Chapter 25

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Under Shaowei's gaze, Jiang Fu spoke plainly: "I want you to be my slave servant for five years."

Shaowei's jet-black eyes were calm at this moment, and she replied just as plainly: "I know that although you coerced and forced me along this way, you also treated my injuries. Though this was not something I actively sought, I am willing to acknowledge this favor of yours — if you treat me with reciprocity, I can well do one thing for you, but to make me become your slave servant is simply wishful thinking."

Jiang Fu did not become disappointed or angry; on the contrary, her eyes brightened slightly: "You are truly willing to do one thing for me?"

Shaowei did not answer, only lifting her chin slightly as a statement of her stance.

Jiang Fu put forward her demand: "I observe you possess innate extraordinary strength and understand boxing and kicking; you are truly out of the ordinary. And I have offended some enemies, so I entrust you to accompany and escort me for a period of time — how about it?"

Shaowei asked seriously: "Accompany for how long?"

Jiang Fu smiled faintly: "Roughly five years?"

"……" Shaowei's little face fell, she lifted her foot and was about to leave.

She was not afraid the other party would move to stop her; if she won she would run, if she couldn't win she would preserve her life and accumulate experience to figure out the other's patterns in preparation for a sneak attack next time — if they wanted to forcibly keep her, they could forget about peace.

Unless the other party wanted a thug, the kind that doesn't beat outsiders but specializes in beating their own master.

Jiang Fu hurriedly spoke to detain her: "The benefits of being my slave servant are many."

Shaowei's retreating figure remained unmoved.

Jiang Fu added: "I can cure your injuries, and also resolve the cold poison on your body!"

Shaowei's footsteps paused.

Then, she heard that voice drift leisurely from behind:

"Little ghost, if you step out this door today, I wager you won't live past eighteen years old."

A thread of chill crawled up Shaowei's back; this chill was like a thread, tugging her to turn her head back.

Jiang Fu still sat leisurely by the bed; seeing Shaowei look back, she smiled faintly, raised an eyebrow, and said: "Little ghost, under heaven, the only one who can resolve this elixir-accumulated poison for you is I, Jiang Fu, alone."

Shaowei unconsciously clenched her fingers, and a gust of shocked and bewildered chill rose in her heart.

Jiang Fu continued to persuade: "Certain you're unwilling to stay?"

Shaowei looked at her: "One adult female slave is merely ten thousand coins."

Shaowei's understanding of money came from those years living in the Feng Family. Though she rarely handled money personally, she also vaguely knew that a toxic residue as complex, dangerous, and life-threatening as hers, if one wanted to cure it — not to mention hiring a doctor, the medicine alone would inevitably be a considerable expense.

This expenditure could perhaps buy back eighty or ninety female slaves and thugs.

Jiang Fu was surprised: "You're even calculating accounts for me now…… hard to speak while looking at you, how come you're so clever and considerate?"

Shaowei only frowned and looked at her with suspicion.

It wasn't calculating accounts for anyone; merely in Shaowei's view, any buying or selling transaction ought to be cost-effective to be considered normal.

Just now Jiang Fu opened her mouth to demand Shaowei be a slave servant for five years; Shaowei felt she would be at a loss.

And now Jiang Fu said she could detoxify and cure Shaowei; Shaowei then felt the other party would be at a loss.

The former was a lion opening its mouth wide — that was greed; Shaowei naturally should turn and leave.

The latter was inexplicably overflowing with kindness — that was strange, and made Shaowei doubly vigilant.

Jiang Fu looked at the girl's black-and-white distinct wariness in her eyes, curled her lips, and said: "Since it's like this, I'll also speak the truth. Fancying your extraordinary strength and skill and wanting to keep you by my side is only one part."

Her appreciative and satisfied gaze moved from Shaowei's face downward, and she said slowly: "Secondly, I observe your bone appearance is strange, your fate format and essence blood are both extraordinary…… precisely the medicine guide I have bitterly sought for a long time."

Hearing this, Shaowei's whole body unconsciously emanated a cold, ruthless air.

Jiang Fu's face still carried a smile as she explained the reason: "If the poison in your body is not resolved, you won't live past eighteen. And I bear a stubborn illness; without this medicine guide, I also won't have the life to pass my thirtieth birthday. Now I am already twenty-five, only these five years remain for me to save myself."

Her tone was gentle, her phoenix eyes curved: "Don't be afraid, I only need a bit of your fingertip blood each month. Since I have promised to resolve the poison for you, I will not harm you."

However, the overlapping scars on Shaowei's left arm were like a bloodily raw reverse scale in her heart — that was her most feared and resisted nightmare since childhood, an existence that clung like a curse even after growing up.

The last one who took her blood like livestock, Qin Fu, his corpse at this moment who knows how many pounds of flesh remain.

Looking at that young woman of carefree temperament, Shaowei's eyes nearly gave birth to a physiological loathing; she did not utter a word, and without further hesitation pushed the door and went out.

"Why go against fate? You and I mutually rescue each other, merit boundless — is that not superior to building a fourteen-level floating pagoda?"

"Little ghost, I give you three days' time to consider——"

"Bang!" Shaowei slammed the door shut heavily with both hands behind her back.

Yet through the door one still heard Jiang Fu's surprised voice: "Such a well-mannered little ghost, even leaving in anger you don't forget to close the door for me."

"……" Shaowei gritted one side of her back teeth.

"Head of Household, shall we capture her back?" Mo Li rarely took the initiative to ask for instructions.

"All creatures, no distinction between humans and livestock, when tense or angry or fearful, if revenge is mixed in the heart, the blood will carry blood poison. Must obtain her willingness to stay; forcibly taken blood is not sweet."

These words made Shaowei's anger flare even higher, and she couldn't help but think — if that's so, why wasn't Qin Fu poisoned to death?

Looking around, this place was actually an old, shabby inn; Shaowei went downstairs angrily and ran out.

"Head of Household, will she come back?" In the guest room, Mo Li asked.

"Don't know."

Jiang Fu seemed a bit tired; she raised her leg and lay on her side by the bed, right hand propping her head, her face still wearing that scattered expression, but a trace of worry gathered between her brows. She closed her eyes to rest her spirit, and spoke as if in soliloquy: "Just like in water, I can stimulate her will to survive, help her cross, but cannot directly forcibly reverse her cause and effect…… all this ultimately requires her to make the choice herself."

She repeated the words from before: "Must obtain her willingness to stay."

Mo Li fundamentally didn't understand; he only knew that since he didn't need to chase, and she might not come back, then when the partner brings the late meal later, he ought to be able to eat two portions, right? — When that child who likes to bite people cried non-stop, the Head of Household said she'd be hungry after crying, and had him go downstairs to order the partner to prepare food.

With a "Clang!" the room door was suddenly pushed open forcefully from outside.

Mo Li's spirits lifted, but he saw the one walking in was not the partner delivering food, but Shaowei.

Jiang Fu's newly opened eyes brightened, and she leaned forward to look.

"Where are my clothes and boots?" Shaowei, with disheveled hair and bare feet, demanded righteously and sternly.

Mo Li pointed at the bamboo box to the side.

Shaowei walked over, bent down, and rummaged through it for a while, put on the sheepskin boots, wrapped herself in the wolfskin coat, and strode away, slamming those two pitiful doors shut again like a gale.

"Ah." Jiang Fu, having witnessed this entire process, sighed disappointedly, rolled her body inward, changed from lying on her side to lying on her back, spread her limbs powerlessly on the bed, appearing to have lost all strength and means.

Mo Li secretly — yet not secretly at all, he obviously breathed a sigh of relief, and continued waiting for food.