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To demonstrate his sincerity, Xia Luo wasn't stingy at all. He directly took out a hundred top-grade spirit stones and handed them over to Zhang Yiyi.

He didn't have many top-grade spirit stones on hand, so offering a hundred was indeed a genuine gesture of sincerity.

Zhang Yiyi hadn't expected Xia Luo to be so generous, handing over a hundred top-grade spirit stones without hesitation. Although her expression remained unchanged, inwardly she was quite surprised by his extravagance.

The use and value of top-grade spirit stones were incomparable to mid-grade or low-grade ones. A hundred top-grade spirit stones could be exchanged for at least ten thousand mid-grade stones or a million low-grade stones. However, the reverse was impossible; even a million low-grade or ten thousand mid-grade stones couldn't buy a hundred top-grade stones.

When she was in her sect, due to her relatively low cultivation level, even her master had only given her mid-grade stones for regular use. She had never carried top-grade stones before.

She calmly stored the hundred stones in her storage ring and looked at Xia Luo with certainty. "You're from the Xia Clan?"

"My surname is Xia; naturally, I'm from the Xia Clan," Xia Luo replied, his mood brightening after seeing her accept the stones, knowing their agreement was now settled.

"I mean the Xia Clan that's one of the Five Great Families."

Zhang Yiyi continued, "You're far too generous; clearly your family has access to a high-grade spirit mine."

If one's family owned a mine, they'd naturally have confidence. Ninety percent of the high-grade and supreme-grade spirit mines in this world were monopolized by the Five Great Families. A hundred top-grade spirit stones was a luxury most cultivators would never see in their lifetimes.

"Haha, I was just worried you wouldn't be satisfied. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't part with even one," Xia Luo laughed it off, essentially confirming her suspicion. He even shifted the "payment" into a "gift of gratitude," completely putting aside his pride and status—all to break through his bottleneck and advance to Nascent Soul. He truly was putting everything on the line.

Zhang Yiyi didn't really care about Xia Luo's background. She only needed to know clearly about the people staying around her.

Seeing he didn't deny it, she didn't press further. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Lu Qiao, who had been silently observing for a while. "What about you?"

"Me? What about me?" Lu Qiao didn't catch on immediately.

Xia Luo quickly understood Zhang Yiyi's intention and explained on her behalf, "You're also planning to follow Miss Han around, aren't you? Shouldn't you also express some gratitude?"

Xia Luo didn't particularly care why Lu Qiao wanted to stay with Zhang Yiyi, but since everyone was now in the same boat, equal treatment was naturally preferable.

Seeing Zhang Yiyi treating everyone fairly, Xia Luo felt especially comfortable, even completely forgetting the slight pain from handing over a hundred top-grade spirit stones.

"..."

Lu Qiao didn't expect she'd still need to compensate after all this time. Unfortunately, her family didn't own any mines, and she had nothing of much value.

"Little Sister Han Lin, I'm absolutely penniless. Here's everything I have—take anything you like." Lu Qiao simply took off her storage pouch and handed it to Zhang Yiyi, feeling embarrassed by how shabby the contents must look.

Zhang Yiyi had only asked as a reminder so Lu Qiao wouldn't be overly familiar. Thus, she didn't accept the pouch, just waved it off, "Forget the items. Just do some extra work proactively in the future. Other than that, neither of you can interfere with my affairs. Moreover, if we encounter any dangers, I'm not obligated to protect your lives."

She deliberately laid down her conditions clearly. Take it or leave it. She wasn't the one asking them to follow her, after all. Both Xia Luo and Lu Qiao needed to remember this clearly—their relationship, essentially, was superficial.

Upon hearing this, neither Lu Qiao nor Xia Luo raised objections. While they were thick-skinned, neither was unreasonable enough to demand loyalty or sacrifice from someone they sought favors from.

Lu Qiao felt relieved she managed to keep her meager possessions intact, considering herself luckier than Xia Luo. With her mood lifted, she didn't need further instructions and proactively rushed to scavenge the black-robed men's bodies, swiftly cleaning up the battlefield.

"Why bother? These assassins only carry essentials for their missions. Their actual wealth is kept within the Gates of Life and Death. There's nothing valuable here." Seeing Lu Qiao eagerly collecting spoils, Xia Luo reminded her out of goodwill.

"Even mosquito meat is still meat! Senior Xia, please wait a moment!" Lu Qiao cheerfully replied. Now that they were on the same side, her attitude toward Xia Luo improved dramatically. After all, it was good practice to maintain a harmonious relationship; who knew when it might become helpful during critical moments?

Seeing this, Xia Luo couldn't be bothered to comment further. Turning back toward Zhang Yiyi, who was lost in thought, he asked, "You deliberately left one alive. Are you planning to search his soul to find out who hired them to kill you?"

"I'm just curious about how much my life is worth in spirit stones," Zhang Yiyi replied casually, as though discussing someone else's fate.

The Gates of Life and Death had strict rules: assassins carrying out tasks and those who accepted the contracts belonged to separate divisions. Information about the client was strictly confidential and wouldn't be easily leaked, so these men certainly knew nothing about their employer.

She was merely curious how much Tang Jin had paid to place a bounty on her head with the Gates of Life and Death. Was this attempt meant to truly kill her in revenge for Tang Xi, or was it to push her to the brink to draw out the hidden expert behind her?

"I heard the Tang family's genius was recently crippled of her cultivation foundation. It wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it?" Xia Luo asked casually, but his eyes closely observed Zhang Yiyi's face.

Someone who could hire the Gates of Life and Death surely had deep hatred. Coupled with Zhang Yiyi's abilities and courage, as well as their previous conflict during the Medium Clan Ranking Tournament, the possibility was indeed significant.

"I also heard that thousands of years ago, when the Tang family was still a Great Family, they had a marriage alliance with your Xia family. Could it be that you also carry a bit of Tang family blood?" Zhang Yiyi didn't respond directly, but instead threw back another question.

"Nonsense! How could I possibly have anything to do with those Tang people?" Xia Luo laughed contemptuously, clearly showing disdain for the Tang family.

"Well, the Tang family might not be that simple. Do you think the Tang Young Master who suddenly fell into demonic cultivation overnight all those years ago—is he truly dead?" Zhang Yiyi smiled meaningfully. Seeing Xia Luo's expression instantly turn serious and complicated, she promptly ended the conversation, speaking no further.

At this moment, Lu Qiao returned, having completed her task. She didn't dare hide anything, handing over every scrap of loot to Zhang Yiyi without reservation.

Zhang Yiyi briefly scanned the loot before tossing everything into her storage ring. Its internal space was enormous, so she didn't care about usefulness for now—better to store it first.

"In the future, if similar situations occur, whoever makes the kill gets the loot," she briefly clarified their arrangement. After all, since these two "burdens" would be following her around, if they encountered more assassins from the Gates of Life and Death or the Tang family, at least she would have two extra helpers to share the burden.