Chapter 495: Lies & Decei

Seeing Wu this happy made Xuefeng smile as well but then he realized he did it once again, deciding things without his wives' approval. Thankfully, Tianshi seemed to know his troubles as she reported at the same time. 

'We accepted the two of them. The rest depends on how you feel about them.' 

'Thank you.' Xuefeng acknowledged her effort, knowing he would be in a dark place without her. 

He looked into Wu's eyes and asked just to be sure, "Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" 

"I think I know. I can only follow you as your wife, right?" Wu questioned coolly. "Is there a trap somewhere?"

Xuefeng nodded seriously, "Yes. Once you join me, there is no going back. You will be mine forever." 

He thought she will hesitate even a bit yet Wu only smiled and replied confidently, "Okay, deal." 

She didn't stop at that as she smiled and added, "Also, I forgot to tell you something. My grandpa owns one of the Elemental Stones. I think the only way for you to get it is by marrying me." 

Drakos threw his small claws in the air, calling out, "See?! I told you she is a good catch!" 

Xuefeng was in shock so he ignored him. 

"Are you serious…?" he asked cautiously before shaking his head, "No, wait, don't say anything." 

"Why?" Wu asked curiously. 

"I don't want any of my relationships to be build based on some kind of a trade. If you were to become my woman, it would be because of our feelings, not because of some Elemental Stone," Xuefeng explained as he grabbed her intimately by the chin. "Do you understand?" 

"Mhmm, gotcha." Wu approved and corrected herself with a smile, "My grandpa definitely doesn't have an Elemental Stone. I will not help you get it no matter what. Don't even ask me. I will not agree. Never." 

She kept her smile and asked playfully, "Is that better?"

Xuefeng stared at her and finally commented while caressing her cheek with his thumb, "I think that smile suits you." 

His comment didn't break her but she did seem happy to hear it. "I will smile more then…"

"My grandpa has been wearing this necklace that had a red crystal inside of it. He told me it's the Fire Elemental Stone. He was chosen by other founders to keep it safe for the Trade Union and it seems to be their top treasure. I'm sure he will be willing to give it up once he knows I'm with you," Wu explained further.

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure," Drakos countered. "I heard all Trade Union Founders are crafty foxes. They didn't reach the top by being fair and honest. To survive in the trading business you need to use lies and deceit. Only after you trample everyone under your feet you will be able to reach the top." 

Xuefeng didn't want to agree with it but it was sadly true. This world wasn't that different compared to his Earth when it came to business. If one wanted to be the top, they have to go through a lot of people who often try to bring them down. 

"Do you think your grandpa will give up the Elemental Stone for free just because of you? Other founders will never agree. They will try to either get the best price possible or kill Xuefeng so Trade Union can get the Elemental Bracelet for themselves. You underestimate the greed of old cultivators," Drakos added sternly. 

"Grandpa wouldn't do that to me. He is a good person," Wu defended but her expression started to change as if she found some sense in Drakos words. 

"Maybe he is, maybe he is not. We don't know that. What we know is that there is one more thing that cultivators seek through cultivation aside from power and that is longevity. Every cultivator will eventually die unless they reach the true pinnacle, surpassing the nature and become a Living Spirit. This way they won't need a host to survive and can roam freely forever," Drakos continued. 

"But, this method is almost impossible and no one has ever reached such level. This is why cultivators search for another method and one of them is Elemental Bracelet. There is a rumor that once you complete the bracelet, you will become an  immortal being, living eternally."

"What's the point of living forever if you can't bring your loved ones with you? I wouldn't want to live in a world without those I love," Xuefeng pointed out, showing his view on the matter. "If I can't grant immortality to every each one of you, I would rather prefer to get old with you instead." 

He gazed at his wives as he spoke, receiving a loving looks from each of them. This was how he truly felt and they knew it. 

"You are a special breed. Almost all cultivators are selfish and scared of death. They will do anything to get what they want and if killing you can give them the chance for that, they will do it," Drakos concluded. "If Trade Union actually gives you their Elemental Stone, they would require you to pledge loyalty to them and become their dog. There is no way they will do it for free." 

Wu wanted to comment on that but Xuefeng stopped her, ending the conversation, "It's enough. We will worry about it when the time comes. There is no need to trouble ourselves with this now. The issue at hand is collecting the first Elemental Stone. We will worry about other eight after we ascend to Heaven Realm." 

"Mhmm," everyone else nodded in agreement.  

Having Wu settled, Xuefeng finally turned to Lisa and walked up to her. 

"Lisa, what about you? I don't want to return after three years and find you already forgot about me. If there is a chance we can have something genuine between us, I don't want to separate now," Xuefeng confessed, taking her small hands into his own. 

"Will you come with us?"