Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Chapter 237: Going Too Far, Truly Going Too Far!

Tu Ruoxu had fully regained his composure. Completely ignoring a certain idiot who was currently winking and making frantic faces at him, he turned his gaze toward Qi Yuan. With an air of serene dignity, he said,

“I consider myself well-read and knowledgeable about worldly affairs, yet I have never heard of the Demonic Sect producing someone of such Peerless talent and extraordinary strength as yourself.”

“Moreover, among the many Legacy Disciples of the Demonic Sect, your name has never appeared. If my guess is correct, you must be a brilliant strategist, adept at concealing your true depths and maintaining a low profile.”

Qi Yuan blinked. He shot Tu Ruoxu a half-amused, half-mocking look, deliberately dialing up the disdain in his voice.

“Cut the crap with the flattery. You hypocritical righteous path bastards are best at spouting sweet talk while hiding daggers behind your smiles. You two are about to meet your makers—any last words?”

His tone dripped with contempt and impatience toward the renowned orthodox sects, perfectly capturing the unhinged swagger of a true Demonic Cultivator.

Internally, Qi Yuan just wanted to let these two idiots go and be on his way. But he was currently playing the role of a vicious, bloodthirsty Demonic Cultivator. If he just waved them off, it would look incredibly fake and arouse suspicion.

Of course, expecting Piao Genshuo—whose brain had long since rotted from visiting too many brothels—to come up with a miraculous comeback plan was less likely than a sow climbing a tree. Qi Yuan couldn’t even throw the match if he tried; Piao Genshuo wouldn’t know how to catch it.

The only one worth anticipating was this “steadfast” and “infallible” Holy Scion. Qi Yuan waited to see how this self-proclaimed strategic genius would logic his way out of a death-match, thereby giving Qi Yuan the perfect excuse to gracefully exit stage left.

Qi Yuan had already made up his mind. As long as Tu Ruoxu acted even slightly reasonable, he would immediately take the out and let these two unlucky bastards live…

Last words? Piao Genshuo’s face instantly drained of color. He frantically waved his hands.

“Big brother, isn’t this a bit inappropriate? No matter what, we still have some past acquaintance! Now that old friends reunite, how can you just turn your back and deny our connection?”

“You have the nerve to talk about old friends reuniting?” Qi Yuan rolled his eyes. He casually summoned the fallen Dragon-Binding Lock into his hand, tossing it up and catching it to gauge its weight. “So, in your book, a friendly reunion involves a lethal sneak attack from the shadows?”

“If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve, I’d already be trussed up like a pig by this piece of junk. I’d say this is more like enemies meeting with murder in their eyes.”

Piao Genshuo let out a dry, awkward laugh. “Hehe… a misunderstanding! A pure misunderstanding.”

“Scram. Save your breath; I’m not your buddy.” Qi Yuan snorted coldly, entirely done wasting words on this moron.

Standing to the side, Tu Ruoxu furrowed his brows. After a moment of heavy contemplation, he spoke up:

“You chose to undergo your Tribulation Crossing in this remote wilderness, clearly indicating you don’t wish to publicize this matter.”

“How about this: the two of us will swear a Heavenly Dao oath right here and now, vowing never to reveal your Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation to outsiders. Furthermore, we guarantee we will never oppose you if we cross paths in the future. What do you say?”

Qi Yuan felt a surge of inner delight. This guy really is a smart one. He knows exactly where he stands. In a situation like this, rather than kneeling to beg for mercy or playing some pathetic ’emotional’ card, it was far better to just lay the cards on the table, show genuine sincerity, and negotiate a way out.

However, buddy, I’m currently playing an insatiably greedy Demonic Cultivator. Did you really think I’d just let you off the hook with a few pretty words?

Qi Yuan cleared his throat lightly. A sinister, predatory smirk curled the corners of his mouth.

“I have always been a broad-minded, honest, and kind-hearted man,” he drawled slowly. “Since you are so sensible, sparing your lives is no big deal. However…”

Tu Ruoxu raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping an octave. “However what?”

Qi Yuan bared his teeth in an evil grin. “You two attacked me for no damn reason. Did you really think we could just sweep that under the rug?”

“As compensation, hand over your Storage Rings and every single valuable item you have on you right now. Otherwise, don’t blame me when things get messy!”

As the saying goes, if you’re going to play a role, you have to fully commit to the bit. To properly convey a Demonic Cultivator’s insatiable greed and petty, vengeful nature, a little impromptu shakedown was absolutely necessary.

Besides, these two were Holy Scions from the sacred lands. They had noble statuses and ridiculously deep pockets. This loss was just a drop in the bucket for them. He would just consider it ’emotional distress compensation’ for their earlier ambush.

This is a learning experience for them, Qi Yuan reasoned silently, swiftly squashing any faint trace of guilt. If they ran into a real Demonic Cultivator, they’d be devoured until not even bone dust remained. They should be thanking me for being so reasonable.

“Huh?!”

Before Tu Ruoxu could reply, Piao Genshuo nearly blew a gasket. Veins popped on his forehead, and his face flushed an angry crimson as he shrieked,

“Big brother, your heart is too black!”

