While discussing the contract terms with Colmar, Zheng Qing kept feeling as though he had overlooked something and found himself somewhat distracted. He nearly forgot to add a "mutual confidentiality clause," meaning that the black cat had to keep Colmar and her mysterious undertaking secret, while Colmar had to keep the existence of a talking black cat secret as well.
Of course, Rat Immortal's reminder ultimately got that clause added—which only made Zheng Qing warier of that fat old rat's intentions. As the saying went, "To take, one must first give." It had helped keep his black cat secret, and it had tied him to Colmar's chariot. Its true purpose was well worth questioning.
There was another small detail when they signed the contract.
That was the issue of a True Name.
Since Zheng Qing had appeared as a black cat, he did not want the wizard beneath the cat skin to be known by the person and rat before him—though Zheng Qing suspected Rat Immortal very likely already knew who he was—so when signing the contract, he insisted on using a cat paw print in place of his True Name on the parchment contract.
Colmar firmly refused.
"Are you kidding me?" The witch snatched up the contract and raised it high, preventing the black cat from taking it, while demanding fiercely, "If you just stamp a cat paw print on it, does signing this contract mean anything at all? Who the hell knows what cat's piss your paws are covered in right now!"
If his paws carried the scent of other cats, then the contract's binding effect on the black cat would naturally be weakened quite a bit. From that perspective, Colmar's suspicion did make some sense.
The black cat was so furious that his face turned red—though no