The moonlight streamed eerily through the window, splitting the room in two. Medusa's lower half, a serpentine tail, glinted with a cold light from its scales, while her upper body was cloaked in shadow. Only her pair of cool, bright eyes pierced the gloom.
"I wish to make a deal with you."
Ignoring Zhou Changqing's guarded stance, Medusa stated her purpose plainly.
Zhou Changqing did not lower his guard. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "And what deal might that be, Your Majesty?"
What could he possibly possess that Queen Medusa would desire? Aside from his lightning-attribute Dou Qi, he could think of nothing else.
Medusa did not beat around the bush. Her gaze shifted to Zhou Changqing's Dantian. "You're a smart man. You must have already guessed my purpose. I need your lightning-attribute Dou Qi. And don't tell me you're unaware of its special properties. Playing dumb is useless before me."
Of course. Zhou Changqing sighed inwardly.
Queen Medusa was a peak Dou Emperor, after all. Her senses were far too sharp. Even a Dou King like Yue Mei hadn't been able to detect anything unusual about his lightning Qi.
"Your Majesty has sharp eyes..." Zhou Changqing relaxed his defensive posture, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked at Medusa with feigned admiration.
But in the next instant, his expression turned cold, his gaze becoming icy as he stared her down. "However, don't you think Your Majesty's demands are a bit too greedy? I had no quarrel with your Snake-People Race, yet you abducted me and brought me here by force. You are strong and I am weak, so I have nothing to say about that. To save my own life, I compromised and agreed to forge weapons for you. But did my compliance give you the mistaken impression that I am so easily bullied and controlled? Forging weapons wasn't enough, and now you've set your sights on my very foundation! You are far too tyrannical! I'm afraid I cannot obey!"
Hearing Zhou Changqing's sharp rebuke, Medusa fell silent. For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew quiet and strange. Behind his back, Zhou Changqing's right hand clenched unconsciously, his palm growing slick with sweat.
"Am I to understand that you are defying me?"
Just then, Medusa's beautiful eyes met Zhou Changqing's, and a subtle coldness seeped into her gaze. Though faint, the killing intent it contained was terrifyingly pure.
The hair on Zhou Changqing's body stood on end, a chill running down his spine. He felt as if he were being watched by some terrifying beast. The sensation made his blood rush and his heart pound uncontrollably faster. Fortunately, his Spiritual Strength was considerable, allowing him to withstand the mountain-like pressure.
"Heh, defy?" Zhou Changqing gave a cold laugh. "I don't particularly like that word. It has a certain air of arrogance. But you can interpret it that way if you wish. I may be weak, like an ant before you, but even the meekest person has a breaking point. If you intend to take it by force, I will not let you have your way, even in death!"
With another cold laugh, Zhou Changqing's Dou Qi erupted from his body, bathing the room in a swirl of gold and silver light.
Seeing this, Medusa's gaze fixed on the silver strands within the Dou Qi radiating from him. She extended a jade-like hand and, with a flick of her wrist, stripped a wisp of his lightning Qi away. The strand of lightning hovered over her palm, and she once again felt that primal yearning from her bloodline.
She immediately absorbed the lightning Qi into her body and began to carefully examine its effects. She sensed that this time, upon entering her, the lightning Qi did not merge with her flesh and blood as it had before. Instead, it rampaged, destroying her tissues. She controlled her instincts, preventing her own Dou Qi and formidable physique from automatically neutralizing it. By the time the wisp of lightning Qi had dissipated, her bloodline's essence had not improved in the slightest.
This change gave Medusa pause. But in the next moment, she considered a possibility. Although this lightning Qi had the special effect of enhancing one's bloodline, it could not be taken by force. Zhou Changqing himself had to separate it and sever his connection to it for it to work. The lightning Qi she had taken during the day had been forcibly seized, but the little brat had cut his connection to it right after she got her hands on it. That was why she had been able to absorb it and improve her bloodline. This possibility left Medusa with no other choice.
When Medusa had taken his lightning Qi, Zhou Changqing had narrowed his eyes but had not tried to stop her. He couldn't have, even if he wanted to. Besides, he was curious. What exactly did she want with his lightning Qi? Zhou Changqing simply couldn't figure it out. If it was only for that unique aura within his lightning, it shouldn't have been enough to make the great Queen Medusa personally seek him out, first with offers of a deal, then with threats. But seeing Medusa actually absorb the lightning Qi into her body only deepened Zhou Changqing's confusion.
Could his lightning Qi actually help others grow stronger? He himself could use his gold and lightning Dou Qi to temper his body with heavenly lightning, but Medusa didn't have gold-attribute Dou Qi.
Before Zhou Changqing could make sense of it, the coldness in Medusa's eyes vanished. "Human," she said, her gaze returning to him, "I do not like being defied. You must have guessed by now that your lightning-attribute Dou Qi is extremely important to me. Therefore, no matter what, I will have it."
Hearing this, Zhou Changqing's Dou Qi surged once more. He even drew the Tier 4 low-grade greatsword from his Storage Ring. Gripping the greatsword, he channeled his power into the Monster Core within, and arcs of electricity instantly erupted along the blade. He aimed the sword at Medusa, his posture one of defiance, ready to fight to the death.
Medusa neither stopped him nor showed any sign of defensiveness. She continued calmly, "However, as I said before, this is a deal. You may state your conditions. As long as it is within my power, I will grant them. If you still refuse, then don't blame me for taking control of you by force and imprisoning you forever, until you finally agree. And rest assured, with my power, I have countless ways to prevent you from taking your own life. My patience is limited. I will return tomorrow. If you are still unwilling then, you will face my methods."
With that, Medusa's form flickered and then slowly faded away like an afterimage.
A moment later, certain that Medusa was truly gone, Zhou Changqing's tense posture collapsed. He slumped into a chair, and the greatsword fell from his grasp, clattering to the floor.
"Hah..."
"That woman is terrifying. Her aura alone is suffocating."
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but Zhou Changqing lacked the strength to even wipe it away. For a moment there, he had truly felt like he was about to die. If Medusa had attacked, he wouldn't have lasted two exchanges.
Thank goodness. It was just as he'd guessed. She wouldn't attack him rashly.
After resting for a while, Zhou Changqing recovered, retrieved the greatsword, and returned it to his Storage Ring before falling deep in thought.
Although he had been prepared to fight to the death, his actions were also a probe against Medusa. And it worked. His posturing had successfully called her bluff. At the same time, he had confirmed that his lightning Qi was critically important to her.
With that, he finally had the capital and confidence to negotiate.
He certainly didn't want to be imprisoned or forced to take his own life. But now that the situation had come to this, he could only go with the flow and strive for the greatest possible benefit while minimizing his losses.
Therefore, he had to start thinking about what conditions he would demand when Medusa returned tomorrow, to make the most of this hard-won opportunity.