Chapter 64 Contract of Indenture
Everywhere was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and red Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (good fortune) were pasted on every wooden door. A warm atmosphere and the aroma of food wafted from inside the house. Ning Qi looked up, wanting to step over the threshold, but was driven away.
"Go away, get lost!" The cultivator dressed in Huaguang Sect robes kicked her in disgust. "Everyone, be careful, don't let the stray cats eat the sacrificial candy!"
"Okay." Someone else came over and kicked her out of the yard.
Ningxi cried out in pain and searched for other places to find food, but she encountered almost the same situation wherever she went.
Her stomach was growling with hunger, and her body was frozen stiff. If she couldn't find food soon, she probably wouldn't survive the winter.
Suddenly she saw a familiar figure from behind. Her eyes lit up, and she raised her stiff paws and quickly chased after him.
She lost track of him several times, but still followed the scent and finally arrived at a secluded courtyard halfway up the mountain.
It was cold and desolate here, with no sign of the New Year celebrations; it was like an ice cave.
She barged in, pushed open the main room door with her dusty paws, and saw the familiar man.
He was changing the bandage on his arm when he heard the noise and turned around. His deep eyes were filled with indifference. He floated in front of her almost like a ghost, grabbed the back of her neck with his uninjured hand, lifted her up, and said coldly, "I don't have any food here."
Ning Qi meowed, completely unconcerned by his cold attitude, her meows filled with joy and excitement, her mind preoccupied with only one thing—
She finally found him!
Xiao Sui frowned, walked out of the house, and placed her in the courtyard.
The moment Ningqi's four claws touched the ground, it immediately turned around and grabbed Xiao Sui's pants. Its sharp claws clung tightly to his calves, scratching his skin until it bled without him even noticing.
She was lifted up by the back of her neck again, her scalp tingling, and she curled up uncomfortably.
“Following me will only lead to starvation. Go find another master,” Xiao Sui said, looking into her eyes.
"I am Ning Xi!" Ning Xi cried out anxiously, only managing to utter countless meows.
Xiao Sui's brows furrowed deeper, and helplessness appeared in his dark eyes. "Do you really have to come with me?"
Ningqi nodded quickly and reached out to grab his shoulder with her paw.
He finally gave in and hugged her, saying, "Okay, let's make it clear first that I don't have any dried fish here."
She protested by shouting twice.
Xiao Sui scratched the top of her head with his long fingers, and Ning Qi immediately squinted her eyes in comfort.
Actually, he would make her delicious dried fish every day after that.
Ning Qi smacked her lips and opened her eyes. There was no one beside her, and the bed was cold and devoid of body temperature.
Yesterday, she forced Xiao Sui to take a pill to erase his memory before returning to her place with Zhizhi. After struggling through the night, she finally managed to fall asleep.
She didn't expect to dream about the kitten again. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, and she dared not move, afraid that this feeling would disappear.
Actually, she had a question: if what happened in the dream was real, why did she catch up with Xiao Sui when she was a kitten? And why did she think she had finally found him? Logically speaking, they couldn't have known each other before that.
The question lingered in her mind, but she swallowed it back; she didn't ask the system.
This system doesn't tell the truth much, and besides, there's no point in digging deeper now; she's about to leave this world.
"Is the Five-Petaled Netherworld Flower ready?" she asked the system while yawning.
"It's done," the system said. "But I must remind you, your points are now close to zero."
"That's terrible, how could this happen?" Ning Qi said perfunctorily, and a palm-sized flower quickly appeared on her right hand. The five petals were white at first glance, but they emitted a pearl-like luster as the light changed, which was quite beautiful.
This is a fake flower created by the system based on the six-petaled Netherworld Flower; it has no medicinal properties whatsoever.
"What do you want to use it for?" the system asked.
Ning Qi tucked the flower into her bosom. "You'll find out soon enough."
After breakfast, she asked Zhizhi to prepare the carriage, as she was going to Medicine King Valley.
Valley Master Han was not surprised by her appearance. He had her sit down beside him, placed his fingers on her wrist, and asked casually, "Have you collected all the demon cores?"
Ning Qi stared straight at him. "I already know the real prescription."
The fingers on his wrist pressed down slightly, and Valley Master Han awkwardly stroked his beard. "You... you know?"
"Yes, we need a five-petaled Netherworld Flower."
Master Han chuckled dryly, "I didn't mean to hide it from you, it was your lover who taught me to say it this way."
"Since you have experience in making up lies, could you do me a favor?"
Valley Master Han's brow twitched.
Ning Qi took the flower out of her bosom. "Please pretend you've found this and bring it to my residence."
"This is a five-petaled Netherworld Flower?" Valley Master Han exclaimed in shock. "Where did you find it, and why did you ask me to deliver it?"
"These are fake flowers."
Valley Master Han raised his head, "You want to..."
“Please put on a show with me in front of Xiao Sui, so that he thinks I have the Netherworld Flower.” Ning Qi paused. “I’m already like this, I don’t want to see him get hurt for me again.”
Valley Master Han was stunned for a long time. "Hey, you're risking your life! How can I agree to that?"
“I understand his feelings for me, please grant my wish,” Ning Qi insisted.
Valley Master Han was extremely troubled. Finally, he nodded, held the flowers, and sighed deeply, "You two..."
A few days later, the New Year atmosphere became stronger and stronger, and the sound of firecrackers could often be heard inside the house.
Master Han arrived as promised before New Year's Eve, covered in the marks of time.
Zhizhi invited him in, somewhat puzzled.
Ning Qi also feigned surprise and looked at Xiao Sui, who was cleaning the table.
