The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 50

In the early morning, the curtain was pulled open with a whoosh, releasing sunlight. Yao Yuan pulled the blanket over her eyes.

“How was your rest?” A shadow fell upon the bed, and warm fried eggs were placed on the table.

“It was okay… No, I’m exhausted!” Yao Yuan suddenly flipped out of bed. “It’s all your fault for saying strange things yesterday.” Her memories gradually returned, and the scenes from last night were quickly rolled up and pressed to the deepest part of her mind.

It was just the atmosphere that was too good… Nothing at all happened! Indeed, nothing happened… A feeling that was neither relief nor regret surged in her heart.

[The day you actively request me will come soon.] The words Xing Kong said after she refused were probably not empty. I’m about to, or maybe I already have, fallen for the devil.

“Here, have a taste.” A pastry, half-wrapped in a rhomboid piece of kitchen paper, was offered to her mouth. She reflexively opened her mouth and took a bite. The soft red bean paste complemented the crispy crust perfectly.

“It’s an anko pie (red bean pie).”

“Surprised?” Xing Kong pushed the pie forward a bit, making it easier for her to take another bite.

After chewing meticulously, Yao Yuan sighed with emotion, “You are excellent at everything you do. Is this the talent of a devil?”

“More or less.” Xing Kong dissolved the crumbs and paper. “I will only fail at any task the first time I attempt it, at most.”

“What does that mean? Do you have some special skill?” Yao Yuan was stunned: What kind of divine skill is this? Does that mean that learning subjects like physics, chemistry, math, or music and art only requires one attempt?!

“It’s not as simple as you think. It’s just that I can find the [Principle] in the first attempt.” Xing Kong’s hand brushed against her neck, and the brand-new dress unfolded its pure white skirt.

Yao Yuan looked down at her changed dress and clasped her hands together. “Xing Kong, can you help me with my homework later!”

“Alright.”

Wait, homework. Thinking of homework, Yao Yuan suddenly remembered a crucial thing: I… I haven’t graduated yet, have I?!

[How many days have I missed school?]

Thump-thump-thump. Her heart slammed on the brakes.

Yao Yuan semi-petrified, pulled out her phone to check the date: Today is Tuesday, 10 o’clock sharp. She certainly had no classes in the second semester of her senior year, but her graduation thesis had been forgotten in another corner of the world.

She slowly raised her head. “Xing Kong, did you happen to run into my thesis advisor during the time I went missing?”

“No.”

“I figured.” She painfully flopped onto the bed.

Shhh, Xing Kong also lay down on the bed, and the pillow sank. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Wuwuwu, it’s great to have you.” Yao Yuan hugged Xing Kong emotionally. “Then is it okay if I don’t go to school before graduation?”

“You should still go once. It’s best to go today.” The devil smoothed down her drooping hair. “Let’s retrieve the sealed pseudo-artifact first. Maybe we can lure those small fry out with it.”

Yao Yuan jolted up. “Okay, and after we retrieve it, can Little Yu be cured?”

“…Yes.”

“Yay! Then let’s go now!” She put on her shoes and stopped at the door. “No, we should go at night.”

As night fell, the circuits in her body automatically operated, and she could feel subtly abnormal particles swirling in the air. Yao Yuan finally understood why Xing Kong could perceive the energy field when she first came over.

In the area her perception could reach, the school was enveloped in fine, black-purple particles. She was very glad about the decision to come late at night. At least there were no students lingering nearby, which would minimize the destructive power if they fought a monster.

Yao Yuan took out the USB drive containing her thesis and a folder. Since they were here, after dealing with the pseudo-artifact, she would ask Xing Kong to phase through the wall and place them on the teacher’s desk.

“What should we do next?” She was a little nervous, holding the folder with one hand, while the other was held tightly by Xing Kong.

“Hold on to me. Don’t let go, no matter what happens.”

Xing Kong’s smile was always confident, which also made her relax: Yes, as long as Xing Kong is here—Click, clack, click, clack.

Two short, one long mechanical clockwork sounds played as she stepped into the building. Unease immediately spread, and Yao Yuan abruptly turned her head. “Xing…”

No one was beside her. Her hand could only press against an invisible barrier. Her fingers left marks on the transparent mirror surface, and even the brief contact caused subtle ripples.

“Who?” Her heart pounded. She looked closely from the far left to the far right, and the calm space finally responded.

“No need to be so afraid. I don’t want to kill you yet.” The voice was clear, but the face that appeared made Yao Yuan repeatedly retreat.

“Chu Yan?! What are you up to!” She wouldn’t believe it was her. Yao Yuan clenched her fists and tried to mobilize the circuits to propel magic power. However, apart from the little magic power she could still tap into in her heart, the circuits in her limbs were unresponsive, like a dried-up riverbed.

“Chu Yan? Who is that?” The girl who looked exactly like Chu Yan touched her face. “It seems there’s a big misunderstanding. I haven’t been out of here for a few hundred years.”

By appearance, it was indeed Chu Yan wearing different ancient clothing, but the feeling was very different. The girl in front of her could be described as having a beautiful face and an ethereal demeanor, while the original Chu Yan, with the exact same features, failed to leave any impression.

[It’s as if her existence has been stripped away.]

Gasp. Multiple conjectures flashed through her mind: Could Chu Yan be some kind of immortal being whose existence was stripped away by the pseudo-artifact? Or is the pseudo-artifact a mass-produced work of a pseudo-god, and Chu Yan is a flawed new creation?