“Tricking me out of my Celestial Zenith Body Tempering Pill and Nine Luminaries Liluo Pendant earlier was bad enough! Now you actually want to rob me of my entire net worth? Do you have a conscience at all?!”

Qi Yuan scoffed, his tone dripping with cheerful malice. “You’re talking about ‘conscience’ with someone from The Saint Sect? Is your brain filled with water?”

“If you don’t agree, that’s fine too. I’ll just kill you first, and all your things will still be mine. How about it? Want to test your luck?”

“You—”

Piao Genshuo began to snarl, but Tu Ruoxu abruptly cut him off.

“My friend has a quick temper and is prone to impulsive actions. Please, do not take offense, sir!” Tu Ruoxu interjected smoothly. “You want our valuable treasures? Not a problem. The two of us are willing to offer them up with both hands, absolutely without complaint. We only hope you can be magnanimous and let us off this once.”

Our lives are literally resting in the palm of his hand, and he dares to act arrogantly?! Has Piao Genshuo’s brain completely short-circuited?

Tu Ruoxu felt an immense, crushing mental exhaustion. Having such a pig-headed teammate by his side was truly a stroke of cosmically terrible luck.

Qi Yuan shot Tu Ruoxu an approving glance. As expected of the renowned strategic genius; this ability to swallow grievances and endure humiliation for the sake of the bigger picture was truly commendable.

In short order, Qi Yuan cleanly and efficiently looted every single item off the two Holy Scions, including that obviously extraordinary Dharma Treasure, the Dragon-Binding Lock.

Then, after Tu Ruoxu and Piao Genshuo obediently swore their Heavenly Dao oaths, Qi Yuan finally departed in total satisfaction, soaring into the sky without leaving a single trace behind.

“He went too far! He truly went too far!”

Once Qi Yuan was far out of sight, Piao Genshuo scrambled up from the dirt. Furious and thoroughly exasperated, he gnashed his teeth.

“From this day forward, I and that great demon Big Qi are irreconcilable enemies!”

Tu Ruoxu, however, merely shook his head with a bitter smile. His expression was heavy.

“This person is not only meticulous, sinister, and incredibly cunning, but he has also achieved the Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation. The appearance of such a figure within the Demonic Sect spells endless trouble for the righteous path.”

“Worse yet, bound by our oaths, we cannot report this specific matter to our Sects, nor can we ever oppose him in the future, lest we suffer the backlash of the Heavenly Dao. Sigh… we’ve taken a massive fall this time.”

Hearing this, Piao Genshuo instantly shut his mouth, his rather ugly face flushing a deep, frustrated red. After a long while, he finally managed to calm down. Frowning in confusion, he asked,

“Senior Brother Tu, just now, Big Qi could have easily taken our lives. Why didn’t he just kill us in the end?”

Tu Ruoxu looked at him in genuine surprise. Well, at least he isn’t hopelessly stupid, he mused inwardly. At least he can spot the anomaly.

Sighing lightly, Tu Ruoxu slowly explained, “People like him are extremely cautious. They understand the principle that ‘the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be destroyed by the wind.'”

“Currently, the righteous path holds the overwhelming advantage in the world. Even a massive force like the Demonic Sect is forced to turtle up inside the Five Regions Demon Domain, unable to expand outward.”

“If the two of us were killed here today, the orthodox Sects would never let the matter rest. As the perpetrator, he would be hunted down relentlessly. His future path in cultivation would never know a day of peace.”

“Therefore, his ability to decisively forfeit the glory and merit of killing two righteous Holy Scions, choosing instead to continue lying low—that is where his true, terrifying cunning lies!”

“Oh! So that’s how it is!” Piao Genshuo nodded in sudden, profound realization. Then, as if a thought had just struck him, he pressed further, “Then what should we do? Do we just let that guy roam free?”

“Not necessarily.” Tu Ruoxu’s gaze turned deep and calculating, his expression impassive. “The Heavenly Dao oath we just swore explicitly prevents us from revealing his Myriad Tribulations Soul Formation. Other information, however, is not covered by it.”

“We can still report to our respective Holy Lands that the Demonic Sect has produced a dangerous rising star named Big Qi. That way, the Holy Lands can keep an eye out and avoid being caught off guard in the future!”

As he spoke, Tu Ruoxu casually reached up and spat a delicate, miniature Storage Ring out of his mouth.

“Ah?! This…”

Seeing Tu Ruoxu’s sleight of hand, Piao Genshuo was utterly stunned.

Weren’t we all supposed to be completely robbed blind? How the hell do you still have a stash?!

Tu Ruoxu glanced at Piao Genshuo with a look usually reserved for the intellectually challenged. Calmly, he explained, “When traveling the martial world, safety comes first. Obviously, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

“This Storage Ring is where my true assets are kept, prepared precisely to prevent situations like today’s. By the way, this stays between us. Don’t go spreading this around…”

The veins on Piao Genshuo’s forehead throbbed violently. He felt deeply, personally victimized.

Are you kidding me…? In the end, I’m the only one who actually went bankrupt?!