Yue Ting fell silent for a moment. "The reason I waited for you, Brother Qing, was to make a deal with you. To be honest, I was only trying to gain more leverage and pay a smaller price."
At that moment, Qing Chen looked at the young man before him, covered in blood, his aura in turmoil, yet still forcing himself to remain upright.
For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see again the boy aboard that magic vessel nearly three hundred years ago, leaning against the rail and asking with feigned nonchalance whether he was thinking about the woman in red.
Back then, Yue Ting had possessed a sincerity rooted in his very bones, something rarely seen in the cultivation world.
But the years were a blade. After nearly three hundred years of wind and frost, that boy had ultimately donned layer upon layer of armor, learning to scheme and keep something in reserve.
Qing Chen waved a hand, his smile warm. "My reputation isn't particularly good these days. It's only natural that you'd be wary. But to tell you the truth, I wasn't trying to kill you just now, only control you. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have had the chance to take out those two talismans."
His gaze skimmed over the two White Bone Demon Mara Banners before Yue Ting. A flicker of greed flashed through his heart and vanished, and his gentle expression returned. "Besides, you're an alchemy genius and an old friend of mine. I certainly won't treat you poorly. As for what you want me to do, just say the word."
At the words "old friend," the corner of Yue Ting's mouth twitched slightly, tugging at the wound in his chest. He could not help coughing up another mouthful of blood.
He took out a