Unless You Make a Blood Pact

Xia Yao said coldly, "Didn't you just say you wouldn't hurt him?"

Seeing Xia Yao's protective stance, Uncle suppressed the immense rage that could have collapsed the cafeteria.

He knew Xia Yao's personality well; she was stubborn and couldn't be forced at this moment!

Uncle's chiseled face turned ashen, and he cast another soundproof barrier.

This time, the barrier's light flickered unstably due to his intense emotions.

He suppressed his anger, his voice grinding through his teeth, "Come in. I promise I won't hurt him for now!"

Xia Yao, however, stood her ground with a cold expression, unmoving like an ice sculpture. She firmly shielded Chu He behind her, refusing to budge an inch.

Her unyielding demeanor made Uncle's liver ache with anger!

What a situation! He, a renowned Ghost Chef whose fearsome reputation made even Abyss Lords treat him with respect, was being pushed to this point by his own niece, whom he had watched grow up, all for some human boy!

He suppressed the urge to slap the pretty boy into the wall and asked through gritted teeth, "Then what do you want, so you'll come in?"

Xia Yao raised her eyes. Her pitch-black pupils were devoid of any ripple, yet her words carried the weight of mountains.

"Only if you make a Blood Pact."

A Blood Pact?!

Uncle was utterly speechless, his tall frame swaying.

Chu He's heart also jolted. While he didn't fully understand, he could sense the gravity of those two words from their literal meaning.

It had only been a little over a day! And for a human boy she had just met, she was forcing her own uncle to make a Blood Pact!

Once established, such a pact bound one's very essence as an oath, resonating with the rules of heaven and earth. Violating it would result in severe power loss at best, and utter soul annihilation at worst!

He stared intently at Xia Yao, his face grim, as if trying to discern even the slightest waver on her face.

But he only saw resolve.

It was a pure, unadulterated determination, as if Chu He was the only one she had ever recognized.

After a long moment, he squeezed a single word from his chest, his voice filled with endless frustration and helplessness.

"Fine!"

As the word fell, he raised his massive hand and, without hesitation, sliced his own finger with his fingernail.

Dark red blood welled up but didn't fall. Instead, it hovered in the air, emitting a hot, sweet, and bloody scent.

Using his finger as a brush and his blood as ink, he rapidly sketched in the void.

It was an incredibly complex pattern, composed of countless twisted lines and ancient runes, as if containing the most primal rules of the universe.

With each stroke, the light in the cafeteria dimmed, and a heavy, ancient, and irresistible aura permeated the air, making Chu He feel as though his soul was being scrutinized by that power.

When the final stroke landed, the blood totem flared brightly, emitting a dull roar before transforming into a streak of red light. It shot into Uncle's forehead like a meteor, leaving behind a fleeting mark.

The pact was sealed.

Uncle's face instantly paled a shade, and his entire aura seemed to weaken.

Only then did Xia Yao nod in satisfaction. She turned around and gently stroked Chu He's head. The icy expression she had worn moments ago was replaced by a smile so pure and clean that it stunned Chu He.

"There, now you're truly safe."

Chu He opened his mouth, his throat feeling dry. All his unspoken words coalesced into a complex look.

Xia Yao then turned and walked into the gray soundproof barrier.

Inside the barrier, Uncle looked at his niece, who was now within arm's reach. His anger and helplessness warred within him, his voice tinged with a strange inflection, "Don't you hate men getting close to you the most? How did you end up sleeping with him after knowing him for just a day!"

"When did I ever say I hated men?" Xia Yao asked, looking bewildered. "I just haven't met anyone I liked."

"Good, good!" Uncle felt his temples throbbing. "Even so, love at first sight doesn't mean you should... sleep together right after meeting! Who taught you these nonsensical things?"

Xia Yao's reply was righteous. "I read it in a book. The book said that if you truly like someone, you should live together and be inseparable."

Uncle nearly choked. "What book?!"

"The Domineering CEO's Contract Sweetheart."

"What kind of brainless book is that? How come I've never heard of it?"

Xia Yao gave him a look that said, You're so uncultured. "It's a human book."

"A human book..." Uncle trembled with rage, gritting his teeth. "You little rascal, don't let me find out who gave it to you!"

"My best friend did," Xia Yao quickly added. "You're not allowed to hurt her!"

"..."

Uncle felt like he was about to cough up blood, a sharp pain radiating from his chest.

He felt as though he wasn't talking to his niece but enduring a tribulation.

He gave up on pursuing the book's origin and changed tack, trying to appeal to his niece's tragically naive reason.

"Alright, alright, let's put all that aside. Are you really so sure that boy truly likes you? Not just after your power, or just trying to use you to survive?"

This question seemed to make Xia Yao pause.

But after just a moment, she looked up, regarding her uncle with the look one gives an idiot.

"Why wouldn't he like me?"

She held up a finger and began to count, her expression as serious as if she were stating a fundamental truth.

"I'm beautiful and have a great figure."

"And I'm also very powerful, able to protect him."

"What's more..." A blush crept onto her face, and her voice lowered, carrying a hint of boastfulness, "You have no idea how intimate we were last night...!"

"Stop—stop, stop, stop!"

Her uncle waved his hand violently, as if trying to dispel some horrifying image. He felt that if he listened any longer, he would disregard the Blood Pact and kill Chu He on the spot.

Chatting with someone like Xia Yao, with her peculiar train of thought, was truly the world's most exquisite torture!

He covered his forehead, pacing back and forth within the force field, his massive shadow casting a suffocating gloom.

After a long while, he finally managed to suppress his surging anger and spoke with an unprecedentedly earnest tone:

"Yao Yao, a man's words are like a ghost's lies. You're still young and don't understand the wickedness of human hearts. How about this: if this pretty boy truly likes you, I'll do as you wish."

Seeing Xia Yao about to speak again, he immediately raised his hand to stop her.

"But! I have to test him myself."

"I'm going to talk to him alone later. Don't worry, the Blood Pact is already made; I won't do anything to harm him."

He stared at Xia Yao, his gaze becoming incredibly serious.

"You must agree to this. Otherwise, even if it means you hate me, I will never help you deal with your mother! At that time, you two will absolutely have no future!"

Xia Yao pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Alright then."

"Mm." Her uncle sighed in relief, but a cold laugh echoed in his heart.

How could a lifelong commitment be treated so lightly!

Kid, let me see if you can withstand my test!