A lovestruck episode

"What is all this... chicken scratch..."

Qian Renxue took one look and immediately lost interest.

She could not understand any of it.

"I'll make another copy when we get back. You can take it back to your continent and ask your elders to see whether they recognize it."

"It doesn't matter if they don't. The Ancient Elves Clan's script evolved from pictographs in the first place. You can find people to study and decipher it."

Naturally, Jiang Li was once again looking to put Qian Renxue to use.

Studying and deciphering it alone would take him at least several decades, and even then, he might not be able to translate it completely.

Spirit Hall had vast resources. With so many people helping translate it, the work would certainly go faster.

Perhaps Spirit Hall even had someone skilled in this sort of thing?

"Sure!"

Qian Renxue agreed without a second thought.

Then Jiang Li immersed himself in translation and contemplation again.

"Could... could you tell me more about the Blood Pact you mentioned before?"

Just then, after a moment's hesitation, Qian Renxue spoke again.

Only upon hearing this did Jiang Li put down the book in his hands.

"Why do you want to study the Blood Pact?"

"There are ways to dissolve the Equal Contract between us."

"But once you sign a Blood Pact, there's no room for regret."

"A Blood Pact binds life and death in one direction. Even gods cannot break free of it. After signing one, the two parties can summon each other, instantly pulling one to the other's side. Of course, the teleportation will fail under Spatial Imprisonment."

"Aside from that, they share life to a certain extent and can perceive each other's souls through Soul Perception."

Although Jiang Li wanted Qian Renxue to sign a Blood Pact with him, bringing her out to gain experience had also been intended to deepen their bond.

The problem, however, was that a Blood Pact imposed a one-sided restriction.

In theory, Qian Renxue would never agree.

Only after recognizing this had he made time to begin studying the Teleportation Array.

"I never said I'd sign a Blood Pact with you. I just wanted to learn more about it."

Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at Jiang Li, then closed them to meditate.

At that moment, however, she was thinking about something else.

Namely, her relationship with Jiang Li.

Indeed, being his mount in name made her sound inherently beneath Jiang Li, but because of the Equal Contract, and because she would never let him ride her anyway, there was naturally no question of her being a mount.

It simply left a bad taste in her mouth.

Under those circumstances, Jiang Li had taken the initiative to bring up signing a Retainer Contract to make her feel better.

Although he had his own selfish interests, she had to admit that this gesture had truly made her recognize Jiang Li's sincerity.

For that reason, she had even made a point of asking others about Retainer Knights in a city they had passed through earlier.

What Jiang Li had said was correct, but he had not told her everything.

In Jiang Li's telling, a Retainer Knight's relationship was that of sovereign and subject, but what she had learned was that it was master and servant.

Once he signed a Retainer Knight Contract, Jiang Li would, to some extent, be subject to her restrictions.

This unspoken intention was indeed something Qian Renxue had not expected.

After these two and a half months of depending on each other for survival, facing trials and cultivating together, Qian Renxue felt that having someone she could entrust with her life was truly, truly wonderful.

So she wondered whether she ought to do something if being a Retainer Knight really was as she had learned.

Just like the counterbalance Jiang Li had mentioned before, if he signed a Retainer Knight Contract with her, thereby placing restrictions on himself, could she not sign a Blood Pact with him to counterbalance it?

Only then would it be fair.

Jiang Li truly had no idea what Qian Renxue was thinking.

After all, Qian Renxue could now sense his emotional fluctuations, but he could not sense hers.

After realizing this, he had begun working on controlling his emotions.

Had Jiang Li known what Qian Renxue was thinking, once his excitement passed, he would certainly have said that she was having an episode.

An episode of an affliction that anyone on the Douluo Continent, no matter how mighty, could suffer.

Being lovestruck.

Of course, the two of them did not yet share that sort of attachment. Qian Renxue's condition was not that severe yet; she was merely showing the first signs.

It took them two days to return to Haoyue City.

"I'm heading back to rest first."

Qian Renxue had no intention of accompanying Jiang Li to the Haoyue Branch Hall. As soon as they reached Haoyue City, she left for his residence.

"Hasn't her attitude been a little off lately?"

Watching Qian Renxue leave, Jiang Li kept feeling that something was strange.

On this matter, even if he racked his brains to pieces, he might never arrive at an answer.

After all, what normal person fell in love with someone after fighting beside them for two and a half months?

But he had overlooked one thing: Qian Renxue came from the Douluo Continent, a place known as the Continent of Romance.

Besides, the Holy Demon Continent was hardly any less impressive in that regard.

Take his junior fellow disciple Long Haochen and his Cai'er, for example.

A single meeting in childhood had led to the gift of the Forget-Me-Not Ring, and when they met again, feelings had swiftly blossomed. Throughout that time, they had already left their marks on each other's hearts.

