One More Maid! The Bunny Girl Training Plan Begins!

Cao Kun looked up at Xiao Wu, his gaze turning cold. "The moment you think of betraying me, or try to reveal any core secret about Mount Buzhou or my true strength, this mark will activate."

"When that happens, your life and death will be mine to decide."

"At best, you'll become my puppet. At worst... your Divine Soul will be destroyed. Not even a trace of you will survive."

Xiao Wu listened to his merciless words and stared at the phantom Chaos Bell, whose aura made her soul tremble. Her body shook even harder.

This was more than control. She had sold him her very soul!

"No... please..." She instinctively tried to resist, shrinking away.

"You have no choice, little rabbit."

Cao Kun's voice left no room for argument. "Accept the Soul Contract, become my maid, and gain my protection."

"Or... I can 'send' you away right now, then 'accidentally' let Spirit Hall or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect know about you."

"I imagine they'd be very interested in a lone Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who only recently took human form."

It was a naked threat!

And an effective one!

Xiao Wu's face went deathly pale. Her lips quivered. At last, she closed her eyes in despair, and two silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I... I accept..." she said, trembling, her voice full of grief.

Cao Kun said no more. At a thought, the tiny phantom Chaos Bell above his palm flared with light and turned into a streak of chaos-colored radiance that shot into Xiao Wu's brow!

"Ah...!"

Xiao Wu cried out. A torrent forced its way deep into her consciousness—cold and heavy, yet carrying a strange warmth.

At the very core of her soul, it branded the mark of the Chaos Bell, all but imperceptible yet bound tightly to her life force!

The instant the mark was complete, she felt as though an invisible shackle had closed around her soul.

A strange, unbreakable connection had formed between her and the white-clad young man before her.

She could dimly sense Cao Kun's presence, and even the faintest trace of his... Soul Power fluctuations.

At the same time, a gentle force flowed from the mark and slowly nourished her mind.

Her spirit, exhausted by fear and sorrow, found a strange measure of relief.

But that small comfort did nothing to dispel the cold despair of knowing her soul was completely under his control.

Cao Kun withdrew his hand and nodded in satisfaction.

He could clearly feel the firm bond of master and servant that now linked him to the little rabbit before him.

Through the Chaos Soul Contract, he could decide whether she lived or died with a thought. He could also sense her location and general emotional state at any time, and even forcibly read fragments of her surface thoughts if she resisted fiercely.

Of course, he had no intention of doing that ordinarily. It took too much Spiritual Power, and there was no need.

"There. The Soul Contract is complete."

Cao Kun's tone returned to its earlier warmth, as if he had not been the one threatening her so coldly moments ago.

"From now on, you're my maid. You belong to Mount Buzhou."

"Remember your place, and remember my rules."

"Loyalty is the only rule you need to follow."

"As long as you behave, I won't treat you poorly."

"You'll be safe. In the future, I may even help you grow stronger faster... perhaps even deal with troubles you can't handle yourself."

He cast a pointed glance toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Wu slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was empty, as though all the life had gone out of it.

She rose woodenly, bent deeply before Cao Kun, and gave a flawless maid's bow. Her voice was stiff and dry:

"Yes, Young Master. Xiao Wu... understands."

By calling him "Young Master," she had accepted her new place and fate.

Cao Kun watched her stand there, devastated yet struggling to hold herself together. He felt little pity.

The strong preyed on the weak. That was the most fundamental law of this world—and of the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.

He had given her a chance to live and offered her protection. In return, he took her loyalty and freedom. It was a fair trade, plain and simple.

Whether he had been gentle about it... that did not matter.

"Zhuqing," Cao Kun called toward the door.

The door opened softly, and Zhu Zhuqing stepped in, dressed in black, her bearing cool and reserved.

She glanced at Xiao Wu, who stood to one side with her head lowered, her face pale and her eyes swollen. A complicated look crossed Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, but she soon regained her composure.

Dugu Yan had already told her about the young master's "habits" and "plans," so Xiao Wu's "arrival" came as no surprise.

"Young Master." Zhu Zhuqing bowed.

"From today on, Xiao Wu is my maid too, just like you."

Cao Kun instructed her, "Take her with you. Teach her the basic rules and arrange a room for her. She's upset, so try to talk to her."

"Yes, Young Master."

Zhu Zhuqing went to Xiao Wu's side and said in a cool but not unfriendly voice, "Xiao Wu, come with me."

Xiao Wu looked up at Zhu Zhuqing, then at the white-clad young man seated above them, as though everything was under his control. She bit her lip, nodded silently, and followed Zhu Zhuqing out of the room.

The door closed once more.

Cao Kun sat alone in the sitting room, listening to the two girls' footsteps fade. That knowing smile returned to his lips.

"One more maid: a bunny girl."

He murmured to himself, tapping a finger lightly on the armrest. "A Soft Bone Rabbit, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form. Her potential is considerable."

"She may be impulsive and naïve, but that's no great concern. With proper training, she might become a useful ally someday."

"And besides..."

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. "With her in my hands, I may have another valuable card to play when I deal with those two 'forest emperors' of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"She might even prove useful in unexpected ways against Tang San and Tang Hao."

Of course, all that lay in the future.

For now, what mattered most was calming the frightened little rabbit and letting her gradually adjust to her new role and surroundings.

He was not worried that Xiao Wu would try to take her own life.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form possessed a will far stronger than an ordinary person's, along with a powerful desire to live.

Give her a little hope and a little time, and she would slowly accept her fate.

She might even...

come to realize that following him was far better than following Tang San, whose survival from one day to the next was uncertain and whose future was unknown.

"The bunny girl training plan starts today!" Cao Kun said with a knowing smile.

Then he let the smile fade and said evenly, "Next, it's time to deal with the academy."

"Zhao Wuji is already level eighty-nine. His ninth Soul Ring is almost within reach!"

"Flender should have made up his mind by now, shouldn't he?"

"If not, he can become a death-sworn servant instead..."