“ nǐ shì shuō ……”
“你是说……”
"Are you saying..."
qīng miáo dàn xiě de huà yǔ chuán rù ěr duǒ ， huàn yuè é de biǎo qíng ， què nán kàn dào wú yǐ fù jiā de chéng dù 。()
轻描淡写的话语传入耳朵，幻月蛾的表情，却难看到无以复加的程度。()
The light and casual words entered her ears, but the expression on Moon Illusion Moth's face showed a level of shock that was almost incomprehensible.
tài dà yì le ！
太大意了！
She had been too careless!
zì jǐ zěn me huì fàn xià rú cǐ yú chǔn de cuò ！
自己怎么会犯下如此愚蠢的错！
How could she have made such a foolish mistake?
sú huà shuō ， cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù 。
俗话说，聪明反被聪明误。
As the saying goes: "Cleverness can sometimes lead to one’s downfall."
yù luó fēng duì zì jǐ jìn jí dù jié hòu qī ， què shí dà yǒu zhù yì ， rán ér zuò wèi lín xuān sì yǎng de líng chóng ， yǔ tā zhè wèi zhǔ rén zhī jiān ， kěn dìng yě shì yǒu xīn shén qiān chě 。
玉罗蜂对自己晋级渡劫后期，确实大有助益，然而做为林轩饲养的灵虫，与他这位主人之间，肯定也是有心神牵扯。
Indeed, Jade Net Bee had greatly assisted her in advancing and passing through the tribulation. However, as a spirit insect raised by Lin Xuan, there was certainly some mental connection between them.
qiě zhè zhǒng lián xì ， fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， ruò shì méi yǒu liào cuò ， zhè lín xiǎo zi zài yù luó fēng de shēn shàng ， duō bàn xià yǒu jìn zhì 。
且这种联系，非同小可，若是没有料错，这林小子在玉罗蜂的身上，多半下有禁制。
And this connection was no trivial matter. If she hadn't guessed wrong, that little Lin likely placed restraints on Moon Illusion Moth's body.
qí shí ， zhè bù xī qí 。
其实，这不稀奇。
Actually, this wasn't unusual at all.
xiū xiān bǎi yì ， yù chóng shù ， suàn shì yìng yòng dé jiào wéi guǎng fàn dì 。
修仙百艺，驭虫术，算是应用得较为广泛地。
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the art of controlling insects was one of the more commonly applied techniques.
ér líng chóng líng zhì jiào dī ， wèi le zuò dào bì rú zhǐ shǐ ， tōng cháng de zuò fǎ ， shì zài líng chóng de shēn shàng ， zhòng xià lì hài de jìn zhì 。
而灵虫灵智较低，为了做到臂如指使，通常的做法，是在灵虫的身上，种下厉害的禁制。
Since spirit insects had lower intelligence, to make them follow orders like a puppet, it was common practice to implant powerful restraints on their bodies.
zhè yì diǎn ， huàn yuè é yuán běn shì xīn zhī dù míng dì 。
这一点，幻月蛾原本是心知肚明地。
Moon Illusion Moth herself knew this fact well. But even wise people can make mistakes. In her excitement, she forgot about it.
kě zhì zhě qiān lǜ bì yǒu yī shī ， yī gāo xìng ， tā jū rán wàng le zhè shì 。
可智者千虑必有一失，一高兴，它居然忘了这事。
Doesn't that sound absurd?
tīng qǐ lái ， shì bú shì hěn lí pǔ ？
听起来，是不是很离谱？
But everyone makes mistakes. Especially after waiting for nearly a million years just to advance, her patience had been worn down to the point of exhaustion. After all her efforts and triumphs, some pride was understandable.
dàn shì rén dū huì fàn cuò 。
但是人都会犯错。
Thus, she made such a basic mistake—she didn’t remove the restraints Lin Xuan placed before fusing with Moon Illusion Bee.
yóu qí shì tā wèi le jìn jí ， yǐ jīng děng dài le jìn bǎi wàn nián de suì yuè 。
尤其是她为了晋级，已经等待了近百万年的岁月。
If it were only one or two insects, that would be fine. But to break through the bottleneck, she had consumed tens of thousands of Jade Net Bees.
