Chapter 2709 - Negotiations

"Does that mean the people around me already know? Is it that obvious already?" Mister Gu said.

"Not necessarily. Nobody but me knows about it. I doubt others have noticed. Not to mention, people don't really care about you anyway," Tianming said.

Mister Gu knew that if others had known about his condition, people would have come knocking to take his goods for themselves. With a dark tone, he said, "So, are you here to threaten me with that information?" Tianming shook his head. "Sir, you misunderstand me. I'm here to offer help."

"Hehehe...." Mister Gu shook his head. "You know what I have. What kind of help can you possibly offer me?" He wouldn't have bothered to give Tianming the time of day at all if it weren’t for his solitude.

"Well, we have researched a technique that can temporarily help you resist xeno fatigue symptoms. I’m interested in using you as a trial. If you want to be part of this experimental treatment, let's negotiate," Tianming earnestly said. He used a different approach from the one he had used on Qi Huan.

"Temporarily resist it?" Mister Gu wanted to laugh. "How could an outworlder know how terrifying xeno fatigue really is?"

"There's no point in mocking me. Just consider the offer at face value and give me your answer."

"I bet you want me to pay you first, eh?"

"Nope! You'll get the treatment in full before you pay! In other words, you only have to pay if you think it worked. All we care about is ensuring that our experimental methods are a success." Tianming made sure to make it sound like there was a kind of organization behind him. After all, he seemed young, but talented and well backed, so it made his story even more plausible.

Seeing how confident he was, Mister Gu seemed partially moved by the offer. "What do you mean by temporarily resisting xeno fatigue?"

"Basically, you'll be able to temporarily recover your cultivation back to its peak without feeling any ill effects from xeno fatigue."

"How long would that time frame be, then?"

"It could go from three to four days, or even a month. Given the state of your fatigue, I believe the effects will last longer. As your symptoms have only recently shown up, you’re a good candidate for our trials."

"Three to four days would be enough...." Mister Gu grit his teeth as burning hatred reignited in his eyes.

Tianming already knew that Mister Gu held a grudge, and his offer would be the last chance to settle it.

Mister Gu glared at Tianming's transmission-stone projection and said, "Will it really let me regain my power at its peak?"

"Just try it and you'll find out. If it doesn't work, you won't be charged," Tianming assured.

"Very well!" The fact that Tianming made it sound like he wasn't the slightest bit worried that Mister Gu would go back on his word had further given him a false impression of confidence. In fact, Tianming was really worried that Mister Gu wouldn't reimburse him for his services. "So, what do you want in return?"

"Two order fragments should be a reasonable price to pay for what you'll get, right? If you don't have it, give me ten million soulstones. Those are the only forms of payment I'll accept," Tianming daringly offered. He had only asked for a single order fragment by saving the lives of two of Qi Huan's family, yet he was going to charge two order fragments for merely helping Mister Gu recover his peak abilities for a month! But the high payment for a miraculous treatment only made it more realistic.

"You've looked into me and know that I have a grudge to settle!" Mister Gu said, annoyed.

"I had no choice. Our elders say that finding a good candidate for our trials is difficult and risky. I’m reaching out to you at great risk to myself. You’ll be our first customer in Commonsky City, so I'll give you a discount. If your first attempt at revenge fails, but you survive, we won't mind extending your life once more for free. However, that might burn through your body’s limits and you could die soon after," Tianming bluffed.

Mister Gu looked at Tianming once more. By now, he truly believed that he was backed by quite a huge organization. After all, someone as young as him wouldn't have the resources to look into his past, especially in Commonsky City. He had no idea about Yin Chen's capabilities at all. "The two order fragments I can offer you are only useful for orderans. If you want those that cosmic cartographers can use, they’ll cost hundreds of millions of soulstones."

"That will do." Tianming just so happened to be a sixth-astral orderan anyway. While it seemed like a killer deal for him, what he offered was actually a permanent cure to xeno fatigue. However, he wouldn't tell that to Mister Gu. After all, he was worried that his first attempt at revenge would fail and hoped that Tianming would give him a second chance. That gave Tianming some insurance that Mister Gu wouldn't try anything against him.

"Have your elders come to me, then," Mister Gu said.

"Do you have the two order fragments right now?"

"Yes."

Tianming slapped his thighs, thinking that he should have asked for more. Despite agonizing over that, he kept a smile. "Alright, I'll come to you right now."

......

Half a day later, Tianming went back to Mister Gu's shop.

"Only you came?" Mister Gu said, expression cold.

"That's right. While I lack the talent for cultivation, my skills in this treatment are the real deal," Tianming said.

"You don't look any older than five hundred. Don't sell yourself short."

"You flatter me. Where are the order fragments? Let me have a look at them."

Mister Gu didn't quibble and took both of them out. They looked about the same size as what Qi Huan had given him. He quickly put them away and said, "Let's begin."

It was clear that Mister Gu didn't seem too hopeful about the treatment yet. "If I notice that you're messing with me, I'll beat you up even if it means going against the rules of Commonsky City."

"Don't worry. Lie down." Tianming would be saving his life!

He flew up to Mister Gu's forehead, where an indistinct vortex was becoming apparent. The effects of xeno fatigue weren't that pronounced yet. While it was a nightmare of a lifetime for Mister Gu, it was an easy problem for Tianming to solve. Even so, he made sure to put up a show of effort to the point that he was heavily panting and sweating.

"The curse of the fatigue really is gone!" Mister Gu was completely astonished.

"What? No way, I'm not that good at this. It's only temporarily suppressed. Normally, it'll come back a month later, and with even more force. In a sense, we're merely borrowing life force from your future self," Tianming said.

Mister Gu breathed heavily as he struggled to stand up, seemingly unable to control his body all that well. He was still trying to take this all in.

"Recover your lost energy first. It'll take a day or two before you’re fully recovered. Do what you need to do then. You'll have a better chance of success that way," Tianming said.

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