Tu Xiao'an didn't bother dwelling on things he couldn't figure out. This woman never played by the rules. Trying to understand her with normal logic was pointless; it would only leave you more confused.

She could remain indifferent, but Tu Xiao'an couldn't just stand by and watch an ordinary person be killed by a Demon.

He had saved those who deserved saving, and he had eaten those who deserved to be eaten. As an enthroned Snake King, Tu Xiao'an walked his own path, one that transcended good and evil, always abiding by his own internal code.

To save or to kill—it all depended on his heart.

'A Rank Three Demon Spirit? If I take a liking to you, I'll make you mine. If not? Then just become my Evolutionary Energy.'

"You can wait here for your soup ingredients."

The Purple Gold Snake wriggled free from Luo Ziyun's warm, fragrant embrace and shot toward the second floor of the villa in a flash.

"What are you doing?"

Luo Ziyun stared blankly as the Purple Gold Snake vanished. Then, a smile touched the corners of her lips.

It was as if she knew what he was about to do.

........

「On the second floor of the villa.」

In the brightly lit hall, decorated in an exceptionally grand and luxurious style, a portly man in a thin, white robe sat grinning on a leather sofa. Beside him, a scantily clad woman nestled close, feeding him pieces of fruit with a smile.

The portly man's white robe hung open, revealing a hideous mat of black chest hair.

At the front of the hall, a huge screen played a pop music video where a tall, stunningly beautiful woman was passionately singing.

Six or seven backup dancers swayed to the music, each with her own unique charm—some lively and nimble, others mature and beautiful.

The man in the white robe reveled in the lap of luxury—fine food, exquisite wine, and beautiful women. He was thoroughly enjoying himself.

'It's great to be human, but it's even better to be a rich human. My hundreds of years of Cultivation to achieve this Transformation were well worth it.'

Some of the beautiful women in the hall were internet celebrities, worshipped as goddesses by countless men on various platforms. But here, they were no different from common hostesses.

Others were aspiring C-list models, all beautiful, with slender waists and long legs.

As long as the price was right, there was nothing they wouldn't do.

"Boss, try this. I peeled this grape just for you." The woman took a grape from a small plate and popped it into the robed man's mouth.

These models and internet celebrities received a huge sum of money every time they came to the villa. Although this real estate tycoon was a bit frightening to look at, he was an incredibly generous spender.

As long as they kept him happy, they could earn over a hundred thousand in a single night. They were all in a business that relied on youth, cashing in on their good looks while they still could.

The air in the hall was thick with hormones. Just then...

A mountain of a man strode into the hall, hauling a middle-aged man whom he promptly threw to the floor.

"Leader, I've brought the man you wanted."

The sudden commotion startled the dancing women.

The man in the white robe just smiled and waved a hand. "Darlings, don't be nervous. Stop the music and take a break. I have a little private business to handle."

The middle-aged man on the floor was pale. One moment he was sleeping soundly in his own bed, and the next, in a cruel twist of fate, he'd been kidnapped and brought here.

Even now, he was in a state of utter bewilderment.

When he looked up toward the leather sofa and saw the face of the robed man, his expression changed instantly. He shouted, "Boss Niu! So you're the one who kidnapped me! Do you have any idea that this is against the law? How dare you!"

"What was your name again... Wang Qingfu, wasn't it?" Boss Niu smiled. "Wang Qingfu, why can't you just see what's good for you? Your ancestral home is slated for demolition, and I offered to buy it for triple the price. I tried to persuade you every way I knew how, but you refused to sign the contract. I had no choice. I had to invite you here tonight to have a proper discussion. Don't worry, once we've reached an agreement, I'll send you back without a single scratch."

Wang Qingfu owned an ancestral home in a prime location. Many real estate developers wanted to acquire it, but he was stubbornly traditional and refused every offer.

To Wang Qingfu, it was an heirloom passed down from his ancestors; how could he simply sell it off? Besides, while this Boss Niu claimed to be offering triple the price, his offer was actually the lowest of all the developers.

He would sell it to anyone before he sold it to him.

What Wang Qingfu hadn't expected, however, was that Boss Niu would be so audacious as to resort to kidnapping.

And by the looks of it, this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.

"Boss Niu, if you let me go now, I'll pretend this never happened. I won't even call the police," Wang Qingfu said, trying his best to remain calm. Boss Niu looked completely fearless, as if he was capable of anything.

"The police?" Boss Niu's eyes widened in a ferocious glare that sent Wang Qingfu sprawling to the floor in terror. "Do you really think you can call them? And even if those useless cops showed up, they couldn't protect you." Then, his expression shifted back to a grin. "Wang Qingfu, if you know what's good for you, you'll obediently agree to sell me that house. This is just business. The most important thing is a win-win situation—you make money, I make money. That's the best way."

"We'll sign the contract first thing tomorrow morning."

Wang Qingfu heard this and, though terrified, still shook his head. "I've turned down offers of five times the price. Why would I accept only three times from you? Your offer is far too low."

"It's a little low, I admit," the robed man said with a grin, clearly having no intention of raising his offer. "Think of it as making a new friend. From now on, I'll have your back."

Wang Qingfu, his face pale, gritted his teeth. "Impossible! I can't sell for three times the price. You can kill me, but I won't agree to that! ...Five times. I'll agree to five times."

'Trying to get my ancestral home for just three times the price is no different from robbery. This guy was already strong-arming me from the start. But when you're under another's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.' In the end, Wang Qingfu had still made a concession.

"Fine," Boss Niu's expression turned murderous. "Then I'll just kill you."

To him, killing a man was no different than crushing an ant.

The moment the words were out, the mountain of a man shot out a powerful arm, grabbed Wang Qingfu by the throat, and hoisted him clean off the ground.

"You... you..." Wang Qingfu gasped for air, his eyes turning bloodshot. He never imagined they would actually dare to take his life.

'This is insane, completely lawless! Is there no justice in this world?'

The icy grip of death closed around Wang Qingfu. An ordinary man like him had never witnessed such a scene; he was so terrified he nearly wet himself.