"I... I..." Lu Ming stammered, not daring to say it.
After an internal struggle, he finally pleaded earnestly, "Gentleman, could you perhaps... speak to Lu Family Head and let me out?"
"What do you mean?" Mo Hua asked in a grave voice.
"I..." Lu Ming replied with a bitter smile, "I don't want to become a Corpse Cultivator..."
Mo Hua deliberately frowned, "How can you be so ungrateful?"
Lu Ming grew anxious and quickly waved his hands,
"I wouldn't dare..."
Mo Hua 'hmphed', "Lu Family Head treats you so well, providing you with opportunities to become a Corpse Cultivator, to learn Corpse Refinement. This is your blessing, as well as your chance as a disciple of the Lu Family to contribute your efforts to the family. Yet you don't know how to cherish it?"
Lu Ming felt like crying without tears:
"Once I become a Corpse Cultivator and enter the Demon Path, my whole life is over..."
He wouldn't be able to find a partner, fulfill filial duties.
No matter how high his cultivation, he could only hide in the shadows, deal with corpses all day, and would be hunted by the Taoist Court, shunned by society, and who knows, one day he might be exposed and then "eliminated in the name of justice."
Thinking of this, Lu Ming regretted so much that his gut turned green.
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
This Lu Ming, although a bit slow, still had some sense.
Pretending to be hesitant, after much contemplation, Mo Hua slowly exhaled a sigh,
"Alright, meeting you is also a kind of fate. If you're unwilling to be a Corpse Cultivator, I won't make it difficult for you."
"But it's probably impossible to persuade the Family Head to let you leave..."
"Once you're out, you'll surely leak the secrets of this Corpse Mine."
"Just stay here peacefully..."
Lu Ming's face was ashen.
Without escaping, sooner or later, he would end up refining corpses.
If he succeeded, he would be inseparable from the zombies.
Should he fail, the zombies might lose control and devour him—it was entirely possible.
It was over...
A chilling sense of dread filled Lu Ming's heart.
Suddenly, he glanced at Mo Hua, who appeared calm and collected despite his young age. Even amidst the dread of the corpse mines, he seemed utterly composed, stirring a glimmer of hope in Lu Ming's otherwise bleak heart.
He quickly got up and kowtowed to Mo Hua, saying,
"I beg young master to save me!"
Mo Hua was slightly taken aback, then asked in confusion,
"Why should I save you?"
Mo Hua leisurely took a sip of tea before continuing,
"Promoting you is but a trivial matter, a mere word for me. I could mention it offhand and owe a favor, which is no big deal."
"But saving you is much more troublesome, and I might even offend the Lu Family Head."
"What's in it for me?"
Mo Hua's words left Lu Ming speechless.
Lu Ming was somewhat dazed.
Indeed, with no blood or affection between them and a rather shallow relationship, why would this young gentleman save him?
What did he have?
He didn't have many Spirit Stones, he wasn't a young maiden in her twenties, his cultivation wasn't high, his talent wasn't great, and even if killed for Corpse Refinement, he wouldn't make for a high-quality zombie...
A chill went down Lu Ming's spine, and he didn't even realize it.
On ordinary days, he might occasionally bully others on account of his position, feeling good about himself, but he hadn't expected that when a real problem arose, he would turn out to be so worthless...
Without any means, without any capability at all.
Mo Hua added, "If you can offer something beneficial, I'll consider, just consider, whether to save you or not."
A bitterness enveloped Lu Ming's heart.
What could he offer?
This young gentleman was of no ordinary status, with unfathomable means.
What benefit could catch such a young master's eye?
But with his life at stake, he was unwilling to give up and, holding onto a thread of hope, said,
"I am willing to pledge my life in service of young master, to climb mountains of swords and descend into seas of flames if that's what it takes!"