Have you ever seen a robber treat your illness too?

"Soul Bones?!" Ma Xiaotao asked in confusion. "What do you want Soul Bones for? I have to admit, you really do dare to open your lion's maw wide."

"I told you, I have no interest whatsoever in helping you suppress that so-called Phoenix Evil Fire. Even if its backlash really does kill you, I won't feel the slightest guilt," Huo Yuhao said with a cold sneer.

"But since you said you'd agree to any conditions, I certainly won't stand on ceremony. I don't lack money or medicinal treasures. If you want to make a deal with me, bring Soul Bones!"

Ma Xiaotao's expression shifted several times. As both an Inner Academy disciple and a student of Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, she could forcibly subdue Huo Yuhao without facing any consequences. After all, the gulf between their status was simply too vast.

But Huo Yuhao could control the Phoenix Evil Fire inside her, leaving her afraid to smash the rat lest she shatter the vase.

If his interference really caused her Evil Fire to spiral out of control, then even if Shrek Academy did not permanently confine or expel her for indiscriminate slaughter, the powerful figures in the city would kill her.

After all, when their lives were at stake, even offending Shrek Academy was nothing. Although Ma Xiaotao already possessed the strength of a Soul Emperor, she would undoubtedly die if she encountered a high-ranking Soul Saint or even a Soul Douluo.

"Fine. Which body part and attribute do you want the Soul Bones to have?" Ma Xiaotao asked.

"I want one Soul Bone over ten thousand years old, or two thousand-year Soul Bones. If they're trash like those Secret Art Soul Bones, I want four!" Huo Yuhao said mildly. "As for their attributes and body parts, I'm not picky. Anything will do."

Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened as she glared furiously at Huo Yuhao, clearly enraged by his astronomical asking price.

Huo Yuhao, however, showed no fear. He continued to regard Ma Xiaotao coldly, as though ready to shut the door and send her packing at any moment.

With a helpless sigh, Ma Xiaotao brushed her fingers over her wrist. A deep-blue Soul Bone and an emerald-green Soul Bone instantly appeared on the table before her.

"I don't have a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone either. These two are around three thousand years old: a water-attribute left arm bone and a wood-attribute right leg bone," Ma Xiaotao said, pointing at them.

Although Huo Yuhao's expression remained unchanged, he was secretly rather startled. As an Inner Academy disciple, Ma Xiaotao had no shortage of cultivation resources, but she could actually produce two Soul Bones that even a fortune could scarcely buy with such ease. Wasn't Shrek Academy a little too wealthy?

As though sensing Huo Yuhao's surprise, Ma Xiaotao said softly, "Shrek Academy's Inner Academy disciples spend most of their time away from the academy carrying out inspection missions, hunting down Evil Soul Masters who wreak havoc across the continent. Some of the Evil Soul Masters I've killed had Soul Bones. Once I killed them, those Soul Bones naturally became mine. But Soul Bones of this level aren't good enough for me, so I usually trade them away."

Huo Yuhao nodded. He had no objection to fighting violence with violence. After all, the Inner Academy students pursued Evil Soul Masters across the continent, risking their lives without a thought. It was only right that whatever they obtained after killing those Evil Soul Masters belonged to them.

But now his heart ached a little. Damn it, I asked for too little! If he had known Ma Xiaotao was this loaded, he would definitely have extorted a few more Soul Bones from her.

"Since you've already paid, you can come to me whenever you need help dealing with your Evil Fire backlash," Huo Yuhao said mildly, swiftly putting away the two thousand-year Soul Bones.

"But I need to remind you that this is merely the fee for persuading me to help you deal with the backlash. Your Evil Fire won't lash back just once. Apart from the first treatment, which is free, you'll have to pay me another Soul Bone each time."

"What?! Why don't you just rob people?!" Ma Xiaotao demanded furiously.

"Rob people? Have you ever seen a robber treat your illness too?" Huo Yuhao said with a chuckle. "That's my price. Accept it if you can. If you can't, I can return these two Soul Bones, and you can leave."

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao immediately hesitated. Although she would have to pay a Soul Bone every time she sought Huo Yuhao's help with her Evil Fire backlash, it would still buy her precious cultivation time.

Just that morning, for instance, Huo Yuhao had used the Flame Mantra to absorb all the Phoenix Evil Fire inside her, allowing her to cultivate in peace for three months without any danger of backlash.

Before that, however, Yan Shaozhe had already advised her to stop cultivating, because even the elders of the Sea God Pavilion could no longer suppress her Phoenix Evil Fire.

At least she had found a solution now. She merely needed to hunt down Evil Soul Masters regularly to obtain Soul Bones, which was hardly difficult for her.

The Holy Spirit Cult: Do you call that polite?

"Fine. We'll do it your way!" Ma Xiaotao said with a nod.

"Mm, I have one more condition." Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and pointed at himself.

"You must promise not to report anything you see or hear here to the academy. Of course, you can tell them I was the one who resolved your Evil Fire problem, but you cannot tell them about our deal or anything else here. Otherwise, I can terminate our arrangement at any time."

Ma Xiaotao had already seen him soaking in the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid when she arrived. On top of that, he had earlier consumed the green liquid droplets Yao Lao had refined from a Mystic Water Pill and a Soul Ascension Pill, causing his cultivation to soar. Taken together, those two things might well give the old fellows at Shrek Academy some ideas.

For Huo Yuhao, the most important thing now was to develop safely. He did not want to be locked up and studied like a lab rat. And if he chose to flee to Sun Moon, all his previous efforts would come to nothing, and he would be unable to avenge the body's original owner.

"Fine!" Having agreed to everything else, Ma Xiaotao naturally would not refuse such a simple request.

"I, Ma Xiaotao, swear upon my Martial Soul that I will not reveal any of Huo Yuhao's secrets to Shrek Academy! Will that do?"

Huo Yuhao nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face. "Yes. The next time you can't control your Evil Fire, you can come to me whenever you like."

Ma Xiaotao looked Huo Yuhao up and down again, and a blush finally spread across her face.

"Do you always like talking to people without any clothes on? You're just a newly enrolled student. How can you be so shameless?"

Huo Yuhao froze briefly, then looked down, and his face reddened too. He had jumped straight out of the bathtub earlier and spent all this time confronting and negotiating with Ma Xiaotao without putting on any clothes. He was still stark naked.

"Ahem. Don't worry, you can look all you want. I won't charge you."

Ma Xiaotao sprang up, about to leave through the guest room window. But at Huo Yuhao's words, her whole body trembled, and she nearly lost her breath and fell from the windowsill.

"Hmph. You're just a little bean sprout. What's there to look at?" Ma Xiaotao said, feigning disdain.

Then she leaped out like a swallow and vanished into the vast darkness of the night.

"A little bean sprout?" Huo Yuhao looked down at himself, then proudly puffed out his chest.

"You're just a silly little girl. What do you know about size? This is called saying the banana isn't sweet because you can't have it. I can't be bothered with you!"