Chapter 140: Ulterior Motives

Although he had already devised a countermeasure, the bare minimum of acting still had to be performed. Now was not the time to utterly annihilate the other party; Luo Kui still possessed value as a tool.

Luo Kui was both a hostage in his hands and the only bargaining chip he controlled. If he were to take the other's life right now, he doubted he could even step outside the Rouge Pavilion before being instantly devoured by Luo Kui's remaining factions. Only by holding him captive and ensuring his own safe departure from the Ghost City would the optimal moment for revenge arrive.

Once that time came, he could completely go back on his word, instantly take Luo Kui's life, and stride away freely.

As for morality? Morality was something discussed with human beings—was Luo Kui even human?

An imperceptible, cold sneer could not help but surface on Lu Yunshu's face.

Yet, to Luo Kui, this expression appeared to be nothing more than the most ordinary silence, as though Lu Yunshu were struggling to make a difficult choice. After a long while, Lu Yunshu finally directed a gaze mixed with intense hatred back toward him.

Gritting his teeth, Lu Yunshu spoke, "I can let you leave, but you must guarantee the safety of my family members."

"Furthermore, you need to take my family members and leave the Yin-Yang Realm together with me."

"Once we reach the outside world, we will release our respective hostages simultaneously."

"Don't even think about bargaining. This is not a negotiation, but a necessary condition. If you refuse to agree, then there is no need for us to continue talking. At worst, we perish together in a mutual destruction."

Hearing this, Luo Kui smiled. "As you wish."

"However, I do have one small condition. Once we go out later, please save a little face for me. Do not keep me looking like this."

He pointed to Lu Yunshu's hands, which were still locked tightly around him, a look of helplessness appearing on his face as he continued, "No matter how incompetent I might be, I am still a person of some standing within this Ghost City. If outsiders were to see me in such a wretched state, wouldn't I lose all my dignity?"

Lu Yunshu's expression remained stern and cold, devoid of the slightest emotional nuance as he retorted, "Compared to your face, I suggest you value your own life first. Don't bargain with me; those little tricks of yours cannot fool me."

When dealing with someone like Luo Kui, one must never afford the other party a chance to catch their breath. Once given the opportunity to turn the tables, the opponent would bite back without the slightest shred of mercy.

He did not believe a single word of Luo Kui's sweet-sounding nonsense. Even if the other person talked until the heavens split open, he would not compromise.

Lu Yunshu's reaction was entirely within Luo Kui's expectations, yet the latter still managed to put on an appearance of anger mixed with utter helplessness.

Seeing this, Lu Yunshu actually felt a slight sense of gratification in his heart. Putting that aside, however, he felt as though he had suffered an entirely unprovoked disaster today. His business had been running perfectly well when Luo Kui suddenly accused him of harboring an illicit relationship with Mu Lan.

What was even more infuriating was that Luo Kui was nothing more than a reckless brute. Not only did he refuse to distinguish right from wrong, but he also refused to listen to any explanations. Especially given the circumstances where the other party believed they had caught him "red-handed," he was unable to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Luo Kui let out a bitter laugh. "Cooperation requires mutual compromise, not a situation where only one side suffers losses while the other refuses to make any concessions. Where in this world is there such logic?"

Lu Yunshu glanced sideways at Luo Kui's sinister visage, paying it little mind. What the other person thought didn't matter; he only needed to trick the fellow into the outside world to execute the plan he had long since plotted in his mind.

"You don't have any other choice, do you?"

"Besides, I am the one holding the advantage right now. My family members simply aren't as valuable as you are, Lord Luo."

"Fine, you're ruthless..."

As if conceding defeat, Luo Kui ceased insisting on his previous minor condition. Yet, deep within his profound gaze, it was impossible to tell what he was truly plotting.

Thus, each harboring their own treacherous thoughts under the guise of cooperation, the two of them soon emerged from the secret chamber under Lu Yunshu's custody.

Several guards followed closely behind. One of them worriedly asked, "What should we do next?"

"This matter has already exceeded our control. Since we can't think of a better solution right now, we can only take it one step at a time," another guard analyzed.

"Screw it. Even if Luo Kui dies, it has nothing to do with us. He's a dead man anyway, and in the end, the blame won't fall on our heads. Without Luo Kui, the Luo Estate will exist in name only. At worst, we brothers can just look for another way out. Why should we risk our lives for someone else's sake?"

No sooner had his voice fallen than it immediately received enthusiastic echoes from the other guards. They were merely hired hands doing a job for money; if the person paying them died, then there was damn well no reason to throw their lives away. At that point, the most sensible course of action was to switch allegiances to another master and continue collecting money to eliminate troubles for others.

However, all of this was premised on maintaining their own safety; some money simply wasn't worth risking their lives for.

Luo Kui remained entirely unaware that the guards he valued most had already begun discussing finding a new employer before he was even dead.

Even if he had known, however, he wouldn't have cared deeply. He had never expected these recruited guards to possess any profound loyalty; all he needed were subordinates capable of executing his orders without reservation. Even if they served purely for wealth, he considered that entirely normal.

After all, wealth was the very thing he lacked least. Trading some superfluous possessions in exchange for what he needed was a profitable venture no matter how one looked at it.

He didn't know what others thought, but at least from his perspective, that was how the world worked.

The bustling of the world was all for the sake of profit; the hustle of the world was all for the pursuit of gain. Everyone was driven by different interests, and no one was an exception—unless they were utterly devoid of desires and pursuits, but did such people even truly exist?

Even enlightened cultivators still possessed the seven emotions and six desires, and not even the sages of antiquity could claim to be completely free of desire.

If someone truly appeared by his side claiming to be a completely selfless, unflinchingly loyal subordinate, Luo Kui would instead suspect them of harboring malicious ulterior motives.

In this world, he firmly believed there was no such thing as an unreasoned, causeless favor.

Within a few moments, Lu Yunshu led Luo Kui out into the outer chambers.

Lu Yunshu first swept his gaze over the utter chaos and destruction inside his home, a desolate chill involuntarily piercing his heart. He silently whispered a farewell to his family.

When he had first brought his dependents to settle down in this Ghost City, relying on his peerless ancestral craftsmanship, his Rouge Pavilion had quickly made a name for itself and swept through the entire Ghost City like wildfire.

Originally, Lu Yunshu had been prepared to simply muddle along and take life as it came. It was a pity that unpredictable winds and clouds arise in nature; it just so happened to be at this very moment that an uninvited guest like Luo Kui had descended upon his Rouge Pavilion.