I Decided to Give the Contract to the Male Vassal - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10
Yeonriri followed that voice and steadied her breathing.
As the surging flames scattered, only a woman looking at her with clear eyes remained.
“Miss Chung?”
Chung-rin, who should have been at her residence, was right before her eyes.
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Her complexion had been poor throughout her training, and Yeonriri had finally fallen into qi deviation.
The turbid internal energy within her body had grown in size, and eventually burst forth, forming brilliant flames.
If left alone, Yeonriri would fall into fire deviation and become a cripple, or in severe cases, could even die.
I had to act before she fell into fire deviation. If I was late, the fire demon would soon devour her.
I stepped forward without hesitation.
As I grasped the arm holding her sword, her heated skin touched my fingertips.
A lightning-like stimulation was felt at my fingertips.
The true energy pouring from my heart flowed through my fingertips.
As the qi and blood surged in, my whole body trembled, and a sensation like a snake made of flames crawling through my blood vessels overwhelmed me.
I gasped at the unfamiliar heat and embraced that force.
“Stay still.”
Weilingxiqi .
A technique that absorbs surrounding internal energy to temporarily make it one’s own, a skill that only three people within Sangteon-dang had been taught.
Using it recklessly risked the danger of qi channels flowing backwards, but now was not the time to worry about such things.
Yeonriri looked at me with trembling eyes. It was a gaze confused while being enveloped by the fire demon.
‘I can’t let her die like this.’
She still doesn’t know what has been stolen from her. That ignorance felt even more pitiful.
But the reason I helped her wasn’t because of that. It was because I needed her.
“Follow my mental cultivation formula.”
I breathed slowly and suppressed her internal energy.
I immediately recited the formula of the Clear Day Mental Method .
Fire Demon Art was a martial art created to generate heat and explosive power.
In contrast, the Clear Day Mental Method forms clear yang energy, a formula that purifies yin fire .
Since it was originally researched as a mental method to suppress fire arts, it was an appropriate choice for the current situation.
Yeonriri steadied her breathing according to the formula I recited.
As the formula was repeated, the reversed internal energy subsided and her movements became natural.
The Clear Day Mental Method wasn’t complete with just regulating breathing and moving internal energy according to the formula.
It could only be completed by adding footwork to it.
“Move following me.”
After confirming that her internal energy had found relative stability, I slowly performed the footwork, and Yeonriri followed the flow. Before long, our movements were perfectly harmonized.
‘The problem is that the internal energy gained through Weilingxiqi has short duration…’
Yeonriri had to completely shake off the fire deviation by the time I could maintain the Clear Day Mental Method.
Fortunately, Yeonriri followed me to the end despite sweating.
Her footsteps overlapped with the wind, creating flames.
At the moment when sword energy and heat energy intertwined and swirled, a golden flame burst with a ‘thud’ sound.
It wasn’t a simple explosion of energy.
It was proof that she had controlled herself.
While following the formula of the Clear Day Mental Method, she had overcome the wall of fire art that was blocking her.
‘I thought she had excellent talent… but to escape the crisis of fire deviation and reach the next level.’
I was amazed at Yeonriri’s growth rate.
If she learned advanced martial arts, she would quickly catch up to her two older brothers.
Perhaps someday she could even reach the realm of Extreme Demon.
‘Now I understand why Yeonjo didn’t properly teach Yeonriri martial arts and only kept her confined at home.’
On the surface, he raised her like a precious jewel, but his true intention was probably hoping her talent wouldn’t grow.
Thinking this way, Yeonriri before my eyes seemed a little pitiful.
“Miss Chung…”
Yeonriri was gazing at me with a refreshed expression as if awakening from a dream.
“How did you come here? I did fall into qi deviation earlier, right? That mental cultivation formula was…”
Yeonriri finally asked me with fierce eyes as if finding it strange.
“How can you use such martial arts?”
Since Chung-rin’s martial arts were crippled, it was natural for her to have such suspicions.
“I don’t really know either. My body moved on its own.”
Memory loss makes for a very good excuse.
Then, Yeonriri’s eyes flashed and she suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.
It was to check if I had internal energy.
She pressed my wrist and injected internal energy, then remained silent for a moment.
Her face looking at me became serious.
“There’s none.”
Fortunately, since the amount of my remaining internal energy was almost nothing, I wasn’t discovered.
The suspicion in Yeonriri’s eyes subsided considerably, but confusion still lingered.
“…Do you really not know the reason?”
“I have memory loss. I want to know too.”
Then Yeonriri sighed as if resigned.
“Oh, come to think of it, I remembered an old memory. Actually, that’s why I came all the way here to meet Miss Yeon.”
“What is it?”
“Long ago…, the Grand Lady came to this place.”
“She came for my sixteenth birthday banquet. I remember demonstrating swordsmanship before Grandmother. But why?”
