From the perspective of the Four Races—the Three Eyes, Two Ears, Toothless, and Hidden Spirit—Gu Zheng had likely refused to help simply because he hadn't been offered anything in return.
It wasn't that they were judging a noble man by their own petty standards; leaving the Ice Prison was just that important to them.
They had waited for thirty thousand years. To escape, they were willing to pay any price.
Pledging allegiance to a powerful expert who could lead them out was, in itself, the greatest reward.
The members of these four races all suffered from a Cold Poison that flared up once every ten years. Yet, the fact that they had endured for so long without being wiped out spoke volumes of their resilience.
In other words, the collective strength of their four races was more than enough to prove their worth.cv
Not to mention, Gu Zheng had given them an Antitoxic Pearl free of charge, which could purge the debilitating Cold Poison.
