I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 292 - 172: Whose Three Lifetimes are Repeating

Chapter 292: Chapter 172: Whose Three Lifetimes are Repeating

Hu Mazi had been talking for over two hours, during which Gu Shanhai hadn’t said a word. He actually wanted to ask questions, but he couldn’t help that Hu Mazi was simply too afraid of death, spilling everything he knew.

The downfall of Hu Mountain Cave was indeed related to Liang Xing, but not entirely. The person who truly twisted this den of iniquity was Liang Xing’s father, whose fate need not be mentioned; the man was certainly dead. Afterward, Liang Xing was discovered, which led to a retaliatory strike.

As for the rest, Hu Mazi was in the dark because by then, everyone had already gone their separate ways. It was only later, when expenses were flowing like water and unsustainable, that they regrouped and formed a monopoly over the Qingxian Town meat market.

Before that, they had tried to reopen Hu Mountain Cave, but their previous bad reputation had caused not only a failure to profit but also significant losses. Some things simply can’t be replicated just by saying so.

In his inquiries, Gu Shanhai also found out something else: their backer was indeed an Elder from the Xuanwei Sect. However, who exactly it was remained unknown, as every time someone came to collect money, it was a well-known Disciple, yes, the very one who delivered paintings to Yun Niang Temple.

Hu Mazi didn’t know about delivering the paintings. Nonetheless, it was this Elder from the Xuanwei Sect who had helped, through divine calculation, in resolving the issue with Liang Xing and his family. For this, Hu Mazi and his people had given a considerable amount of gold and silver in gratitude.

Gu Shanhai found this somewhat amusing and tragic—how could the Elder from the Xuanwei Sect not comprehend the ways of Heaven? If it had been any other world, it might have been alright, but to dare engage in such acts in a world governed by karma—did he truly believe he was the protagonist, able to break free just by uttering, "Break it for me"?

By now, Gu Shanhai guessed the grass on the Elder’s grave must be at least one meter high.

At this moment, Gu Shanhai was pondering why the people of Qingxian Town had to undergo such a disaster.

In this place, the likely cause of calamity was evil begetting evil consequences. If there were a person who had sown a great number of good deeds, they would likely have been saved by someone before ever entering the cycle of reincarnation.

Which meant to say, the townspeople were none too virtuous.

Upon careful reflection, it did seem true. A rich man arrived in town, and everyone thought of killing and robbing him. They could even coexist peacefully with a group of unscrupulously wicked bandits from Hu Mountain.

Normal people, upon learning of the Hu Mountain Bandits, their first thought would surely be to rid the area of them, not to live beside them for decades, even considering them as neighbors and kin.

"So it seems that Heavenly Immortal was truly an unlucky old fellow..." A twitch appeared at the corner of Gu Shanhai’s eye. Most of the instances that Heavenly Immortal had experienced were from this Causality World; no wonder he was exposed to such dark realities. The reason was simple: he had become a player that enacted heavenly justice.

The mere thought made Gu Shanhai feel disconcerted.

This also explained why, in a past life, Heavenly Immortal failed to endure until the end. A player specializing in summoning, continuously strategizing in a world of karma, was bound to meet with mishap, which would be catastrophic once it happened. If one could overcome such tribulation, they would indeed emerge transformed, but such individuals were few.

If it were easy to overcome tribulation, it wouldn’t be called tribulation.

Even Gu Shanhai could face death when encountering dire omens, despite his skills and strength placing him within the top ten among players. For a mid-tier player like Heavenly Immortal, the difficulty was that much greater.

And it might involuntarily drag in his wife, White Cloud, along with their magnificently benevolent companions, both of whom had accompanied him through many instances in this world, at least to the point of being entangled in karma.

At this stage, Gu Shanhai dared not delve too deeply into assisting him, as it could be akin to playing with fire.

In situations like this, there was only one solution, either renounce the causal system of this world or renounce the world itself. No third option was available because the entangled mess was beyond untangling, replete with various inextricable knots. Once trapped in the opponent’s rhythm, there was no salvation.

Flipping the table was the best course of action.

Unfortunately, it was unlikely for Heavenly Immortal to reach the point of flipping the table, even at death’s door.

"What you’ve told me is very satisfying, and now we shall proceed to the next step," Gu Shanhai said with a smile as he looked at Hu Mazi.

These words made Hu Mazi tense up; they were hardly reassuring. Yet, being under another’s roof, he had no choice but to bow his head and put on a very forced smile.

"I have three potions here. Don’t look at me like that; they’re not poisons. Why must your thoughts be so dark?" Gu Shanhai commented, slightly displeased, upon seeing the other’s near-tearful smile.

"These three potions are the Ox Strength Potion, Plague Rat Potion, and Berserk Bear Potion. Just by drinking them, you can gain immense power. As a reward for your honesty, you can choose one," Gu Shanhai said, portraying himself as a great benefactor and a virtuous hero of legend.

Hu Mazi hesitated. At this moment, he didn’t want to choose any, but the circumstances clearly didn’t allow for refusal.

"I choose the Berserk Bear Potion!" Hu Mazi finally made a decision, choosing the last potion. If he were to have power, then it should be the strongest, the bear, rather than an ox or a rat, right?

"You have good taste; I like your decisiveness," Gu Shanhai praised Hu Mazi generously before grabbing the Berserk Bear Potion and injecting it into Hu Mazi’s neck without hesitation, giving the man no chance to react. By the time he did, the potion had already been administered.