CG Chapter 142: A Deal with the Devil
A faint, almost unnoticeable smile spread across Aretius's face, in a way that would comfort even the dead. Yet Qi Hao felt a shiver run down his spine.
If that smile had come from anyone else, he would not have minded, but now he only felt that an immortal beast was eyeing him with a hungry gaze.
Before long, Aretius broke into a booming chuckle. That laughter echoed through the inn like heavenly thunder.
"Kekekeke! Kek!"
Qi Hao, hearing that unnatural sound, had no choice but to force himself to laugh as well.
"Hahaha… Haha… Hahahaha"
As he laughed, what appeared to be joyous tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes.
At first, they seemed like tears of joy, but in the next moment Qi Hao realized that they were tears of terror; as his heart raced, fearing that the next beat might be its last.
However, the jovial atmosphere did not last long, because in the next second, just as Qi Hao started laughing with Aretius, a cold stillness settled over the place.
He saw the mood switch from strange joy to a bone-chilling calm, as if winter itself had come.
Aretius began speaking with complete and utter indifference, unlike a moment ago.
If Qi Hao had not seen this with his own eyes, he would not have believed that a person could switch moods so many times in such a short span.
Even his old man, whom he thought to be the most eccentric person he knew, showed more logic than this.
Yet what came after returned the greedy and sly look in Aretius's eyes, making Qi Hao forget most of his worries again.
"Tell me, little Hao, do you know what the most important thing is when one reaches beyond a meagre mortal realm? Once one reaches beyond the clouds that mortals can see?"
Aretius spoke in a serious yet cold tone, giving Qi Hao only a moment to ponder, with the sole purpose of making him hunger, to make his mind cloudy, and to make his blood and greed boil until it reached its peak.
Qi Hao, despite his curiosity and greed, did not say anything. He waited for Aretius to continue, thinking it was a rhetorical question and that Aretius did not actually want to hear his answer.
Yet even after a couple of seconds, a cold, awkward silence filled the inn. Aretius waited for him to ask.
Of course, this was not simply because he wanted to play with him; it was all to further weaken the young man's mental defenses and make him open to whatever he had to say.
If he had simply given Qi Hao the answer, it would have been just that, but once someone asks the question, they are on the receiving end.
This situation was akin to inviting the devil into your home; once he is in, he is there to stay.
"No, senior, this junior does not dare. I do not wish to embarrass myself with this meagre knowledge and experience of mine."
Qi Hao, completely humble, wanted to hear the secret at last, but more importantly, he wanted to get out of this inn, or even this town, feeling that the few days he had stayed here had already cost him years of his lifespan with all the mental calculations forced on him by this senior.
At the moment, he felt like he was walking on a thin rope, and even a single wrong step could lead to his demise.
"Good. Good. Good. Knowing where you stand and what to say is good. This assures me that my choice in finding you was the right one," Aretius said in a joyous tone.
Hearing this, Qi Hao looked extremely puzzled, trying to figure out what he meant; however, he was met with a simple, knowing smile from Aretius.
"The most important thing, or rather the two most important things, are… Fate and Karma."
Saying this, Aretius waited a couple of seconds, letting Qi Hao digest his words before continuing.
"Fate governs all living things from their birth until their last day in this world: small things such as a flower's bloom, a mosquito flying away after biting you, or even large matters such as who rules a country, which hero will emerge, and which one will die.
"As for Karma, it is like the knot that connects all living things into a vast web we call existence. A never-ending cycle, the grandness of the world. A man's hatred can pass down ten generations or be forgotten over an insignificant cup of wine. All things, every action whether small or large, fall into its domain, creating and deciding your fate in this life and the ones to come."
Finishing this, Aretius's tone switched again; his eyes shone with a bright glimmer, and that subtle smile returned, giving Qi Hao complete choice.
"So choose wisely. Between a valuable tael of gold, or an illusory concept of a knot, hoping that the debt of today will grow into a towering tree entangled across an unknown void…?"
Qi Hao, already exhausted from the previous mental workout he had undergone, sat in silence, truly not knowing what to say or even whether he should speak.
This time, Aretius was not going to interrupt his thought process, letting him make his own decision.
What he believed was a choice was simply following the illusion and the road laid by Aretius for him, because an unknown reward was much more valuable than even a tael of gold.
This was like how a gambler might bet his life savings on nothing, believing there is more to gain.
As for the talk of Karma and Fate? What a joke. If he had truly cared about either, then he would not have moved a single step. If everything is fated, then why move out of your way? Why would anyone seek fortune and run from misfortune? Everything will eventually come, right?
Even if Fate were sealed in stone, he would simply crush that stone and rewrite his story with his own hands.
As for Karma? He cared even less. Everything he has done or will do is, and will be, to further his own goals and carry him closer to immortality. If karmic ties try to pull him down, then he will cut them. No, he will build a hill where he can siphon the energy of the dead for his own good.
Not to mention, he had received the inheritance of the one who ruled over Karma. That piece of broken stone still lay in his soul, although no longer stone, for it had melted down, its rules absorbed into his True Form.