182: Chapter 182 The Girl with No Money: Kill Me, I Have Money

Although Xu Chen's finger had pulled open Mo Han's collar, he didn't proceed with any romantic or suggestive actions. Instead, a golden light suddenly flashed from his fingertips, and a Primordial Aura that made the laws of heaven and earth tremble instantly condensed.

"Don't move. This is your onboarding gift."

Buzz!

A complex and ancient golden rune appeared out of thin air, like a golden droplet of water, seeping into the depths of Mo Han's Sea of Consciousness without any resistance.

Mo Han felt her soul sink abruptly, as if an invisible shackle had been added.

It wasn't just a restriction of spiritual power, but a form of control originating from the very source of her life. She clearly perceived that with just a single thought from the man before her, her soul would instantly disintegrate, leaving her without even a chance for reincarnation.

Her life and death were now in someone else's hands.

As a top-tier assassin who had crawled out of piles of corpses, Mo Han experienced for the first time the despair of being "meat on the chopping block."

"Alright, now your life belongs to me."

Xu Chen withdrew his hand as if he had completed a trivial task, even finding the leisure to tidy her collar, which had been messed up earlier.

"Since your life is mine, naturally your property should be confiscated as well."

His gaze shifted downward, landing on the simple black storage ring on Mo Han's left index finger. Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled it right off.

"Give it back to me!"

A flash of genuine panic appeared in Mo Han's previously dead eyes. That was her entire net worth, her only reliance outside of that cold secret realm.

"What are you shouting for? Do you think this Young Master would covet your measly belongings?"

Xu Chen rolled his eyes at her. His divine sense converged into a cone, crudely breaking through the pathetic restriction on the ring, and he swept his gaze inside.

With this sweep, even Young Master Xu, who was accustomed to grand scenes, was stunned.

He blinked, doubting if he had seen correctly, and scanned it again, refusing to believe his eyes.

In the vast storage space, aside from a few bottles of low-grade healing pills piled in a corner, several spare ordinary iron daggers, and... several large boxes of black squares emitting a strange smell, there wasn't even a single decent spirit stone!

Truly, not! Even! One!

Xu Chen casually took out a black square and weighed it in his hand. It was as hard as a brick and had absolutely no spiritual energy fluctuations, only a type of extremely restrained high-density energy.

"This is the net worth of the number one on the Tian Sha List?"

Xu Chen looked at Mo Han on the bed with an expression of disbelief, waving the 'brick' in his hand. "You usually gnaw on this? What is this thing?"

Looking at the black brick, Mo Han's pale cheeks flushed red. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, yet she still held onto her last shred of dignity:

"This is... high-grade military Spirit Grain Bricks."

"To maintain the consumption of the 'Shadow Body' without absorbing external spiritual energy and exposing my position... I must supplement with this high-energy fuel. One block... can maintain combat functions for three days."

"Fuel?"

Xu Chen almost laughed out of anger.

Indeed, at the Quasi-Saint level, one has long since achieved Inedia and has no need to eat. But this girl clearly used these compressed energy blocks, which tasted like wax, to maintain her physical vitality for the sake of ultimate concealment while remaining in a long-term 'breath-holding' state.

"You, a grand Quasi-Saint Peak whose appearance fee starts at a Spirit Vein, a top-tier assassin, live this kind of ascetic life? Where is your money?"

Xu Chen threw the hard 'brick' back into the ring. "Was it all spent on this fodder that even pigs wouldn't eat?"

"I didn't... spend it recklessly."

Mo Han's eyes darted away, and she defended herself in a low, somewhat unconfident voice, "The money... was all given to the organization. The Hall Master said he would keep it for me and... give it all to me at once when I retire."

“Pfft—”

Xu Chen really couldn't hold it in; he laughed so hard he doubled over, tears almost coming out.

"Keep it for you? And wait until you retire?"

"Hahahaha... You actually believe such nonsense that would only fool a three-year-old? Have you lived these three thousand years for nothing?"

Xu Chen looked at Mo Han as if she were a fool. "The Heavenly Court is exploiting you as a pure tool! Retirement fund? When you're no longer useful, the only thing they'll give you is a cup of poisoned wine!"

Mo Han opened her mouth to argue but found herself speechless.

In truth, she knew it deep down, but it was her only hope, the sole reason she sustained herself through endless slaughter. Now that Xu Chen had ruthlessly exposed it, she felt a tightness in her chest and her eyes grew slightly sore.

"Alright, stop looking like a victim."

Xu Chen tossed the dirt-poor ring back to Mo Han. He found even holding such a pauper's ring to be a waste of space.

"Since you're so short on money, how about we make a deal?"

Xu Chen sat back on the edge of the bed, looking down at her, and held up three fingers.

"Be my personal maid and sign a five-hundred-year indentured contract."

"I won't..." Mo Han instinctively wanted to refuse. She was an assassin, never a slave.

"Don't be so quick to refuse, listen to the benefits first."

