Contract Spirit Array

"Hadn't I become Jiang Ruoyun's slave?!"

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Lu Feng's face. Thinking of what he had gone through over the past few years, one misfortune had followed another. First, his Seven Souls had been damaged, leaving him without any strength. Now, his life was controlled by someone else, and he had lost his freedom.

Lu Feng unwillingly sensed his Life Soul. To his delight, he discovered that the faint connection coming from Jiang Ruoyun seemed to have little effect on him. He tried striking at that demon-red mark, feeling out its solidity, and confidence rose in his heart. Such crude array-setting methods—this kind of contract array could not even be considered a spirit array. It would not be difficult to undo.

With that thought, Lu Feng felt considerably more at ease. After all, no one wished to place their life in a stranger's hands, even if that stranger was a beautiful woman.

Although Lu Feng could erase the contract mark at once, he did not undo it. This gave him a perfectly legitimate reason to remain in Azure Dragon Town.

Besides, he did not feel the slightest aversion toward the woman before him. Moreover, she had saved his life, and he ought to repay the favor.

Seeing that Lu Feng was not angered, Jiang Ruoyun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as well. If Lu Feng had strongly demanded that she remove the contract array for him, she truly would not have known what to do. She had obtained this Contract Spirit Array by chance; it recorded only how to set it up, not how to undo it.

"Wash up, then come find me in the courtyard," Jiang Ruoyun said before leaving the room.

Lu Feng changed into the clothes Jiang Ruoyun had given him and looked them over. Though the style was somewhat old-fashioned, they had been washed very clean. Not only did they fit him perfectly, but they also carried a faint fragrance of lotus blossoms.

It was not that Lu Feng did not want to change into his own clothes. There simply were none left in the Kirin Ring to change into. Having lived in the valley for a long time, he had only possessed one or two sets of clothes to begin with. Back in Worryfree Village, they had long since been torn or worn to tatters.

Lu Feng stared blankly at his reflection in the bronze mirror. Since his Seven Souls had been reforged, both his figure and appearance had changed tremendously. His body was no longer as sturdy and imposing as before, though it was still of a normal build. The greatest change was in his face. His once-youthful features had matured considerably, and the trace of resilience and sharpness between his brows was something he had never possessed before.

The current Lu Feng no longer carried his former high spirits, youthful recklessness, and disdain for all beneath heaven in his every movement. Instead, his edge had been sheathed, his brilliance hidden. His entire being exuded an air of drifting clouds and gentle winds, unruffled even when mountains collapsed before him.

Lu Feng smiled faintly, dusted off the hem of his clothes, and walked toward the courtyard outside.

The first thing that met his eyes was a massive banyan tree in the courtyard. Its leaves were thin and leathery, narrow and oval; its aerial roots rust-brown, its bark deep gray. Everything about it proclaimed its great age.

The path was paved with gravel, and potted greenery adorned the grounds. Though the courtyard was not large, it was decorated with fresh and elegant simplicity.

Beautiful music drifted from one side of the banyan tree. Lu Feng followed the gravel path over and saw Jiang Ruoyun playing the zither there.

Dressed in an emerald-green gauze skirt, she was cool and serene. Her lovely face bore no adornment, making her seem like an immortal maiden untouched by mortal dust—entirely different from her previous spoiled and willful manner. Lu Feng could not help wondering which side was the truest Jiang Ruoyun.

Her slender jade fingers lightly traced the strings, plucking out exquisite notes.

After a long while, just as Lu Feng was immersed in the music, he found the melody abruptly stop.

A string had snapped.

A trace of melancholy flashed across Jiang Ruoyun's face. After stroking the zither's body, she slowly rose. Her lotus steps shifted gently as she walked toward the banyan tree. She extended her small hand, and her emerald-green sleeve slowly slipped down, revealing a stretch of snow-white, delicate wrist. She softly touched the banyan branch, her appearance carrying a hint of sorrow.

Lu Feng had just wanted to step forward when Xiao Rou stopped him. She pulled him farther away and whispered, "Don't disturb Young Miss right now. She's in a bad mood."

"What happened?" Lu Feng asked.

Xiao Rou hesitated before saying, "Since you have already formed a contract with Young Miss, you are her slave. It won't hurt to tell you. Whenever Young Miss is unhappy, she stares blankly at the banyan tree. This time, she is probably upset over what happened at the coming-of-age ceremony a few days ago."

Lu Feng glanced at Jiang Ruoyun in the distance and continued listening to Xiao Rou.

"Young Miss was once Jiang Manor's most outstanding genius. No, she could be said to have been the most exceptional person in all of Azure Dragon Town. Before she had even turned twelve, she had already connected all Seven Souls and was about to begin her path of Soul Cultivation." Xiao Rou's eyes revealed boundless regret and pity.

"Unfortunately, on the night Young Miss fused and connected her Seven Souls, an unexpected change occurred. A bolt of heavenly lightning struck down and hit the Ancient Banyan Tree in the courtyard." Xiao Rou pulled Lu Feng a few steps to the left. Only then did he see a black scorch mark on one side of the banyan tree.

"The connection failed?" Lu Feng asked.

"If it had failed, that would have been fortunate. At least Young Miss would still have possessed the strength of the Seven Souls Realm and would not have fallen into such straits today." Xiao Rou spoke with bitter resentment. "Young Miss's residence back then was some distance from here. Who would have thought that cursed lightning could still affect her? After that night, Young Miss's strength declined day by day, degenerating from the Seven Souls Realm to the One Soul Realm."

"Her Seven Souls had already been connected, yet they could still degenerate?" Lu Feng asked in astonishment.

