“Five years ago, although I resurrected you, I merely forcibly stuffed your soul into this body.” Mr. Duan gently stroked the purple clay teacup in his hand, his tone calm: “Given your broken state at the time, where your soul and body were mutually repelling each other, you wouldn’t have lived for long.”

The living room was quiet, with only the rising steam from the tea wafting between the two of them.

Mr. Duan raised his eyelids, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "In my prediction, you will perish along with that foolish and corrupt Zhou family. After all, a third-rate family like theirs can only turn to dust in the tide of the times."

"Or..." He paused, a cruel smile curving his lips, "you died in despair in this deserted courtyard after being driven out of the Zhou family."

At this point, Mr. Duan leaned forward slightly, his eyes looking down at Zhou Huai with a scrutinizing gaze.

"But what about now?"

"Not only did you not die, but your paralyzed body, which should have been completely necrotic, has also been fully healed. What surprised me the most was that many extremely powerful professional puppets suddenly appeared around you."

"In a short period of time, you could even use those puppets to travel thousands of kilometers and kill the newly resurrected Kujo Naruya in the ruins of the Ise Grand Shrine."

Mr. Duan gently set down his teacup, making a soft clinking sound: "You not only accomplished something that even the Great Xia military dared not dream of, but you also almost ruined my plan. This truly makes me look at you in a new light."

Faced with this analysis that would shake anyone to their core, Zhou Huai remained leaning back on the sofa, his fingers lightly tapping his knees.

He met Mr. Duan's gaze without changing his expression and chuckled lightly: "You came all this way, you didn't just come here to sit here and praise me, did you?"

"To be honest, Zhou Huai, I came here specifically for you."

Mr. Duan interlaced his fingers and rested them on his knees, his expression turning serious: "You have become the biggest variable outside of my entire plan."

"And what I hate most in this life is uncertainty."

Mr. Duan spoke casually, revealing his inherent arrogance and self-confidence.

“I don’t care what job you switch to, or what bizarre opportunities you’ve had in the past five years, or even whether you’re the same Zhou Huai as before...it doesn’t matter to me.”

"Now that I have personally sat down in front of you, there are # Nоvеlight # only two paths before you."

Mr. Duan held up a long, slender finger: "First choice. As the founder of the Dawn Guild, I formally invite you to join the Dawn Guild and become my assistant."

"If you agree, you will become the second-in-command of the Dawn Guild, second only to me. Whatever resources you want, even the lifeline of a country, I can give them to you."

At this point, Mr. Duan paused deliberately, his voice becoming extremely seductive: "I can even... arrange for you to see your mother again. Don't you want to see her?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai's fingers, which were tapping his knee, froze.

A huge wave surged in his eyes!

"What did you say?" Zhou Huai was stunned, his body tensing instinctively, and he blurted out, "She...she's still alive?!"

Mr. Duan nodded noncommittally and smiled, "Of course. She is, after all, my family. How could I just watch her die?"

"Although she has been in a deep sleep all these years, perhaps seeing you, her good son, and hearing your voice could stimulate her subconscious and truly wake her up."

Looking at the turmoil in Zhou Huai's eyes, Mr. Duan was quite satisfied with the bargaining chip he had offered: "After you join the Dawn Guild, I will not ask you to do anything against your will. As long as you do not interfere with my core plans, you can do whatever you want, kill whomever you like."

The living room was completely silent.

Zhou Huai lowered his eyes, thinking rapidly.

The truth from five years ago, his suspected identity as an ancient awakener, and his mother whom he thought had died in the attack... all the clues intertwine with the man in front of him.

But Zhou Huai knew that trying to negotiate with a tiger would never end well!

The way Dawn Guild operates, and the sacrifice involving millions of people by Kujo Naruya, which one of them wasn't built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

After a brief silence, Zhou Huai raised his head again, his eyes now cold.

He looked at Mr. Duan and asked, "So, what's the second option?"

"The second option?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Duan's smile vanished, and the surrounding temperature plummeted to freezing.

“I’ve said it before, I hate unplanned variables.” Mr. Duan’s eyes turned cold: “If you don’t accept the first option, then all that awaits you is to say goodbye to this world forever.”

"In short, today, you either come with me."

"Either you stay here forever, and your newly restored body turn to ashes."

Mr. Duan said with absolute confidence.

He didn't unleash any earth-shattering magical power, but the terrifying aura that could crush the laws of heaven and earth made Uncle Fu, who was standing in the corner, catch his breath.

After saying this, Mr. Duan picked up his teacup and took a sip of water slowly.

"I'm not in a hurry, I'll give you time to think it over."

"Just give me an answer before dark."

"I don't need to think about it."

Zhou Huai's voice was utterly decisive, like a sharp blade cutting through the air, instantly silencing Mr. Duan's lingering words.

Mr. Duan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zhou Huai raised his head, and a palpable killing intent erupted from his eyes, which were identical to his original form: "I choose the third one. That is—to leave you here today!"

The words had barely left his mouth!

Buzz—!

Without warning, an elderly man with a gaunt face, dressed in a gray coarse Taoist robe, appeared out of thin air in the living room like a ghost!

The old man appeared without any spatial fluctuations, and even Mr. Duan's perception, which surpassed the SSS level, failed to detect anything unusual a second ago!

The old man was none other than Li Er, the Great Sage, the only hidden class of the SSS rank that Zhou Huai had just drawn!

The moment Li Er appeared, his withered hand quickly landed on Mr. Duan's shoulder!

"We're outside Donghai City!"