"Your Excellency, please show mercy!"
Queen Medusa stood protectively before the Great Elder, her voice carrying a rare note of pleading as she addressed Gu He.
"Roar!"
Hei Lin glared at Queen Medusa, its massive pupils burning with fury as it bared its bloodstained maw and let out a thunderous roar.
Were it not for its master's command forbidding it from eating humans without permission, it would have already swallowed the insignificant creature before it in one gulp.
"Move!"
Hei Lin snarled at Queen Medusa, its voice dripping with menace.
The audacity of this ant to stand in its way was an unforgivable offense.
Even the usually unshakable Queen Medusa paled under the overwhelming, ferocious aura radiating from the colossal python.
"Your Excellency, I beg you to spare the Great Elder's life."
Realizing that reasoning with the Hei Lin was futile, Queen Medusa turned her desperate gaze toward Gu He, who stood idly in the sky, watching the scene unfold.
"You saw what happened earlier—this old man struck first."
Gu He crossed his arms, feigning innocence.
'Hmph. Where was your intervention when he attacked? Now that the tables have turned, you come begging for mercy? Too late.'
A cold smirk curled his lips as he observed Queen Medusa's rare display of vulnerability.
"It is true that the Great Elder acted rashly. I offer my deepest apologies on his behalf. I implore Your Excellency to be magnanimous and forgive him this once."
Queen Medusa's voice was laced with humility, her pride suppressed for the sake of her people.
For someone as proud as her, this humiliation cut deep.
But the Great Elder was the last remaining elder of the Snake-People Tribe, and her recent breakthrough to the Dou Ancestor realm made her invaluable. Losing her would be a devastating blow.
Thus, despite the sting of degradation, Queen Medusa had no choice but to plead.
"Roar!"
"Master, this woman talks too much! Why not just let me swallow her whole?"
Hei Lin grew impatient, fearing its master might yield to the queen's pleas and deny it its meal.
"Queen Medusa, you should understand one thing—wrongdoing demands more than just an apology."
Gu He's voice was icy, his expression unmoved.
As the Hei Lin's aura grew more violent, Queen Medusa's anxiety spiked. Then, her eyes fell upon the Snake Spirit Orb in Gu He's grasp.
"Your Excellency, if you spare the Great Elder's life, I am willing to offer our clan's sacred artifact!"
"A sacred artifact?"
Gu He paused, glancing at the blue orb in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he stored it away in his spatial ring before turning back to her.
"Oh? What other sacred artifacts does the Snake-People Tribe possess? Show me. If it's truly valuable, I might consider your request."
Queen Medusa's eyes widened in outrage as she watched him pocket the Snake Spirit Orb without hesitation.
"That is my clan's sacred artifact—the Snake Spirit Orb! And you've already taken it!"
Gu He feigned surprise. "Oh? That little trinket was your sacred artifact?"
Rage flickered in Medusa's eyes, but she suppressed it, her voice strained.
"If you spare the Great Elder, I will willingly surrender the Snake Spirit Orb to you."
"Queen Medusa jests." Gu He shook his head, his tone final.
"This orb is now my trophy. What's in my possession is mine—it no longer concerns your tribe."
"If you wish to save this old man, show some real sincerity."
Queen Medusa's face darkened with fury, her heart bleeding at the loss.
That was her people's sacred artifact!
And now, not only had this thief seized it, but he still refused to release the Great Elder!
The injustice of it all nearly suffocated her.
If not for the weight of her tribe's survival on her shoulders, her pride would never have allowed such humiliation.
"What do you want in exchange for the Great Elder's life?" Queen Medusa demanded coldly.
Gu He's frown deepened at her unyielding demeanor.
'Still so arrogant at a time like this?'
'Does she not know how to beg properly?'
"I want nothing. I simply wish to feed my pet." Gu He's voice was equally cold.
"Hei Lin, why are you hesitating? Eat him!"
The serpent's eyes gleamed with anticipation as it coiled, ready to strike past Queen Medusa and swallow the Great Elder in one bite.
"Wait!"
Panic flashed across Queen Medusa's face, her defiance crumbling into desperation.
"I beg you, Your Excellency! Spare the Great Elder, and my tribe will grant you any one condition!"
Seeing her finally yield, Gu He raised a hand.
"Hei Lin, hold."
Hei Lin froze, its excitement deflating into frustration.
'Master, you're toying with me!'
"Any condition?" Gu He's lips curled into a smirk as he studied her.
Queen Medusa's heart clenched at his expression, but she forced herself to nod.
"...As long as it is within reason."
Gu He sighed, feigning disappointment.
"Fine. I won't make this difficult."
He adopted a magnanimous tone, as though bestowing a great favor.
"Given this elder's advanced age, I'll spare his life—for the price of one hundred sixth-tier medicinal pills."
In his mind, this was more than generous.
After all, trading a hundred pills for a Dou Ancestor's life?
'Truly, I am too kind.'
"What?" Queen Medusa's beautiful face twisted in outrage.
"One hundred sixth-tier pills?! Your Excellency goes too far!"
Gu He merely glanced at the Hei Lin.
"Hei Lin, swallow him."
…
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