Xu Chen interrupted her and said slowly: "Every month, I'll give you ten Top-Grade Spirit Stone as pocket money."

The word "no" that was at the tip of Mo Han's tongue got stuck firmly in her throat.

Ten... Top-Grade Spirit Stone?

One must know that the Great Dao Laws contained within Top-Grade Spirit Stone were incredibly pure, making them the best resource for a Quasi-Saint's cultivation. In the Heavenly Court, only core elders at the Hall Master level could enjoy them. A 'tool' like her didn't even have the right to touch one.

"And..."

Xu Chen saw her wavering gaze, and the smile on his face deepened as he continued to raise the stakes, "Room and board are included."

"With me, you don't have to gnaw on those tooth-breaking Spirit Grain Bricks. Dragon liver, phoenix marrow, immortal wine, and spiritual fruits—these top-tier ingredients that can nourish the physical origin—you can have whatever you want to eat."

Mo Han's throat unconsciously bobbed.

No more gnawing on 'bricks'? She could eat real... food?

Xu Chen observed her expression. Looking at this face that, despite being three thousand years old, was as youthful as a young girl's, a mischievous thought suddenly arose in his mind.

This girl had always lived in such a high-pressure environment; she probably never even had a childhood, right?

"Seeing your inexperienced look, I bet you haven't even tasted the things mortal children eat, have you?"

Xu Chen leaned in closer, teasing her in a tone used for coaxing a child:

"For example... those sweet and sour candied hawthorns?"

Gulp.

A clear sound of swallowing echoed in the silent Bedchamber.

Although the sound was small, in the ears of a Quasi-Saint expert, it was like a clap of thunder.

The air instantly froze.

Mo Han froze there, her entire face turning bright red like a cooked shrimp. She lowered her head tightly, wishing she could die on the spot.

She indeed hadn't eaten them. But when passing through mortal cities on missions, she had watched children from afar holding those bright red skewers countless times. That was the only splash of color she had ever seen in her cold, black-and-white world.

"Oh?"

Xu Chen's eyes lit up, as if he had discovered a new world. "So you, with your poker face... actually like sweets?"

"I don't! I'm not! I..."

Mo Han tried to deny it in a panic, her cold assassin persona shattering into pieces at this moment.

"Alright, alright, don't explain. Explaining is just covering up."

Xu Chen suppressed his laughter and waved his hand grandly:

"As long as you're obedient, forget candied hawthorns—even if it's the Flat Peaches of Heaven, I'll pluck them and make them into candied hawthorns for you! And you can eat your fill!"

"How about it? Is it a deal?"

Mo Han looked up, and in those eyes that were originally dead, an intense internal struggle was currently taking place.

On one side was the so-called proud dignity of an assassin.

On the other side were ten Top-Grade Spirit Stone, a life without gnawing on bricks, and... endless candied hawthorns.

After a long time.

"Really... all I can eat?"

Mo Han's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of cautious probing. In those clear black-and-white eyes, a spark belonging to a "living person" appeared for the first time.

"This Young Master's word is his bond."

Xu Chen nodded with certainty.

Mo Han bit her lip and, as if making a decision that betrayed her ancestors, nodded gently.

"Deal."

"But I'm only responsible for killing, not for... that kind of thing," she added, looking at Xu Chen warily, clearly still shaken by being pinned to the bed earlier.

"What kind of thing?"

Xu Chen asked knowingly, then waved his hand, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in skin and bones. Hurry up and get to work."

With that, he flicked his finger, and the Immortal-Binding Rope on Mo Han instantly loosened, turning into a golden light that flew back into his sleeve.

The freed Mo Han didn't run away immediately—the slave mark on her forehead reminded her at every moment who was the boss. She just silently sat up and rubbed her wrists, which were red from being bound, still looking somewhat dazed.

Just like that... she had sold herself?

For a few stones and a skewer of sugar?

"Catch."

Before she could recover, a set of neatly folded clothes was thrown at her, covering her face.

Mo Han instinctively caught them, and as she unfolded them, her brow immediately furrowed.

It was a light green plain garment. The fabric was excessively thin, and the style was extremely form-fitting, especially the high slits on both sides of the skirt; it didn't look like something a decent person would wear.

"What is this?" Mo Han asked with a look of disdain.

"Xu Family's special combat uniform," Xu Chen talked nonsense with a straight face. "Change out of that pitch-black night-suit; it looks unlucky. Since you've joined, you have to wear a uniform."

"I'm not wearing it, it's too ugly," Mo Han resisted. Such clothes couldn't hide hidden weapons at all.

"Ugly?"

Xu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Deduct one top-grade spirit stone."

Mo Han's body froze.

She widened her eyes and stared intensely at Xu Chen, as if accusing this black-hearted capitalist.

"Two stones." Xu Chen held up two fingers, a devilish smile on his face.

"I'll wear it!"

Mo Han squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, grabbed the clothes, and turned to walk behind the screen. Her back had a tragic air of 'the wind soughs and the Yi River is cold'.