jí biàn líng chóng de shòu yuán màn cháng yǐ jí ， zhè me cháng jiǔ de děng dài yě jiāng nài xīn xiāo mó dé suǒ shèng wú jǐ ， dān jīng jié lǜ ， cái jiāng yù luó fēng ná dào shǒu lǐ ， yǒu xiē dé yì wàng xíng ， nà yě shì kě yǐ lǐ jiě dì 。
即便灵虫的寿元漫长以极，这么长久的等待也将耐心消磨得所剩无几，殚精竭虑，才将玉罗蜂拿到手里，有些得意忘形，那也是可以理解地。
As a result, those restraints naturally transferred to her body.
yú shì fàn le yí gè hěn dī jí de cuò 。
于是犯了一个很低级的错。
A self-inflicted trap!
méi jiāng lín xuān zhòng xià de jìn zhì mǒ chú jiù kāi shǐ róng hé 。
没将林轩种下的禁制抹除就开始融合。
But by the time she realized this, it was too late.
rú guǒ jǐn jǐn yī zhī liǎng zhǐ yě jiù bà le ， kě tā wèi le jiāng píng jǐng chōng pò ， tūn shì diào de yù luó fēng zú yǒu shù wàn zhī duō 。
如果仅仅一只两只也就罢了，可她为了将瓶颈冲破，吞噬掉的玉罗蜂足有数万之多。
Otherwise, even if her divine consciousness wasn’t as strong as Lin Xuan’s, how could he easily subdue her?
rú cǐ yī lái ， jìn zhì zì rán yě jiù zhuǎn yí dào tā de shēn shàng le 。
如此一来，禁制自然也就转移到她的身上了。
Tears were already useless. Moon Illusion Moth's face was unusually gloomy.
zuò jiǎn zì fù ！
作茧自缚！
She couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Her situation truly fit the saying "joy to the max leads to sorrow."
kě xiàn zài cái xiǎng qīng chǔ qián yīn hòu guǒ ， míng xiǎn yǐ jīng wǎn le 。
可现在才想清楚前因后果，明显已经晚了。
---
fǒu zé ， tóng shì dù jié hòu qī ， jí biàn shén shí qiáng dù yǔ lín xuān xiāng bǐ ， lüè yǒu bù jí ， yòu nǎ ér yǒu nà me róng yì ， jiù bèi duì fāng qīng yì zhì fú dì 。
否则，同是渡劫后期，即便神识强度与林轩相比，略有不及，又哪儿有那么容易，就被对方轻易制伏地。
Originally, she had thought that advancing would open up a vast world for her, allowing her to freely explore it.
xiǎng kū yǐ jīng lái bù jí 。 huàn yuè é de liǎn sè ， wú bǐ yīn yù 。
想哭已经来不及。幻月蛾的脸色，无比阴郁。
But now, this was the result.
xīn zhōng hái yǒu xiē kū xiào bù dé ， zì jǐ de zāo yù ， shuō lè jí shēng bēi ， nà shì yì diǎn yě méi yǒu cuò 。
心中还有些哭笑不得，自己的遭遇，说乐极生悲，那是一点也没有错。
"Exactly what do you want?"
yuán běn hái xiǎng zhe ， chéng gōng jìn jí ， cóng cǐ hǎi kuò tiān kōng ， kě yǐ rèn zì jǐ áo yóu 。
原本还想着，成功晋级，从此海阔天空，可以任自己遨游。
Moon Illusion Moth spoke coldly.
méi xiǎng dào zuì hòu ， què shì rú cǐ yí gè jié guǒ 。
没想到最后，却是如此一个结果。
She had tasted the feeling of going from heaven to hell. But even though she was in someone else's house, she still had to bow down.
“ nǐ jiū jìng xiǎng yào rú hé ？”
“你究竟想要如何？”
Even if her life was in their hands, she couldn't afford to be complacent. Therefore, there would never be a good face for Lin Xuan.
huàn yuè é lěng lěng de kāi kǒu le 。
幻月蛾冷冷的开口了。
"Friend, you need not be angry. I have no grudge with you and no recent enmity. Naturally, I won’t make things overly difficult for you. However, the spirit insect that I carefully raised was destroyed by your hands. Emotionally and logically, I can't bear to swallow this. That's why I've come here to discuss compensation matters," Lin Xuan said with a pleasant tone.
