The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 47

“I didn’t think you would actually agree to that young lady’s request. You must be thinking about how to exploit her, aren’t you?” Yao Yuan looked through her binoculars suspiciously before leaning back against the balcony railing.

“More or less.” Xing Kong rested her arms on the railing beside her. “These little magical props are useless against me, but they are certainly effective on humans.”

“Like Chu Yan?”

“Exactly.”

A sea breeze blew past, and Yao Yuan squinted under the bright sunlight. “Are you planning to use the King’s Game to order her to die?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“Of course not.” A strange sense of irritability stirred in her heart. She truly disliked Chu Yan, but she felt that she shouldn’t be killed here. There were still many things that hadn’t been cleared up, but curiosity wasn’t the main reason.

“The reason?” A faint shadow blocked the sunlight.

She replied without hesitation, “It would cause trouble for Miss Wang. Even a wealthy young lady shouldn’t have to deal with a murder case.”

“Don’t worry, illusions are very useful. The deceased will truly evaporate from the face of the earth.” A hand pressed down on her shoulder; what gave it such heavy weight was the devil’s casual talk of stripping away a life.

“Actually, I didn’t…” Had she failed to find evidence of the other party’s move? No, she had clearly seen it through her ability, hadn’t she? Her grand reasons suddenly shattered into pieces, exposing the thoughts deep within her heart.

Yao Yuan let out a slow breath. “Why do I have to become a murderer? Why do I have to kill someone just to stay alive? Is it ridiculous? But that—” “It’s reasonable.”

“…”

Xing Kong’s voice held a trace of pity that bordered on mockery. “If you’re afraid, just leave everything to me.”

“No, I didn’t mean I wanted to escape…” Her explanation was weak. There was more than one real reason, but the others weren’t something she could easily show Xing Kong.

She knew too little about the devil; she couldn’t even defend herself against an unwanted handshake. If she revealed even a trace of her thoughts, she would be seized by the other party, and the hope of “life” would be drained away, wouldn’t it?

Her only “chance of victory” was actually because her goal in winning was not to tear up the contract.

Yao Yuan looked up, and the words she intended to use to tell the other party to be careful suddenly took on a different tone: “Want to make a bet?”

“A bet?” Deep within Xing Kong’s pupils, the red hue seemed to hide fragments of colorful light.

“Yes. I bet that you have underestimated Chu Yan.”

Xing Kong was too arrogant. Looking back at the day they first met—even though she had only known this devil for a few minutes—she could see the inherent disregard and perfunctoriness Xing Kong felt toward the weak.

To make her stow away that omnipresent arrogance, the only way was to use the most blunt and direct method.

“Are you trying to exploit my obsession with promises and victory?”

“Yeah, so what?” Yao Yuan suddenly moved away from the railing.

The devil followed her to the door. “What do you intend to use as your stake?”

Click. The handle turned and the door unlocked. Yao Yuan pulled the door open, a gust of wind blowing through her long hair as demonic light points dissipated from her human eyes. “Everything.”

Since it’s the King’s Game, let’s bet everything.

She didn’t have any reliable files regarding devils, nor had she heard any precautions for dealing with them. Like a gambler, she simply put everything on the line with sheer courage.

Was it reckless?

Xing Kong’s smile deepened. The girl in her eyes was no longer just a human or an ordinary contractor, but a gemstone spinning with brilliance. Even if this dazzling light only lasted for a moment, it was precious enough.

She would see if this gem was the real deal or a fake.

“So, do you bet or not? If you’re scared, I can lower the stakes.” Standing against the light, the human showed no fear before the devil.

“Of course. I cannot refuse.” Thus, the devil returned a smile.

Ah, I want to die. What did I just say? After returning to the living room, Yao Yuan’s head hurt from the wind. She really wanted to go back in time and punch her big-talking self.

Self-deception was useless. When she looked up, time was still flowing naturally. The scenes from a moment ago had become established facts, not visions of the future.

Xiao Ke was sitting in the main seat of the round table, playing with playing cards.

“Miss Wang, you’re participating too?” Yao Yuan asked in surprise as she walked over.

“Yeah, why not? It’s so much fun~” “Then do you have a secret to winning? Can you manipulate the cards to get the King every time?”

“How could that be possible~” The young lady smiled and tapped the cards in her hand, drawing several numbers in a row in front of them. After all, she had brought out at least a dozen cards, so the probability of drawing it in one go wasn’t high.

“So doesn’t participating in this game contradict your own aesthetics?” Yao Yuan couldn’t help but ask. “If you participate, you’ll be struggling in it yourself. What if someone calls your number and tells you to hand over all your property?”

The young lady’s hand paused. “That’s true, there is indeed that possibility~” “Even so, you’re still going to participate?” She saw no retreat on Xiao Ke’s face.

“That’s right. Mediocre people struggle for money, while I struggle for other interests~ I might not be that carefree, you know.” Xiao Ke tapped the table. “It only grants me one privilege: I will definitely be the King in the very first round.”

She hasn’t told the whole truth. Yao Yuan could guess this even without using her abilities, but she didn’t plan to expose it. After all, no one present would reveal all their secrets.

“Then I’ll look forward to your performance.” Further words were useless. Yao Yuan chose a seat opposite the young lady, and Xing Kong sat down beside her.

