noffsinger Chapter 73 Planning Ahead
Chapter 73 Planning Ahead
Madam Wen was taken aback by Mu Chunfeng's words, then chuckled softly as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.
She laughed so hard her whole body trembled, which aggravated her wounds, causing another heart-wrenching cough, with dark red blood dripping down the corners of her mouth.
"trade?"
She looked at Mu Chunfeng with a pale yet utterly contemptuous smile on her lips, her eyes filled with disdain.
"A Foundation Establishment ant dares to negotiate with me? If I weren't in my current predicament, you wouldn't even have the right to stand before me and speak. Is this how Ji Yin teaches you to be so arrogant?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "extremely yin," her tone carrying a subtle hint of probing and wariness.
Mu Chunfeng had anticipated this. He wasn't angry; he simply watched her calmly until her laughter gradually subsided before slowly speaking, "Senior is right. If Senior hadn't fallen on hard times, I naturally wouldn't be qualified to negotiate with you. But now, does Senior have any other choice but to make a deal with me?"
He pointed lightly to his eyes: "When you wanted to take me as your disciple in the fire cave, wasn't it because you valued the ability of my eyes to see through illusions?"
Madam Wen's face suddenly darkened: "So what?"
"It's nothing."
Mu Chunfeng slowly withdrew his hand, his tone calm and undisturbed: "This junior only wanted to tell senior that there was no deep-seated hatred between us. The previous scheming against each other can be considered as an eye for an eye."
"You previously wanted my double pupils to help you break the Nascent Soul restriction, and now I also want something from you, senior. We can make a fair deal."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen suddenly scoffed, "A fair trade? A disciple of the Extreme Yin Demon dares to talk to me about fairness? If I believe you, the restrictions won't even be lifted before the Extreme Yin Demon uses them against me. Even if you can break the restrictions within me and free me from that vicious dog, I'll be entangled by another venomous snake the moment I turn my back. Wouldn't that be even worse?"
This is what she truly fears.
While the Six Paths Supreme Saint's restrictions are indeed terrifying, the Extreme Yin Old Demon is also a member of the demonic path, with a deep mind and ruthless methods. How is he any different from the Six Paths Supreme Saint?
If Ji Yin knew that she had a restriction personally placed on her by Liu Dao, and that she was determined to betray Liu Dao, she would only treat her as a pawn, and her fate would be a hundred times worse than it is now.
She would rather die on this deserted island than become a tool for two demons to fight each other.
"Don't worry, senior, I am not a disciple of the Extreme Yin Demon."
As soon as Mu Chunfeng said this, the cave fell into a deathly silence, and even the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks outside seemed to have faded away.
"What did you say?"
"I am not a disciple of Ji Yin. Before, in the Fire Cave, I said that I was a disciple of the Ji Yin Ancestor, but that was just a lie I told to save my life from the senior's clutches."
Mu Chunfeng spoke frankly, meeting her shocked gaze, and said, word by word, "My real name is Mu Chunfeng. I am merely an unknown rogue cultivator from the Chaotic Star Sea, and I have absolutely no connection with the Extreme Yin Ancestor. If you don't believe me, senior, think about it carefully. How could someone like the Extreme Yin Ancestor accept a Foundation Establishment cultivator as his personal disciple? And how could he send his personal disciple alone to a mere Six-Hall Connection?"
Madam Wen was taken aback at first, then she seemed to remember something. The shock and confusion in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp gaze, as if coated with poison: "Impossible! If you're not a disciple of the Extreme Yin Sect, how would you know about the Reverse Star Alliance, and its secret codes!"
"You're still lying to me!"
She let out a low growl, her chest heaving violently, which aggravated her wounds, and she coughed again, her voice filled with excruciating pain.
Mu Chunfeng did not rush to defend herself.
He knew that at a time like this, words were inadequate. Besides, he genuinely didn't know how to explain how he knew the Reverse Star Alliance's code; it was an unsolvable mystery.
He suddenly raised his head and solemnly declared, "I, Mu Chunfeng, hereby swear an oath to my inner demons: I have no master-disciple or subordinate relationship with the Extreme Yin Old Demon or Extreme Yin Island, nor have I ever joined either the Reverse Star Alliance or the Star Palace. I am now merely a rogue cultivator. If my words are false, may my inner demons enter my body, my Dao heart collapse, and I be condemned to eternal damnation."
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Wen's pupils contracted sharply.
She heard every word Mu Chunfeng said clearly. This was not an illusion or a trick to deceive people; it was a genuine vow from the heart, guided by the Dao.
She had been in the Chaotic Star Sea for hundreds of years and had never seen anyone dare to joke about such an oath—especially a promising young cultivator.
She stared intently at Mu Chunfeng, the cold sharpness in her eyes gradually crumbling, replaced by deeper confusion and disbelief.
"You...you really aren't a disciple of Jiyin?" Her voice carried a hint of uncertainty for the first time.
"No." Mu Chunfeng lowered his head again, looking calmly at Madam Wen.
"If I were a disciple of the Extreme Yin Sect, I wouldn't waste my breath talking to you. I would simply take you back to Extreme Yin Island, hand you over to the Extreme Yin Old Demon, and tell him everything. Your fate would be far worse then."
These words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing the deepest fear in Madam Wen's heart.
"That code word..."
She gritted her teeth and asked the question that puzzled her the most.
"I found out about that by chance. Besides, I've already made a vow against my inner demons, so surely you should believe me, senior. I'm just an unknown rogue cultivator with no connection to any power."
Mu Chunfeng was prepared and blurted it out.
Seeing the gradually softening look in Madam Wen's eyes, he did not make a sound to disturb her.
The two fell into a brief silence.
After a while, Madam Wen finally spoke, her voice hoarse: "What do you want?"
Mu Chunfeng smiled slightly, knowing that she had taken the initiative.
He slowly stood up, his back to Madam Wen, looking at the moonlight streaming in through the crack in the stone, and slowly stated his deal:
"First, I imagine your life is what you care about most right now, senior. After all, without life, everything else is meaningless. So, my first offer is to spare your life, on the condition that you take me into the inner palace after the Void Heaven Palace opens several decades from now!"
"Secondly, given the severity of your injuries, Senior, you must be expending considerable resources and time to recover. I happen to possess two ten-thousand-year-old Fire Lotus Seeds. If Senior could consume one and refine it, not only would your injuries heal quickly, but you might even be able to advance further. As for the condition, I require cultivation resources of equal value in exchange!"
"Third, since you wish to break free from the restrictions binding your body, my double pupils happen to possess the ability to see through everything. However, my cultivation is still shallow, and I am unable to break the methods left behind by the great cultivator. Therefore, if you wish to receive my help, you must not become my enemy in the future. We can become allies and help each other."
"Fourth, in this transaction, the senior must swear an oath against harming the junior, otherwise..."