“Sit.” A table and chairs appeared out of thin air. The ancient-dressed girl, whose face resembled Chu Yan, flicked her long sleeve and sat down briskly.

Yao Yuan hesitated for a few seconds and didn’t dare to sit down. She stood where she was. “It’s the same if I talk here.”

“Suit yourself. Do you want to make a deal? Don’t worry, I’m the artifact spirit here.” The artifact spirit slightly tilted her face. “I have the ability to strip away existence, and I also have the ability you need.”

“Another deal, huh? So you also need my power?” Having been warned by Chu Yan once, Yao Yuan wasn’t surprised this time. “Sorry, I’m not planning to give up my magic ability.”

“You’ve misunderstood again. Although that wouldn’t be bad, I have a better proposal now.” Seeing that she really wouldn’t approach, the artifact spirit directly melted the table and floated behind her.

“What proposal?”

“You sign a contract with me, take me away from here, and eventually leave this world.” The artifact spirit, like smoke, coiled around her wrist. “Have you read about transmigration?”

“I have.” Yao Yuan was about to refuse but was interrupted by the strange question. She was very curious what the artifact spirit would say.

“After signing a contract with me, you will be completely free from death. You can infinitely jump through time and space and choose the life you want to experience.” The artifact spirit’s voice lacked modulation, but the content was overwhelming. “You can think of me as a [Transmigration System]-like cheat. I will accompany you until the moment you grow tired and wish to fall into eternal slumber.”

“So, what’s the price?” Yao Yuan stopped before the overly “beautiful” picture it painted.

“First, I will reset your time back to before you established the contract with the devil.” The artifact spirit patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ve experienced something similar with a certain god before, haven’t you? Rather than trusting a devil full of lies, you should sign a contract with me.”

So that’s it. This bold admission almost directly declared that her origin was a pseudo-god, and she was of the same source, or even the same person, as the murderer on the ship.

The magic power in her heart was ignited by anger. Yao Yuan immediately forgot the idea of stalling for time for Xing Kong to come and rescue her. Her palm suddenly grabbed the smoke, and she actually caught the solid sleeve. “I won’t believe you. At least the devil doesn’t lie to me!”

“Really? What is your reason for blindly trusting the devil? Love?” The wispy coils brushed past her cheek.

“No, absolutely not… Yes, so what if it is?” Seeing the sleeve in her hand being pulled away, Yao Yuan grabbed a thick wisp of smoke from the upper layer. “I have fallen in love with the devil, so what?”

“Shallow human, pathetic.” The smoke spoke with cool pity.

The anger was only fueled further by the cold water. “How dare you call me shallow? I love her, so I reject anyone who tries to break us up. Do you understand?”

“I understand, but you understand nothing.” The artifact spirit twisted the smoky cloud, and a mirror rose from the liquid mist, locking Yao Yuan’s figure inside. “Others can save you, and I can bring you a perfect ending, but the devil only wants to devour you.”

“Yes, she did say she wanted to devour me, but…” Her cheeks flushed slightly.

[That… was Xing Kong’s confession to me.]

“But that kind of ambiguous statement is only to cover up her true intention. When she devours you, your power will also be plundered by her.”

A dripping sound buzzed in the silence, and time slowed down.

“What do you mean?”

The artifact spirit seemed unwilling to answer. “However, such a false love is just suitable for the shallow you. Do you think you love the devil? It’s simply because no other powerful beauty is willing to love you.”

“You…” “You are in love with a symbol, a perfect match for her, who only values power.” The mirror turned again to face Yao Yuan directly, and a layer of golden light appeared on its surface. “Don’t believe it? If you don’t, prove it to me.”

“Bastard, I’ll prove it—” At the same time, in a different space, the devil completely ground the damaged stained glass into ashes. However, no matter how many times the shadow repeated the crushing, the extremely fine powder would always restore itself.

“Stop. This is useless…” The re-aggregated stained glass was struck and shattered again.

“It is useful. Estimating the current consumption, repeating the destruction for a year or two will be enough.” Xing Kong paused mid-sentence. “Hand Xiao Yuan over.”

“If I hand her over now, will you spare me?”

“No.”

“Then there’s your answer.” Seeing her stop, the artifact spirit materialized into a human form. “I have a hostage now. How could I be stupid enough to hand her over? If you continue to destroy this, she will only be digested by me.”

“Hand Xiao Yuan over, and I will temporarily let you go.” The devil’s blood-red eyes were devoid of warmth.

“That’s not enough. You understand the principle of equivalent exchange, don’t you? This deal can’t be too much of a loss for me.” The artifact spirit covered her mouth with her watery sleeve. “To tell you the truth, I’ve already sent her back to the time before she signed the contract with you.”

“As long as I completely crush you, everything will end.”

The devil’s threat made the smoke tremble slightly. “As expected, you are learned. So, you should also be able to tell that a part of [His] power is on that little girl, and… she is a fragment that can temporarily replace my core.”

The devil’s reply was to crush the stained glass again, but this time, the effect of the crushing was much weaker.

The stained glass turned into a human form again. “Since your reason for choosing that girl is that power, I’ll give you the fragment after I’ve used it.”

“What are you talking about?” Fire drew an inverted cross, and the devil’s restraints gradually unlocked. “A mere fragment is enough of a reason?”

The smoke solidified for a moment, and the artifact spirit chuckled. “Is that so? Then you must have great confidence in your special contractor? Do you want to make a bet?”