“How dare you trick me?” Little Mute was expressionless as always, but the haughty yet delicate voice trembled with anger.

“I didn't trick you. Strictly speaking, I should be the one saying that.”

Ye Jiuge sent Little Mute an accusing look and continued, “I provided you with food, a place to work, and even traded you Legendary Venomous Insects for Spiritual Beast Pills. I also saved your subordinate. Yet here you are, plotting and scheming to trick me into giving you Spiritual Beast Pills. Who exactly is in the wrong here?”

As Ye Jiuge finished saying her piece, Luo Tian felt ashamed and guilty—not to mention the Little Mute.

As unreasonable as he was, he had to admit that Ye Jiuge was right.

Back then, if it hadn't been for Ye Jiuge, who'd allowed him to cultivate the poison earthworm and exchange Legendary Venomous Insects for Spiritual Beast Pills, his Life's Origin Parasite would not have awakened. What to speak of chasing after Ye Jiuge to Medicine Refinery City?

Ye Jiuge saw the Little Mute caving, and she decided to entice him. “Little Mute, since we have a common enemy, let's be friends. Why don't we be honest and open with one another? When you need Spiritual Beast Pills, I can offer them to you at a special rate.”

Spiritual Beast Pills might be easy to produce, but that didn't mean she had to give them out for free.

The Little Mute's emotionless face wavered at last. The haughty yet delicate voice sounded less arrogant than before as he asked, “How do you want us to be honest with each other?”

“First, tell me your name,” Ye Jiuge felt that the first step in a friends.h.i.+p was to exchange names.

The Little Mute hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly gave in. “I am Jun Yichen.”

Such a cultured name didn't fit Little Mute's image. No wonder he'd refused to acknowledge it.

“Do you have a problem with my name?” Jun Yichen felt that something was amiss, and he was a little ruffled.

“No. It's nothing of the sort.” Ye Jiuge shook her head immediately and quickly changed the subject: “I was just wondering, the blood-clad Miao people were so powerful, so how did you end up hunted by the Bloodthirsty Sect?”

Jun Yichen's face was stony. He stayed silent, and his big, dark eyes were like two black holes radiating a gloomy and violent chill.

Obviously, the memory was painful to him, so painful that he could go berserk at any time.

Ye Jiuge felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have mentioned an incident that made Jun Yichen so sad.

She was about the change the topic when Jun Yichen gave a chilly order, “You tell her, Luo Tian.”

“Yes, sir,” Luo Tian answered. “The Bloodthirsty Patriarch is a cunning and ruthless man. Somehow, he found a Spiritual Poison that suppresses our witchcraft. He took advantage of our absence, while we were engaged in a wors.h.i.+p ritual honoring the Parasite G.o.d, to poison our drinking water. When our people lost strength, that's when the ma.s.sacre started.”

Although Luo Tian gave a watered-down account of the events, from Luo Tian's words, Ye Jiuge could imagine the terror and slaughter.

But Ye Jiuge was still confused. “Why did the Bloodthirsty Sect target the blood-clad Miao people?”

The Bloodthirsty Sect used blood in their black magic.

The blood-clad Miao people, as Parasite Cultivators, did not have clean or pure blood. They should not have been a target.

Luo Tian hesitated for a moment. Then, finally, he revealed the blood-clad Miao people's secret.

Their branch of the tribe had split from the main people, who lived at the southern border.

They had discovered a small Spiritual Vein on a mountain peak. They'd settled there, cultivating and expanding the clan.

After 100 years of hard work, the blood-clad Miao people had cultivated a Spider King using the demonic beast, Ice Snow Spider.

The clan leader in each generation would sign a contract with the Spider King, seeking its protection.

Jun Yichen was the son of the last clan leader. He was also a genius and the blood-clad Miao people's most outstanding parasite cultivator. At a young age, his Life's Origin Parasite had already been cultivated to Level Five.

The blood-clad Miao people had heaped their high hopes on him. They'd hoped that he would be the one to subjugate the Spider King.

At first, Jun Yichen and the Spider King had fostered a good relations.h.i.+p. Jun Yichen had also started feeding the Spider King with his blood. Just when he was about to sign the contract with the Spider King, misfortune had struck.

The Bloodthirsty Patriarch had attacked their camp with his subordinates. Not only did they take over the Spiritual Vein, but they had also imprisoned the Spider King.

“I see.” Ye Jiuge was puzzled: How did the Empress manage to obtain King Poison from the Ice Snow Spider to harm Dongfang Que?

The Ice Snow Spider Kings were found only in the wastelands on the Eastern border.

That was the Demonic tribes' territory. Only death awaited Spiritual Pract.i.tioners who ventured too far.

She now knew that it had been obtained from the blood-clad Miao people.

“Alright, I have answered your questions honestly. What kind of special rate can I expect for the Spiritual Beast Pills?” Jun Yichen's unique voice carried a hint of impatience.

“First things first: how will you pay for the Spiritual Beast Pills?” Ye Jiuge appeared open for discussion.

“I can cultivate parasites for you,” Jun Yichen's voice was haughty and delicate as ever—and confident.

“This isn't the Miao people's territory or the southern borders,” Ye Jiuge replied, dead-pan. There was no market for parasite cultivation in the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners' territory.

“I can kill someone for you,” Jun Yichen's voice sounded hesitant.

“The people I want dead are already dead,” Ye Jiuge said. She could kill people herself, so there was no need for other a.s.sa.s.sins.

“Then, what do you want?” the little boy finally erupted with frustration.

“I just want to know how you will buy my Spiritual Beast Pills.” Ye Jiuge shrugged, looking as innocent as can be.

Just as Jun Yichen was about to bite off Ye Jiuge's head, Luo Tian said, “Eldest Miss Ye, when my Little Master and I escaped, we had nothing on us except the clothes on our backs.”

Then, sell yourselves to me!

That was Ye Jiuge's goal. But she couldn't be so straightforward, lest they turned against her.

So, Ye Jiuge changed tact. “Then, what do you intend to do?”

Luo Tian thought for a moment, then said carefully, “It is true that the Bloodthirsty Sect is our enemy. But they are currently targeting you and your companions. I believe that no one knows the tricks of the Bloodthirsty Sect better than we do. If you want our help, for just one bottle of Spiritual Beast Pills, I am willing to work for you for a year.”

“I remember that your consultation fee has not been paid—or has it?” It wasn't that Ye Jiuge wanted to harp on the debt forever, but these blood-clad Miao people were famous weirdos.

Rumor had it that, after repaying a debt of grat.i.tude, they would turn on their benefactor and seek revenge. Just like how a parasite backstabs its host.

Ye Jiuge did not want to deploy the secret method given by Zi Shang and subdue Jun Yichen like some parasite. Therefore, she could only use their debt of grat.i.tude as an excuse.

First, she would get them to work for her for a few years. When she was powerful enough, then it wouldn't matter if they betrayed her or not.

Luo Tian went silent at the mention of the consultation fee.

It was true—Ye Jiuge had saved his life. Asking her to employ him for the Spiritual Beast Pills was rather ironic.

“Since you saved him, his life is yours to do with as you please.” Jun Yichen was someone who drew a clear line between his likes and dislikes. Just like that, he sold his only subordinate into servitude.