cóng tiān táng dào dì yù de gǎn shòu ， tā rú jīn suàn shì pǐn cháng dào le 。 piān piān rén zài wū yán xià ， hái bù dé bù dī tóu 。
从天堂到地狱的感受，她如今算是品尝到了。偏偏人在屋檐下，还不得不低头。
"Compensation?" Moon Illusion Moth widened her eyes in disbelief. "You know the value of Jade Net Bee, so you should understand that all spirit insects have already been consumed and fused by me. How can I give you anything as compensation? Would it be asking you to become my pet?"
kě jí biàn shì xiǎo mìng ér ná niē zài duì fāng de shǒu lǐ ， tā xīn zhōng yòu rú hé néng gòu fú qì ， suǒ yǐ yú qíng yú lǐ ， duì lín xuān dōu bú huì yǒu hǎo liǎn sè dì 。
可即便是小命儿拿捏在对方的手里，她心中又如何能够福气，所以于情于理，对林轩都不会有好脸色地。
"You are truly a genius, Friend," Lin Xuan boasted.
“ dào yǒu wú xū dòng nù ， lín mǒu yǔ nǐ wǎng rì wú yuān jìn rì wú chóu ， zì rán bú huì guò fèn wéi nán nǐ de ， zhǐ shì lín mǒu jīng xīn sì yǎng de líng chóng ， dào dǐ shì huǐ zài le nǐ de shǒu zhōng 。 yú qíng yú lǐ ， lín mǒu dōu bù kě néng yàn xià zhè kǒu qì ， suǒ yǐ lái dào zhè lǐ ， shì wèi le yǔ dào yǒu shāng liáng péi cháng shì yí 。” lín xuān hé yán yuè sè de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ lǐ 。
“道友无需动怒，林某与你往日无冤近日无仇，自然不会过分为难你的，只是林某精心饲养的灵虫，到底是毁在了你的手中。于情于理，林某都不可能咽下这口气，所以来到这里，是为了与道友商量赔偿事宜。”林轩和颜悦色的声音传入耳朵里。
"What?" Moon Illusion Moth nearly had her nose crooked from anger.
“ péi cháng ？” huàn yuè é dèng dà le yǎn zhū 。 liǎn shàng lù chū bù kě sī yì zhī sè ：“ yù luó fēng de yòng tú nǐ jì rán xīn zhōng yǒu shù ， nà me yě yīng gāi míng bái rú jīn suǒ yǒu de líng chóng dōu yǐ bèi wǒ tūn shì róng hé ， nǐ ràng wǒ ná shén me péi gěi nǐ ， nán dào ràng wǒ zì jǐ 。 zuò nǐ de líng chǒng me ？”
“赔偿？”幻月蛾瞪大了眼珠。脸上露出不可思议之色：“玉罗蜂的用途你既然心中有数，那么也应该明白如今所有的灵虫都已被我吞噬融合，你让我拿什么赔给你，难道让我自己。做你的灵宠么？”
Wasn't it true... that she had said something insulting, and he accepted it like water?
“ dào yǒu guǒ rán bīng xuě cōng míng ， lín mǒu zhèng shì zhè me xiǎng de 。”
“道友果然冰雪聪明，林某正是这么想的。”
To make her his spirit pet was such an audacious claim. Wasn't he afraid of speaking too big and saying something foolish?
lín xuān dà yán bù cán de kāi kǒu le 。
林轩大言不惭的开口了。
A True Immortal descending to the mortal world?
“ shén me ？”
“什么？”
Hmph, even if a True Immortal did descend here, they wouldn't dare speak so arrogantly.
huàn yuè é tīng le ， què chà diǎn jiāng bí zi qì wāi le 。
幻月蛾听了，却差点将鼻子气歪了。
She herself had advanced to late-stage tribulation.
kě bú shì …… zì jǐ yī jù jǐ duì de yán yǔ 。 duì fāng jū rán gān zhī rú yí 。
可不是……自己一句挤兑的言语。对方居然甘之如饴。
As a Moon Illusion Moth, she had advanced to this level—unprecedented before and unlikely in the future. Her strength far surpassed ordinary cultivators.
