Chapter 16

1

If the remaining members of the Elder's faction suddenly make a move, it will be harder to deal with them. They no longer have the ambition to take over the Qin family and follow The Divine Realm. Their only dream now is to seek revenge on me.

I need to handle these people calmly. Maybe persuasion would be better.

"The deep part of the residential area here is where I live," Hanya pointed to a normal residential area within the imperial capital, an independent community on the outskirts, where the common folk live. The people who live here don't have a noble lineage or a family history connected to the High Priest of the Empire. They are just ordinary people. Despite that, Hanya still came out. She's the "Strongest Knight" of our academy.

"This place is different from your other fiancées. It's neither a prestigious family nor the daughter of the Grand High Priest. I'm just an ordinary person, you know? Every time I see Elena and the others, I envy them. They can help you so much, but I can't... Even when facing someone I love, I still have to maintain distance!"

"Do you care a lot about the status in our contract?"

"Not only care, I feel... really uncomfortable about it!" Hanya frowned deeply, and with one pull, shattered the nearby road sign with her sword sheath, shattering it into pieces on the ground.

"Actually, as long as your heart is firm, the contract cannot imprison you. After the fifth form of the contract, we can get married and won't have to worry about these things."

"The fifth form? Do we have to wait for a long time?"

"Um... that's the standard for the development of our relationship, let it progress naturally. By the way, about the bet you made at the hotel, we can't do it until after the fifth form. It's against the rules of the contract."

"Ah! Can you make it more troublesome? What exactly is the function of this contract?" Upon hearing that the fifth form allows us to do many things, Hanya became excited, but didn't understand the complicated role of the contract.

I pointed to the sky. Long ago, humans believed that The Divine Realm, even the end of the universe, was at the very high, very high sky, so pointing to the sky means The Divine Realm.

"I need people with potential to help me. You might think that I see you all as tools, but in fact, I don't. Even Black, he doesn't see any of the contractees as tools. He is more invested in the relationship between the contractees than I am. Originally, we wanted you all to protect us, but the reality is that we are protecting you. But it's okay, reality always deviates from ideals."

"Will you continue to look for contractees in the future?"

"Well... why are you asking me such a difficult question?"

"Is it difficult?"

"Yes... Heavenly Calculation Martial Arts Hall? There's a martial arts hall here!"

"I learned swordsmanship here. My master is in there." Hanya mentioned her master with great respect. I was really curious what kind of sword master he was.

"Sister!" At the entrance of the martial arts hall, there was a slender man wearing a white martial arts uniform. Underneath, his muscles showed through slightly, and he was vigorously waving at us, or more specifically, at Hanya.

"Younger brother?"

"Sister, it's been a long time! Are you okay? You rarely come to the martial arts hall at this time." The man seemed excited to see Hanya's return, or perhaps he was genuinely excited.

"Who's this?" As the figure of the man caught his sight, his gaze instantly turned from soft to sharp, like a knife pointing at me, giving me a cutting feeling.

"He..."

"Classmate, he's emitting a strong murderous aura. Don't provoke him!" I secretly told Hanya through our contract.

"My classmate."

"Oh, classmates, that's great! What's your last name, classmate?"

"It's Qin."

"Classmate Qin! Would you like to come to our martial arts school to learn martial arts? We offer a discounted enrollment fee for the winter season. You know, during winter, all the lazy bugs stay indoors. Without a discount, they won't come out. So it's not that we lack integrity in recruiting, it's just that we have no choice."

This guy looks about the same age as us, but he's trying to sell us something. What's going on?

"And who are you?"

"I am the undefeated king of being caught unarmed in the face of a blade!"

"No, you're not!!! I, Baiteng, will one day get rid of that title. And I already have a plan!"

"So, is it because he's too weak or because the enemy is too strong?"

"It's because he has vision problems. He has a natural visual delay disorder, which makes him swing his sword very slowly. Even ordinary people can see his sword coming from a mile away. Who wouldn't be able to defend against it?"

"Sister, our master has come up with a solution. He asked me to close my eyes and hit a wooden stake with my sword, relying on sound to judge the speed. I will soon be able to wield my sword very fast!"

"And what about now?"

"Well... still practicing!" Baiteng mumbled embarrassedly.

"So, he's still stuck with that title!"

"Sister, want to see the result of my practice?"

"Snap!" Baiteng swung the wooden sword he had been holding, but Hanya caught it with one hand.

"I'm a little curious about what made him so determined to become a sword master." I noticed his skillful sword movements, but his speed is really lethal.

"How would I know why? Ever since I came to the martial arts school, he has been following me. He's been learning all this time and still hasn't earned the recognition of our master. But he never gives up. After school, he usually comes to the martial arts school to help with promotions and such. He has good basic skills, but his delayed vision causes a slow reaction. He relies on sound to perceive things that happen in real time."

"That's really unfortunate. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference whether he can see or not, but... it's still better than not being able to see at all."

Although it's not nice to gossip about others in a low voice, it's not a big deal to chat about it.

"Classmate Baiteng, can I visit your martial arts school?"

"Why are you asking him? I'll take you in!" Hanya kept pushing me towards the entrance of the martial arts school. The red walls and green tiles of the martial arts school have a classical charm.

"Hey, show some respect for others!" I turned back and said.

"Never mind, let's go find our master!"

Baiteng's cheek muscles twitched twice. "Sis... sister!"

2

"Master!" Hanya brought me to a large painted screen. It's not wrong, it's the "Portrait of a Lady" from 13 million years ago. Humans have done a good job of preserving ancient artifacts. They use Magic in this area, so even after a million years, it is very well-preserved. Recreating a complete "Portrait of a Lady" is no problem at all, and the price is not too expensive. The body shape, movement, facial features, and expressions are all very beautiful, and the surrounding decorations are tasteful as well, with landscape ink paintings and ancient porcelain antiques, all very exquisite.

"Hanya, you're back!" A deep voice came from behind the screen, slightly higher in tone. It was a woman's voice, carrying a hint of weariness that couldn't be concealed. She must have had some experience to become a master, as one can't become a master without much experience.

"Master, this is my classmate..."

"Qin Yang!"

"You know me?"

A graceful lady walked out from behind the screen, holding a silver long sword, wearing a flowing robe, full of elegance.

"Your hair has turned white, but your appearance remains the same. It's just that the apprentices outside the door are too naive and can't tell. I apologize for that."

"Um... It's okay, I've always had a low sense of existence."

"Then why are you here?"

"Not for any particular reason, just to accompany a beautiful lady!" The lady spoke with a hint of old-fashioned style, which I also tried to imitate, although not very good at it.

"Isn't it to compete or challenge?" The lady's smile became mischievous.