Chapter Forty-Nine: Greed

“Yes, Master.” Jiang Hu narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with satisfaction and a burning obsession.

He repaid every slight, every glance, crushing Zhong Li beneath his feet with ruthless force.

He shattered Zhong Li’s sense of superiority.

Did Zhong Li not look down on slaves? Then Jiang Hu would let him taste, in detail, the humiliation and pain of being trampled by a slave.

With his back to Mo Nian Nian, Jiang Hu’s lips curled into a strange smile.

It was mocking, disdainful.

In his beast-like, venomous eyes was utter contempt for Zhong Li.

Zhong Li lay on the ground, battered and bruised.

It hurt.

It hurt terribly.

Yet what tormented him more than the pain was the fact that all this had been caused by the slave he despised most.

He was on the verge of collapse from agony.

Hatred and malice thickened in his eyes, almost tangible, as he stared daggers at Jiang Hu.

Jiang Hu’s mocking smile deepened, so different from the kneeling, submissive slave he had tortured before.

Zhong Li felt dazed, unable to tell which version of himself he truly was.

“Zhong Li, this is my final warning. He belongs to me. If you so much as touch a single hair on his head again, I’ll bury your entire family with you!”

Mo Nian Nian’s casual words carried a chilling threat. Zhong Li knew she meant it.

“Enough, let’s go.”

As soon as Mo Nian Nian finished speaking, Zhong Li watched helplessly as the beast-like man instantly concealed all his darkness and obediently followed Mo Nian Nian, resembling an innocent lamb.

...

“Why didn’t you fight back earlier?”

Jiang Hu remained silent.

“Speak.”

He lowered his head. “It would bring trouble to Master.”

Mo Nian Nian hadn’t expected this answer.

Looking at the pitiable man before her, her heart softened.

Jiang Hu truly gave her his whole heart.

Even in such a moment, he thought of her first.

“I’m not afraid of trouble. No one in this world can trouble me.”

“You need only remember: no matter what you do, I will always protect you. Do you understand?”

Mo Nian Nian spoke earnestly. This man was severely lacking in a sense of security, so she decided to start there, gradually reshaping his nature.

Besides, what trouble could he cause? At worst, rebellion—she had wealth and power. What was there to fear?

Anything solvable with money was no real problem.

Jiang Hu lowered his head. “Master is too kind to me; I will become greedy.”

Greedy to get a little closer to her, greedy to have her gaze only on him.

“No matter what you become, I will keep you safe,” Mo Nian Nian promised solemnly.

Ah, such a pitiful soul! If that’s the case, why not give him the throne of the neighboring country?

Mo Nian Nian set her sights on a small goal.

She would escort him to the pinnacle of life. Surely, that would dispel his malice?

“Master’s words, I will remember.” Jiang Hu’s voice was low, his long, curled lashes hiding all the emotion in his eyes.

[Male lead’s malice value -20, current malice value 30.]

Mo Nian Nian: !!!

She seemed to have found the key to success! The male lead was so easy to comfort!

Mo Nian Nian’s brows and eyes were filled with delight. She smiled with curved eyes, “If you remember, make sure you act on it. Don’t worry—no one can bully you.”

[Male lead’s malice value -1, current malice value 29.]

[What a precious little angel! At this rate, we’ll finish the task in a few months, right?] The system flapped its tiny wings excitedly.

Mo Nian Nian was just as thrilled. [Of course! Who do you think is handling this?]

[Host is awesome! Host is the best!]

[Ah, keep it low-key. All right, let’s finish this world’s mission as soon as possible, then move on to the next one!]

Mo Nian Nian, full of enthusiasm, decided to treat Jiang Hu even better and help him reach the peak of his life.

Under Mo Nian Nian’s subtle influence, Jiang Hu no longer kept everything bottled up.

He learned to express his joys and sorrows, to tell Mo Nian Nian what he liked and disliked.

He liked following her, like a little attendant. Mo Nian Nian tacitly allowed this, even became accustomed to his presence.

Mo Nian Nian burst in with excitement. “Mo Hu, I have good news for you: your slave status has been revoked. From today, you’re a citizen of Nanming.”

Jiang Hu wasn’t as happy or excited as Mo Nian Nian expected. He smiled faintly. “As long as Master is happy.”

“You’re not happy?”

“If Master is happy, then I am happy.”

Mo Nian Nian plopped down and rolled her eyes dramatically. “You really are hopeless.”

She looked up and noticed the collar around Jiang Hu’s neck. “About that, shouldn’t you take off the collar?”

To be honest, Jiang Hu looked quite good wearing it—restrained yet alluring, with a hint of wild beauty.

But it was still a collar, a mark of slavery, an insult. Mo Nian Nian had long wanted him to get rid of it.

Jiang Hu’s smile faded. “Master doesn’t like me wearing it?”

After spending so much time with him, Mo Nian Nian could quickly tell whether he was happy or not.

“What’s the matter? Are you reluctant to part with it?”

Jiang Hu touched the collar, lingering over the character engraved on it. “It was Master’s gift to me.”

This collar meant that he belonged to his master.

The thought of it made every cell in his body boil, clamoring and pounding against his fragile heart.

Mo Nian Nian’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked up at Jiang Hu. He bent his gaze, hiding all his thoughts, giving nothing away.

Mo Nian Nian sighed again. “What’s there to be reluctant about? I can always give you something else.”

She reached out to help Jiang Hu remove it.

Jiang Hu dodged her hand. “It’s the first thing Master ever gave me.”

His eyes brimmed with longing. “May I keep it?”

Jiang Hu rarely asked Mo Nian Nian for anything. With this request, she couldn’t refuse.

“Fine, keep it. If anyone dares to mock you, beat them up for me!”

“I understand.”

Mo Nian Nian rolled her eyes again. “How many times have I told you, you don’t have to speak like that. If you aren’t tired, I am.”

“I speak this way only before Master,” Jiang Hu replied gently.

Mo Nian Nian couldn’t persuade him, so she let it go. “By the way, where did we leave off last time checking the accounts? Once we take them down, the silver we recover can be used to buy you some followers.”

She secretly planned to help Jiang Hu form his own army.

If Jiang Hu wanted to reclaim what was his, he needed people.

Though Mo Nian Nian could do as she pleased in Nanming, if anyone found out she was secretly raising private troops, it would be disastrous.

Jiang Hu had clearly considered this as well. He grew flustered. “Master—”

Mo Nian Nian reached out and covered his mouth. “Shh, we’ll keep it secret.”