Master

The room fell silent. Hua Jin stared at Lin Qingyang in astonishment and pointed at Qi Mo. "You want to buy him? For five thousand?"

Jin Buhuan flicked open his fan, concealing his upturned lips. "If you're willing to offer more, Boss Hua, the two of you can bid against each other."

"Are you out of your mind? Five thousand for a thing like that!" Hua Jin cried in frustration.

Lin Qingyang shrugged. "Can't help it. I've got money to burn."

Hua Jin pointed a trembling finger at Lin Qingyang, then at Jin Buhuan. "You're working together to make a fool of me, aren't you? Where's Sect Leader Shi? Tell him to come see me. I'd like to see whether your Nine Skies Sect has any shame left!"

Lin Qingyang looked somewhat troubled. "I'm afraid your timing is unfortunate. My senior brother, the sect leader, has gone into seclusion. The acting sect leader of the Nine Skies Sect is none other than myself."

Hua Jin clutched her chest and glared at Lin Qingyang, too furious to speak.

"Fine, Lin Qingyang. I'll remember you!" Hua Jin spat through gritted teeth, then turned and stormed out.

Moments later, a series of neighs rang out outside, and the magnificent carriage beyond the window flew off, looking distinctly displeased.

Jin Buhuan waved his fan and said helplessly, "I'm afraid we can forget about buying demon slaves from Jin Yao Workshop again."

"It's a wicked business. We're better off without it," Lin Qingyang said, then looked down at Qi Mo, who was still half-kneeling on the floor, looking utterly bewildered.

Qi Mo came back to his senses and was just about to rise when he noticed Lin Qingyang looking at him. His expression froze, and he stiffly lowered himself, actually kneeling back down. Lin Qingyang raised an eyebrow. Since when did this brat know how to behave? Had he realized he would be in my hands from now on and decided to hurry up and play nice?

"Since you're buying him, Elder Lin, sign this first." Jin Buhuan produced a contract. The transaction details and price had already been filled in.

"That was awfully fast," Lin Qingyang said speechlessly. If he hadn't come on a whim, he would have suspected Jin Buhuan had prepared it in advance.

Jin Buhuan smiled and offered him a brush. Lin Qingyang took the contract and skimmed it, then frowned. "Why is it five thousand and fifty?"

"The fifty is for the teacup," Jin Buhuan said, glancing at the shattered cup on the floor.

Lin Qingyang gave him a speechless look and took the brush. Its tip paused over the paper before he signed his name. Jin Buhuan inspected it with satisfaction and put the contract away. This also meant that Qi Mo was now his private property. Had I actually become a slave owner?

Lin Qingyang turned toward Qi Mo, only to discover that Qi Mo was looking at him too. But the moment their eyes met, Qi Mo lowered his gaze awkwardly, seeming a little afraid to look at him.

Lin Qingyang stepped forward and crouched down. Qi Mo had no choice but to look up at him. All the fierceness had vanished from his face, replaced by a little nervousness and uncertainty.

"What, scared now? Weren't you pretty tough earlier?" Lin Qingyang asked, raising an eyebrow. Remembering how this brat had actually dared to lose his temper with him, he poked his head again and threatened, "I'll string you up and give you a beating when we get back."

Qi Mo blinked, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. Lin Qingyang found that rather dull, only to catch sight of the tail hidden behind him, which actually swayed gently. The corner of Lin Qingyang's mouth twitched. This brat didn't have some peculiar kink, did he?

Jin Buhuan came forward. "You can play when you get back. We need to adjust the Demon-Locking Ring first."

Lin Qingyang rose and stepped back a little. Jin Buhuan raised a hand, and a Golden Rope shot out of his sleeve, binding Qi Mo. Spiritual light shimmered over the Golden Rope, and Qi Mo frowned in discomfort.

"What's this for?" Lin Qingyang asked with a frown.

"I'm about to open the Demon-Locking Ring. Without anything suppressing his demonic power, I'm afraid he might become uncontrollable," Jin Buhuan explained.

Qi Mo seemed thoroughly familiar with the procedure and barely reacted, merely keeping his eyes fixed on Lin Qingyang.

Jin Buhuan stepped forward and touched his thumb to the Demon-Locking Ring. With a click, the ring sprang open.

