Chapter 559 - Playing Hard to Get

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Han Wu pressed the Fulgurwood sword against the man’s neck and was about to stab him when the man hurriedly revealed his true intentions.

His name was Sai Ban, and he was a member of the Macho Troupe, which was not far from the Asura Coliseum. He claimed to have heard that the coliseum had gone bankrupt and came to see whether he could sell some favors and purchase some slaves.

Han Wu rejected him immediately.

“Why are you rejecting me? I can offer a great deal of money or treasures!” Sai Ban pleaded, his voice unnervingly effeminate.

Han Wu’s irritation intensified. He had two reasons for refusing. First, the Asura staff were fanatically devoted to Faido. If he agreed to sell slaves, Sai Ban could buy away those loyal only to Faido. That possibility would become a ticking time bomb for Han Wu.

The second reason lay with Sai Ban himself. His exaggerated feminine mannerisms and coquettish voice felt neither natural nor coincidental to Han Wu. If anything, the mismatch between his heavily muscled frame and those exaggerated mannerisms seemed deliberate for a

lasting

impression. He suspected that the rest of the troupe were the same and that they must be relying on a Skill or some form of power to this effect.

The Asura staff were proud and unyielding. They would never submit to the kind of physical and psychological hardship imposed by the Macho Troupe.

Han Wu considered himself kind and didn’t want them to suffer, so he chose the most merciful option: sacrificing them.

Soon, the staff were dragged to the center of the massive ring where the fight had taken place. There were millions of them, the weakest being a Heroic life form.

Han Wu could earn a fortune if he made use of them, but he had hardened his resolve to leave none alive, including the three heavily injured Heavenrender life forms.

Inside the ring, Zi Jin and the other two lay sprawled on the ground. All of their bones had been broken, and their organs were heavily injured. Still, they remained alive. As Heavenrender life forms, their potent Life Energy worked steadily to repair the damage. At that pace, it would take roughly ten more days for them to recover fully.

The largest of the three, Han Zai, continued to curse Han Wu despite his heavy injuries. “You maggots who crawled out of a ditch, Lord Faido would never die so easily. He’s hiding somewhere to recover. Once he gets back, he will grind all of you into the ground!”

Zi Jin was the most clear-headed among them. He had seen Han Wu transform into a massive black dragon and unleash the powerful dragon breath against Faido. Even at the end, he had not seen Faido emerge from it. Near the final moments, however, Zi Jin had glimpsed a tiny black shadow escaping from the blast. He assumed that it belonged to one of Faido’s close aides. Faido had nurtured Shadow Demon before, so it was possible that a second one had saved him.

By contrast, Huang Shu worried about what would come next. “Brother Zi, do you think they will kill us?”

Zi Jin dismissed the idea. “Impossible. We are Heavenrender life forms. Even certain major factions covet us. I can guarantee that no matter how much he hates us, he won’t kill us. Instead, he will spend a fortune to recruit us.”

Huang Shu looked at him with admiration. “Brother Zi, you are right. If he tries to recruit us, I will demand an exorbitant price and bleed him dry.”

Han Zai refused. “No, I am loyal only to Lord Faido. I will not work for anyone else.”

Zi Jin looked at him as if he were an idiot. Loyalty made sense while Faido was still alive, but now they needed to find another faction to earn money and grow stronger, even though they were all Heavenrender life forms.

The dragon breath had already beaten Faido, so loyalty served no purpose anymore. If Faido truly valued Han Zai, he would have taken him along during escape. Of course, there was the possibility that Faido was already dead. In that case, there was no way to determine how much Han Zai had ever mattered to Faido.

In the end, Zi Jin had nothing but disdain for Han Zai’s loyalty.

At that moment, Han Wu rose from the throne and approached them.

Zi Jin quickly signaled the others. “He’s coming. Everyone, get ready.”

Huang Shu straightened his posture, while Han Zai continued to glare at Han Wu, as if he meant to kill him with his eyes alone.

Han Wu approached and tried to sense their presence. They were true Heavenrender life forms, yet their injuries had left them severely weakened. In order to maximize their potential, Han Wu produced numerous stones aligned with their respective attributes and fed them to the trio.

Huang Shu immediately understood what was happening and realized that Zi Jin was right. He assumed that Han Wu was trying to use the stones filled with pure energy to recruit them.

He thinks he can recruit us with these little things? I won’t accept that. But... they smell delicious. I should eat some,

Huang Shu thought.

Zi Jin put on a show of refusal, yet he quickly consumed those stones to restore his stamina. Han Zai ate them as well, all while continuing to shout curses at Han Wu.

Han Wu paid no attention to their loyalty. All that mattered was how much energy they would provide for Sacrifice.

After the stones took effect, the three recovered somewhat. Han Wu nodded, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Huang Shu turned to Zi Jin in confusion. Why would Han Wu leave without even recruiting them?

Zi Jin whispered, “He’s playing hard to get. He gave us the carrot first so recruiting us later will be easier. We can’t fall for his tricks.”

Huang Shu thought Zi Jin was right and nodded. “Yes, we can’t fall for his tricks. Next time, we have to squeeze as many resources out of him as possible.”

Han Zai was still scolding and complaining that Han Wu had given him too little for him to recover.

Han Wu sat on the throne just as Sai Ban approached.

“Why did you ask me to stay and watch? Do you like me?” he asked in his effeminate voice.

Han Wu had to endure the throb of a growing headache and spat, “Stay and watch.”

“Watch? Watch what? Do you... I’m not ready yet!” Sai Ban extended his arm to playfully punch Han Wu’s shoulder.

Han Wu avoided it deftly and redirected Sai Ban’s attention to the ring. “Watch closely.”

“I’m ready. Let the proposal be grand and sweet!” Sai Ban shouted shyly.

Han Wu had to admit that Sai Ban was unnaturally narcissistic and imaginative to think that this was a proposal. He ignored him, fixed his gaze on the ring, and activated Sacrifice.