ràng zì jǐ dāng tā de líng chǒng ， zhēn shì hǎo dà de kǒu qì ， yě bù pà fēng dà shǎn le shé tou ， tā dāng zì jǐ shì shén me ？
让自己当他的灵宠，真是好大的口气，也不怕风大闪了舌头，他当自己是什么？
Although that little Lin was quite powerful, he too was at late-stage tribulation. Yet he said she should become his pet. Wasn't this an overreach?
zhēn xiān lín shì ？
真仙临世？
Beside her, Mo'er also widened her eyes.
hēng ， jiù suàn zhēn xiān zhēn jiàng lín zài le cǐ chù ， yě bù gǎn dà yán bù cán ， shuō chū zhè bān yán yǔ 。
哼，就算真仙真降临在了此处，也不敢大言不惭，说出这般言语。
The young master truly was a character who only took advantage and never lost out. Although Jade Net Bee was incredibly valuable, how could it compare to advancing to late-stage tribulation as Moon Illusion Moth?
zì jǐ kě shì dù jié hòu qī 。
自己可是渡劫后期。
He had calculated too shrewdly.
shēn wèi huàn yuè é què jìn jí dào zhè ge chéng dù ， qián wú gǔ rén hòu wú lái zhě ， shí lì gèng shì yuǎn shèng pǔ tōng de xiū xiān zhě xǔ duō 。
身为幻月蛾却晋级到这个程度，前无古人后无来者，实力更是远胜普通的修仙者许多。
But while the idea was good, the conditions he proposed were too harsh. Unless the other party was crazy, they wouldn't agree.
zhè lín xiǎo zi suī rán shí lì bù cuò ， dàn yě bù guò yǔ zì jǐ yī yàng de dù jié hòu qī bà le ， què shuō yào zì jǐ dāng tā de líng chǒng ， zhè bú shì qī rén tài shèn shì shén me ？
这林小子虽然实力不错，但也不过与自己一样的渡劫后期罢了，却说要自己当他的灵宠，这不是欺人太甚是什么？
Yet from his expression, he seemed confident. Could he have some secret weapon?
yuè ér zài yī páng yě dèng dà le yǎn zhū 。
月儿在一旁也瞪大了眼珠。
Mo'er's face was filled with curiosity as she heard Lin Xuan's voice slowly enter her ears:
shào yé hái zhēn shì zhǐ zhàn pián yí bù chī kuī de rén wù ， yù luó fēng gù rán bǎo guì yǐ jí ， dàn yòu rú hé néng yǔ jìn jí dào dù jié hòu qī de huàn yuè é xiāng bǐ ？
少爷还真是只占便宜不吃亏的人物，玉罗蜂固然宝贵以极，但又如何能与晋级到渡劫后期的幻月蛾相比？
"Is there something wrong with your tone? Do you have any objections?"
zhè suàn pán dǎ dé tài jīng míng liǎo 。
这算盘打得太精明了。
"Nonsense! A man can be killed but not humiliated. Little Lin, don't push me too far."
kě xiǎng fǎ gù rán shì bù cuò dì ， tí chū de zhè ge tiáo jiàn què wèi miǎn tài kē kè le xiē ， duì fāng chú fēi nǎo dài yǒu wèn tí ， fǒu zé ， yòu rú hé néng gòu tóng yì ？
可想法固然是不错地，提出的这个条件却未免太苛刻了些，对方除非脑袋有问题，否则，又如何能够同意？
Moon Illusion Moth's fierce voice entered her ears. How had she ever been treated to such humiliation?
kě kàn shào yé de biǎo qíng ， què xìn xīn shí zú ， mò fēi tā yǒu shén me shā shǒu jiǎn me ？
可看少爷的表情，却信心十足，莫非他有什么杀手锏么？
"I don’t think I'm being overbearing," Lin Xuan said with a calm expression.
yuè ér liǎn shàng chōng mǎn le hào qí zhī sè ， què tīng jiàn lín xuān de shēng yīn huǎn huǎn chuán rù yǒu ěr duǒ ：
月儿脸上充满了好奇之色，却听见林轩的声音缓缓传入有耳朵：
"I cultivated spirit insects for thousands of years, and they became nothing but water through the air because of you. Friend, it is only right that you compensate me. What's wrong with that? Moreover, as my pet, there’s no loss to you; on the contrary, it offers you great opportunities..."
