26: Chapter 26: On Actions, Not Intentions

These words were like a depth charge, instantly shattering the already tense atmosphere in the grand hall.

Lin Sa, standing nearby, was completely stunned, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.

She stared wide-eyed at the blood-covered Xu Mo, her CPU about to burn out: Wait, big brother, isn't this self-detonation a bit too sudden?!

"Crash—"

On both sides of the hall, the civil and military ghosts and gods, who had been statuesque, exploded with sudden agitation upon hearing the phrase 'using His Highness as bait.'

Several chilling gusts of ghostly energy instantly locked onto Xu Mo's neck.

Several ghost generals wearing heavy armor even placed their hands on their waist swords, ghostly fire flickering in their eyes; with just one look from the one above, they would immediately rush forward and tear this audacious mortal to shreds.

On the high platform.

Pei Fei paused his fingers as he toyed with the black jade paperweight in his hand.

He did not speak immediately; he didn't even change his posture.

He merely lowered his eyelids slightly, gazing down at the blood-streaked mortal below through the slits of the twelve-streamed imperial crown.

There was no thunderous rage, nor any comforting words.

This silence was more suffocating than the most vicious curse.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, every second torturing Xu Mo's nerves.

Just as Xu Mo felt his heart was about to stop beating.

"Heh."

A light chuckle drifted down from the high platform.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was chillingly cold, like slivers of ice falling into his collar.

"Xu Mo, you have quite the nerve."

Pei Fei's voice betrayed no joy or anger, yet it carried the detached indifference of one who controlled life and death.

"Do you know that with just these words, I could scatter your soul so completely that you wouldn't even have a chance to reincarnate as an animal?"

Xu Mo trembled violently, burying his head even lower, pressing it tightly against the ground. His teeth bit his lips until they bled, yet he dared not utter a sound.

Pei Fei watched him, and the coldness in his eyes, which seemed like ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, suddenly receded slightly.

"However..."

Pei Fei leaned forward slightly, the oppressive aura in his tone slightly retracting, "If you were just a fool who was blindly loyal and only knew how to block swords, I would actually look down on you."

"To be able to bring my foolish younger sister out alive from the certain death situation of that s-rank instance, using only the body of a mortal through calculation and planning... That is your capability."

Pei Fei slowly stood up, standing with his hands behind his back. The golden dragons on his sleeves seemed to come alive, glittering under the candlelight.

"The ancients said: Judge the action, not the intent; if you judge the intent, no one is perfect."

"Your scheming is real, but your willingness to risk your life is also real. I remember your crime; I also recognize your merit, and I shall reward it."

"In that man-eating, bizarre game, conscience is the most worthless thing; brains are what matter."

"What I need is not a loyal dog that only knows how to wag its tail, but a sharp blade that can hack thorns and thistles for me and protect her completely."

These words were like a giant hand, instantly shattering the Sword of Damocles named 'Death' hanging over Xu Mo's head.

Xu Mo felt utterly depleted by those words; all his strength instantly drained away, and he collapsed limply onto the ground.

Tears mixed with cold sweat and the blood from his forehead flowed down—it was the ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe, and the trembling of a desperate gambler who had won his bet.

This Emperor was a tyrant who reasoned.

This self-immolation gamble had paid off!

Pei Fei walked slowly down the imperial steps, arriving before the two of them.

At this moment, he had shed that imperial aura that made people afraid to look directly at him, and his tone actually carried a trace of helplessness as an older brother.

"I hold this position, governing Yin and Yang, bound by rules. I cannot always accompany her while she messes around in those instances."

"Her nature is simple; in this filthy game world, she is easily taken advantage of. I need smart people like you, and loyal subjects like Lin Sa... hmm, to continue protecting her."

Saying this, Pei Fei extended his hand and gently patted Xu Mo's shoulder.

A stream of extremely pure Nether Power, carrying a hint of coolness, silently flowed into Xu Mo's body.

In just an instant, Xu Mo felt the internal injuries in his five organs and six viscera healing at an astonishing speed, and even his mental strength surged by a level.

"Well done. Your names will certainly be recorded in the Book of Merits of the Underworld."

From this moment on, Xu Mo was no longer a precarious survivor in the Thriller Game, but an Imperial Guard carrying a blade on official decree to 'escort the imperial presence'!

"Thank Your Majesty for your boundless grace! This commoner... your subject, will not shrink from death!" Xu Mo kowtowed heavily, this time completely convinced.

Even the usually carefree Lin Sa's cheeks were flushed with excitement.

"Take them to rest and treat them well."

Pei Fei waved his hand and turned back toward the Dragon Throne.

Two maids stepped forward and respectfully led the weak-legged Xu Mo and Lin Sa toward the side hall.

The moment they exited the grand hall.

"Rumble—"

The hundred-zhang high bronze palace doors slowly closed behind them, sealing off the suffocating imperial pressure, and also sealing off the myriad gods and demons deep within the netherworld.

Xu Mo leaned against a pillar in the side hall, taking deep, gasping breaths, revealing a smile uglier than a cry.

"Lin Sa..."

"Yeah?"

Lin Sa was still grinning foolishly.

"From now on... our lives belong to the Pei family."

Xu Mo wiped the blood from his face. Although his glasses were broken, his eyes were brighter than ever before.

"But this deal... is damn worth it."