Xiao Rou nodded and continued regretfully, "Yes, they degenerated. Young Miss fell from the lofty platform where she had been admired and revered by all. From then on, her status in the family worsened with every passing day. She went from being the exalted daughter of Jiang Manor to the 'woman of the side branch' in the mouths of the household servants. No one remembered Young Miss's former glory anymore."

Lu Feng could not help feeling pity at her words. He understood even more deeply what it felt like to fall from a great height, and a sense of shared misery rose in his heart. Jiang Ruoyun must have endured no shortage of cold stares and ridicule from the clan's younger generation over the years.

Had Xiao Rou not told him, Lu Feng would never have believed that the leisurely, tranquil girl in the distance had experienced such things. Yet those years of experience had also been enough to forge Jiang Ruoyun's heart into an impregnable bastion.

"Oh? You still have the leisure to watch the falling catkins and admire the willows here?" An extremely shrill, unpleasant voice came from outside the courtyard gate, shattering the courtyard's peace.

Several young men and women around Jiang Ruoyun's age appeared at the entrance. They wore matching garments, and the dark gold "Jiang" embroidered on their chests signified that they held a certain status within Jiang Manor.

Jiang Ruoyun frowned slightly as she watched them about to enter the courtyard, then snapped in disgust, "Get out!"

Her shout halted the young men and women in their tracks. Even when facing Jiang Ruoyun, whose strength had already degenerated, they still felt somewhat fearful. The Jiang Ruoyun of the past had simply been too outstanding, too frightening.

One of the girls steadied herself, coughed, and said, "You don't have many good days left. Brother Jiang Feng has already petitioned the elders of the manor. This courtyard will soon be taken back." She glanced mockingly at Jiang Ruoyun and threatened, "You had better move out quickly, so you won't be embarrassed when the time comes."

The woman who spoke was Jiang Caiyun, also a daughter of Jiang Manor, though she belonged to a different faction. Jiang Manor had three Manor Lords. The First Manor Lord, Jiang Ruoyun's grandfather, was Jiang Batian, while the Second Manor Lord, Jiang Caiyun's grandfather, was Jiang Aotian.

The two had been very close since childhood, but after Jiang Ruoyun's Seven Souls suffered their mishap, Jiang Caiyun's attitude gradually changed—from distant indifference at first to mockery and taunting over the past few years.

Jiang Caiyun had thought her words would affect Jiang Ruoyun, if only a little. Instead, Jiang Ruoyun seemed not to have heard her at all, remaining as calm as ever. Only the way she looked at them had begun to turn hostile.

It was no wonder these young men and women had become so harsh and snobbish. Jiang Ruoyun had simply been too outstanding in her youth, casting a deep childhood shadow over them. Now, they had come to collect their due...

In the end, Grandfather could no longer protect me... Jiang Ruoyun felt a bleak sorrow in her heart. Ever since her talent had been destroyed, she had become the laughingstock of Jiang Manor. The elders gradually abandoned her, leaving her to fend for herself. Had Manor Lord Jiang Batian not protected her, her days would have been far more miserable.

Now, under the relentless pressure of the other elders in the manor, Jiang Batian ultimately could no longer protect Jiang Ruoyun, whose cultivation had been utterly ruined. Even the lord of a manor had many helpless constraints.

"Thrown out like a stray dog?" Jiang Ruoyun laughed at herself, then looked at the group still lingering outside the courtyard gate and said coldly, "Go tell Jiang Feng that I will leave, but he has no right to drive me out."

The young men and women were intimidated by the aura Jiang Ruoyun gave off, becoming awkward and flustered. Then, amid their panic, they caught sight of Lu Feng in the courtyard. A young man beside Jiang Caiyun gave a lewd laugh, as though he had seized a weakness, and threatened, "Who would have thought that the dignified daughter of Jiang Manor would be so shameless? Hiding a man in her private chambers and engaging in such illicit deeds—if this gets out..."

Before he could finish, a red blur swept before his eyes. A long bloody mark appeared across his mouth, burning with searing pain.

It was the whip Jiang Ruoyun had suddenly lashed out.

Jiang Ruoyun slowly drew back her long whip, murder in her eyes, and shouted, "Jiang Ren, watch your mouth. If you do it again, it won't be as simple as one lash." The threat in her tone was even stronger.

Jiang Ren, who had been whipped, stared at Jiang Ruoyun in disbelief, a trace of terror appearing in his eyes. He was in the Three Soul Realm, yet he could not evade her casual lash? She was clearly only in the One Soul Realm!

"And how do you explain him?" Seeing Jiang Ren suffer a setback, Jiang Caiyun spoke up to help him. Others might fear Jiang Ruoyun, but she did not. Her status within the manor was now far more exalted than Jiang Ruoyun's.

"He is Young Miss's contract slave," Xiao Rou could not help explaining for Jiang Ruoyun.

Jiang Ruoyun did not stop Xiao Rou from speaking. Though she disdained explaining herself, if these brainless people went back and spread embellished nonsense, it might damage Jiang Manor's reputation.

Jiang Caiyun froze at the unexpected answer, temporarily unsure how to refute it. She then vented her anger on Lu Feng instead, pointing in his direction with a look of utter contempt. "A grown man like you is actually willing to become a woman's slave. You truly have no shame at all. You are utterly useless."

Lu Feng seemed not to have heard. He was not moved in the slightest, and his face still bore its usual gentle smile, though a glint of coldness flashed deep within his eyes.

Instead, Jiang Ruoyun raised her long whip once more, about to lash it out. Seeing this, Lu Feng quickly stepped forward and stopped her.

Jiang Caiyun and the others were all greatly startled by the speed Lu Feng displayed.

Lu Feng smiled gently at the people outside the courtyard and said, "I'm merely earning a meal. What does it matter whether I'm a slave or not?"

His smile was exceptionally pure, without the slightest inferiority of a slave. He seemed instead like the descendant of a lofty noble house.