Lin Qingyang saw Qi Mo's eyes suddenly go vacant. Then a violent surge of demonic qi erupted from his body, sweeping through the entire room like a raging tide. Lin Qingyang choked on it and broke into a fit of coughing. Qi Mo let out a beastlike roar. His bloodshot eyes turned red, his nails grew wildly and sharpened at a visible speed, and sharp fangs emerged between his bright red lips. The swelling from the slap on his face also healed rapidly under the effects of his demonic power.

Jin Buhuan handed the Demon-Locking Ring to Lin Qingyang. It was very light, its intricate, subdued patterns presumably forming some array for suppressing demonic power. When he looked at Qi Mo again, those eyes were completely different, filled with primal animal instinct and madness. They stared fixedly at him like a beast eyeing its prey, making his skin crawl. In just that brief interval, long gray fur had already begun sprouting from Qi Mo's exposed skin.

"If you don't put it on him soon, he'll reveal his true form," Jin Buhuan urged.

Lin Qingyang hurriedly slipped the Demon-Locking Ring around his neck. They were so close that he could feel Qi Mo's hot breath against his face. Lin Qingyang's fingers trembled. After a few attempts at the ring, he finally found the right spot and released a thread of spiritual power, followed by a click. Lin Qingyang could feel some miraculous connection forming between the spiritual power inside him and the Demon-Locking Ring, as though he had suddenly connected to some Wi-Fi network.

Then the Demon-Locking Ring released a powerful burst of spiritual power. Qi Mo let out an agonized scream as the fur that had grown rapidly receded, and his teeth and nails returned to normal. Then he slumped to the floor as though all his strength had drained away, head lowered as he panted heavily. His sweat-soaked hair clung to his neck, and he looked as though he had endured a bout of torture.

Jin Buhuan waved a hand and retrieved the Golden Rope binding him. Lin Qingyang stepped forward to support him. Qi Mo weakly lifted his lowered head to look at him, his amber eyes unusually bright. There was even a hint of a smile on his face as he softly called:

"Master."

The address left Lin Qingyang rather embarrassed. He turned his head awkwardly to avoid Qi Mo's gaze, yet an inexplicable unease suddenly stirred in his heart. In a strange world like this, had he been right or wrong to impulsively take responsibility for someone else's fate?

In the courtyard of Clear Wind Pavilion, Feng Shu and Feng Yi were practicing their swordsmanship with miserable expressions. The thought of tomorrow's assessment filled them both with despair. After all, Lin Qingyang was a once-in-a-century sword cultivation genius, hailed as the Immortal Alliance's foremost sword cultivator. Never mind the two of them-few in the entire Cultivation World could last ten exchanges against him.

While they practiced, they saw Lin Qingyang amble back in from outside, only he had Qi Mo following him-the very same Qi Mo they had sent away just a few days earlier.

"Master, why did you bring him back again?" Feng Yi asked in surprise. Feng Shu also frowned at Qi Mo.

Qi Mo merely followed behind Lin Qingyang with lowered eyes, his expression unusually docile.

Lin Qingyang cleared his throat. "He'll be living at Clear Wind Pavilion from now on. Get along with each other, and no fighting."

Feng Shu and Feng Yi both looked at Lin Qingyang in confusion, while Qi Mo obediently answered, "Yes, Master."

Lin Qingyang glanced at him awkwardly, still not quite used to that form of address. Hearing it, Feng Shu and Feng Yi were even more shocked, their eyes widening.

Feng Yi pointed at Qi Mo and exclaimed, "Master! He-he called you..."

Lin Qingyang said helplessly, "Why are you shouting? I bought him back. One more person will liven things up."

Feng Shu and Feng Yi stared at him in astonishment. Their reaction was understandable. Keeping a private slave hardly did one's reputation any favors, especially for a cultivator like Lin Qingyang. After all, the sect's demon slaves could handle everyday chores and odd jobs. Most people who bought private slaves did so to satisfy certain personal needs. Even if they believed their master wasn't that sort of person, outsiders wouldn't think that way.

"But he..." Feng Shu had only just spoken when Lin Qingyang cut him off with a wave.

"Enough. I've already bought him. I mean, you two are so young-don't you get bored spending all day cooped up in the courtyard practicing your swordsmanship? Go out and have some fun when you've got nothing to do." With that, Lin Qingyang headed for his room without giving him another chance to speak.

Behind Lin Qingyang, however, Qi Mo raised an eyebrow at Feng Shu before following Lin Qingyang inside, leaving Feng Shu fuming.

Feng Yi scratched his head. "So are we supposed to keep practicing or not...?"