Xiao Sui paused slightly in his movements.
Ning Xi specifically told him that she had something to say to him and asked him to stay in the house, otherwise he would run to the Demon Cave again, and her performance would be missing the most important audience member.
"What brings you here at this hour?" Ning Qi greeted him.
After catching his breath and drinking some tea to calm himself, Master Han took out a five-petaled Netherworld Flower from his robes, which immediately drew gasps of surprise from Zhizhi.
"I actually found this in my medicine storage. Although it was a bit wilted, it was well preserved and can definitely be used as medicine."
"You actually managed to find this."
"Yes, it should have been left behind by my grandmaster."
Ning Qi covered her mouth in surprise and exclaimed. Just as she realized that she had overacted, she looked up and saw that Zhizhi had already started to sob.
"That's wonderful! It's like finding a needle in a haystack!" Zhizhi said, wiping away her tears. "Princess, you'll be alright soon, sob sob."
Ning Qi patted her reassuringly, then glanced at Xiao Sui. He seemed to want to come over, but he didn't move when she called him.
She cleared her throat and said, "Now that we have this, I need to hurry up and bring back those cultivators who are searching in the Demon Cave. Zhizhi, go and send a message talisman to the palace."
"Yes." Zhizhi happily went to do it.
Master Han and Ning Qi exchanged a glance and said, "You should be almost finished with the conditioning soup I prescribed for you last time, right? I'll give you a milder prescription."
"Yes, you can leave it to Qianyu."
After Master Han left the house, only Ning Qi and Xiao Sui remained.
“Come here,” Ning Qi said.
Xiao Sui then came to her side and said, "I want to see that flower."
Ning Qi handed the flowers to him, saying, "You don't need to go to the Demon Cave anymore."
Xiao Sui used his spiritual power to sense the flower. He had been dealing with this kind of flower almost every day for the past few months. The one in his hand was no different from an ordinary Netherworld Flower except for the number of petals. But... he always felt that something was missing.
What is it?
Before he could examine it closely, the princess snatched the flower back.
Ning Qi said, "I have something to tell you today."
Xiao Sui listened attentively.
Ning Qi took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, "This is your indenture."
"Why are you giving me this?" Xiao Sui did not take it, and even took a half step back.
Ning Qi's hand hovered in mid-air for a moment before she withdrew it. In front of him, she picked up a tinderbox and lit the paper without hesitation.
The flames licked the thin paper, spreading rapidly before Ning Qi threw it to the ground.
Xiao Sui felt the heat source, his face paled, and he immediately stepped on the flames, but it was too late. When the fire went out, only a corner of the paper remained, with no words left.
“You…” Xiao Sui squatted down, feeling the ashes of the paper with his hand.
"Xiao Sui," Ning Qi said slowly, "I'm getting married soon, and Chong Yan doesn't like you very much. For the sake of our harmonious marriage in the future, you should leave here."
Xiao Sui quickly understood her meaning and looked up in shock, "Please don't send me away."
"The indenture has turned to ashes; you are free," Ning Qi announced.
Xiao Sui knelt down and lay prostrate at her feet, looking very pitiful. "Princess, I will not disturb you. Please do not send me away."
Ning Xi looked down at him, feeling uneasy, but she had to make a decision to let Xiao Sui leave.
She said cruelly, "I have an uninhabited property in Yandu. If you have nowhere to go, move there after the New Year."
Without waiting for Xiao Sui's reaction, she hurriedly stood up, walked past him, and went out the door.
Valley Master Han had already handed the new prescription to Qianyu. Seeing Ningxi come out, he walked up to her and asked in a low voice, "Are you really sure?"
Ning Qi nodded.
"This prescription can only maintain a good condition for one or two months. After that period, your body's energy and blood will be depleted, and your physical condition will only get worse," Valley Master Han warned.
"That's enough," Ning Qi said softly.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him at all, Master Han sighed and took his leave.
Unaware of the situation, Zhizhi happily busied herself with preparing the medicine for Ningqi; she was the one who had kept the prescription that Master Han had given her.
"Everything is ready now, except... for the heart's blood as the medicinal ingredient," Zhizhi said. "I can handle that."
Qianyu said, "You are still too young, let me do it."
“You don’t need to fight over it, I already have someone in mind,” Ning Qi said.
Anyway, she was just putting on an act; there was no need for them to actually rip out her heart's blood, as she'd heard it was very harmful to her cultivation.
When Yan Chongyan came to her door, she told him about her heart-wrenching secret.
Yan Chongyan frowned, "There should be many people willing to offer their heart's blood for you..."
"What?" Ning Qi interrupted him. "You are my fiancé, the person closest to me in the future, yet you're not even willing to make this small sacrifice?"
Yan Chongyan's face turned ugly.
Ning Xi only wanted to tease him; she didn't need anyone's heart's blood at all.
She was about to reveal the truth and tell him that all he needed to do was cooperate with her and find some pig's blood, but before she could say anything, Yan Chongyan said, "Okay."
Ning Qi raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Once every three days."
"good."
Three days later, Yan Chongyan came to her courtyard, holding a porcelain bottle that had already been filled with blood, and handed it to her.
Ning Qi took it, somewhat suspiciously, "Is this your blood?"
"Of course." Yan Chongyan's eyes darted away for a moment.
Ning Qi didn't ask any further questions.
Yan Chongyan's tense lips relaxed.
The porcelain bottle contained Xiao Sui's blood.
-----------------------
Author's Note: She cares about him, and he cares about her, but neither of them says it.
Updates will be less frequent this week [poor face]. If all goes well, I'll start daily updates next week.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com