"Can't you believe that I'm a good guy?" He laughed it off as she rolled her eyes.
"You're far from a good guy, human. I know your kind, the kind who does good here and there when there's no harm. But wouldn't raise a finger if you have to lose something or face serious consequences. You're just a borderline villain, human, not the good guy you made those old bastards believe." Gaya said without a doubt and accurately identified his personality. They had more similarities than they'd like to admit.
"Why do you care anyway?" asked Michael.
"Although I hate to admit it, my survival depends on you and the pills you have. Therefore, I don't want you to get killed trying to play hero."
"You really want to know the answer?" He laid back on the couch and asked.
"Yes."
"First, answer a question for me: what do you really want in your life?" She was slightly taken aback, but she knew that she had to answer him if she wanted an answer from him.
"Me? I want the throne of Nagaland."
"Let's just say you will get the throne. Then what?" She didn't know where he was going with this, but she decided to play along with him.
"Then I will rule Nagaland for a couple of decades and head to the Lonely Mountain to reach a higher level in cultivation."
The Lonely Mountain or Cold Mountains was a place where cultivators went to enter secluded cultivation for decades or even centuries. The harsh cold environment of the mountain would push the cultivators to their limit and help them break through to higher levels of cultivation. Of course, many would die on the cold mountain, and only cold-hearted, as well as talented cultivators, would choose to go to the mountain, leaving behind all ties to the outside world, such as wealth, social status, and more.
In the world of cultivation, the higher one's cultivation level was, the longer their lifespan. Hence, many powerful cultivators had seen their loved ones die with time but continued to live because of their cultivation level. This often made them sever ties with the outside world and lose interest in mortal pleasures like sex, money, and power, fully focusing on reaching immortality to explore the universe beyond.
"Do you know what I want to do with my life? I want to rule this world, control everything, and enjoy all that this world has to offer." His words conveyed his ambition and startled Gaya.
"Don't be a silly human. You have talent. If you enter the Lonely Mountain and cultivate for a couple of centuries, you will reach immortality."
Michael snickered. "What's the point of immortality if I can't even enjoy simple pleasures? I'd rather live fifty years enjoying my life than sit in a cold cave cultivating in the hope of reaching immortality."
With the system as his secret companion, Michael had resolved to reach immortality. However, unlike typical cultivators, he had no intention of severing his ties to the outside world or giving up worldly pleasures.
"So I would need a place suitable for a man like me, and that place is the Sunrise sect. You can think of this place as the starting point from which I will begin to control the rest of the world."
"Are you serious?" She asked with a shaky voice. If these words had been spoken by someone else, she would have laughed, but when it came to him, she couldn't dismiss anything. Yet, she now had more questions than answers.
"Tell me this, why choose this place?"
"In the big sects, I'd just be another prodigy, another feather in their cap. But here..." He didn't finish his sentence but leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, sitting like a king.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 200 badass points.]
"If you help me achieve my dreams, I'll not only heal you and help you secure the Nagaland throne you dream of but also assist you in reaching immortality."
"Big words coming from a guy who's just at the Body Refining stage."
"A few days ago, you thought you had no chance of reviving your broken meridians, but I proved you wrong. A few minutes ago, you believed there wasn't anyone who could reach ninety percent purity in Alchemy. Again, I proved you wrong. So tell me, Gaya, do you really think I can't do everything I said I can?" She knew he was right, and deep down, she had already started to believe that he was going to turn this world upside down.
Therefore, she decided to stick with him and help him while reaping some sweet rewards like the pills that could heal her meridians and the pills and potions he would brew with 90% purity, which would aid her in cultivation.
"First, you have to help me out here, human. Give me some pills to restore my cultivation, and then I can really help you. You know, get my groove back." She clenched her fist and punched the air frantically. Her actions, however, did not surprise him in the least, as he expected her to ask for more healing pills.
He wanted her to ask for more pills so he could set his plan in motion to make her loyal to him.
"First, I need to check your meridians," he lied with a straight face and controlled his urge to laugh.
"How are you going to do that?" Seeing him stand up and come closer to her, she moved back on the couch and asked. Her face had a mix of skepticism and doubt.
"Turn around and cough."
"Huh?"
"Do as I say, turn around and cough." She stared at him for a couple of seconds, confused about why he was asking her to do that. Eventually, she turned around and coughed as he instructed.
Cough Cough
"Now, breathe in and breathe out."
"Hey!" She wiggled and shouted when she felt his hand on her back.
"Don't be a baby. Do you want me to check your meridians or not?" He chuckled inside and said.
"Just get it over with quickly, and FYI, the last guy who tried to touch me ended up being burned alive." She warned him, but he ignored her and ran his hand around her back for a few more seconds before letting it go.
"System, how many pills do I need to give her to heal her meridians?"
[50 pills]
"Do you have a less effective pill? I want her to believe that I can heal her, but I don't want to heal her completely before she becomes more loyal to me."
[Cheap tier Revitalizing pills]
"Great, how much?"
[500 pill bottle is 500 badass points. The pill would temporarily enable her to feel her meridians and create an illusion of repairing the meridians.]
"That should do the trick. System, I'll buy the bottle."
Exiting the system, he sighed as Gaya's face quickly turned gloomy.
"What is it? Can I still be cured?" He put on a serious face.
"Yes, but your meridians are still in bad shape. We need to treat your meridians carefully. Any small error could permanently destroy them and kill you."
"Fuck! Tell me you and your pills can fix this." Her hands trembled, and her face lost all its color in terror. This was the first time he had seen her so terrified.
"I thought my pills alone could eventually cure you, but now that I've taken a closer look, I realize that I have to concoct another batch of pills, a different one than what I previously gave you. It's very difficult to concoct the new pills." He made his voice sound worried, and when she looked at his face, her fear grew even more as she tightly clenched his hands.
"Human, please heal me! I don't want to be crippled forever," She pleaded with him.
"Don't worry. I'll do my best to heal you. After all, you're my assistant, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am! You can't let your assistant die." She vigorously nodded and let out a wide smile.
"Alright, I have to check you every week and give you the newly concocted pills. Remember, you must only take two pills a week, so I will only give you two pills. If you do everything I say, you will be able to cultivate in a year. Try to do anything behind my back, I will throw your ass out, and you'll remain crippled for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"