The Underground Chamber

Just one fleeting glimpse had left a deep imprint on her heart.

But he was a mount, a magical beast, and Li Xin simply could not accept that.

She had no other intentions. She only wanted to see him once, so she could finally give up completely.

"Why?"

Jiang Li looked utterly bewildered. What on earth was all this about?

Even if he cracked his head open trying, he could never have imagined that after just one glance, despite knowing full well that the other party was a magical beast mount, Li Xin, a girl who was usually so carefree and rather hot-tempered, would actually become lovestruck.

Did normal people's minds work like that?

"Can't I be curious? Just tell me whether you'll let me meet him."

Who knew what had crossed her mind, but an unusually bashful look actually appeared on Li Xin's face.

"When there's time, I can let you meet."

Jiang Li saw nothing wrong with it. If he remembered correctly, there seemed to be another trial before the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Competition. They would still have to fight shoulder to shoulder then, so there was no need to hide anything.

Long Haochen did know something of the reason, but this was Sister Li Xin's private affair, and he only had his suspicions, so naturally, he said nothing more.

Only after getting her answer did Li Xin leave happily.

Afterward, Jiang Li took his teacher, Ye Hua, and his junior fellow disciple, Long Haochen, to his residence.

Qian Renxue had also just returned from outside. Clearly, during their time apart, she had gone off to do something on her own.

"I got the Retainer Knight Scroll."

Upon seeing Qian Renxue, Jiang Li went straight to the point and explained why he had come.

Although Qian Renxue hesitated, she still nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.

Ye Hua had met Qian Renxue before and knew that the person before him was the magical beast Jiang Li had summoned through the Summoning Array, and that this was her true appearance. But Long Haochen had never met her.

He thought Qian Renxue was a friend his senior fellow disciple knew.

"What pure, holy light energy."

After just one encounter, Long Haochen, who was also a Child of Light, immediately sensed something unusual about Qian Renxue. Although he did not know that she was also a Child of Light, his intuition told him that she was far from ordinary.

As expected of Senior Brother. Even his friends are extraordinary.

Long Haochen had no other thoughts; he merely marveled at how exceptional his senior fellow disciple was.

He did not know that from the very beginning, when Jiang Li approached him, Jiang Li had been crafting a persona, striking poses, and quietly guiding him into deeply admiring Jiang Li.

Naturally, Jiang Li's purpose in doing so had been to lay the groundwork, so that when the right opportunity came, he could have Long Haochen sign a Retainer Knight Contract with him and help him.

"Come on. Let's go to the Underground Chamber."

Jiang Li brought them to the Underground Chamber he had excavated himself. Not only were isolation formations inscribed inside, but it was also insulated with physical materials. He had coated the chamber's walls with a layer of lead and mithril powder.

"This is the Retainer Knight Contract Scroll. Once we sign it, I'll be your retainer knight from now on."

"During this process, some innate internal spiritual power will be shared. This sharing won't diminish your own talent or anything like that. Although signing the contract will expend some of your power, you'll be able to recover it very quickly."

Jiang Li handed the Retainer Knight Contract to Qian Renxue and explained the detailed procedure to her.

"A Retainer Knight Contract. Sharing innate spiritual power."

Hearing these terms, Ye Hua immediately understood what Jiang Li intended to do.

Naturally, he knew about retainer knights, but he had not known that contracting a retainer knight also involved sharing innate spiritual power.

Long Haochen, standing nearby, was lost in a fog, with no idea what his senior fellow disciple intended to do.

"Could you give me some private space to talk to him?"

Qian Renxue did not agree immediately. Instead, she looked at Long Haochen-or rather, at Haoyue beside him.

"Haochen, is that all right?"

Although Jiang Li did not know exactly what Qian Renxue intended to do, he still looked at Long Haochen to seek his opinion.

"Talk to Haoyue?"

Long Haochen looked completely bewildered.

What on earth was all this about?

His senior fellow disciple was becoming more and more mysterious.

"As long as you won't hurt Haoyue, there's no problem."

Despite his doubts, Long Haochen still agreed.

Now he was also rather curious about what his senior fellow disciple intended to do.

"Teacher, let's leave for now!"

With that, Jiang Li led Ye Hua out first.

Only Qian Renxue, Long Haochen, and Haoyue remained.

After all, Haoyue could not speak yet, so his master, Long Haochen, needed to help translate.

"Jiang Li said that you two signed a blood pact. Could you tell me what effects signing it had on you, and how you felt afterward?"

After Jiang Li and Ye Hua left, Qian Renxue began questioning Long Haochen and Haoyue.

That was her purpose.

Meanwhile, Ye Hua and Jiang Li were also discussing the contract.

"Little Li, I won't ask where you learned that a Retainer Knight Contract can share a portion of innate internal spiritual power."

"You brought Haochen here because you want him to sign a Retainer Knight Contract with you. Scheming against your junior fellow disciple like this-have you considered whether he'll agree?"

