Chapter 3 Concluding a Contract
"You dare not kill me?"
Fu Qinghuai sneered repeatedly, then suddenly tightened his grip on Xie Xun's throat, forcing him to look up and meet his gaze. "If I were to crush your throat right now and absorb your pure Yin energy, even if my soul suffered some backlash, it would be better than keeping this troublesome mouth of yours!"
But he didn't actually use force. Xie Xun keenly caught this hesitation, deliberately moving closer to his palm, his tone even more audacious, "Then go ahead and do it? What, you're scared again?"
Fu Qinghuai's movements suddenly stopped. The skin beneath his fingertips was warm and delicate, and he could even feel the faint pulsation of the blood vessels beneath the skin.
This is the warmth that only the living possess, and it is also the best medicine to soothe his lingering soul.
He really didn't dare.
The newly unsealed soul was like a candle flickering in the wind; each backlash of malevolent energy could shatter it even more completely.
Xie Xun's pure Yin constitution is currently the only thing that can stabilize his soul.
If we were to actually kill him, not only would we not be able to find a replacement in the short term, but just the fact that we would perish together, with the room filled with the resentment of vengeful ghosts and the pure yin and yang energy exploding, would definitely cause his remnant soul to dissipate first.
By then, centuries of waiting will have been in vain, and there will be no chance for revenge.
To injure the enemy by a thousand, you will also lose eight hundred of your own.
Fu Qinghuai sneered inwardly, and slowed down the movement of his fingers pinching her neck.
Having lived for a thousand years, his greatest skill is weighing the pros and cons. How could he possibly gamble his entire future for a moment of anger?
The Xie family brat had figured out his weakness, risking his life, but he really couldn't afford to lose.
What's more, this kid is so funny.
From smashing the broken jade to release him by using his own strength against him, to threatening him to cooperate, he shattered his prey's expectations each time.
Like a piece of candy covered in thorns, dangerous yet irresistibly tempting to grasp. But if I were to kill him, who would I turn to for amusement afterward?
After a while, the cage formed by the black mist gradually calmed down and lost its malevolent aura.
Fu Qinghuai slowly released his grip on Xie Xun's neck, then pinched Xie Xun's chin, his movements carrying a hint of malicious flirtation.
"Okay, I won't do it."
He raised his hand and summoned a yellow talisman that emanated a sinister aura. Blood-red incantations flowed across the talisman. "But you have to sign a contract with me. You help me gather all the souls, and you absorb sinister energy for me every day. In return, I will protect you from the harassment of vengeful ghosts."
"With your mediocre skills, you wouldn't be able to get out of this godforsaken place without my protection."
Xie Xun raised an eyebrow, about to start bargaining, when a sharp pain shot through his wrist. He frowned, a shiver running down his fingertips and up his arm.
He raised his injured wrist, using the dim light to see the wound clearly. It wasn't deep, but it was enough for blood to continue seeping out; clearly, the evil spirit had deliberately controlled the force.
I want to draw blood, but I don't want him to be seriously injured.
"You're resorting to underhanded tactics?" Xie Xun's voice carried a hint of coldness. "You're afraid I won't sign the contract, so you resort to force? How despicable."
"All warfare is based on deception."
Fu Qinghuai didn't deny it, his fingertips gripping Xie Xun's injured wrist to prevent blood from dripping to the ground. With his other hand, he picked up the yellow talisman that emanated an eerie aura and pressed it directly onto Xie Xun's wound.
The moment the talisman touched the blood, it made a sizzling sound, as if a dried sponge was frantically absorbing water.
The crimson incantation, like a venomous snake awakened, frantically coiled around Xie Xun's arm, drilling along the veins toward his heart, causing a burning pain even more intense than the wound itself.
Xie Xun groaned as the sudden burning sensation forced him to pull his wrist back, but Fu Qinghuai gripped his wrist bone tightly, preventing him from moving even an inch.
He looked up and glared at the demon. "You did this on purpose?!"
Xie Xun gritted his teeth, enduring the surging pain, his tone tinged with resentment.
This evil spirit wants to inflict pain on him, to make him remember the price of this contract.
At this moment, Fu Qinghuai finally lowered his eyes to look at him, the previous hostility gone from his eyes, replaced by a playful look.
"You're smart."
He tightened his fingertips slightly, raising Xie Xun's wrist even higher, letting the talisman absorb the last drop of blood. "Only after experiencing pain will you never forget. From now on, your life and your soul are bound to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the evil spirit suddenly released Xie Xun's wrist and instead slashed its own wrist.
Dark blood dripped onto the talisman, instantly mingling with Xie Xun's blood. The incantation shone brightly, half of it piercing into Fu Qinghuai's wrist, while the other half completely merged into Xie Xun's skin, forming identical red dot marks on their wrists.
At this moment, Xie Xun casually tore off a strip of cloth from the corner of his clothes and used it to simply tie the wound to stop the bleeding.
Looking at the burning mark on his wrist, he touched it with his fingertips and could still feel the yin energy flowing within it. Like several invisible chains, it bound him tightly to the evil spirit before him.
The black mist gradually became darker and thicker at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Xie Xun's brow twitched. The change was too obvious. Before, he could still see some loose mist, but after absorbing a few drops of his blood, it seemed to have instantly replenished most of his yin energy. Even the surrounding temperature dropped a few degrees, making his exposed skin covered in goosebumps.
"It seems that this pure Yin constitution is indeed very useful to me."
Fu Qinghuai's voice finally carried a hint of pleasure. He raised his hand and let the yellow talisman float in his palm. The black mist climbed up the edge of the talisman and gradually enveloped the entire blood-red incantation.
Xie Xun clearly saw that the originally dim incantations lit up again under the black mist, even more dazzling than before, making the scarlet in Fu Qinghuai's eyes soften a bit.
He couldn't help but take a half step back, deliberately creating distance, but a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"So you're lacking in Yin blood? I should have settled accounts with you. My blood isn't given away for free; I need at least three honest words from you in return."
Xie Xun stared at the still-dry dark blood on Fu Qinghuai's wrist and added, "For example, what exactly do you want to do with these soul bodies? It can't be as simple as just collecting them."
Fu Qinghuai paused, as if these words had struck a nerve.
That kid is really clever. It's a pity I'm already in the same boat with him; even if I wanted to abandon him halfway, I'd have to see if he would allow it.
"Want to know? Sure."
Fu Qinghuai raised an eyebrow at Xie Xun, the pleasure in his eyes fading slightly, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he used black mist to roll up a yellow talisman and brought it closer to the wound on Xie Xun's wrist. "Give me some more blood. This talisman hasn't absorbed enough blood yet, and it's not enough to support me in suppressing the malevolent energy in my body."
Xie Xun turned his head away, his tone firm, "Answer the question first, then we'll talk about other things. You hold my blood talisman now, and I hold your weakness. We're perfectly fair."
However, Fu Qinghuai chuckled softly, and the black mist suddenly released the yellow talisman, letting it drift to the ground before disappearing.
But the dark mist didn't dissipate; instead, it slowly approached Xie Xun, circling around his ankle as if testing him or threatening him.
"Fair? Kid, you're too naive."
Fu Qinghuai stood up, looking down at the disheveled yet stunningly beautiful young man in the corner, and sneered, "You think I sucked your blood just to nourish the black mist? That was just to confirm whether your pure yin constitution could withstand the backlash from the soul body."
Xie Xun's pupils contracted slightly. "My soul will backfire on me?"
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