The woman scrunched up her face, seeming quite annoyed at the mere presence of the man with the pipe. Luchih was much less hostile to hear the other man speak, but it was obvious his smile was now fake, “Nonsense, Mr. Guan. We haven’t forgotten you, but with how wonderful my offer is, there’s little sense for you even being here. You’re only here as a courtesy, so you may as well just relax and enjoy your vacation.”

The other man took a puff from his pipe and then puffed a tiny ball of smoke towards Luchih. The bald headed fellow didn’t take the gesture as a joke as Sage considered it. Instead, he leapt backwards with his full force. The stone floor where he’d been standing suddenly gained a few small cracks and Baqi Luchih dodged the ball of smoke like it was a deadly weapon. Only after he ensured his own safety did he thrust out his palm and release a wave of energy. Sage couldn’t see it with his eyes, but with his Spirit Sense he gauged the force to be immense as it hit against the small cloud and dispersed it.

The man with the pipe chuckled, “Quite cautious of you, Luchih. Are you worried everyone is as underhanded as you are?”

“You can pretend to be lazy, slovenly and harmless all you want, but I will never be fooled by you Zhenyan.”

The woman was glad she had been a few steps back from the two when they broke into that little scuffle. She had no idea whether or not either of them would have held back if she was closer. She took a few steps back, and even Sage could hear her audibly swallowing, fearful of the two powerful figures she’d brought into the room clashing again. The pipe smoking man stopped paying attention to the other two and took a step forward, bringing him only a few inches away from the bars of the prison cell.

“Hey, you in there. Are you ready to become a high class servant? They may make it sound like you’ll be a manager in charge of some valuable goods, but it’s not much different than a housekeeper with a much bigger house to watch over. Congratulations! You’ll never have to make any big decisions or be worried about your safety in the future.”

Guan Zhenyan did not seem to care about whether or not he insulted Sage. Those words were sharp, but they weren’t wrong. It wouldn’t take much thought to realize he spoke the truth. Baqi Luchih had all but came out and directly said it. He would be put to use as something of a living Hidden Domain.

“You see, I was sent here to negotiate with the Shou Empire. We can’t just let important assets fall into the hands of a rival Empire. The thing is, you don’t seem like much more than a slave farmer to me. So, there’s not much need for us to intervene. I just like to do my due diligence. Are you worth more than just a possessor of the Seed of Life?”

Sage was a bit taken aback, not expecting such a declaration. He had guessed the man was unlike the others he’d seen lately, but it was a welcome surprise to find out he was on his side. Or at least that’s how he thought of it until he was immediately told he was going to be abandoned.

“Yes! I am very useful to the Dou Kingdom. Just go to the Holy Flame Sect in the Shihu Kingdom and you can find out how much I’ve contributed to them in the past. I can do the same for the Dou Kingdom if I’m given a chance.”

Sage found himself responding almost instantly. Even though it was logical for him to accept such a great deal from the Shou Empire, there was something about it that irked him. The words were spilling out of his mouth towards Guan Zhenyan before he even thought them through. His connection to the human territory was far deeper than he imagined. Even though he’d merged many Demonic Beasts and Insects into his body, he still spoke out instantly at his desire to return to the human world. The rich rewards and cushy life he was promised didn’t move him, and instead he found himself eager to prove his worth to Guan Zhenyan.

“So you say. I did the research before I ever arrived here and it sounds like you’re a classical coward. You joined a crafting Sect, you bounced between different professions for many years to keep from advancing, and lately you built an organization to do all your work for you. You hug the thigh of a big Sect, and then when that doesn’t work you surround yourself with shields. It sounds just like those mortals who build up piles of gold to buy themselves protection and amenities. Now you’ll be getting what you wanted, right?”

Guan Zhenyan’s words seemed to resonate with him. It was true that ever since he’d escaped from those dark mines, he’d sought protection. Back on Earth he’d never truly had to worry about his safety. He could have never imagined he would be killed in the manner he was. In his life he’d spent his time worrying about work, bills, the next game that was coming out, and his non-existent love life. Then he was thrust into a completely new world and excited at all the possibilities. It’s too bad his fantasy of being a world changing ultra-genius was almost immediately squashed. He learned the truths of this world and how brutal it could be. He was condemned to death because of the actions of others in his new clan.

That moment tainted the rest of his career. Pushing him to always find a safe harbor. Even after he’d gained such strength from so many monstrous mergers and assimilating Heavenly Materials, he was still hiding behind an external force. He even spent a large amount of time and resources to create a new organization so he could hide behind it. Why is it that he felt Guan Zhenyan’s words struck the truth, and yet at the same time he felt a sinking feeling when he thought of living the life offered by the Shou Empire?

“That’s not the life I want.”

“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself. It’s alright, most people don’t know what they want until they’ve already lost it. You’re lucky because you’ll be getting what you didn’t even realize you desired. A few years from now you’ll finally understand you found your place. You can relax now, you paid some lip service to the idea of returning to your homeland and doing good for it. Don’t worry, you can stay here and relax. We don’t need you.”

Is he right? Is this the life I’ve always aimed for? It’s definitely the ideal conditions I’ve always wanted to find myself in. Yet, why does it feel so wrong?

“I… it doesn’t feel right.”

“Hah, like I said. Most people can’t see what’s good for them. So just relax, put aside your worries and live the life you don’t realize you want. Just think about it, what are your goals? What do you aspire to in your life? Seems to me like you only care about buying yourself a safe and easy ride.”

The sense of connection to Guan Zhenyan’s words increased again. Goals. Aspirations. Motivation. Desires. What is it that drove him? Why was there a price on his head that sent him running for his life? What made him choose to put himself into danger over and over again? There were so many times he could have just left. Giving up the life of a cultivator and living the simple life of a mortal. It was easy to destroy his cultivation and cash in all his Spirit Stones for gold coins. Even when he was trapped with a half-monster body, he could have gone to live in a demi-human community and fit right in.

What is it all for?