"You all must have heard that as well." The man swept his hand across the group, and the various Emperor Realm cultivators nodded.
Every one of them had sharp ears and keen eyes. Even though Yang Kai hadn't spoken loudly, how could they have missed it?
"Lord Yang, you can't play favorites like this. If you truly have a way to remove them, please — you must help us." The man's tone was nothing short of pleading.
Anyone with a parasitic Gu worm nesting in their body would find it impossible to rest easy. Tan Junhao was already dead, but who knew what harm the Gu worm might cause if left unchecked? If it ever flared up, they'd die without even understanding how.
Now, upon hearing that Yang Kai could remove it, every one of them grabbed onto him like a drowning man clutching a life-saving straw, refusing to let go no matter what.
*Sigh...* Yang Kai let out a heavy sigh, his face a picture of helplessness. "Fine. I did say that earlier. I do have a way to remove the Heartdring Gu."
"Really?" The crowd was overjoyed. They turned back one after another and landed before Yang Kai, staring at him with eager, hopeful eyes.
Moments ago, every one of them had been champing at the bit to leave. Now, Yang Kai would probably have a hard time chasing them away even if he tried.
"The Heartdring Gu ranks high on the Earth List of the Scripture of Peculiar Insects — vicious and stealthy. Even Emperor Realm cultivators can't easily remove it once infected. Left unchecked for too long, it will devour the heart meridians and consume the vital blood of the heart. *Tsk, tsk.* By then, not even the gods could save you — not even the gods."
Nobody could tell whether Yang Kai was exaggerating, but the effect was the same — everyone listened with ashen faces, their hearts pounding.
Over these past days, everyone had tried using their Emperor Qi to drive out the Heartdring Gu. But it was one thing to leave it alone; the moment they prodded it, the worm burrowed toward their heart meridians. Forget removing it — they now had to be extremely careful even when circulating their Emperor Qi, lest they disturb the creature.
"As it happens... I happen to know a technique that can remove this thing." Yang Kai smiled faintly.
"Please, Young Master Yang, save us!"
The crowd hurriedly bowed and pleaded.
Yang Kai's face darkened. "Why should I save you? Give me one good reason!"
Everyone froze, rendered speechless. They had just listened to Yang Kai's lengthy explanation, which showed he knew the Heartdring Gu intimately and seemed willing to help. But in the blink of an eye, he'd turned into a completely different person, leaving them completely thrown off.
But on second thought, he wasn't really wrong about anything. Yang Kai had no relation to any of them, and he clearly wasn't the sort of good Samaritan who'd go out of his way for strangers. Why should he save them?
Yang Kai said, "Earlier, all of you joined forces with Tan Junhao against me. If I hadn't had some ability, I'd probably be dead by your hands. But I've always been magnanimous, and I understood you were acting under duress. I couldn't be bothered to hold it against you. I even used my Emperor Treasure to shield you, freeing you from Tan Junhao's control. I saved your lives and didn't even ask for anything in return — I'd say that was more than generous. And now you want me to exhaust myself removing Gu worms from your bodies? Isn't that taking things a bit too far?"
Everyone was rendered utterly speechless, shame coloring their faces.
Though Yang Kai's words were sharp, every one of them rang true. They had no grounds to argue back.
They had indeed opposed Yang Kai earlier. They had indeed been saved by him. And now they were asking him to go even further and remove the Gu worms from their bodies. Wasn't that pushing their luck and making unreasonable demands?
For a moment, they exchanged glances, all wearing sheepish expressions.
Hua Yulu's beautiful eyes sparkled. She pressed her lips together in a smile and said softly, "Young Master Yang, these fellow cultivators are the Sect Masters, Sect Leaders, and clan heads of the Southern Region's greatest powers. If the Heartdring Gu isn't removed and it flares up one day, their very lives will be at stake. When that happens, their sects will be left leaderless, and the Southern Region will surely descend into chaos. Young Master Yang is known for his compassionate heart — please, you must help them."
She had figured it out. Yang Kai was playing hard to get.
If he truly had no intention of removing the Gu for these people, he wouldn't have bothered staying behind or saying what he said. He'd clearly been broadcasting his ability to everyone — it was practically written across his face in letters: *Come beg me already.*
His current act of putting on airs was simply him refusing to release the hawk until he spotted the rabbit.
Though Hua Yulu was a woman, she was as sharp and perceptive as they came. How could she not see through this? That was why she was quietly fanning the flames from behind the scenes, playing along.
"Palace Mistress Hua speaks truly! Please, Lord Yang, you must help us!" Whether or not the others had seen through Yang Kai's intentions, putting on a sincere expression and making a heartfelt request couldn't hurt. They were also somewhat grateful to Hua Yulu.
Among the twenty-odd Emperor Realm cultivators present, only Hua Yulu had even a modicum of a relationship with Yang Kai. The fact that she was willing to speak up on their behalf naturally won their deep gratitude.
Yang Kai put on a troubled expression, but inwardly he was giving Hua Yulu a hundred and twenty points. *This woman really is sharp and gracious,* he thought. *I wonder what exactly her relationship with Xia Sheng is. Whatever bargaining advantage I take from her later, I'd better make sure Xia Sheng never finds out.*
Reading his expression and seeing that his attitude had softened compared to before, the crowd sensed there was hope. Naturally, they redoubled their efforts, beseeching him one after another — in no time, it sounded like several hundred ducks quacking at the top of their lungs.
"Alright, alright!" Yang Kai raised a hand, cutting off their clamor. He furrowed his brow. "Removing the Gu worms — I can certainly do it. But it comes at a considerable cost. With so many of you needing treatment, I'll have to burn through my own vital blood. After it's done, I'm afraid I won't be able to fight anyone for three to five years."
That was a massive exaggeration, and nobody believed it — but nobody dared to argue the point either. He could say whatever he wanted now; it would go in one ear and out the other.
Yang Kai cast a sidelong glance at the crowd. "I'm going through all this trouble for you. Surely you're not going to let me walk away empty-handed?"
At the end of the day, *this* was the crux of it. Hua Yulu covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
Everyone wiped the cold sweat from their brows. One man asked cautiously, "Then, Lord Yang — what is it that you want?"