The Deal

How much had she been through?

She couldn't even remember anymore. Li Ke's concern was basically an insult.

Still, Li Ke had meant well, so after realizing she'd lost her composure, Meimu softened her tone.

"Forget it. Why am I even telling you this?"

Meimu carefully examined the sword in Li Ke's hand. The power of the Spirit Realm gradually tinged her eyes. This was supposed to be the Eye of Twilight's signature ability, but for Meimu, one of the three leaders of the Kinkou Order, it was merely a necessary skill.

She couldn't see through everything the way the Eye of Twilight could, but she could still perceive things ordinary people couldn't.

The colors of the world abruptly began to shift. The sword in Li Ke's hand glimmered with magic, but Meimu knew it was only the enchantment added when the blade had been forged. After fighting alongside its owner, the magic would change slightly, making the sword more comfortable to wield or bringing it into harmony with its owner's will.

But the sword in Li Ke's hand was out of tune with the energy around him. Meimu even saw it letting out a mournful cry. Clearly, when Li Ke had just used it, he'd employed techniques that weren't good for the blade.

"This sword longs to return to its owner."

Meimu reminded Li Ke that the sword's owner was already in harmony with its will. Li Ke would never be able to tame it.

Of course, the sword's owner probably had no idea.

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

Li Ke explained, looking at Meimu as she fixed him with a glowing stare. He felt a little unnerved.

Looking at the young woman before him, whose outfit resembled old-version Akali's, Li Ke was genuinely curious.

"I want to see what you're capable of—how you managed to cut through a Yazakana's mask. According to legend, only someone who died but whose heart still lived could be possessed by a demon in the spirit realm, defeat the demon in their heart, and return to the Human Realm. Only after becoming something neither human nor ghost, neither demon nor spirit, could someone do that to a Yazakana."

Meimu paused, then looked at Li Ke gravely.

"But you did it—with an ordinary sword. So..."

As she spoke, she vanished from in front of Li Ke. When she reappeared, he felt her behind him, a kunai pressed against his neck.

Li Ke could clearly feel her breath on the back of his neck and the rise and fall of her chest.

But he didn't feel threatened. His instincts told him this woman was expressing her displeasure over the concern he'd shown her earlier.

"But the strange thing is, you're not some half-human, half-ghost creature. You're just a fourth-rate swordsman with a third-rate weapon. So I'm genuinely curious how you did it."

Meimu really couldn't understand it. Even she could only temporarily kill these demons. They seemed dead, but if they found a new host, they would return. The Eye of Twilight would have to deal with them.

But the one Li Ke had killed was dead for good.

No matter how Li Ke had done it, the fact that he could meant he was qualified to join the Kinkou Order.

"So, how about joining the Kinkou Order? Young people who set out with a sword always want to defend the helpless and make a name for themselves, right? Join us, and you can easily get both. I could even take you on as my disciple."

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

Honestly, with her dressed like this, it was hard for Li Ke not to mistake her for the original version of Akali rather than her mother, Meimu.

But joining the Kinkou Order was out of the question. He had the secret of his cheat ability to hide, and joining an order with rules as perverse as theirs wasn't a good idea. Besides, his ambition wasn't to defend the helpless or make a name for himself.

Ever since coming to this world, his dream had been a simple one.

He wanted Elder Souma to be proud of him for his accomplishments, and to become a wealthy, influential gentleman with a home in Piltover.

Whether or not he could ever return was another matter. He was just sick of Ionia's primitiveness.

And of the cruel persecution of people like him who couldn't use magic!

Even farmers could use magic! Yet Li Ke couldn't!

It was a blow to his self-esteem!

"Uh... I'll pass. I'd rather become a comfortable, wealthy gentleman. I only roam the world with a sword to build up my capital."

Li Ke earnestly stated his dream. A trace 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 thinking of her daughter, Akali. If this young man were just a little more accomplished, she wouldn't mind marrying her daughter off to him.

She thought her daughter was completely unsuited to the Kinkou Order and would eventually die on a mission because of her recklessness. Better to marry early and become the wife of a wealthy man, living a peaceful life of comfort and protection.

So she spoke up.

"Would you be interested in sharing your method with us, then? We can offer you plenty of money and manuals. Believe me, the Kinkou Order's collection is far larger than you think."

"That sounds doable. I happened upon this power by chance, so teaching it to you shouldn't be a problem. I just want the recipe for that pill from earlier, and a big pile of money."

Li Ke's eyes lit up. He'd set out to find money and medicines that could increase his spiritual and life forces. The Kinkou Secret Medicine he'd just taken had done exactly that, so he agreed without hesitation.

As for the risk of his qi being exposed?

Once he had enough money, he could run more life simulations and gain even greater power. What was a little exposure compared to that?

Besides, it looked like the Kinkou Order really needed this ability to kill Yazakana. He could definitely sell it for a good price!

He'd found his startup capital!

"Fine, as long as your method works."

Meimu nodded. She could agree to that much. The secret medicine's recipe was extremely precious, but it was nothing compared to a power capable of killing Yazakana.

Meimu pulled a scroll out from her chest. Li Ke couldn't figure out how she'd managed to fit such a big scroll into her so-flat chest, but Meimu's death glare soon brought his attention back to the matter at hand. He signed his name on the contract she'd written with magic.

The contract was simple: Li Ke would sincerely teach the Kinkou Order the power called qi, which could kill Yazakana. In return, the Kinkou Order would give Li Ke a recipe for secret medicine that greatly increased spiritual power, along with enough money to buy three large merchant ships.

In this era, large merchant ships were scarce in Ionia. Usually, only the great noble families with a long history could afford to buy one.

Moved by Meimu's generous offer, Li Ke began earnestly explaining how to cultivate qi.

But...