“ zěn me ， tīng dào yǒu de kǒu qì ， mò fēi yǒu yì yì ？”
“怎么，听道友的口气，莫非有异议？”
"You... you..."
“ fèi huà ， shì kě shā bù kě rǔ ， lín xiǎo zi ， nǐ bú yào qī rén tài shèn le 。”
“废话，士可杀不可辱，林小子，你不要欺人太甚了。”
Moon Illusion Moth was speechless in shock. In the cultivation world, thick skin wasn't uncommon, but Lin Xuan felt so good about himself.
huàn yuè é è hěn hěn de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， zì jǐ hé zēng shòu guò zhè zhǒng xiū rǔ 。
幻月蛾恶狠狠的声音传入耳朵，自己何曾受过这种羞辱。
What did he mean by saying that becoming his pet wouldn’t be a loss and would offer great opportunities? Wasn’t this just plain lying?
“ qī rén tài shèn ， lín mǒu kě bù jué de 。”
“欺人太甚，林某可不觉得。”
"Think you're something special—reincarnation of the Arrogant King or a True Emperor descending to the mortal world?"
lín xuān de biǎo qíng yī jiù shì dàn dàn de ：“ wǒ péi yù shù qiān nián de líng chóng ， yīn nǐ ér chéng le zhú lán dǎ shuǐ yī cháng kōng ， dào yǒu péi cháng yú wǒ ， nǎi shì tiān jīng dì yì de ， hé lái qī rén tài shèn yī shuō ， hé kuàng zuò wǒ líng chǒng ， yú nǐ bìng wú chī kuī zhī chù ， yú nǐ ， fǎn ér shì yǒu zhe mò dà jī yuán de ……”
林轩的表情依旧是淡淡的：“我培育数千年的灵虫，因你而成了竹篮打水一场空，道友赔偿于我，乃是天经地义的，何来欺人太甚一说，何况做我灵宠，于你并无吃亏之处，于你，反而是有着莫大机缘的……”
"Not at all."
“ nǐ ， nǐ ……”
“你，你……”
The mocking voice entered her ears, but Lin Xuan ignored it. His expression remained calm.
huàn yuè é chēng mù jié shé ， qì dé lián huà dōu shuō bù qīng chǔ ， xiū xiān jiè guāng guài lù lí ， liǎn pí hòu bù zú wéi qí ， dàn xiàng lín xuān zhè yàng zì wǒ gǎn jué liáng hǎo de hái zhēn bù duō 。
幻月蛾瞠目结舌，气得连话都说不清楚，修仙界光怪陆离，脸皮厚不足为奇，但像林轩这样自我感觉良好的还真不多。
"Do you know how long I spent on my cultivation path until today?" Lin Xuan continued.
shén me jiào zuò tā líng chǒng bìng wú chī kuī zhī chù ， fǎn ér shì yǒu zhe mò dà jī yuán ， zhè bú shì zhēng zhuó yǎn jīng shuō xiā huà shì shén me ？
什么叫做他灵宠并无吃亏之处，反而是有着莫大机缘，这不是睁着眼睛说瞎话是什么？
"Does that matter to me?"
“ nǐ dāng zì jǐ yǒu shén me liǎo bù qǐ ， ā xiū luó wáng zhuǎn shì ， hái shì xiān dì jiàng luò dào fán shì ？”
“你当自己有什么了不起，阿修罗王转世，还是仙帝降落到凡世？”
Moon Illusion Moth said coldly.
“ dōu bú shì 。”
“都不是。”
Lin Xuan didn't take offense and continued speaking: "I can’t remember exactly, but roughly three thousand years."
duì fāng jī fěng de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， lín xuān què shì ruò wú dǔ ， liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng yī jiù píng hé ：“ dào yǒu kě zhī dào ， lín mǒu cóng tà shàng xiū xiān zhī lù ， zǒu dào jīn tiān zhè yī bù ， yī gòng huā le duō shǎo shí jiān me ？”
对方讥讽的声音传入耳朵，林轩却视若无睹，脸上的表情依旧平和：“道友可知道，林某从踏上修仙之路，走到今天这一步，一共花了多少时间么？”
"What?"
