17: Are you Shen Lian?

"Sir, can you really cure my headache?"

"As long as it can alleviate my symptoms, I am willing to pay any price."

Gu Luoqing, whose head was splitting with pain, immediately knelt down toward Shen Lian's back.

A Cultivator of the Primordial Chaos Realm was supposed to be transcendent and ethereal; how could she easily kneel to another person?

But as long as there was a sliver of hope to cure her headache, Gu Luoqing didn't care about anything else.

For her, the past century had been an agonizing torment akin to Hell.

Not only could her cultivation not advance an inch, but due to the headache, the Longevity Chamber of Commerce's business dealings were gradually being replaced by the rising Tianxia Chamber of Commerce.

If the extremely strong resentment she held toward Su Yuheng hadn't surpassed her mental limits, she would have long chosen suicide for release.

Shen Lian closed his eyes and lightly waved his Folding Fan. After Gu Luoqing finished speaking, he swept the Folding Fan outward.

An Aura of life followed the movement of the fan, transforming into specks of Azure Spiritual Light that enveloped Gu Luoqing's body.

"Mm..."

In just an instant, Gu Luoqing felt a cool stream of Qi sweep through her mind, immediately alleviating the headache symptoms.

After ten more breaths, Gu Luoqing's headache symptoms completely vanished.

"It's cured?"

Gu Luoqing shook her head in disbelief; the feeling of unbearable pain had completely disappeared.

She immediately bowed to Shen Lian in thanks: "Sir possesses great Divine Ability. This young woman thanks you. May I ask for your esteemed name!"

"Let's skip the unnecessary pleasantries, President Gu. Shen is here to seek cooperation with your Longevity Chamber of Commerce."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lian abruptly turned around.

The moment she saw Shen Lian, Gu Luoqing was stunned.

"You... are Shen Lian?"

"Do I not look like him?"

After receiving the affirmative answer, Gu Luoqing was greatly shocked.

She naturally knew Shen Lian, but the two parties had always been hostile toward each other.

Since the Longevity Chamber of Commerce and the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce were rivals, Gu Luoqing and Su Yuheng were naturally on opposing sides.

As a Chamber of Commerce with a Legacy spanning thousands of years, the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce could not compare to the Longevity Chamber of Commerce when it was first established.

But due to Shen Lian's intervention, helping Su Yuheng suppress the Longevity Chamber of Commerce several times from behind.

Over time, the Longevity Chamber of Commerce's original loyal customers gradually began to defect to the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce.

But what truly caused the Longevity Chamber of Commerce to decline was when Gu Luoqing suffered an ambush by Su Yuheng while Undergoing Tribulation to Breakthrough to the Primordial Chaos Realm decades ago, resulting in her headache.

This directly led to the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce completely monopolizing the Longevity Chamber of Commerce's business. Had it not been for its thousands of years of foundation, the Longevity Chamber of Commerce would have long been annexed by the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce.

In fact, at the beginning of the competition between the Longevity Chamber of Commerce and the Tianxia Chamber of Commerce, Gu Luoqing had privately sought out Shen Lian, hoping he would recognize reality and not interfere in her rivalry with Su Yuheng.

However, after interacting with Shen Lian, she realized he was a walking, breathing simp, a guy who would even volunteer to drink the foot wash of her seven Senior Sisters.

Getting him to switch sides and help her was harder than ascending to heaven.

Yet now, he actually came knocking to talk about cooperation?

There must be some kind of conspiracy or scheme behind this!

Thinking this, Gu Luoqing stood up and replied, "What is your real purpose for coming to me this time? Are you trying to find another way to humiliate me on behalf of your Senior Sisters?"

Shen Lian's gaze turned cold: "I don't have time to play these boring tricks with you. I came to you purely for cooperation. Agree or refuse, you choose."

"Heh heh, cooperation?"

Gu Luoqing absolutely refused to believe that this simp would suddenly wake up, abandon the seven Senior Sisters, and start walking the righteous path.

She only felt that everything was being manipulated and planned by Su Yuheng behind the scenes—another scheme targeting her.

