Hearing the second matter Zhang Mingli brought up, Gao Ming frowned. Madam Xi's estate was about as large as the Tang Residence. She and Lord Tang were both terrifying figures in Dreamfold Town. Ordinary people would never dream of provoking them; they could hardly scramble fast enough to curry favor.
"You've got some nerve asking that!" Gao Ming reached behind himself, not for the scripture scroll, but to draw the Butcher's Knife.
"I know Madam Xi's estate is dangerous, but doesn't that just prove my sincerity?" Zhang Mingli leaned against the doorframe. He looked exhausted, as though he hadn't had a proper rest in a very long time. "I could easily have waited until I'd tricked you out of the scripture scroll before telling you the truth. But I didn't. I've been honest and told you everything. The choice is still yours."
"So am I supposed to praise you?" In Gao Ming's eyes, Zhang Mingli no longer had a shred of a teacher's authority. His demeanor had never suited a teacher anyway. Who knew what he actually did in reality?
"Besides me, have you heard anyone in this nightmare even mention honesty? Would anyone else use that word?" Zhang Mingli remained calm and unhurried, as though he had spent years immersed in books and cultivating his character. But Gao Ming didn't believe a single word he said. Anyone who survived in this Deep Nightmare was ruthless.
Unlike when he first entered the nightmare, Gao Ming now had other "backers." Chunniang could supply him with plenty of information, so he no longer had to stumble around blindly. Although she was twisted and depraved inside, Gao Ming always felt she was far more straightforward than Zhang Mingli. At least dealing with her wouldn't leave him helping count the money from his own