He must have suffered a lot

Qin Hao was enjoying the grapes being fed right to his mouth, sighing inwardly. If every order allowed him to handle the client this easily, wouldn't life be absolutely wonderful?

Suddenly, he noticed something off about Shen Suning's gaze. Just a moment ago, her eyes clearly showed that she hated him but couldn't do anything about it.

But now, there was a hint of sympathy and pity in the way Shen Suning looked at him, and even a slight touch of heartache.

This truly baffled Qin Hao:

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shen Suning merely let out a faint sigh. She set the fruit platter aside, reached out, and gently patted Qin Hao's shoulder:

"It hasn't been easy for you either."

Qin Hao: "???"

He didn't understand how things hadn't been easy for him.

Shen Suning looked at Qin Hao, her eyes full of pity. "Forget it. I've thought it over carefully, and I don't want this Emperor Weapon anymore."

"I imagine you must have paid an immense price and suffered a great deal to obtain it."

Qin Hao: "??????"

Shen Suning recalled her own mindset from just moments ago. Although she had been extremely unwilling to bow and scrape before Qin Hao, she had to do it for the sake of the Emperor Weapon.

Then she thought about Qin Hao. He must have been living this kind of life all along, forced to swallow his pride and serve those mighty experts just to get cultivation resources.

Shen Suning had heard that the higher someone's cultivation and the longer they lived, the more twisted their minds became. After all, the endless years were too dull, and they could only relieve their boredom by doing stimulating things.

As a mere Void Refinement realm cultivator, heaven only knew what kind of treatment Qin Hao had endured to obtain so many top-tier cultivation resources.

Shen Suning took a deep breath and continued, "I can understand you. You don't need to put up a strong front in front of me. I understand everything."

Qin Hao's mouth twitched uncontrollably. What the heck? How was he putting up a strong front? What exactly did she understand?

Seeing Qin Hao stay silent, Shen Suning assumed she had hit a sore spot, and her heart softened even more.

"All these years must have been really hard on you, forcing yourself to serve those... those... sigh, I understand. In this cruel cultivation world, of course one must utilize their natural advantages to the extreme in order to survive."

"Fortunately, you have quite a good-looking exterior. I can completely understand why you would do such things."

Saying this, Shen Suning grasped Qin Hao's hand, her gaze sincere: "Don't worry, I won't look down on you."

Qin Hao blinked. He looked down at Shen Suning tightly holding his hand, then at her face written all over with sympathy, screaming internally: Just what kind of scenario did this Flirtatious Nun concoct in her head?

Qin Hao snatched his hand back, refusing to let the Flirtatious Nun continue taking advantage of him, and said with a serious face:

"Have you misunderstood something? I have as much of this level of cultivation resources as I want. I don't need to pay any immense price at all."

As soon as these words came out, the sympathy in Shen Suning's eyes deepened.

Ah, humans always emphasize whatever they lack the most. She understood, she understood it all.

"Don't worry, I understand everything. I won't tell anyone else."

Qin Hao: "..."

You don't understand squat!

Qin Hao grabbed the storage bag at his waist and dumped it on the ground.

Primordial Purple Mansion Liquid, one hundred bottles.

Immemorial Dragon Blood Ointment, fifty bottles.

Undying Elixir, forty stalks.

Starlight Source Liquid, one hundred bottles.

Various top-tier pills were too numerous to count.

A dazzling array of heavenly materials and earthly treasures quickly piled up into a small mountain, shining so brightly that one could barely keep their eyes open.

Shen Suning's mouth formed a wide 'O' shape. So many top-tier treasures! It was no exaggeration to say that Qin Hao's personal foundation could rival that of her entire Forgotten Dust Nunnery.

Soon, Shen Suning's expression shifted from shock to an even deeper pity. She couldn't imagine just how massive a price Qin Hao had paid in exchange for these items.

The treasures here were enough to make even an Immortal King expert like her envious. How could a mere Void Refinement realm cultivator like Qin Hao obtain so many?

Connecting this to Qin Hao's identity as a rented Dao Companion, the answer was self-evident.

Shen Suning's heart clenched. Those mighty experts with profound cultivation and long lifespans had become twisted over the endless years, seeking all sorts of thrills.

A handsome young cultivator like Qin Hao was exactly their favorite target.

Qin Hao chuckled lightly: "Hmph, do you believe me now? Curry favor with me to your heart's content. If you satisfy me, I might reward you with a little."

Watching Qin Hao look down on her from on high, saying these words with that posture, that tone, and that expression.

Was this exactly how those mighty experts treated Qin Hao?

They would look down at Qin Hao from above as he bowed and scraped before them like a clown, desperately trying to please them.

Then they would casually say, "Satisfy me, and I'll reward you a little," watching Qin Hao work even harder for that meager charity.

She remembered how she had just massaged Qin Hao's legs, fed him grapes, and sweetly called him 'Young Master' over and over again for the sake of the Emperor Weapon.

Having tasted this feeling just once, she felt incredibly humiliated. But what about Qin Hao? How many times had he tasted it? Looking at the small mountain of treasures before her, Shen Suning couldn't help but sigh. To gather all these things, just how many people did Qin Hao have to please?

Seeing Qin Hao's current desperate attempt to prove himself, Shen Suning couldn't bear to hurt his pride, so she nodded:

"Mhm, I believe you."

Qin Hao: "..."

That expression of yours clearly says you don't believe me!

Qin Hao curled his lip. Believe it or not, it was up to her. With a wave of his hand, he packed all the treasures back into his storage bag.

After doing so, Qin Hao casually kicked the Primordial Chaos Stick on the ground over to Shen Suning's feet:

"This is your reward. Stop looking at me with that weird gaze; I'm not the kind of person you think I am."

Shen Suning, who had originally coveted the Primordial Chaos Stick, uncharacteristically shook her head at this moment. "No, I can't take it."

Before Shen Suning could finish her sentence, her face suddenly turned deathly pale, and her pupils violently contracted. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart, causing her entire body to tremble.

Qin Hao frowned slightly. "What's wrong with you? I didn't even touch you, don't try to scam me."

Shen Suning didn't speak, but her eyes were filled with panic.

"Flirtatious Nun?" Qin Hao took a step forward and reached out to support her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Shen Suning's voice was hoarse:

"Immortal King Xuanming is here! Not just him, but the other three Immortal Kings who fought with me over the half-step Emperor Weapon in the ruins back then have also arrived!"

"In that battle, I fought one against three. Relying on the half-step Emperor Weapon, I battled them fiercely for a hundred years and eventually forced them back. However, they also severely injured me. To this day, some of my Dao wounds still cannot heal!"

"They must have sensed that I have completely lost my cultivation through the Dao wounds they left on me, and now they've come for revenge."

As she spoke, Shen Suning looked at Qin Hao, a trace of reluctance showing deep in her eyes:

"Qin Hao, you need to leave now. This grudge is between them and me; it has nothing to do with you. You are a walking treasure trove. Once they sense what you have, they will never let you go."

With that said, Shen Suning pointed toward the center of the deep pool:

"There is a teleportation array there that can take you away. My cultivation base is completely crippled now, and without my support, the sect's grand protective formation won't hold out for much longer. You must hurry."

Seeing the sheer panic on Shen Suning's face, Qin Hao waved his hand in amusement:

"Tch, and here I thought something serious had happened. Turns out it's just three small-fry Immortal Kings. Let alone three Immortal Kings, even if three Immortal Emperors descended here today, with me around, I can guarantee you will be completely safe and sound."