Chapter 29: The Deal
Page 1 of 3
“Come down and talk?”
Seeing that Ao Xin was willing to listen, Li Hui asked tentatively.
“All right. Let’s go back to where we encountered each other.”
Worried about Ao Chen’s safety, he wanted to return and check on her.
Li Hui had no objections. The two of them returned to the place they had come from, leaving behind only the zombie’s furious, unwilling roar.
By the armored vehicle, Ao Chen was sitting on the hood, basking in the sun. She believed her brother would certainly defeat that man, so she was not worried.
Suddenly, Azure Dragon descended from the sky, followed closely by a burst of yellow sand.
“Big Brother lost?”
Ao Chen was startled. She leaped directly off the hood, ready to burrow underground and flee at any moment.
But after thinking it over, she realized that if her brother truly could not defeat the enemy, he certainly would not have led him back to her.
Or perhaps her brother intended to take her and run?
She prepared herself to leap onto Azure Dragon’s back, only to see the dragon descend and transform into human form. The yellow sand behind him also landed nearby, gathering into Li Hui’s figure.
This left Ao Chen completely baffled.
She quietly tugged at Ao Xin’s sleeve. “Brother, what’s going on? You didn’t beat him?”
Yet judging from Li Hui’s still-drooping arm and disheveled aura, he did not look particularly formidable.
Ao Xin said, “How could that be? He said he wanted to discuss a deal with us.”
“A deal?” Ao Chen had no idea what business there was to discuss in the apocalypse. According to Ao Xin, wasn’t the apocalypse all about relying on one’s fists?
“He has a Devil Fruit and wants to trade it to us.”
Ao Xin’s words made Ao Chen spring up, her voice rising several pitches. “A Devil Fruit?”
“But why should we trade with him? Wouldn’t it be better just to take it?”
The little girl had gradually adapted to the rhythm of the apocalypse. She thought about taking anything she wanted.
Li Hui: !!!
Could you at least say that behind my back? I can hear you!
What kind of thought processes did these siblings have? One had chased him down and beaten him, determined to kill him, while the other opened her mouth by suggesting they simply seize his possessions!
Ao Xin said to him, “Go on. What do you need?”
Although he could beat Li Hui severely, killing him would not be easy. Otherwise, he would have simply taken the Devil Fruit by force.
Seeing the look in Ao Xin’s eyes, Li Hui instinctively took a step back.
These siblings still wanted to rob him!
But since he had already come this far, he decided to discuss matters first.
“Three conditions!”
Li Hui held up three fingers.
“First, I want ten thousand points. Second, I want you to help me kill that zombie. Third, I want to form an alliance with you!”
Ao Xin was surprised. These demands were not excessive.
Page 2 of 3
The value of a Devil Fruit was at least one hundred thousand points.
And that was only for an ordinary Zoan-type fruit.
If it were a Mythical Zoan, even a million points would not be enough to buy one!
Of course, Li Hui did not yet know what powers the fruit in his possession possessed.
As for killing the zombie, it was worth only a thousand points. Ao Xin had experience fighting zombies, and he could accomplish it with a little effort.
The crucial point was the third condition: forming an alliance.
“You are in Bing Province, while I am in Yu Province. Even if we form an alliance, I won’t be able to help you with much.”
Ao Xin spoke frankly.
Li Hui replied, “We may be weak now, but what about the future?”
He revealed a brilliant smile.
“I can tell that you are not someone content to remain beneath others. You will certainly establish your own faction!”
“By coincidence, so will I!”
“Given enough time, I believe your influence will spread throughout Yu Province, while I will dominate Bing Province!”
“By then, there will certainly be more than just the two of us among the rising powers. Since Yu Province borders Bing Province, what I want is an alliance at that time!”
Ao Xin was astonished. No wonder this man would eventually become the world-famous Desert Emperor. His foresight was truly extraordinary.