“That day, the Grand Lady was talking to a maid, saying that Miss Yeon’s sword beginning was sharp because you resembled your mother.”
“My sword resembles my mother’s?”
Yeonriri tilted her head as if finding it strange.
“That can’t be right.”
She pressed her lips together. Her face looked as if cracks had appeared in the world she knew.
Yeonjo’s wife had learned martial arts for self-defense so her martial prowess was shallow, and she didn’t use a sword. So it was natural for her to find it strange.
“I thought it might be something important so I mentioned it… I must have been mistaken. Just forget about it.”
After giving my farewell that I would return now, I left the place.
For a while, Yeonriri’s gaze didn’t leave my back.
She was probably confused.
The story I told her today was created by mixing the contents of Chung-rin’s secret letter with information obtained during my Sangteon-dang days.
‘Yeonjo, the head of the Yeomhwa Family, had an older brother named Yeonjeok who was far superior in martial arts.’
However, he couldn’t inherit the family head position due to the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic sects and passed away.
Yeonriri was that Yeonjeok’s daughter.
This meant she wasn’t Yeonjo’s biological daughter but his niece.
‘Through today’s conversation with me, Yeonriri’s doubts will gradually grow.’
Seeds of suspicion tend to grow from small incidents.
I became inwardly curious about how she would change because of it.
The next day.
Warm xiaolongbao, soup made with vegetable broth, and sliced pheasant meat were placed on the dining table.
“This morning’s meal is abundant?”
“A new cook was assigned to the residence. It seems we received plenty of ingredients too.”
The new cook’s skills were quite good, as the taste was excellent.
“We also received new tea leaves. Until now they gave us stale tea leaves, but today they unusually gave us well-dried tea leaves. The aroma is good.”
“Then shall we drink it together after the meal?”
“Is that alright?”
We were having a pleasant breakfast for once when the sound of knocking came from outside.
When Sawol opened the door, a familiar figure entered the residence.
“Miss Riri sent me. She said you’ll be busy with wedding preparations, so I should stay by your side to help.”
“Miss Yeon did?”
“Yes. From now on, I, Okxiang, will also serve by your side, Miss.”
Another maid was assigned to the residence that had only one dedicated maid until now.
Yeonriri used my marriage as an excuse, but this was probably her way of expressing gratitude to me.
Okxiang’s gaze briefly swept the room. From the dining table to the wall cracks, and even to my fingertips.
“Please let me know if you need anything.”
She said to me with emphasis.
“Sawol, guide Okxiang to her quarters and teach her what she needs to do.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Sawol left the residence with Okxiang.
Yeonriri might have found yesterday’s events suspicious and sent Okxiang to monitor me.
‘Still, of all people, Okxiang. That can’t be a coincidence.’
Okxiang is Chung-rin’s person.
Being assigned to my residence would be convenient for monitoring me, so there was a high possibility that Okxiang volunteered.
Having Okxiang by my side would be good for me too. She’s quick-witted and agile in her actions. She seemed to have learned lightness skills as well.
Moreover, she would serve as a bridge connecting me to Chung-rin, which would help me while I’m confined to the Yeomhwa Family.
As I was about to get up after finishing my meal, Sawol and Okxiang, who had stepped out, returned carrying teacups and tea leaves respectively.
“This is tea that Miss Riri sent as a gift.”
Soon a teacup was placed before me. When I took a sip to savor it, a familiar refreshing sensation swirled in my mouth.
‘Baijiguan from Fujian Province?’
It was tea I often drank during my training at Sangteon-dang to purify my internal energy. It seemed Yeonriri also enjoyed this tea.
“And Miss Yeonriri said she’ll go shopping for accessories for the wedding ceremony in three days, and asked if you’d like to go out together then.”
She meant to take me outside. It was a good proposal for me, who hadn’t been allowed to go out at all.
“Alright. Let’s all have tea together today.”
I shared tea with Okxiang and Sawol.
Right now, these two aren’t completely on my side, but if I handle things well, I might be able to make them my hands and feet.
I held the tea in my mouth, organized my thoughts, then told Sawol to clear the teacups.
Then I wrote a letter to Chung-rin.
Decode Sangteon-dang secret document, Demon Flame number one hundred and one.
Target is the Great Lady of the Yeomhwa Family.
Secret documents refer to classified information that only spies of a certain high rank can access.
The moment Chung-rin reads this code, he’ll understand what intention I had in making such a request.
I handed it to Okxiang.
“Deliver this to Chung-rin.”
“Yes.”
Okxiang put the letter in her bosom without hesitation.
Watching her, I hesitated for a moment.
Even if I execute all my plans with Chung-rin’s help, it’s impossible to simply call off the marriage.
Not only the head of the Yeomhwa Family, but the Sect Leader wouldn’t leave me, with the bloodline of Seolsan Jeokga, alone.
So I decided to change my approach.
I would utilize the special nature of my bloodline and the marriage within Mageyo.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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