Jiang Li had initially only wanted to knock down Qian Renxue's pride a little so she would stop putting on airs around him, then build a bond, improve her combat skills, and gather some precious resources along the way.

He genuinely had not thought in that direction.

He did not understand it, but he respected it.

So Jiang Li did not dwell on it and headed straight for the Haoyue Branch Hall to find his teacher.

At that moment, Long Haochen was sparring with Li Xin inside the Haoyue Branch Hall, while Ye Hua watched and offered guidance from the side.

It had to be said that Ye Hua's theoretical knowledge and practical abilities were both astonishing. Under his guidance, Li Xin was actually managing to keep trading moves with Long Haochen.

Upon seeing Jiang Li arrive, a knowing smile immediately appeared on Ye Hua's face.

Over these two and a half months, his strength had also improved astonishingly.

With his talent no longer holding him back, he had seized upon the earlier boon, letting no opportunity slip by as he constantly cultivated and challenged his limits.

At this rate, he might break through to the sixth order in another year.

All of this had been brought about by his disciple Jiang Li.

"Slash!"

Noticing his senior fellow disciple approach, Long Haochen stopped dragging things out. He gathered power and charged, finding an opening in Li Xin's guard before driving her back.

Without the aid of her mount, Li Xin had long since ceased to be Long Haochen's match.

"Is this the power of base stats?"

Jiang Li watched Long Haochen. He was still very inexperienced, but his excessively high base stats and the legacy he possessed allowed him to display combat strength far beyond other cultivators at his level.

Of course, those at his level did not include Jiang Li.

Jiang Li was simply too familiar with Long Haochen and knew everything about him. Unless Long Haochen suddenly unleashed some outrageous burst of power, defeating him would never involve anything spiraling out of control.

"Such a strong baleful aura. It looks like you've killed quite a few members of the Demon Race lately."

Ye Hua approached and looked at his disciple.

He was even more pleased with this disciple than he was with Long Haochen.

Long Haochen's talent was indeed extraordinary, in a class of its own.

But this disciple had fought and killed his way forward, earning every last bit of his progress.

At the Third Order, he had dared to hunt Fourth Order members of the Demon Race alone.

Time and again, he had risked his life, dancing on a knife's edge and constantly challenging his limits.

If his talent had not held him back, he might have become a Fifth-Order Knight long ago.

"Honing my combat skills, earning some money, and clearing out the nearby Demon Race all at once—it's worth taking a few risks."

Jiang Li smiled calmly, making it sound as light as a passing breeze.

"The two Retainer Knight Contracts you needed."

Ye Hua merely nodded in satisfaction without saying anything more, then took two scrolls from his Storage Ring and handed them to Jiang Li.

Jiang Li, however, accepted only one of them.

"What do you mean by this?"

Ye Hua was puzzled.

"I want to try something. If it works, your talent might improve even further, Teacher. But my junior fellow disciple will need to give up something when the time comes. I wonder whether he'd be willing?"

As he spoke, Jiang Li looked at Long Haochen beside them.

"I..."

"What do you need me to do?"

Hearing Jiang Li refer to him, Long Haochen stepped forward and looked at him with some confusion.

As for giving up something to help improve his teacher's talent, Long Haochen would naturally never refuse.

In this respect, Long Haochen truly lived up to what a knight ought to do.

"The details still need to be tested."

"Teacher, junior brother, let's go to my residence."

Jiang Li glanced at Li Xin nearby, his meaning clear: there were some things it was not convenient to let her know.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

That glance immediately annoyed Li Xin.

Li Xin had always found Jiang Li deeply irritating.

Before Long Haochen arrived, the two of them had fought each other the most. Although Li Xin had always held the edge in cultivation, she had never truly won a single match.

Not even once.

To outsiders, they seemed rather like a bickering couple, but to Li Xin herself, this was nothing short of humiliation.

That was why she found Jiang Li so irritating.

Irritated or not, she had to admit that Jiang Li was strong.

"Don't overthink it. There are just some things it isn't convenient for you to know right now. This is for Haochen's sake."

Jiang Li felt rather helpless. Ever since he had defeated this young lady repeatedly, she had found fault with everything about him.

Hearing that it concerned Long Haochen, Li Xin asked no further questions.

Indeed, she cared a great deal about this little brother of hers.

Jiang Li then prepared to take his teacher and junior fellow disciple to his residence.

"Um... could you let me see that mount of yours sometime?"

Just as they were about to leave, Li Xin hesitated, then finally called out what was on her mind.

Lately, she had sought out Long Haochen to spar many times, but like a wine lover whose sights were not set on the wine, her true interest lay in the mount Jiang Li had contracted.