The apocalypse had lasted only around ten days, yet he had already begun considering what would happen after conquering an entire province—and had chosen to form an alliance with Ao Xin now.
He had calculated that Ao Xin was destined to accomplish great things. A single Devil Fruit could achieve a great deal now, but by then, its value would be measured in ten or even a hundred fruits!
“You trust that we can become the strongest force in Yu Province so completely? What if I refuse to acknowledge the alliance when the time comes?”
Ao Xin narrowed his eyes slightly, wanting to see how Li Hui would answer.
Li Hui slipped one hand into his pocket and smiled.
“Anyone capable of forcing me to run all over the place is destined to achieve great things. I believe in you!”
“As for whether you will honor the agreement, that will depend on how strong I am by then!”
“If I am strong enough, this will be mutually beneficial. Why would you refuse?”
“On the other hand, if I am not strong enough, I should be more worried about being swallowed up by you!”
Ao Xin laughed. Li Hui’s words made perfect sense. Having an ally like this in the future would indeed be a good thing.
“Fine! I agree!”
He planted his bamboo-sectioned steel whip on the ground with one hand and extended the other toward Li Hui.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ao Xin. This is my younger sister, Ao Chen.”
The corner of Li Hui’s eye twitched. He was unsure whether he should shake hands. He was afraid that the moment he approached, Ao Xin would turn hostile, leaving him nowhere to run.
Still, Li Hui had always been bold, and he trusted his own judgment.
He slowly walked over, pulled his left hand from his pocket, and clasped it with Ao Xin’s.
“You will become a powerful ally!”
But in the next instant, his expression changed. Excruciating pain shot through his palm—the strength in Ao Xin’s grip was astonishing!
Just as Li Hui thought Ao Xin was about to turn on him, Ao Xin released his hand.
“Pleasure doing business with you!”
Only then did Li Hui let out a sigh of relief, once again putting on a smile.
“Pleasure doing business with you!”
Page 3 of 3
“The Devil Fruit isn’t with me. Wait here while I go back and get it.”
With that, he transformed into yellow sand and swiftly departed.
After he left, Ao Chen asked curiously, “Brother, aren’t you afraid he’ll run off and never come back?”
Ao Xin replied, “If he runs, let him run. We can’t kill him anyway. We’ll wait a day. If he hasn’t returned by then, we’ll leave.”
Li Hui did not flee. Before long, he returned carrying a backpack.
“Brother Ao, you know the value of a Devil Fruit. Let’s first trade it for ten thousand points. I’ll give you the fruit, then we’ll go kill the zombie. How does that sound?”
Ao Xin refused.
“You give me the fruit first.”
Li Hui: ...
But he quickly smiled.
“All right! I trust your character, Brother Ao!”
As he spoke, he took the Devil Fruit from the backpack in his hand and placed it in Ao Xin’s hands.
Ao Xin examined it. He did not recognize it.
He handed it to Ao Chen.
“Keep it safe.”
Ao Chen nodded repeatedly and stuffed the fruit into her bosom.
Li Hui: ???
!!!
Oh my God!
What did I just see?
Why wasn’t there even a bulge after she stuffed the fruit in?
Was that the legendary four-dimensional cleavage?
“Is your younger sister also a Devil Fruit user?”
Ao Xin did not hide it.
“That’s right.”
Then he looked at Li Hui with a half-smile.
“Were you thinking that if I turned hostile, you could take Chen hostage?”
Li Hui blinked.
“I wasn’t. I didn’t. Don’t make things up!”
Ao Chen thrust out her proud little chest.
“You? Don’t make me laugh. You couldn’t possibly catch me!”
Li Hui asked, “May I ask which fruit your sister ate?”
Ao Chen raised her chin arrogantly.
“You want to know? Call me Big Sister, and I’ll tell you!”
Li Hui made it clear that he did not want to speak with her.
If only he could beat her brother...
These siblings were truly infuriating!