Shi Yaoguang spoke, her expression growing a few degrees colder.
"Heavenly Dao, you wouldn’t be deceiving me, would you?"
The man in black replied coldly, "I am the Heavenly Dao. I have no need to lie to you."
Shi Yaoguang snorted lightly, "You are the Heavenly Dao, indeed you have no need to deceive me."
She drew out her words, "You do not agree to my terms, do you?"
The man in black fell silent.
Shi Yaoguang continued, "I will repeat myself, if you want my Heart of the Glacier, Shi Yiqing must die."
Seeing her stubborn stance, the man in black, though reluctant, said, "Apart from that condition, whatever you want I can give to you."
"Anything?" Shi Yaoguang seemed suddenly intrigued.
The man in black affirmed with certainty, "Anything!"
"This world, be it money, power, or something else, as long as you desire it, I can give it to you!"
Shi Yaoguang thought carefully and then one by one rejected the offers.
"Just like you said, everything in this world, I can obtain through my own efforts."
"Compared to these things which are worthless to me, I still find... Shi Yiqing’s life more appealing."
The man in black, seeing her so stubborn, grew somewhat irate, "Are you deliberately opposing me?"
Shi Yaoguang shook her head, "Of course not."
As she spoke, she rolled her eyes disdainfully, "Who do you think you are? Worthy of me deliberately opposing you?"
The man in black instantly became furious, "You—"
Shi Yaoguang raised her hand, making a pressing down gesture.
"Don’t get excited," she maintained her smile, "We are here to negotiate, after all. Let’s negotiate properly."
"You want the Heart of the Glacier, that’s my bargaining chip."
"And I, I only want you to personally destroy Shi Yiqing, that’s your bargaining chip."
"In business, the essence is a fair trade."
"Our bargaining chips exchanged with each other, that’s the fairest. If you agree, we’ll trade, if you don’t agree... That’s okay too, next time you want something, you can continue to come to us. We have business we can still do."
Hearing her casual ’no rush’, the man in black became even angrier.
How could he not be in a hurry?
Every day that the Heart of the Glacier is lost to the world, his danger as the Heavenly Dao increases.
If it were taken by criminals, wouldn’t he be the first to suffer?
Right then, the Heavenly Dao truly detested Shi Yaoguang deeply.
He had never seen someone so obstinately unyielding.
If he had known she would be this outrageous, he would have dealt with her long ago.
Shi Yaoguang didn’t care at all how much he wanted to kill her.
Her attitude, from beginning to end, hadn’t changed.
Her goal, too, was always the same.
Beyond that, mountains of gold and silver were of no allure to her.
Shi Yaoguang simply watched the man in black struggle silently.
In the meantime, she nonchalantly reminded him, "Make sure you consider it carefully, for once this village is passed, there won’t be this shop anymore."
The man in black glared at her through clenched teeth, his tone particularly grim, "You know full well Shi Yiqing cannot be touched!"
Shi Yaoguang feigned ignorance, "Know what? What do I know?"
She put on an innocent face, "I don’t know anything at all."
"The way you put it is really giving me too much credit."
With a look of helplessness, she said, "Honestly, I really don’t understand anything."
The man in black, through clenched teeth, had no choice but to reveal, "You know very well that Shi Yiqing is the main character who keeps the world turning!"
Shi Yaoguang sneered, "The main character?"
"The heroine, isn’t she chosen by the Heavenly Dao?"
The man in black thought so.
Shi Yaoguang then said, "Since the Heavenly Dao could make her the heroine and even help her eliminate dissidents, disregarding the lives of others as if they are not lives at all, then... couldn’t the same method be applied to her?"
"It cannot," the man in black said coldly.
Shi Yaoguang looked puzzled, "Why not? What’s so special about her?"
"Before becoming the heroine, wasn’t she just one of the many mortals?"
"If not for the Heavenly Dao’s meticulous scheming, she would have been indistinguishable from the masses."
"If her fate was such in the past, why does it have to change now?"
"Is it simply because she is the chosen one?"
"With that title, does she become more valuable than others?"
"She is the chosen one, so others must serve as stepping stones for her?"
Listening to Shi Yaoguang’s series of questions, the man in black’s face took on a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"The world must operate this way..."
Shi Yaoguang’s face showed a mocking smile, "Must it operate this way?"
The man in black, feeling somewhat ashamed under her gaze, quickly regained his composure.
As a personification of the Heavenly Dao, he naturally knew what was best for this world.
Only by centering the world around the Chosen One could the eternal operation of the world be ensured.
For the sake of long-term benefits, what was the sacrifice of a few small fry?
For a great cause, what harm was there in a myriad of dead bones?
Seeing the disdain for mortals in the eyes of the man in black, Shi Yaoguang laughed.
Her laugh was as radiant as a blossoming flower, "I think, your point makes a lot of sense."
The man in black looked at her, as if unsure of what she was thinking.
Then he heard her say, "For the sake of achieving a great cause, what’s a little sacrifice?"
"As the Heavenly Dao, you want this small world to exist forever, so... this world has its Chosen One."
"And I, am just one of the countless cannon fodder you have selected."
"If I cannot resist, I can only let myself become a stepping stone for the Chosen One, aiding her to a brilliant future."
The man in black nodded in complete agreement.
He even showed a hint of appreciation in his expression.
It seemed he was saying...
What he wanted was precisely Shi Yaoguang’s enlightenment.
Shi Yaoguang had no intention of playing the subservient role.
Enlightenment, she had it.
But who decreed that enlightenment must always be positive?
Everything has two sides.
Even the Heavenly Dao has its own selfish desires.
Her choice, which stood in stark contrast to the Heavenly Dao, was simply because...
They had different ways of looking at issues.
Thinking this, she couldn’t help but reveal another meaningful smile.
The man in black met her expression and instinctively shuddered.
Soon after, he began to feel confused.
He was the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, how could he also have the subconscious reactions of a person
With this thought, the Heavenly Dao looked at Shi Yaoguang with a mournful gaze, as if blaming her.
She, however, flashed him a frivolous smile, "Let me tell you some good news."
The man in black looked resistant, obviously not believing that she would have any good news for him.
While thinking this, he suddenly sensed something and looked at Shi Yaoguang as if he wanted to devour her. Clenching his teeth, he said through gritted teeth, "The Heart of the Glacier is not on you?"