Although Ye Hua very much wanted to change the problem with his own talent, he did not want to harm Long Haochen's interests because of it.

After all, Long Haochen was a Child of Light. Ideally, his retainer knights should be people who could provide him with tremendous assistance.

He was already an old bag of bones. It would be inappropriate to hold back his disciple's future.

"Teacher, a knight can contract two retainer knights."

"Besides, how can you be sure Haochen won't agree?"

Jiang Li explained the details to his teacher, then posed a question in return.

"Well..."

Ye Hua hesitated.

Given Long Haochen's personality, if he witnessed the effects of the Retainer Contract firsthand, there was a very good chance he would contract Ye Hua as his retainer knight.

"Have you considered whether, even if Haochen agrees, the person behind him might fly into a rage upon learning about this?"

Ye Hua knew just what sort of person Long Haochen's father was.

"Teacher, you're overthinking it. The opportunity is right before us. We should at least give it a try, shouldn't we?"

"If Haochen refuses, I'll find a way to persuade Qian Renxue to sign a Retainer Knight Contract with you too."

Hearing his teacher bring up Haochen's father, Long Xingyu, Jiang Li merely smiled calmly.

As for that man, how should he put it?

It was hard to keep a straight face.

At this stage, he was still wondering whether Long Haochen was his biological son.

Moreover, if Jiang Li remembered correctly, Long Xingyu had met his wife, Bai Yue, when he was forty-seven, while Bai Yue had only just turned eighteen.

It really was quite outrageous.

Had Long Haochen been Tang San, and Long Xingyu been Tang Hao, Jiang Li would never have let his teacher sign a Retainer Knight Contract with him.

It was not that Tang Hao loved Tang San so much, but that he viewed Tang San as a tool for reclaiming his dignity as a man. He would never allow something that would, on the face of it, impair the growth of Tang San's own combat strength.

As for why Tang Hao let Yu Xiaogang teach Tang San, there were many reasons. On one hand, Grandmaster did have some substance; on the other, there was Yu Xiaogang's relationship with Bibi Dong. The most crucial reason, naturally, was that Tang Hao had never thought much of Tang San's first martial soul, Blue Silver Grass.

Long Xingyu, meanwhile, had even been eager to destroy Long Haochen at one point. His kindness toward him was more about creating a battle between biological father and son that he had dreamed up.

"Perhaps you're right."

"But it would still be better to explain the advantages and disadvantages clearly to Haochen."

In the end, Ye Hua was persuaded by Jiang Li.

Judging by the time, the conversation over there should have ended too. Only then did Jiang Li lead Ye Hua back to the chamber.

Ye Hua, however, did not move immediately. Instead, he watched Jiang Li's retreating back.

At that moment, his gaze was extremely complicated.

"Little Li, did you know about Haochen's talent from the very beginning? Did you come here for him too?"

Ye Hua murmured softly. He had not noticed anything before, but with the appearance of the Retainer Knight Contract and his discovery of its effects, he thought back over Jiang Li's arrival in Haoyue City from elsewhere, his clear objective, and how he had volunteered to teach Long Haochen combat techniques. As scenes from the past surfaced in his mind, such a thought arose in Ye Hua's heart.

"Why think so much about it?"

"Even if there was some scheming involved, Little Li's feelings can't be faked. Besides, with Qian Renxue's unexpected appearance, he never acted on that scheme. Why torment myself over something that never happened?"

Ye Hua soon persuaded himself and followed Jiang Li without further hesitation.

When Jiang Li returned to the chamber, he immediately noticed something strange about the way Long Haochen was looking at him.

How should he describe that gaze? There was admiration, curiosity, and wonder.

"Haochen, what's with that look?"

Jiang Li dispensed with politeness and asked Long Haochen directly.

"Senior Brother, I only just found out that Sister Xue is the one you summoned earlier."

Long Haochen did not conceal his current thoughts either, speaking them aloud directly.

"Haochen, let's leave that aside for now. You'll soon find out why I brought you here."

"As for what choice you make, that's entirely up to you."

Looking at Qian Renxue, who had already opened the Retainer Knight Contract Scroll a short distance away, Jiang Li knew that she was ready.

"Senior Brother, Sister Xue already told me."

"I can give you my answer right now. I agree to this. Even if Teacher refuses, I'll force him to agree."

Long Haochen's expression grew a little more solemn.

Clearly, he had already made up his mind.

Hearing Long Haochen's assurance, Jiang Li smiled.

His junior fellow disciple truly had not disappointed him.

Actually, he did not want to scheme against Long Haochen like this either, but Qian Renxue would certainly be unwilling to contract his teacher as a retainer knight too.

To him, Ye Hua was his teacher, but in Qian Renxue's eyes, he was nothing more than an old man of the fifth order. Why would she sign a Retainer Knight Contract with him?

Only then had he turned around and placed the pressure on Long Haochen instead.