Pickled long beans

Chapter 803 - 796: Qingmu Swears Never to Be a Slave

Chapter 803: Chapter 796: Qingmu Swears Never to Be a Slave


The chilling aura on the gaunt old man, after being drawn nearly a tenth by Chen Hai’s Devouring Touch, although still terrifyingly strong, was ultimately much weaker than before.


Almost submerged in the silence sealed by layers of chilling aura, the gaunt old man, though still far from completely recovering, had already regained some consciousness and was able to forcefully break through the seal of the cold and sense the situation outside his body.


"Who are you? And where is this place?"


Chen Hai’s words about life and death left the gaunt old man inexplicably mystified.


He was stunned for quite a while, completely unable to react.


Although his eyes remained tightly shut, his conscious voice was already sounding in Chen Hai’s ear.


"Never mind who I am; you just need to know that without my help, at this point, you would already be a dead man."


"You should be most aware of the value of your life."


"To your lifesaver, what kind of generous reward do you think is appropriate?"


Once he clearly sensed that the gaunt old man only had a strand of consciousness that broke free and posed no threat to him, Chen Hai felt somewhat relieved.


Nevertheless, as he spoke, the Golden Jiao Scissors in his hand were still against the gaunt old man’s throat.


After all, no matter how careful one is, it’s better to be overly cautious than to regret unexpected incidents.


"Did you save me?" The gaunt old man pondered silently.


Perhaps he had already recollected some related events of his serious injuries declining to near death and eventually escaping here.


After a brief silence, he spoke again: "I, Qingmu, never like owing favors, seeing as you saved my life, I can accept you as my retainer, allowing you the fortune to serve at my side!"


"Don’t belittle the identity of a retainer under me; once you truly know me, you will naturally understand what a massive opportunity it is for a Loose Cultivator to become my retainer!"


...


The gaunt old man rambled on significantly.


Unfortunately, whatever he said at last, Chen Hai was simply too lazy to keep listening.


After saving the old man’s life, what he wanted was tangible benefits, not becoming someone else’s retainer to serve.


"He considers having me as his retainer a colossal reward?"


"I’ve realized that doing good deeds rarely leads to worthy returns."


"Thankfully, I remained vigilant, and did not consume all the cold from this fellow’s body in one go."


"Otherwise, once that cold pressure is gone and his power fully restored, I’d be like working for nothing in vain!"


Without saying a word, Chen Hai amplified the Devouring Touch within those dozen tendrils piercing the old man’s body.


However, to express his dissatisfaction with the gaunt old man’s recent words, at this moment, what he was devouring through the Devouring Touch was not the chilling aura but the flesh essence inside the old man’s body.


"Stop, stop immediately, what exactly do you want?"


At this movement, the gaunt old man sensed it immediately.


Yet regrettably, he had only a strand of consciousness fleeing from under the seal of cold, completely unable to control his body.


At this moment, all he could do was act tough despite the emptiness within, asking Chen Hai a few questions.


"Old man, you still have the nerve to ask me what I’m doing?"


"I saved your life with goodwill, just asking for a reward, and you treat me like a fool, trying to trick me into becoming your retainer?"


"Our conversation is pointless now; your life was saved by me, and since you can’t provide me with satisfactory recompense, I can only reclaim your life, isn’t that fair?"


Expressionless, Chen Hai responded in a deep voice.


Truly speaking, if he were to completely devour the gaunt old man, he might obtain sufficient benefits too; however, this would lead to severe waste of his power.


After all, power obtained through devouring can at most bring him to perfection in the Golden Immortal Realm.


To advance further and achieve Daluo just by amassing such power is absolutely insufficient.


According to Chen Hai’s estimate, if he devoured the cold from the old man’s body, transforming it into Rule Fragment of Cold would be enough to fully condense his Three Flowers.


Thus, devouring the gaunt old man turns utterly redundant, offering no adequate benefits.


"Taoist Friend, let’s talk!"


"You saved my life; this is a fact. With your talent and genius, it’s normal to look down on the position of my retainer; indeed, I was presumptuous!"


"Tell me what reward you seek; wealth, status, power, whatever you desire, I can provide!"


As his Origin Power gently slipped away, even the consciousness of the gaunt old man felt unsustainable, seemingly on the brink of extinguishing at any moment.


At this moment, he was evidently in a panic.


His words were courteous, placing himself in an extremely humble posture.


"What do I want?"


Curling his lips, Chen Hai chuckled briefly, then said: "In my Chen Residence, there are plenty of servants, but we lack a coachman."


"Don’t say I’m making difficulties for you; so long as you agree to become a coachman in my residence, serving me for the rest of your life, I can help you completely eliminate the cold from your body."


"Of course, I, Chen, never like coercing others; it’s your choice whether to accept my proposal or not!"


The gaunt old man initially wanted him to become a retainer, but now, he asked the gaunt old man to be his coachman...


What reciprocity? This is evidently the scenario before us.


Chen Hai found peace with it, after all, even the gaunt old man’s life rested in his own hands; what right did he have to bargain with Chen Hai?


"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"


"How dare you ask me to be a coachman for you? How dare you insult me, rascal..."


As if thoroughly humiliated, upon hearing Chen Hai’s terms, the gaunt old man was instantly infuriated and began to curse.


"Old man, I’ve given you the chance to live."


"Once this opportunity is missed, it won’t come again; are you truly so stubborn as to reject my kind gesture?"


Unperturbed, Chen Hai’s expression remained indifferent.


Given his proposal, the gaunt old man’s response was quite predictable and expected.


"You think I would be your coachman? Dream on!"


"I, Emperor Qingmu, have traversed my life, with a single thought, can cause destruction among creatures, transform oceans to mulberry fields."


"Even if I were to die and disappear, I would never submit to slavery; who are you to make me your house slave, do you deserve it?"


...


Nearly exploding with rage, the gaunt old man roared fiercely.