Chapter 273: One Breath, One God of Greed

Jiaotangtang was speechless. She gritted her teeth so hard they nearly shattered. "You brat, don't push your luck!"

"Deal or no deal?"

Xu Xiaoshou calmly put away the cat, tucking it into his chest. He suddenly realized this little creature might not be as useless as he thought. If he only expended a bit of life force, he could exchange it for so much more? For others, this was a life-or-death decision. But not for him! "Endless Life" was a passive skill; his life force... was infinite!

Sure enough, after her expression flickered for a moment, Jiaotangtang finally squeezed out a word from between her teeth.

"Deal!"

My goodness! Xu Xiaoshou was astonished. She was actually going to trade it? If they traded, wouldn't that thing on them be uncontainable? They'd trade even for this?

The young man looked at the cat in his hand, once again realizing the creature's value... no, its pricelessness! This cat, he feared, was far more precious than he had anticipated. Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoshou immediately loosened his grip and quickly released the pained little creature.

"Meow!" The white cat let out a fierce yowl, turning its head to look at Xu Xiaoshou, but its purple eyes held a hint of fear. Evidently, such a tight grip, even if it wasn't fully sentient, made it realize that if Xu Xiaoshou squeezed any harder, it would be ready for reincarnation.

"There, there, no pain, okay?" After realizing the treasure in his hands, Xu Xiaoshou's attitude changed. He saw the creature's aggrieved expression and immediately blew a gentle breath.

"Whoosh!" In an instant, a rich life aura was exhaled through his "Breathing Technique." The little white cat couldn't help but inhale a breath; its body suddenly stiffened, then it twitched as if electrocuted, foaming at the mouth once more.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned for a moment. This scene, why did it feel somewhat familiar?

"Mmm... mmm..." Suddenly, a groan came from his arms. Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head in surprise; it was Mu Zixi! The little girl had clearly also inhaled that surging life force; her twin pigtails were standing on end, and she was unconsciously rubbing her head against Xu Xiaoshou's chest.

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

"Wake up!" He lightly slapped the little girl's cheek, and Mu Zixi finally came to her senses. After realizing what she had just done, the girl's face turned crimson, as if flushed with blood.

Nearby...So many people...And herself...

"Xu! Xiao! Shou!" Mu Zixi roared furiously. "Why are you just blowing air around?!" She fiercely raised her fist, but Xu Xiaoshou chuckled as he grabbed her and pushed her behind him. "Stop messing around; there's still serious business."

So this was a trick to deal with his junior sister? He learned something new!

Xu Xiaoshou tucked Mu Zixi and the white cat away, then looked at Jiaotangtang, who had already collected the Zen staff and purple chain and was about to approach. He extended a hand and refused, "Sorry, I'm not trading anymore."

Jiaotangtang: ???

She nearly rushed over and ground that brat into the ground on the spot! "I've already taken off my purple chain, and you're telling me *this*?!"

"What do you mean?" Jiaotangtang's tone was filled with barely suppressed rage.

"Nothing much," Xu Xiaoshou replied. "Just what you heard."

Xu Xiaoshou picked up the white cat, generously placed it on the back of his hand without any restraint, and whispered softly, "Little kitty, I'm giving you a choice: Do you want to follow them, or me?"

Jiaotangtang froze. Xin Gugu also froze.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at them, then looked back at the white cat on the back of his hand. The white cat turned its head, sized up the two people, and a hint of hesitation seemed to appear in its eyes. Of course, this look of hesitation was likely imagined by the two people opposite. At least to Xu Xiaoshou, less than half a second after he spoke, the little white cat's fur smoothed out, and it joyfully bounced onto his head.

"Meow!""Meow!"

It was practically the spitting image of "you've finally accepted me!"

Jiaotangtang's face turned green. She felt she had suffered the gravest betrayal. They had raised Lord Glutton for so long, and yet they couldn't compare to Xu Xiaoshou's single breath?

Stubbornly, she pulled out a greenish-blue spiritual herb from her ring: Flying Serpent's Eyes!

"Lord Glutton, come here?" Jiaotangtang bent down, her voice full of temptation. The little white cat poked its head out, seeming to sniff the life force from the spiritual herb in the woman's hand nearby. Finally, the little creature let out a disdainful snort.

"Hmph!"

One herb versus countless herbs — the white cat clearly understood the difference. Although saliva dripped from its mouth, it stubbornly stopped itself from moving, and lay comfortably on Xu Xiaoshou's head, taking a peaceful nap. So comfortable, this vibrant new home... so warm!

Jiaotangtang staggered, almost falling to her knees. It's over! Lord Glutton has been lured away! Just one breath, and this ungrateful wretch... Lord Glutton, just ran off?

"Xu Xiaoshou... that's your name, right?" Jiaotangtang clutched her chest, so angry she was out of breath. "I'll give you another chance..."

Xu Xiaoshou directly interrupted her: "How about this, I'll also give *you* a chance."

Jiaotangtang was speechless. Can't you let someone finish a sentence!

"Cursed, passive value, 1."

Ignoring her, Xu Xiaoshou said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, this creature's growth seems to require a lot of life force?"

Jiaotangtang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I suppose this little creature ran wild earlier," Xu Xiaoshou said, smiling widely, "because you weren't providing enough sustenance, were you?" Seeing their expressions freeze, he knew he had guessed correctly.

"How about this..." Xu Xiaoshou suggested, "Let's make a deal. I'll help you raise Lord Glutton, and you pay me a regular fee. How does that sound?"

Jiaotangtang froze, and Xin Gugu was also somewhat astonished. It seemed... this was a good thing?

No! Soon, both of them reacted simultaneously. This guy's dreaming big! Not only does he want to take Lord Glutton, but he also wants them to pay him a regular fee? What kind of brain does he have to come up with such a bizarre thought process? Does he really think they're stupid?

"You're not stupid," Xu Xiaoshou immediately negated their thoughts.

The two were speechless.

"Cursed, passive value, 2."

Xu Xiaoshou continued, "On the contrary, this deal is definitely worth it for you. I'll be responsible for providing unlimited life force. You just need to cooperate with some of my possibly somewhat... slightly unreasonable demands."

"Slightly unreasonable?" Jiaotangtang felt like her entire body was twitching. Don't tell me you thought those outrageous things you just said were reasonable? If *that* was reasonable, what kind of realm has your unreasonableness reached?!

Jiaotangtang instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xu Xiaoshou waved a hand at her.

"What?"

"Come here."

Jiaotangtang instinctively took a step back. This brat... he's definitely up to something!