Lü Yuan Beat This Woman to Her Knees, Surely It Was...

Turning the tables and killing her attacker...

It really was a word that brought back memories.

She had lived two lives, yet she had nearly come to grief because of the compassion she had felt at the very beginning.

She hadn't always been like this, had she? Obsessed with profit, utterly unscrupulous and without a shred of decency?

It was this world that had forced her to become this way.

Without putting profit above all else, she couldn't survive!

At the thought of this, Lin Qi's quick answer made Lü Yuan chuckle softly.

"You really are perceptive. No wonder an opportunity came knocking at your door."

"Should I say it was only to be expected?"

Lin Qi gave no answer to the compliment and simply looked at him.

She was a little puzzled. After all, since something like that had happened, shouldn't Lü Yuan have stopped trusting friends altogether, according to normal logic?

How could he be acting like this now?

So her tone was rather odd as she asked, "In that case, shouldn't you distrust so-called friends?"

Lü Yuan had prepared his answer long ago and brought the subject to a concise close:

"Wang Yan was nearby at the time too-"

So that was it. Lin Qi finally understood why this guy would go so far for Wang Yan and his so-called friends.

And from the looks of it, that guy called Wang Yan could probably be trusted too.

These two didn't seem like the sort of people the Lower City should have produced...

"I have no more questions," Lin Qi said. "Do you need me to write those two Secret Methods down for you now?"

She didn't keep him in suspense or try to hold out for a better price. Now that she understood Lü Yuan's character, that would have been the least sensible thing to do.

Whether from the standpoint of profit or emotion.

Lü Yuan nodded slightly, then rose and took out the paper and pen he had prepared long ago.

"Then sorry for the trouble-"

Soon, the soft scratching of a pen began.

Across from Lin Qi, Lü Yuan remained silent, calmly waiting for the final piece of his plan to deceive the heavens and cross the sea to fall into place.

Of course, this would also be the beginning of his glorious path!

Sure enough, using Wang Yan and friends as a shield for this really is a way to kill three birds with one stone.

Not only can it help me conceal my true purpose, I can also give him a hand.

Better still, it can lower Lin Qi's guard and increase her goodwill and trust, laying the groundwork for me to squeeze her dry in the future.

As a reincarnated Purple Mansion cultivator, returning to the Upper City must be among Lin Qi's goals.

And with the persona I've shown her so far, she must think her greatest hope of returning to the Upper City lies with me.

Lü Yuan's expression remained serene, but his thoughts churned. In that case, it'll be much easier for me to use her.

Tsk, after all that maneuvering, I've maximized the benefits.

Should I say, "As expected of me"?

Then, utterly bored, Lü Yuan's thoughts returned to the central topic of their recent conversation: "friends"-

His gaze lingered outside the window, on the cyberpunk city beneath the night sky.

A trace of coldness briefly appeared in Lü Yuan's eyes.

Unlike the things he had said earlier to establish his persona, avoid trouble, and secure benefits-

Lü Yuan didn't actually believe in friends all that much now.

Nearly everything he did was motivated by self-interest.

After all, even with Wang Yan, who had helped him dispose of the body and promised to keep the secret, he had considered whether to get rid of him.

If Wang Yan hadn't shown not even the slightest sign of being loose-lipped,

he probably wouldn't have lived to see today.

But if they could help him and refrain from betraying him, he wouldn't mind giving them a hand when he reached the top in the future.

When all was said and done, he, Master Lü, was a man with a kind heart.

But that was all.

Apart from his other self, the present Lü Yuan couldn't place absolute trust in anyone else.

Of course, if someone else could be like ancient cultivator Lü Yuan and let him play around with something like the Immortal Book without a care,

then they could pretend he had never said any of that.

Friends, trust, loyalty?

Heh, beautiful lies.

Lü Yuan turned back and looked at Lin Qi, who was writing slowly beneath the neon lights. That was what he thought.

Don't blame him for being a cold, heartless man.

Put yourself in her shoes. If it were Lin Qi sitting in front of him, would she hesitate and choose a riskier approach?

No, she would do the same as him.

Just as two months ago, to achieve her own goal, she had wagered her Immortal Dao potential against his without hesitation, using him as a stepping stone.

Time always passed quickly when one was lost in thought.

Just as Lü Yuan finished musing, Lin Qi handed him the pages she had written on-

Two Secret Methods.

The first was the Secret Method mentioned when he opened his Immortal Book account, which could raise the Spiritual Qi Aptitude of someone with fewer than 30 points by 10 points after birth.

The other was the Technique Method Lü Yuan had been longing for, the one that could conceal his cultivation status.

"A pleasure doing business. From this point on, we'll advance and retreat together."

Lü Yuan stood, walked around to the side of the table, and extended his left hand to Lin Qi.

Then he casually said, "As your friend, I should remind you that it's getting late. Do you want to stay over?"

"It'll be convenient for everyone to go to the Spirit Aperture institution together tomorrow, too."

Stay over?

Were there two beds in this room?

Lin Qi looked at him suspiciously. "I want to make sure: are you just being polite?"

Lü Yuan shook his head. "No."

She asked again, "Then do you have two rooms here?"

Lü Yuan answered, "No."

Lin Qi raised her head and glanced at Lü Yuan. "So... is this an excuse you just came up with for that?"

That lion-like way of speaking.

The corner of Lü Yuan's mouth twitched.

Even hearing those words from her a second time, he still had a little trouble keeping a straight face.

How come fucking was the first thing out of her mouth? What era was this? Couldn't she put it a little more elegantly?

No, wait, he hadn't been thinking anything of the sort!

Lü Yuan sighed softly. "I mean you can sleep in the living room."

"And I told you before, I'm not interested in you."

Lin Qi didn't know whether she believed him or not, but in any case, she finally reached out her hand.

"Good."

"Then, a pleasure doing business. And as friends, can we let bygones be bygones and put the unpleasantness caused by our bet behind us?"

"Can you accept that?"

"Or do you want to beat me up to vent your anger?"

Lin Qi asked softly. In truth, if Lü Yuan minded what had happened, she wanted to settle it now.

Otherwise, they couldn't become true friends.

Of course, she had her grandfather's teachings from back then to thank for her ability to think of that.

"You really don't mince words..."

Lü Yuan answered softly. After thinking it over, he came to a decision and continued:

"Of course I can accept it. After all, I understand why you did that."

As Lin Qi listened to his answer, she felt Lü Yuan pull her into his arms.

But before she had time to think or misunderstand anything else,

the tremendous force of Lü Yuan's free right hand sent a piercing pain spreading from her stomach through her entire body.

Even with his other hand supporting her, the blow still brought Lin Qi down onto one knee.

And the rest of Lü Yuan's words echoed in her ears at that moment.

"Just as I'm sure you can understand why I'm doing this now."

Hearing this, Lin Qi didn't feel that being treated this way as Lü Yuan's friend was disrespectful.

On the contrary, she felt a sense of relief, as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Right now I feel like you've raped me, so give me the bed tonight."

Lin Qi didn't get up. She simply looked up at Lü Yuan and asked softly,

"Is that okay?"