Transaction

How much had she endured?

She couldn't even remember anymore, and Li Ke's concern felt like nothing more than an insult.

However, since Li Ke was at least showing concern for her, Meimu softened her tone after realizing she had lost her composure.

"Forget it, why am I even telling you this?"

Meimu scrutinized the sword in Li Ke's hand, her eyes gradually suffused with the power of the spirit realm. This was supposed to be the signature ability of the Eye of Twilight, but for Meimu, one of the three leaders of the Kinkou Order, it was merely a necessary skill.

Although she couldn't see through everything like the Eye of Twilight, she could still perceive things invisible to the average person.

The colors of the world suddenly shifted. The sword in Li Ke's hand shimmered with magical light, but Meimu knew that was simply the magic imbued during its forging. Such magic would shift slightly after fighting alongside its master, becoming more fluid or aligning with the wielder's will.

Yet, the sword in Li Ke's hand was out of sync with the fluctuations of his own body. Meimu could even hear the blade wailing; clearly, Li Ke had used some rather improper techniques while wielding it just moments ago.

"This sword longs to return to its master."

Meimu spoke up to warn Li Ke. The sword's owner had already harmonized with the blade's will; Li Ke would never be able to tame it.

Of course, the sword's owner likely didn't know this either.

"Huh? This is just my senior brother's sword I'm using for now. But why are you staring at me like that?"

Li Ke offered an explanation, but seeing Meimu fixate on him with her glowing eyes made him feel a bit uneasy.

Looking at the young woman whose attire closely resembled the classic version of Akali, Li Ke was genuinely curious.

"I'm looking to see what kind of ability you possess that allowed you to sever the mask of a Yazakana. According to legend, only those who have died in body but not in spirit—those who were possessed by demons in the spirit realm, conquered the demons within, returned to the mortal world, and became beings that are neither human nor ghost, neither demon nor spirit—can deal with a Yazakana in such a way."

Meimu paused, then looked at Li Ke with a serious expression.

"But you did it. You used an ordinary sword to accomplish such a feat, so..."

As she spoke, she vanished from before Li Ke's eyes in an instant. When she reappeared, Li Ke felt her presence behind him, a kunai pressed against his throat.

He could clearly feel the warmth of her breath against the back of his neck, as well as the rise and fall of her chest.

Yet, he felt no sense of threat. His intuition told him this was simply the lady expressing her dissatisfaction with his earlier show of concern.

"The strange thing is, you aren't some half-human, half-ghost entity. You're just a fourth-rate swordsman with a third-rate weapon. So, I am truly curious as to why."

Meimu genuinely couldn't fathom it. Even she could only temporarily strike down these demons; though they appeared dead, they would return the moment they found a new host. It required the Eye of Twilight to handle them properly.

But the one Li Ke had killed was thoroughly, completely dead.

Regardless of how he did it, since he was capable of such a feat, he was qualified to join the Kinkou Order.

"So, would you like to join the Kinkou Order? Young people who set out with a sword always want to uphold justice and make a name for themselves, right? Join the Kinkou Order, and you can easily achieve all of that. I can even take you on as my disciple."

Meimu twirled her kunai and walked back in front of Li Ke.

Honestly, with her appearance, Li Ke found it very difficult not to see her as the original version of Akali, rather than Akali's mother, Meimu.

However, joining the Kinkou Order was out of the question. He had the secret of his "cheat" to protect, and it wouldn't be easy to join a sect with such stifling, almost perverse rules. Besides, his ideal wasn't to uphold justice or seek fame.

Since arriving in this world, his goals had remained simple.

To make Master Souma proud of his excellence, and to become a wealthy, influential man of leisure settled in Piltover.

Whether he could return home was one thing, but he was truly fed up with the primitiveness of Ionia.

And the cruel persecution of someone like him, who possessed no magic!

Even the farmers used magic! Yet he, Li Ke, could not!

It was a blow to his self-esteem!

"Ah... I'll have to pass on that. I, for one, would rather become a stable, wealthy man. Traveling the world with a sword is just a means to accumulate capital."

Li Ke stated his dream quite earnestly. A flicker of longing appeared in Meimu's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of duty.

Looking at Li Ke, she couldn't help but think of her daughter, Akali. If this young man were a bit more outstanding, she wouldn't mind marrying her daughter off to him.

She felt her daughter was ill-suited for the Kinkou Order and would sooner or later die on a mission due to her recklessness. It would be better to marry her off early, let her become the wife of a wealthy man, and live out her life in peace, protected and provided for.

And so, she spoke.

"Then, would you be interested in sharing your methods with us? We can offer sufficient gold and secret manuals. Believe me, the Kinkou's collection is far more extensive than you imagine."

"That, I can do. This is a power I stumbled upon by chance. If you want to learn it, that shouldn't be a problem. I just want the recipe for that medicine you used earlier, and a large sum of money."

Li Ke's eyes lit up. He had set out specifically for money and potions that could increase his mental and physical strength. The Kinkou Secret Medicine he had just consumed did exactly that, so he agreed without a second thought.

As for the issue of his Qi leaking?

Once he had enough money, he could naturally initiate more life simulations and obtain even greater power. What did a little leakage matter?

Besides, it seemed the Kinkou Order was in dire need of this ability to slay Yazakana. It was definitely something he could sell for a high price!

Wasn't this his startup capital right here?!

"No problem, provided the method you describe is correct."

Meimu nodded. She had the authority to make that decision. Although the recipe for the secret medicine was extremely precious, it was nothing compared to the power to slay Yazakana.

Meimu pulled a scroll from her chest—Li Ke never did figure out how she managed to fit such a large scroll into such a flat chest—but he was quickly brought back to the matter at hand by her death glare. He signed his name on the contract written in magic.

The terms were simple: Li Ke would sincerely teach the Kinkou Order the power known as Qi, which could slay Yazakana. In return, the Kinkou Order would provide Li Ke with the recipe for the secret medicine that significantly increased mental strength, along with enough gold to purchase three large merchant ships.

In this era, large merchant ships were rare in Ionia; usually, only the old, established noble houses had the wealth to buy even one.

Because of Meimu's immense generosity, Li Ke began to explain the methods of cultivating Qi in earnest.

But...