hundred!"

Hearing this amount, the two men turned pale with fright. Their knees gave way, and they fell heavily onto the hard ground, kowtowing repeatedly as they pleaded:

"Sir, we’ve truly scraped together everything we own! We really can’t produce a single Spirit Stone more. We’re telling the truth, we’re not lying!"

The middle-aged man studied their terrified and sincere expressions and, convinced they truly had no more Spirit Stones, waved his hand dismissively and revealed a sly smile.

"It’s alright if you don’t have the Spirit Stones. As long as you’re willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath of fealty to me, I can put this debt on a tab for now."

"Besides, I’m not an unreasonable person. I won’t make you sell your entire lives to me."

The middle-aged man’s voice was calm and deep, but his eyes were like an abyss, impossible to fathom.

"Considering your current predicament, I’ll give you a discount. At a rate of ten Spirit Stones per year, you can pay back the three hundred-odd Spirit Stones you owe with thirty years of service. How about it?"

"Thir... thirty years?!" It was as if an invisible hand were squeezing the tall, thin man’s throat. The two words were practically trembled out.

Deep inside, he was burning with rage and extreme dissatisfaction.

’This isn’t a fair deal at all; it’s a price so low it’s insulting!’

’To demand thirty years of their loyalty and service for a mere ten Spirit Stones a year—it’s a complete trampling of their dignity.’

It was as if the surroundings sensed their emotional turmoil. A faint, almost imperceptible killing intent began to quietly spread,

...coiling around the two of them like a cold snake, making their scalps tingle and the hair on their backs stand on end.

Faced with the middle-aged man’s seemingly gentle yet unyielding demand, even though his heart was filled with a million objections, he could only suppress his anger and humiliation.

They were keenly aware that if they refused this middle-aged man, what awaited them was likely a true death.

The tall, thin man and the short, stout man exchanged a look of despair.

They understood that in this world where the strong reign supreme, they often had to make choices that went against their own will.

The tall, thin man struggled to swallow the lump in his throat and nodded with difficulty. They had no other choice but to accept this harsh condition.

And so, under the middle-aged man’s watchful gaze, the two of them, with bitter expressions, slowly and deliberately swore the Heart Demon Oath, promising to serve the middle-aged man for thirty years.