"Any condition?" Xuan asked playfully.
"Yes... any condition." Akahane Yui paused briefly before gritting her teeth with steadfast resolve.
She masked her gaze perfectly, burying all her boiling hatred deep in the absolute bottom of her heart. She knew she had no right to bargain right now. The rule of this world was precisely this: the weak had no right to negotiate. They could only choose to submit to the strong, or die. The only thing she could do now was to cling to any power she could rely on to protect the Akahane clan's survival, even if the source of that power was the very man she shared a sea of blood feud with.
Xuan greatly admired Yui's current gaze. This cold, resolute look.
To be honest, he had originally thought this woman would be crushed by the sheer weight of hatred and pressure back at the ancestral hall, leading her to recklessly charge forward and fight him to the death. He hadn't expected her to perform so well. She could actually suppress it all and negotiate terms with him calmly. As expected, the greater the pressure, the faster the growth.
Women like this were often far more terrifying than the emotional, impulsive ones. They would conceal their true thoughts completely, only transforming into a deadly, poisonous scorpion at the most critical, unguarded moment.
In his previous life, Xuan had heard a story.
Once, an eight-year-old girl's home was ransacked by bandits. Everyone, including her parents and younger brother, was slaughtered. She only escaped the massacre because she had been out playing. When she returned and stared despairingly at the blood-soaked ruins of her home, she swore to get revenge.
But at the time, she had absolutely nothing. No power, no faction, no money. Forget revenge—even surviving the winter was incredibly difficult. And those bandits were the most notorious, heavily armed gang in the region; she couldn't even get close to them. The only thing she possessed was herself, and an absolute, uncompromising determination to avenge her family.
So, she discarded everything and became a prostitute at the absolute bottom of society. She desperately learned how to please men. Ten years later, when she was eighteen, she became the most famous courtesan in the area. Her reputation eventually reached the ears of that very bandit leader.
Intrigued, the bandit leader summoned her, wanting to see exactly what skills this woman who captivated countless men possessed. However, the bandit leader was extremely strong and highly vigilant. It was impossible to bring weapons inside his stronghold. Furthermore, she was a frail woman who lacked the strength to even truss a chicken; if she tried to attack him, she would be killed instantly.
Poisoning his food was also impossible. The bandit leader would never dine with her, and even if he did, she wouldn't be able to sneak the poison past his guards.
Yet, she didn't give up. She had endured ten years of unspeakable humiliation precisely for this day. This might be her only chance. Thus, she made a completely insane move: she coated her own body with lethal, contact-based poison. Unsurprisingly, the bandit leader was poisoned and died in her bed.
Naturally, she died as well. The moment she applied the poison to herself, she had already foreseen her end. But that was exactly the outcome she desired.
Xuan pulled back his thoughts. He didn't doubt for a single second that the woman standing before him was actively evolving into that exact kind of terrifying creature. The only difference was, he was not that hapless bandit leader.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll be generous and change my condition. I've been in the north for so many years and have always lacked a personal slave. I feel you would be an excellent choice."
Saying these words, Xuan felt a bizarre, fleeting sense of guilt. Having stayed in this brutal world for so long, he was truly leaning more and more toward the dark side. The old him would never have openly done something so utterly shameless.
Yui looked at him with a highly conflicted gaze. She had long anticipated this possibility. Right now, she had nothing else that could catch his eye. Her only outstanding trait was her exceptional beauty; in the entire north, there was practically no one more beautiful than her. Under these circumstances, it wasn't hard to guess what a man would demand.
She clenched her fists tightly. Fresh drops of blood fell once again from her nail-pierced palms as she endured the absolute cruelty and mockery of reality. The mastermind who had destroyed her family and orchestrated the death of her father was now her only lifeline. Having to offer herself and rely on his power to save the Akahane clan—what a monumental, bitter irony.
"If you can guarantee the continuation of the Akahane clan, and help me eradicate the Three-Clan Alliance and the Ghost Fire Alliance... I accept your condition."
Yui didn't even know how she managed to utter those words. She simply spoke them numbly, her voice hollow.
"You have quite a few conditions," Xuan chuckled lightly.
In truth, he didn't care about those conditions at all. Those two factions were already marked for death in his grand scheme anyway. Tonight, no one in the north would be spared.
Extending his arm, he pulled Yui's slightly trembling body forcefully into his embrace. He could distinctly feel her stiffen violently against his chest.
"A woman shouldn't make too many demands. But, I can agree to them. However, shouldn't you show some appreciation? At the very least... you should pay a little interest upfront!"
Yui instinctively resisted, pushing against his chest, but she didn't dare fight back too fiercely. Hearing his words, she asked coldly, "What do you want?"
Xuan reached out, lifting her smooth, delicate chin before letting his fingers trail down her snow-white neck. He demanded smoothly, "First, call me Master."
"What?"
Yui's beautiful eyes widened even further. Her entire body trembled with rage, almost making her disregard everything to fight him to the death. Finally, she forcefully suppressed the urge with pure rationality, gritting her teeth so hard they nearly cracked. "M... Master."
She said it with deep, bitter hatred, utterly devoid of any submission or affection. Yet, Xuan was highly satisfied. This was a good start.
"Bastard, what are you doing?!" Yui gritted her teeth, struggling instinctively as his hands began to wander.
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