“ yǔ wǒ yǒu guān me ？”
“与我有关么？”
Moon Illusion Moth's mouth opened wide in surprise. The irony on her face was replaced by shock.
huàn yuè é lěng lěng de shuō 。
幻月蛾冷冷的说。
Three thousand years—how could that be possible?
lín xuān yī jiù bù yǐ wéi wǔ ， zì gù zì de wǎng xià shuō ：“ tài jù tǐ de ， wǒ yě jì bù qīng chǔ ， dà gài shì sān qiān nián zuǒ yòu 。”
林轩依旧不以为忤，自顾自的往下说：“太具体的，我也记不清楚，大概是三千年左右。”
While human cultivation wasn't as difficult as for spirit insects, it still couldn't be achieved overnight.
“ shén me ？”
“什么？”
With mere thousands of years, reaching the Profound Knowledge Realm was already a remarkable achievement; calling him a genius wouldn’t have been inappropriate. Yet he had become a late-stage tribulation cultivator?
huàn yuè é chī jīng de zhǎng dà le xiǎo zuǐ ， liǎn shàng zài wú jī fěng zhī sè ， dōu bèi jīng yà tián mǎn le 。
幻月蛾吃惊的长大了小嘴，脸上再无讥讽之色，都被惊讶填满了。
Was that possible?
sān qiān nián ， zhè zěn me kě néng ？
三千年，这怎么可能？
It must be nonsense. That little Lin was too good at making things up.
suī shuō rén lèi xiū xiān ， yuǎn méi yǒu tā men líng chóng jiān nán ， dàn yě jué fēi kě yǐ yí cù ér jiù 。
虽说人类修仙，远没有他们灵虫艰难，但也绝非可以一蹴而就。
"How can you not believe me? Although I've subdued you, some of your innate abilities should still work. If my memory serves correctly, Moon Illusion Moth's innate ability should allow one to see through others' hearts. Even if its power is weakened in this situation, it shouldn't be hard for you to determine whether what I'm saying is true or false. Why don’t you use your ability?"
qū qū shù qiān nián de guāng yīn ， néng gòu xiū liàn dào dòng xuán qī ， yǐ shì fēi cháng de liǎo bù qǐ ， chēng zhī wèi tiān cái dōu méi yǒu shén me bù tuǒ ， duì fāng què chéng wéi le dù jié hòu qī de xiū xiān zhě ？
区区数千年的光阴，能够修炼到洞玄期，已是非常的了不起，称之为天才都没有什么不妥，对方却成为了渡劫后期的修仙者？
Lin Xuan’s calm voice entered her ears with confidence.
"Are you saying..."
The light and casual words entered her ears, but the expression on Moon Illusion Moth's face showed a level of shock that was almost incomprehensible.
She had been too careless!
How could she have made such a foolish mistake?
As the saying goes: "Cleverness can sometimes lead to one’s downfall."
Indeed, Jade Net Bee had greatly assisted her in advancing and passing through the tribulation. However, as a spirit insect raised by Lin Xuan, there was certainly some mental connection between them.
And this connection was no trivial matter. If she hadn't guessed wrong, that little Lin likely placed restraints on Moon Illusion Moth's body.
Actually, this wasn't unusual at all.
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the art of controlling insects was one of the more commonly applied techniques.
Since spirit insects had lower intelligence, to make them follow orders like a puppet, it was common practice to implant powerful restraints on their bodies.
Moon Illusion Moth herself knew this fact well. But even wise people can make mistakes. In her excitement, she forgot about it.
Doesn't that sound absurd?
But everyone makes mistakes. Especially after waiting for nearly a million years just to advance, her patience had been worn down to the point of exhaustion. After all her efforts and triumphs, some pride was understandable.
Thus, she made such a basic mistake—she didn’t remove the restraints Lin Xuan placed before fusing with Moon Illusion Bee.
If it were only one or two insects, that would be fine. But to break through the bottleneck, she had consumed tens of thousands of Jade Net Bees.
As a result, those restraints naturally transferred to her body.
A self-inflicted trap!
But by the time she realized this, it was too late.
Otherwise, even if her divine consciousness wasn’t as strong as Lin Xuan’s, how could he easily subdue her?
Tears were already useless. Moon Illusion Moth's face was unusually gloomy.
She couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Her situation truly fit the saying "joy to the max leads to sorrow."
---
Originally, she had thought that advancing would open up a vast world for her, allowing her to freely explore it.
But now, this was the result.
"Exactly what do you want?"
