Shen Bing wanted to lighten the mood by saying that monks never lied, but considering that the Queen Mother might not have a favorable impression of the Buddhists, he suppressed the impulse.
"I have never spoken a single falsehood," Shen Bing said.
The Queen Mother said, "Then I shall first pay you for identifying the thief. As for the reward for capturing them, you will naturally receive it once you have caught them."
Shen Bing certainly would not agree to this seemingly reasonable demand. He would have to be out of his mind to accept it.
"Queen Mother, my answer remains the same. All rewards must be paid in advance. If you disagree, then pretend I was never here," Shen Bing said.
A cold sneer appeared on the Queen Mother's face. "Now that you have entered my Jade Pool Immortal Realm, some things may no longer be up to you."
"Oh? Is the Queen Mother planning to force a deal on me?" Shen Bing asked mockingly. "If threats frightened me, do you think I would have come to your territory?"
The Queen Mother seemed unmoved. "In the past, the greatest punishment for beings of the Immortal Realm was to be cast into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and suffer for ten thousand lifetimes. Now that the Six Paths of Reincarnation are sealed, that suffering is gone, but the punishment is utter annihilation instead. Such true life and death is the greatest terror. Would you like to experience it?"
Shen Bing looked utterly unconcerned. "Life and death really don't matter as much to me as you imagine, Queen Mother. If you don't want to know who stole the Peaches of Immortality, then just kill me."
The Queen Mother shouted angrily, "Guards! Take him to the Immortal Execution Platform!"
As soon as