"Master, please have some tea."
Jin Meiting respectfully placed the teacup in front of Jiang Chaosheng.
Jiang Chaosheng frowned slightly.
’Master?’
’What a strange form of address.’
Jin Meiting’s pretty face flushed red.
Jiang Chaosheng didn’t dwell on it. Ignoring the three security guards, his deep eyes focused on Xia Li.
"Your body is in worse shape than I imagined."
Xia Li trembled. She wanted to say something, but she glanced warily at the guards beside her.
Jiang Chaosheng said softly,
"There aren’t so many rules here. Don’t be so formal."
Xia Li understood. ’Here, the man before me is the only rule!’
He didn’t give a damn about the three useless thugs next to them.
Xia Li licked her dry lips.
"Can you cure me?"
Hearing this, the three guards beside her were first stunned, then broke into mocking smiles.
’Are all rich people crazy?’
’With your illness, unless God himself comes down, who could possibly save you?’
In truth, Xia Li was just asking.
She was merely clinging to a sliver of hope.
Seeing the man before her remain expressionless, Xia Li gave an awkward, self-mocking smile.
’He probably thinks I’m an idiot, doesn’t he?’
Xia Li chose her words carefully, then asked her second question earnestly:
"Can you save the World Dream Group?
If Xia Qiming inherits World Dream, he’ll be manipulated by the shareholders.
When that happens, World Dream will be finished!
Can you help me escape this cage?
I’ll arrange my affairs. I have my most capable subordinate ready to cooperate with the Taboo Association."
Jiang Chaosheng uttered a single word:
"Yes."
Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
Hearing this, the three guards immediately glared in anger.
’Are you two really not taking us seriously at all?!’
The security captain laughed in frustration. Just as he was about to order his men to seize the two of them, the man said something:
"I can cure you."
The security captain froze. He looked at Jiang Chaosheng as if he were looking at an idiot.
The other two guards’ eyes were also filled with ridicule, sarcasm, and mockery.
’It seems all rich people are fools.’
’Xia Li is a fool, and so is this antique shop owner.’
’ALS and a congenital heart defect... there’s no cure for that.’
The security captain held up a hand to stop his two men, looking at Jiang Chaosheng with amusement.
’A show this good deserves to be watched properly.’
’There’s no rush to deal with them.’
’Anyway, Xia Li has already said things she shouldn’t have. Neither this owner nor that little tramp are going anywhere.’
’Provoking the World Dream Group here in the South Sea is the stupidest decision you can make.’
’The shareholders behind Lawyer Zhao are incredibly powerful and well-connected.’
Hearing Jiang Chaosheng’s words, Xia Li shuddered violently.
"What... what did you say?"
Her voice was filled with disbelief, hope, and pleading.
Jiang Chaosheng took a pendant from his pocket.
It was an inverted cross pendant.
[Item No. 0-13, Cain’s Seal.]
Jiang Chaosheng began to introduce his antique, speaking slowly:
"To punish the first murderer, God carved a mark upon his head, cursing him with eternal life.
At first, the murderer didn’t see it as a curse, but rather a blessing.
He used his long life to build a business empire, become a Count, and achieve all his goals.
Having enjoyed all the riches humanity had to offer, he finally felt lonely and understood that eternal life was the most terrifying curse.
Death became his new goal.
Eventually, he found a way to break the curse.
He pressed the mark from his forehead onto a silver plate, forming an inverted cross.
Only then was he able to find release."
After finishing the story behind the antique, Jiang Chaosheng dangled the pendant.
"This inverted Silver Cross, named after that murderer, is called Cain’s Seal.
In the fifteenth century, Duke Dracula found Cain’s Seal and created the Vampire race.
Of course, the Vampire race has since disappeared.
If you possess Cain’s Seal, you too can live forever."
When he finished speaking, the entire antique shop fell silent.
Antique shop owners often tell stories behind their wares to attract buyers.
But wasn’t his story a bit too far-fetched?
Pfft...
The security captain couldn’t hold it in anymore.
"Are you trying to fool a kid? With that dead-serious look on your face... Hahaha..."
The middle-aged guard was also cracking up.
"Hahaha, so you’re just a con man selling fake antiques.
You could at least tell a more believable story. This is just too ridiculous!"
The guard with the crew cut shot Xia Li a mocking glance.
"You were willing to sign that contract just to come here and see this guy, right?
Now that you know you’ve met a con man, was it worth it? You moron."
Xia Li stared blankly at Jiang Chaosheng, her first reaction also one of disbelief.
But her reason told her that wasn’t the case.
’The man owns an extravagant antique shop and has a stunningly beautiful female slave.’
’Most importantly, the very fact that his antique shop appeared on Anxiang Street was incredibly strange.’
’He wouldn’t be so bored as to make fun of a sickly person like me.’
Xia Li’s breathing grew rapid. ’Have I encountered a supernatural event?’
She swallowed hard.
"How... how can I obtain it?"
The three guards froze for a second, then clutched their stomachs, doubling over with laughter.
’She believed it! She actually believed that bullshit!’
A smile played on Jiang Chaosheng’s lips.
"What price are you willing to pay for this new Chapter in your life?"
Xia Li struggled with all her might, her body shaking in the wheelchair, while the guards watched the spectacle with wide grins.
Finally, Xia Li fell from her wheelchair and knelt on the floor. With the last of her strength, she kowtowed.
"I’m willing to do anything! Whatever it takes, as long as I can live!"
Jiang Chaosheng stood up and walked over to Xia Li.
He crouched down, gently lifted Xia Li’s smooth chin, and whispered in a low voice, like a Demon:
"Pledge your soul to this place, and offer your loyalty to me."
Jiang Chaosheng opened the hand he held before Xia Li’s eyes. The inverted cross pendant dropped down, swinging back and forth in front of her.
He continued:
"I grant you eternal life."
Xia Li stared at the pendant, shimmering silver in the candlelight, her eyes filled with longing.
Her mouth fell open like a fish gasping for water, and she finally raised her voice:
"I am willing!"
Jiang Chaosheng gently placed the inverted cross pendant around Xia Li’s neck.
"It is yours. From now on, you are a member of the Taboo Association.
With my protection, not even the Death God can drag you to Hell."
This was no empty boast.
The Death God’s own scythe was mortgaged at the antique shop; would he dare disrespect the Manager of Antique Shop Zero?
The three guards were slapping their thighs, laughing until they were breathless.
’This whole scene is just too hilarious, isn’t it?’
’It’s like they’re putting on a play just for the three of us.’
The next second, something strange happened.
The security captain’s laughter died in his throat. The shock in his eyes turned to confusion, and then from confusion to absolute terror!
He could only watch as Xia Li stood up. She actually stood up from the floor!
Her skin began to turn pale, and her emaciated body started to fill out under a mysterious power.
The formerly sickly woman had, in an instant, transformed into a supreme, cool beauty.
A cold, sinister aura radiated from Xia Li’s body.
The Female President who had once dominated the South Sea had truly crawled back from the brink of Hell!
Xia Li felt the changes in her body in disbelief.
Her body had been frail since childhood; she had never felt such a powerful physique!
Xia Li felt that she could become even stronger!
With a mere thought, Xia Li’s body changed again.
Her pupils turned from black to red, like two crimson moons.
From her lower back, a pair of bat wings tore through her hospital gown and unfurled into the air.