A Deal for You

"You are despicable!" Liu Ya cried out, her voice raw and shattered.

"Despicable? Hahaha, as long as the final goal is achieved, does the method used really matter?"

An Yun gripped Liu Ya's chin, his greedy, wretched face fully exposed.

He squeezed hard enough to cause her genuine pain, yet An Yun felt not a shred of pity or tenderness.

"Liu Ya, all these years, I have offered you my heart, yet you have never once responded. Hmph, I'd like to see if you choose to be a chaste maiden or a selfish woman."

"You... An Yun, I curse you to a miserable death." Driven to the brink of madness by An Yun, Liu Ya completely lost control. Although she had always presented herself to the world as alluring and enchanting, that was never who Liu Ya truly wanted to be.

"You don't need to worry about me. Just stay here obediently, and once this is over, I will be sure to cherish you properly."

An Yun, triumphant and arrogant, let out a wild, unbridled laugh as he left the secret chamber.

Tears streamed down Liu Ya's face; she had never expected to encounter such a lunatic.

A sense of powerlessness welled up within her; fate always loved to toy with the weak.

A man moved stealthily, glancing back from time to time to ensure he wasn't being followed before knocking on a door.

"Come in!"

The man pushed the door open and entered, bowing respectfully to the person inside.

"How did it go?"

"Reporting to you, my lord, this is the location where Liu Ya is being held." The man presented a map with both hands, though he dared not look at the person sitting upright in the chair.

Li Xingluo took the map, the markings on it clear and concise, and gave it a cursory glance.

"Very good!"

"It is this humble one's honor to serve you, my lord."

The man seized the opportunity to flatter him, but Li Xingluo merely glanced at him with indifference.

"Go. Follow the plan. Once it is finished, this old man will provide you with the antidote. If you dare to act in defiance, you know what the consequences will be."

The man instantly dropped to his knees, cold sweat involuntarily beading on his forehead as his eyes darted around nervously.

Recalling how a companion had been brutally slaughtered for merely questioning Li Xingluo, the horrific sight still fresh in his mind, he swallowed hard. His eyes filled with terror; he understood the gravity of the consequences.

"This humble one would not dare!"

"That is good. Rest assured, as long as you do as this old man says, I guarantee your life."

"Many thanks, my lord!"

"Go!"

"Yes!" The man, as if granted a reprieve, scrambled out of the room. Once outside and away from the oppressive weight of Li Xingluo's presence, he finally wiped the sweat from his brow.

Looking back, he thought this man was truly terrifying—even more so than the clan head.

Seeing the man depart, Li Xingluo slowly rose and said casually, "We can move now."

As night fell, two figures wove through the streets and alleys of Maple Forest City, soon arriving outside a rather large estate.

The plaque on the main gate bore two characters: Jiamo.

In the moonlight, the two figures became clear; they were none other than Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian.

Having long been familiar with the locations of the three major families, Li Xingluo easily bypassed the outer perimeter of the Jiamo Family estate.

He casually grabbed a servant of the Jiamo Family and learned where Jiamo Lin resided.

Moving through the Jiamo estate, they saw the house ahead brightly lit. Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a glance, and then Li Xingluo flicked his wrist, sending a throwing dart flying.

The dart pierced the window, cutting through the silence of the night.

A voice came from within immediately: "Who is it?"

Jiamo Lin rushed out of the house, searching all around for the person who had thrown the dart. He clearly sensed that this dart was not an assassination attempt, but a different kind of probe.

Jiamo Lin observed his surroundings cautiously, but finding no one, he was just about to turn back into his room in confusion.

A figure suddenly appeared behind him. Catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye, Jiamo Lin launched a dart of his own, striking directly at the figure behind him.

At the same time, Jiamo Lin turned quickly, only to find that the dart he had just thrown was being held firmly in the other person's hand.

Seeing the figure in a black robe and bamboo hat, Jiamo Lin felt a surge of vigilance. Yet, he noticed that none of his family disciples had raised an alarm, which proved that the person before him was certainly no weakling.

"Who are you? Why visit in the dead of night?"

A rough, deep voice emerged from Li Xingluo: "Clan Head Jiamo need not be so defensive toward this old man. The reason I have come in the middle of the night is that I have a massive deal I wish to discuss with you."

Jiamo Lin was utterly bewildered. Who was this person, and why would he start by talking about a deal?

The cunning and treacherous Jiamo Lin stared at Li Xingluo, trying to find some clue, but he found Li Xingluo as steady as a rock, showing absolutely no openings.

"A deal? What kind of deal requires breaking into my family estate in the middle of the night? I think you are clearly a thief, looking to steal the treasures of my Jiamo Family."

Li Xingluo couldn't help but admire Jiamo Lin's train of thought, and even more so his ability to conjure something out of nothing.

However, Li Xingluo did not want to get bogged down in a long entanglement; otherwise, it would be troublesome once the Jiamo Family patrol arrived.

"I wonder if Clan Head Jiamo would be interested in hearing me out? Rest assured, this deal will certainly be of immense benefit to you."

Jiamo Lin was unsure what medicine Li Xingluo was selling in his gourd, so he simply decided to listen.

"Uh, I wonder what kind of good business you have brought to this Patriarch? If it is truly a good deal, this Patriarch will naturally reward you; but if it is not, hmph, I don't care who you are, I fear it will be very difficult for you to leave this courtyard tonight."

Jiamo Lin waved his large hand, and quite a few people jumped out from their hiding spots.

Seeing such a formation, a smile could not help but curl the corners of Jiamo Lin's mouth.

Li Xingluo scanned them once, calm and composed, without a trace of panic, causing Jiamo Lin's brows to furrow slightly.

"This business is to completely wipe out the An Family."

Li Xingluo's voice was crisp and clear, devoid of any impurities.

Jiamo Lin heard it clearly; he was shocked at first, then quickly grew suspicious.

Although Jiamo Lin did indeed want to dominate alone and had long harbored the thought of annexing the An Family, doing so was incredibly difficult.

If it were simple, he would have done it already, not to mention that Jiamo Lin had heard An Batian was already at the half-step Dou Ling realm due to consuming a Breakthrough Pill.

He hadn't expected An Batian to consume the pill right there at the Aus Auction House that day; his plan to intercept An Batian on the way back to the An Family residence had fallen through.

And now, this person stood before him openly, stating with certainty that he would help him destroy the An Family—no matter how he listened, it sounded like a lie.

"It seems Patriarch Jiamo does not quite believe what this old man says."

"The An Family has existed in Maple Forest City for hundreds of years; how could they be wiped out just because you say so? I suspect you were sent by the An Family to lure me into a trap and target my Jiamo Family, right?"

Li Xingluo admired Jiamo Lin's caution, and it was true—if someone suddenly appeared one day claiming they would help you eliminate your mortal enemy, would you believe them?

"What? Struck dumb by this Patriarch, unable to find a retort? Do you really take this Patriarch for a three-year-old child?"

Seeing Li Xingluo remain silent, Jiamo Lin spoke up.

At the same time, he ordered the family's secret guards surrounding Li Xingluo to prepare to strike.

Yet, Jiamo Lin's jaw dropped in shock; he discovered that after receiving the order, his secret guards did not move, but instead collapsed to the ground one by one.

This was far beyond Jiamo Lin's expectations. He hadn't seen Li Xingluo make any movements, so how did he make these dozen or so secret guards fall? How did he do it?