"I apologize, Fellow Daoist Shen. I don't think there is any need for cooperation between us. To thank you for curing my headache,

my Longevity Chamber of Commerce is willing to pay you a reward. Anything the Chamber of Commerce possesses, you may take for yourself."

"Hahahahaha..."

Hearing this, Shen Lian suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Gu Luoqing, are you planning to slaughter the donkey after the millstone is turned?"

He extended a finger and pointed it at Gu Luoqing's face.

"I, Shen, act based on returning favors and avenging grievances.

Nobody can gain something from me without effort, and nobody can go back on their word."

Hearing this, Gu Luoqing slightly curled the corner of her lips.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, I already said that the Longevity Chamber of Commerce is willing to pay you for this treatment.

As for cooperation, I don't think there's anything for us to cooperate on."

Although she sensed that Shen Lian's Aura was completely incomparable to what she had seen before,

the ingrained impression still made Gu Luoqing subconsciously believe that Shen Lian was still that humble, undignified Fei Yangyang.

Everything he was displaying now was just a performance arranged by Su Yuheng and the others.

"Are you sure you don't want to cooperate?"

"I believe I have made myself clear enough."

"In that case, the cooperation is void."

After speaking, Shen Lian retracted the Folding Fan in his hand.

"My head."

In that instant, the headache that had just been suppressed for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea faintly began to flare up again.

"No, Fellow Daoist Shen... Shen Lian, wait!"

Gu Luoqing was terrified and quickly called out to stop Shen Lian.

"Since cooperation is impossible, there's no need for us to talk further.

President Gu, you didn't really think I would give something without cause and not prepare a backup plan, did you?

Your headache occurred because, during your Undergoing Tribulation to Breakthrough to the Primordial Chaos Realm, an error occurred due to human manipulation,

resulting in a trace of malicious Residual Lightning remaining in your skull that cannot be dissolved.

The headache lasts for a full hour every day between noon and 3 PM.

That feeling must not be pleasant, right?"

"Shen Lian, everything you said is correct! Quickly use your spell to suppress it! I really can't stand this pain. I beg you, I'll do anything you ask."

In a daze, the gut-wrenching pain seemed to intensify, causing Gu Luoqing to tremble uncontrollably in fear.

"I will ask you one last time: Are you willing to cooperate?"

"I am willing to cooperate! I am willing to cooperate! Fellow Daoist Shen, as long as you help me cure this headache, I will agree to anything you say!"

"Swear upon your Dao Heart!"

"I, Gu Luoqing, swear that today I will sign a cooperation contract with Shen Lian.

If I violate this cooperation contract, I am willing to endure the pain of being burned by Karmic Fire and die without a burial place!"

As soon as her voice fell, a transparent scroll slowly floated into existence before Shen Lian.

The moment it unrolled, the first thing that caught the eye were the four large characters: "Dao Heart Vow Contract."

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, Shen Lian directly raised a finger and left his imprint on the Dao Heart Vow Contract.

Instantly, the contract took effect, transforming into specks of spiritual light and dissipating.

At the same time, Gu Luoqing's head immediately felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

Before she could recover from this feeling of immersion, she heard Shen Lian say in her ear: "Let's go inside and talk. There are some things I must make clear to you now."

"Alright."

Gu Luoqing no longer dared to show the slightest hint of defiance toward Shen Lian and immediately welcomed him inside... Just as Shen Lian and Gu Luoqing entered the Longevity Chamber of Commerce, Su Yuheng descended from the Void Realm, standing before the auction house that had become a ruin.

"Who, exactly, did this!"

Seeing the scene before her, terrifying Aura erupted from Su Yuheng's body.

In just an instant, the auction house, already reduced to ruins, exploded once more.

"No matter who it is, I will find you and tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!"

But when she saw the words "Killer: Shen Lian" written on a section of the rubble inside, she froze.

"Shen Lian? That trash!"

"No, impossible! Where did that trash get the guts to attack my Tianxia Chamber of Commerce?"

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

"Shen Lian! You trash, get out here! This time, don't even think about me forgiving you again!"