Married to Ke Qing

Chapter 9

Initially, Zhong Li wanted to make a rather strict contract, where we were not supposed to talk or report his identity to anyone else, essentially for the rest of his life, but naturally I was not satisfied with this option. After all, you never know how things can turn out in life, so I persuaded him to add exception points, like the possibility of giving out information when silence could mean the death of someone close or simply innocent people who are not involved in any way, and also naturally in the case when he himself is not against it. Still, for an archon, although it is unpleasant to reveal his identity, but this will not prevent him from simply changing his appearance and creating a new one, especially since he can even change his gender if he wants and it seems that there were even precedents in the history of Li Yue.

So persuading him was not a problem, but what happened next surprised me much more.

- Okay, since we have sorted this out, it is time to sign a standard contract for adepts living in the territory of Li Yue. – Zhong Li stated in a casual tone.

- ? – I looked at the archon in confusion.

- I see I have to give a little background information. – Zhong Li began, understanding my confusion.

- I introduced this rule back during the Archon War, every Adept, God, Archon and the like who want to live in the territory of Li Yue must sign a contract according to which they must defend Li Yue in case of danger. I am sure you understand the reason for this.

- Um, yes, that is logical, but is there any point in concluding such a contract with someone as weak as me?

- Weak? – Zhong Li grinned. – Yes, you are weak now, but you will grow quickly, and I am sure that in a few years you will be able to call yourself an Adept with dignity, although without a teacher who could teach you our special techniques, it will not be quite complete.

- The Art of the Adepts? Is that what you mean?

- Yes. - Zhong Li confirmed.

- However, we can talk about this another time. - The Archon's tone suddenly changed from politely relaxed to serious with a hint of threat. - If you do not sign this contract, I will be forced to expel you from this land.

- There is no need to be so serious, Mr. Zhong Li. - I shook my head. - This is my home, and my family is an integral part of the country of stone. Even without a contract, I would stand up for Li Yue.

- Good. - Zhong Li, smiling contentedly, literally wove a golden leaf out of thin air, on which were the terms of the contract. - On this contract, you will have to use your blood to confirm it.

- Honestly, it feels like I'm making a deal with the devil. - I couldn't help but quietly grumble, for which I received a poke in the side from Ke Qing, who was sitting next to me, who clearly heard my words. However, I cut my thumb with the extremely sharp knife offered to me, and as soon as a drop of my blood hit the leaf, it melted into particles of golden light, and I felt as if a part of me was now forever connected, Geo Archon. You know, now I truly believe that it is not for nothing that he is called one of the demons of Goetia. And, perhaps, the only thing that reconciled me was the presence of clauses that allow this contract to be broken without any consequences.

- It seems that you are not as happy with the contract as you initially showed. - the archon chuckled.

- No, everything suits me, it's just that a contract concluded in blood causes me quite reasonable concerns. And if it weren't for you, I would immediately send the one who suggested such a thing to distant lands.

- Ha-ha-ha-ha. - Zhong Li laughed sincerely, and then added with a smile. - And you would certainly be right. The execution of this contract will be monitored by the world itself, and therefore, if the conditions for termination are not specified, one can be under the power of the contract until death. Do you know the story of the last demon hunter?

- The disciple named Xiao? He usually hangs out at the very top of the Wangshu Inn during his free time, right?

- Yes, that's right. I won't say his previous name, but during the Archon War, he became a slave to a similar contract. Deceived by the Archon, he was forced to ruin the lives and dreams of many people until one day the Archon was defeated. His story is sad, but it is also instructive.

- We will remember. - Ke Qing nodded seriously.

- I suppose now it's time for the main reason why we are here? - Bai Zhu asked.

- That's right, but perhaps in order to determine the degree of importance of the contract, could you please explain it to me in the end?

- In short, it's about the way to get on the path of the Adept. - I said with a slight grin.

Evening of the same day.

After signing the contract, Ke Qing and I did not go to the training ground as I expected. She decided that we would have plenty of time to train from tomorrow, but the money shouldn't lie idle, so she went to her subordinates to give instructions, especially since, as she said, she already had a rather promising project ready to expand the Li Yue harbor and naturally I would receive a certain percentage of the income.

Well, since I was completely left to my own devices today, I first spent some time doing some physical exercise, and then decided to cook us dinner myself, sending the servants home. To be honest, I have rather ambivalent feelings about having servants. On the one hand, the part of me that was the spoiled young master Yun Che all my life is so used to them that it considers this something natural, but the past me who lived in a low-income family experiences strange feelings from this, closer to awkwardness, probably. In any case, today I plan to cook a couple of dishes from my past life. Of course, I can't be called a particularly good cook, but I am confident in my ability to cook borscht, stewed meat in sour cream, and good old mashed potatoes. I even went the extra mile and fried some chebureki for tea.

"God, they'll call me a spy from the snowy one with such success." I grinned. Looking at the finished food. - I wonder if the saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is fair for a girl?

- Although I probably shouldn't have started this, considering how rich she is, she's tried the dishes of Li Yue's best chefs... maybe I should invite her to dinner at a restaurant? - Even before I saw how she would react to my cooking, I was already starting to doubt what I was doing.

- You can't waste food. - a stern voice reached me from the entrance to the kitchen.

- Ke Qing? - I was surprised. - How long have you been standing there?

- ... since you started frying these... buns? - Unsure of the name, she pointed to the chebureki.

- These are chebureki. - I answered, trying to contain my embarrassment from realizing that she had heard my conversations with myself.

- I suppose dinner is ready?

- Yes... - I nodded.

- That's good. - Having heard my confirmation, the girl prepared the dishes, and then looked at me with a grin and said. - Well, surprise my stomach.

"Why do I have the feeling that it is not I who am the husband, but she who is the wife, but exactly the opposite?" - a strange thought came to my mind while I began to set the table.