Moon Illusion Moth spoke coldly.
She had tasted the feeling of going from heaven to hell. But even though she was in someone else's house, she still had to bow down.
Even if her life was in their hands, she couldn't afford to be complacent. Therefore, there would never be a good face for Lin Xuan.
"Friend, you need not be angry. I have no grudge with you and no recent enmity. Naturally, I won’t make things overly difficult for you. However, the spirit insect that I carefully raised was destroyed by your hands. Emotionally and logically, I can't bear to swallow this. That's why I've come here to discuss compensation matters," Lin Xuan said with a pleasant tone.
"Compensation?" Moon Illusion Moth widened her eyes in disbelief. "You know the value of Jade Net Bee, so you should understand that all spirit insects have already been consumed and fused by me. How can I give you anything as compensation? Would it be asking you to become my pet?"
"You are truly a genius, Friend," Lin Xuan boasted.
"What?" Moon Illusion Moth nearly had her nose crooked from anger.
Wasn't it true... that she had said something insulting, and he accepted it like water?
To make her his spirit pet was such an audacious claim. Wasn't he afraid of speaking too big and saying something foolish?
A True Immortal descending to the mortal world?
Hmph, even if a True Immortal did descend here, they wouldn't dare speak so arrogantly.
She herself had advanced to late-stage tribulation.
As a Moon Illusion Moth, she had advanced to this level—unprecedented before and unlikely in the future. Her strength far surpassed ordinary cultivators.
Although that little Lin was quite powerful, he too was at late-stage tribulation. Yet he said she should become his pet. Wasn't this an overreach?
Beside her, Mo'er also widened her eyes.
The young master truly was a character who only took advantage and never lost out. Although Jade Net Bee was incredibly valuable, how could it compare to advancing to late-stage tribulation as Moon Illusion Moth?
He had calculated too shrewdly.
But while the idea was good, the conditions he proposed were too harsh. Unless the other party was crazy, they wouldn't agree.
Yet from his expression, he seemed confident. Could he have some secret weapon?
Mo'er's face was filled with curiosity as she heard Lin Xuan's voice slowly enter her ears:
"Is there something wrong with your tone? Do you have any objections?"
"Nonsense! A man can be killed but not humiliated. Little Lin, don't push me too far."
Moon Illusion Moth's fierce voice entered her ears. How had she ever been treated to such humiliation?
"I don’t think I'm being overbearing," Lin Xuan said with a calm expression.
"I cultivated spirit insects for thousands of years, and they became nothing but water through the air because of you. Friend, it is only right that you compensate me. What's wrong with that? Moreover, as my pet, there’s no loss to you; on the contrary, it offers you great opportunities..."
"You... you..."
Moon Illusion Moth was speechless in shock. In the cultivation world, thick skin wasn't uncommon, but Lin Xuan felt so good about himself.
What did he mean by saying that becoming his pet wouldn’t be a loss and would offer great opportunities? Wasn’t this just plain lying?
"Think you're something special—reincarnation of the Arrogant King or a True Emperor descending to the mortal world?"
"Not at all."
The mocking voice entered her ears, but Lin Xuan ignored it. His expression remained calm.
"Do you know how long I spent on my cultivation path until today?" Lin Xuan continued.
"Does that matter to me?"
Moon Illusion Moth said coldly.
Lin Xuan didn't take offense and continued speaking: "I can’t remember exactly, but roughly three thousand years."
"What?"
Moon Illusion Moth's mouth opened wide in surprise. The irony on her face was replaced by shock.
Three thousand years—how could that be possible?
While human cultivation wasn't as difficult as for spirit insects, it still couldn't be achieved overnight.
With mere thousands of years, reaching the Profound Knowledge Realm was already a remarkable achievement; calling him a genius wouldn’t have been inappropriate. Yet he had become a late-stage tribulation cultivator?
Was that possible?
It must be nonsense. That little Lin was too good at making things up.
"How can you not believe me? Although I've subdued you, some of your innate abilities should still work. If my memory serves correctly, Moon Illusion Moth's innate ability should allow one to see through others' hearts. Even if its power is weakened in this situation, it shouldn't be hard for you to determine whether what I'm saying is true or false. Why don’t you use your ability?"
Lin Xuan’s calm voice entered her ears with confidence.