156: Chapter 156 Saintess, you...

By the side of the Jade Pool, the water mist was dense.

Saintess Lin Lang froze in place, still clutching that small jade knife as a few drops of clear peach juice slid down her slender fingertips.

This secret, the Jade Pool had guarded for three hundred years!

To find a way to save the tree, the Grand Elder had even sacrificed his Lifespan to divine the heavenly secrets, only to receive four words: [A Dead End].

But now, this man had not only seen through it at a glance but also claimed he could save it?

"You... Can you really save it?"

Lin Lang's voice trembled. She didn't even care about maintaining her cold and aloof image as she strode toward Su Yang, her eyes filled with hope and suspicion.

"Watch your tone. When asking for a favor, you should use a more respectful manner."

Su Yang reclined back into his lounge chair, casually grabbing a bath towel from the side to cover his legs.

"If this tree dies, your Yaochi's Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation will collapse immediately. When that happens, those rivals you've suppressed will probably swarm up the mountain overnight to snatch you 'fairies' away to be their bandit wives, won't they?"

"You..."

Lin Lang's face flushed, but she couldn't refute him.

The Ancestral Tree was not only the symbol of Yaochi but also the energy source for the Formation; he was absolutely right.

"*Cough, cough*... Consultant Su."

Just then, True Monarch Xuanji, who had been sent flying earlier, ignored his injuries and came scrambling back on all fours.

His old face was now swollen like a pig's head, and air leaked through his teeth as he spoke:

"As long as you can revive the Ancestral Tree, you will be Yaochi's great benefactor! Name any price; as long as we can afford it, we won't haggle!"

"Old man, weren't you just trying to extract my soul and refine my essence?"

Su Yang glanced at him sideways, scaring True Monarch Xuanji into dropping to his knees with a thud.

"This old man was foolish! I was blind! Please, just treat me like a fart and let me go!"

For the sake of the Ancestral Tree, this five-hundred-year-old Nascent Soul Old Ancestor had completely abandoned his dignity.

Su Yang gave a cold laugh, his gaze shifting toward the ancient tree that was dark purple all over.

"This tree isn't sick; a Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada has burrowed into its roots."

"These things specialize in devouring Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots. Moreover, their bodies are ethereal and elusive; your meager spiritual power won't kill it—it'll only serve as nourishment."

"A Spirit-Devouring Nether Cicada?!"

True Monarch Xuanji was shocked. "No wonder we couldn't find the cause despite all our efforts... Then, then how should it be treated?"

"Simple."

Su Yang pointed at the thunder god golden bone hanging by his chair.

"Use the extremely masculine and yang Power of the Thunder God to enter the soil and blast it into nothingness."

"But this operation requires extremely high Divine Sense. If it's off by even a tiny bit, the tree will be buried along with it."

"In all the world, no one but me can pull this off."

Lin Lang looked at Su Yang's confident expression, grit her teeth, and lowered her head.

"Please, Senior, save Yaochi! Lin Lang is willing to pay any price!"

"Any price?"

Su Yang's lips curled into a smirk as he beckoned her over.

"Come here."

Lin Lang was stunned for a moment before cautiously walking over to Su Yang's lounge chair.

"Kneel down and massage my legs."

Su Yang's tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance.

"What?!"

Lin Lang was dumbfounded.

"She was the Yaochi Holy Maiden!"

Even a Genius like the Young Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect would find it harder than ascending to heaven to get a glimpse of her, and now she was being asked to kneel and massage his legs in public?

In the distance, the Yaochi Disciples were all pale with anger, but not one of them dared to step forward.

Couldn't they see that even the Grand Elder was there putting on a sycophantic smile?

"What? Is this your attitude when asking for help?"

Su Yang made a move to stand up.

"Mary, Chu Ling, Reba, let's find another place to soak in the hot springs."

"The Jade Pool might have sweet water, but the air isn't great. Someone's always putting on the stinking airs of a Saintess; it's a real mood killer."

"Wait! Don't go!"

True Monarch Xuanji stomped his feet in anxiety, desperately winking at Lin Lang.

"Saintess! Think of the bigger picture! The bigger picture!"

Lin Lang's eyes reddened, and translucent tears welled up in them.

She looked at Su Yang's smirking face, wishing she could cut him into a thousand pieces, but her body could only slowly bend down.

*Thud.*

Those jade-like legs, capable of driving countless men wild, knelt heavily at Su Yang's feet.

She reached out with her fingers, white and tender like scallion stalks, and pressed them against Su Yang's calves, beginning to massage with clumsy movements.

Su Yang leaned back comfortably, squinting his eyes in enjoyment.

He had to admit, the Saintess's small hands were not only cool but her control of pressure was decent too.

"A bit to the left. Yes, more pressure."

Su Yang instructed while picking up a peeled peach from a plate and popping it into his mouth.

"Seeing how sincere you're being, we can talk about saving the tree."

"As for the treatment fee..."

Su Yang held up three fingers.

"First, I want those three ripe purple-veined golden cores on the tree."

"Second, from now on, I want thirty percent of the flat peaches Yaochi produces every year sent directly to the Jiangzhou Funeral Home."

"Third..."

Su Yang looked down at Lin Lang, who was massaging his legs with a face full of shame and indignation, and smirked.

"Your Highness Saintess, I see you have good Innate Talent. From now on, you'll be my personal maid. Let's start with a three-year internship to see how you perform."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place exploded in an uproar.

"He wants to take the Saintess away to be a maid?!"

"This is too much! This is practically ripping the heart out of our Yaochi!"

True Monarch Xuanji's old face twitched. He wanted to object, but then he saw Su Yang playing with the thunder god golden bone, the golden light making him dizzy.

Lin Lang looked up, her eyes staring stubbornly at Su Yang.

"I agree to the first two conditions! But the third..."

"It's fine if you don't agree to the third one."

Su Yang shrugged.

"Anyway, if the tree withers, Yaochi will fall apart. By then, you'll still be snatched away to be some bandit's wife."

"Follow me, and at least you'll remain a free person. If anyone dares to touch you, I'll swing my club and crush them."

"The choice is yours."

Lin Lang fell silent.

She looked at her terrified fellow Disciples, at the immortal palace that was already half-ruined, and finally at the dying Ancestral Tree.

After a long time, she seemed to deflate like a punctured ball, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"I... I promise you."

"That's more like it."

Su Yang laughed loudly, grabbed Lin Lang's soft, warm hand, and gave it a sharp pull.

Lin Lang cried out in surprise and fell straight into Su Yang's arms.

"Stop massaging there. Get up and get ready to work."

Su Yang wrapped his arm around the Saintess's slender waist, feeling her stiff body, and whispered into her delicate ear:

"Take me to the base of the tree. Let's see just how fat that little bug really is."