"You think you're worthy of trading my head for a future?"
Li Yun hovered in midair. Each word fell like the thunder of heavenly punishment.
His icy voice swept across the scene, crushing Zhao Baichuan's last shred of hope.
Zhao Baichuan's legs gave way. He collapsed to the ground, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, scared out of his wits.
He had lived for centuries and held sway over Carter City all his life, playing power games and manipulating hearts. Never had he felt such despair.
"Lord Li! I know I was wrong! I deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"
Zhao Baichuan kowtowed frantically, slamming his forehead against the bluestone ground until it ran with blood. His voice rang out, shrill with terror.
"My greed got the better of me! I was blinded by the promise of gain!"
"I should never have coveted the Imperial Dynasty's reward or threatened Xu An and his mother!"
"I truly know I was wrong! Please have mercy, my lord, and spare my miserable life!"
"I'll give away my entire fortune, surrender every bit of my authority as city lord, and serve you as a slave for all eternity!"
He begged abjectly, every ugly trace of his character on display.
But the killing intent in Li Yun's eyes remained cold as frost.
"You don't know you were wrong. You're just afraid."
He had always been clear about debts of kindness and grudges: kindness must be repaid, and wrongs must be avenged.
Xu An had been his first friend after he set foot in the Hengwu Domain. When Li Yun was still only a Lower Sage without even a place to stay, Xu An had helped him.
Yet Zhao Baichuan had used Xu An and his mother's lives as bargaining chips, hoping to trade Li Yun's