CHAPTER 629: CHAPTER 23: NEGOTIATION

Several fair and tender arms reached out to Su Xiao, and Sick Dog instinctively backed away, intending to retreat into the elevator.

"Do you think these women can trade for Sick Dog’s life?"

Su Xiao looked at the screen. At this moment, those women with sultry eyes began to step back—this was their instinct.

The Ten Old Man on the screen furrowed his brows. The allure of women wasn’t working; perhaps the women he offered weren’t attractive enough? With Su Xiao’s power, he probably had seen countless women and wouldn’t be impressed by these.

The Ten Old Man cleared his throat, and the women in the room withdrew, leaving only one woman in a black dress standing. She had kept her distance, different from the others.

This woman’s figure was graceful, with a large tattoo on her exposed arm—a black rose.

"This is Black Mary. If we reach an agreement, she will be your assistant."

Black Mary stepped forward, slightly bowed, and pulled a chair from the next room.

Su Xiao sat on the chair; in front of him was the screen. Snowflakes flashed across the screen, and moments later the image returned.

The screen now showed a round table. Around the table sat ten men of varying ages and styles. These were all the members of the Ten Old Man, representing gang influences across the Six Continents.

The cropped-haired man from before spoke. He seemed to be a representative among the Ten Old Man.

"I am Bick. May I ask how you would like to be addressed, sir?"

Bick habitually touched the scar on his mouth, pondering something unknown.

"Bai Ye."

"Mister Bai Ye, let’s not mince words. There are two matters to discuss: one concerning the death of Leech, and the other concerning the Cyclops’s eye. Let’s address them one by one, starting with the first."

"Yes, let’s first discuss Leech’s death."

Another member of the Ten Old Man spoke, gnashing his teeth, wishing to tear Su Xiao apart.

"Elsuop, calm down."

Bick glanced at Elsuop, whose eye twitched and remained silent after hesitating for a moment.

Seeing this, Su Xiao got a rough idea of the situation. Ten Yin Beasts and ten Ten Old Man members—this was no coincidence.

Each Ten Old Man member had a Yin Beast, a mutual check among gangs. Elsuop’s Yin Beast had died, which put him in a passive situation.

"Regarding Leech’s death, we can let bygones be bygones, but..."

The cropped-haired Bick laughed as he spoke.

"The vacancy of the Yin Beast needs filling, Mister Bai Ye, you understand what I mean."

Bick’s meaning was clear, to have Su Xiao fill Leech’s vacancy and join the Yin Beasts. Elsuop’s smile widened; although they lost Leech, getting a stronger subordinate would be a windfall, though the loyalty of this subordinate still needed testing.

Su Xiao lit a cigarette, glanced at Bick, then at Sick Dog.

"What if I refuse?"

As soon as he spoke, all the Ten Old Man members looked at Su Xiao.

"Refuse? We still have eight Yin Beasts."

"Heh~ Bring them out."

Su Xiao stood up, drawing Dragon Slash from its sheath and resting it against Sick Dog’s neck. The blade slowly cut through, first breaking the skin, then the muscle.

"Wait!"

Bick roared angrily, but Su Xiao paid no heed. Sick Dog, who was being cut, dared not move, enveloped by the fear of death. Even if Su Xiao released Sick Dog now, he wouldn’t have to worry about Sick Dog seeking revenge.

"Are eight Yin Beasts very strong? Have them come out and fight me, or let them kill me, or I’ll kill them all and then find you. Staying hidden, afraid to face me, you expect me to become your subordinate with that lack of courage?"

The blade cut through the muscles on Sick Dog’s neck, and the faces of the Ten Old Man members turned grim.

"Since Mister Bai Ye is here, there is room for negotiation. Apologies for the previous offense."

Bick’s tone shifted, suddenly becoming amicable.

"Of course, there’s room for negotiation."

Su Xiao stopped his actions, moved Dragon Slash away from Sick Dog’s neck, and blood slid down the blade tip. Black Mary shivered slightly on the side.

"I don’t want to talk too much. Firstly, I won’t become your subordinate; at most, it’s a cooperative relationship. Also, any tasks you want me to do must offer compensation."

The Ten Old Man members exchanged glances, seemingly seeking each other’s opinions. Their initial plan was to recruit Su Xiao into the gang and slowly control him afterward.

The current situation showed that this guy was capricious, turning hostile at the drop of a hat, more extreme than the gang’s way of doing things.

More importantly, Su Xiao presented a front that seemed determined to oppose the Ten Old Men’s Power, giving the Ten Old Man a massive headache.

They suddenly realized that this wasn’t a heaven-sent hitman; it was clearly a Plague God!

"What does Mister Bai Ye want? Money? Power? Women?"

"I’m not interested in the women you offer. As for other things, I’m not interested either."

"Then..."

Murderous intent filled the Ten Old Man’s eyes—someone with no greed was suspicious.

"I want rare treasures."

As Su Xiao spoke, he took out a few items: a World Government Commemorative Coin, a Soul Crystal (Medium), a piece of White Equipment, and a No.1 Potion.

"I want items similar to these, not in appearance, but in essence."

The Ten Old Man members looked at the items in Su Xiao’s hand and shook their heads after a long pause.

"Sorry, Mister Bai Ye, the items you want..."

Before Bick finished speaking, another Ten Old Man member interjected.

"Isn’t that an Eternal Crystal Stone?"

That Ten Old Man looked at the Soul Crystal (Medium).

"Very similar."

"Not just similar; it is."

"Ah, this Eternal Crystal Stone is quite large and can fetch a sky-high price at auction, though few collect them; some people use it to make jewelry."

Listening to the Ten Old Man’s discussion, Su Xiao’s eyes seemed to sparkle.

"It’s decided. The fee for helping you will be ’Eternal Crystal Stones.’

Su Xiao speculated that the Eternal Crystal Stones in the Hunter World were Soul Crystals.

"This..."

The Ten Old Man exchanged looks; no one spoke for a moment.

"The price... is too high."

"Impossible!"

"Absurd."

The Ten Old Man refused bluntly. It’s not that they couldn’t procure Soul Crystals (Medium), but they were used to getting others to risk their lives for cheap, even with the Yin Beasts.

"Are you refusing me?"

Su Xiao chuckled, kicking Sick Dog aside, grabbing Black Mary’s dress to wipe the blood off Dragon Slash, as Black Mary pressed her hands between her thighs to avoid any exposure.

"Since you refuse... then forget it."

Su Xiao got up and walked out. For some reason, the Ten Old Man felt their hair stand on end. They all knew there were two choices now: send people to besiege Su Xiao or continue negotiating with him.

The best outcome of besieging Su Xiao would be heavy casualties among their men followed by killing him, or possibly Su Xiao breaking through, after which life for the Ten Old Men would become difficult.

As for continuing to negotiate, the Ten Old Man hesitated, pondering who should foot the bill.

"Why don’t we hire him together?"

Bick’s proposal received unanimous approval.

"Mister Bai Ye, let’s discuss your fees for doing the task. We will have a cooperative relationship."

Bick, having climbed to such a position within the gang, was naturally a shrewd person. The other Ten Old Man members were similar. They knew that although hiring Su Xiao required significant pay, with the auction looming and given Su Xiao’s combat effectiveness against Yin Beasts, this might be an opportunity.

"My requirements aren’t high: ten Eternal Crystal Stones of this quality per day."

"Cough, cough..."

"Ten stones?!"