“Please look forward to it~” A silent servant placed a delicate crown made of gold onto Xiao Ke’s head. Yet, even a girl favored by heaven like her was about to enter a game from which it would be extremely difficult to emerge unscathed.

The clock chimed three times a few minutes later. As the main door on the first floor opened, exactly ten men and women entered the hall, one of whom was Chu Yan.

“Welcome, welcome~ The money will be deposited into your bank accounts soon, and gold bars are also a perfectly viable option. However~” The crowned young lady placed a finger on a card. “In the game that follows, the winner won’t have to worry about money at all—not for the rest of their life.”

The group sat down suspiciously. This time, Chu Yan did not choose a seat next to the devil, but instead sat to the young lady’s left. Sitting next to the devil was a man in a white shirt, and next to Yao Yuan was a fit, athletic woman. They were all survivors from the previous event and were relatively young.

Everyone looked as though they had freshened up; their hair was clean and their clothes looked newly changed.

“First, let me introduce the rules. I believe everyone has heard of the King’s Game?” Xiao Ke placed the cards in the center. “Please place one hand on the table, palm down.”

A common practice to deepen the effect of a contract. Xing Kong’s voice echoed in her mind. Seeing the devil be the first to place her right hand on the table, Yao Yuan swallowed and followed suit with her left hand. She really cared about that bet.

After everyone pressed their palms down, Xiao Ke drew a card and flipped it over; as expected, it bore the crown design.

“I’m the King now~ Everyone, don’t just stand there. Draw. Let’s all draw.”

Xing Kong didn’t hesitate to draw a card. With her taking the lead, the others began to draw as well. Since this wealthy young lady was generous with money, everyone felt this was a profitable game.

This time, Xing Kong did not reveal her number to Yao Yuan, nor did she even glance her way. Was this a declaration of war? Yao Yuan was a bit nervous. Then, she heard the young lady’s crisp voice.

“Now, I ask Number 3 to take flight on the spot~” What kind of strange request was that? However, no one could laugh. The man sitting on the other side of Xing Kong waved his arms and hovered in mid-air in a daze. When he snapped out of it, he fell back onto his stool with a loud thud.

“What’s going on?!” The man touched his head in disbelief. He had a good sense of balance, so he hadn’t landed on his head.

“That’s how the game works. It’s a magical game of absolute obedience to the King. Any request will be immediately realized in some form.” The young lady triumphantly pushed the King card back into the center. The other cards seemed to come alive, gathering together and shuffling at a speed the human eye couldn’t track.

“Who wants to draw first in the next round?”

Just as Xiao Ke finished speaking, the devil’s hand already touched the stack of cards in the middle, drawing one without hesitation.

Xing Kong’s gaze turned cold after seeing the card’s face, and she said nothing.

It definitely wasn’t the King card. So, even a devil couldn’t correctly determine which one was the King card; the shuffling just now likely hadn’t been on a physical level.

A sense of frozen time appeared once again. Yao Yuan turned her head. “Xing Kong, don’t cheat at a time like this…” The devil was also within the frozen time. She gasped and looked across from her. Was this the significance of Chu Yan choosing to sit opposite her?

“It’s me.” Chu Yan said expressionlessly. “Let’s form an alliance, you and I. I don’t plan to distort time right now; we can chat for five minutes.”

The information she leaked should be her sincerity. In return, I should show mine as well.

Yao Yuan suddenly jumped out of the mental trap. Time was too tight for her to think too much. “Why should I ally with you? Who are you allying with me against?”

“The devil.”

“Impossible.” Though she had intended to stall, the refusal slipped out naturally.

Chu Yan’s eyes lacked any luster, falling on her with a stinging sensation. “If you want to stay alive, dealing with her is a must.”

“Stop joking.” Yao Yuan glared at her opponent. “First you tried to persuade her to give up on me, and now you’re here to trick me into giving up on her? As soon as I tear up the contract with Xing Kong, you’ll come over and rip me to pieces, won’t you? Do you take me for a fool!”

“What if I have a way for you to seize the devil’s power?” Chu Yan’s lightless eyes seemed to peer into her heart. “You should know that our souls are very special. I have a way for you to seize her power.”

A massive temptation had descended. Who could refuse pure strength?

“I don’t believe you.” Yao Yuan’s refusal remained adamant. “I will never believe a single word you say.”

“How stubborn. You want to remain loyal to a devil that much?” Chu Yan placed her hand over her own heart. “You know it too, don’t you? She didn’t contract with you because of your soul or any other reason; it was purely for a power that has nothing to do with you.”

“I don’t know that.”

“How pathetic.”

Yao Yuan’s head throbbed with anger. What kind of person was this opponent? She could lie without even blinking.

“Think about your unique power. It actually has nothing to do with you.”

These words had some effect. Yao Yuan asked probingly, “Then who does it have to do with?”

Unexpectedly, this time Chu Yan didn’t have her usual attitude of telling everything she knew. She shook her head. “Since you refuse to ally with me, I won’t tell you.”

“So you’re just here to drive a wedge between us?” Yao Yuan suddenly regretted letting her go so many times. When Xing Kong got the King card later, she’d just let the devil kill her.

“No, I still feel that I can cooperate with you.” Chu Yan said seriously. “If you draw the King card, I will tell you my number, and then you can simply make me exit the game. As long as you do that, I will tell you everything I know.”

Before Yao Yuan could mock her for being reckless, time began to flow again.