Ning Xuan slammed a backhand fist into Chen Nan’s face, landing it right between his eye and the bridge of his nose. The blow made him see stars, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Besides the mastermind who sent the Slaughter Pavilion assassins, my father also sent people! The danger you’re in is my fault, and I owe you! From the moment I became your Contractor, I belong to you—my property, my body, even my life! Helping you, saving you, taking care of you... it’s all my duty. If I do something wrong, you can punish me however you want, just don’t say you don’t want me anymore!"

Even as he spoke, Ning Xuan rained several more punches down on him before kicking him square in the chest, sending him flying. Eight black-and-red vines then lashed out like whips. They were covered in sharp thorns capable of piercing flesh. Every strike drew a spray of blood, leaving a trail of bloody holes. Ning Xuan was utterly ruthless. By the time she stopped, Chen Nan’s eyes were blackened, his cheeks swollen, and his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood; several of his teeth were noticeably loose. His clothes had been reduced to blood-soaked rags, and there wasn’t an unscathed inch of skin on his entire body.

Chen Nan’s entire body was in agony. The pain from his broken bones and torn flesh was completely different from any wound he’d sustained on the battlefield. It hurt so much he dared not breathe deeply, afraid of aggravating his injuries. He gently, slowly controlled his breathing as he tried to curl up further into a secluded corner.

’He had taken matters into his own hands, bringing Ning Xuan to Extreme Cold City. Partly because Extreme Cold City’s rules were so different from the Federation’s, he’d worried she would refuse to come. And partly, he had wanted to test the limits of her tolerance for him.’

’Even though he’d been beaten to a pulp and his body was screaming in pain, Chen Nan felt a strange sense of relief. He had deliberately made an unwanted advance just to provoke her. He’d much rather have Ning Xuan vent her fury than let her bottle it up. Over time, that resentment would surely fester into an unsolvable knot between them.’

’If one beating wasn’t enough, then he’d take several more. That had been his original plan.’

’He just hadn’t expected that Ning Xuan, who was usually so gentle and respectful toward him, could be so ruthless. That her beatings could hurt this much!’

His trembling as he huddled in the corner was no act; he was genuinely afraid. Low-Level women from Low-class Stars were typically meek and indecisive in the face of High-Level men with superior Combat Power. He had long suspected his Contractor was not someone raised on a Low-class Star. But today, the sheer murderous intent radiating from Ning Xuan as she beat him left him terrified. ’Honestly,’ he thought, ’I’m starting to regret this.’

After venting her fury, Ning Xuan’s boiling blood and agitated spiritual power gradually subsided. She took a deep breath. A special energy began to rise within her, diffusing into her bloodstream. Just like last time, she began to circulate the Clear Heart Technique. Under her control, the energy traveled along her faint, flickering meridians toward the crown of her head. The main purpose of the Clear Heart Technique was to clear distracting thoughts, preserve one’s focus, and nurture the spirit. It worked on the head, which meant the meridians there needed to be unblocked. Unfortunately, there was still too little energy. Though it had merged with her meridians and calmed her restless mind, the channel leading to the crown of her head remained indistinct, not yet fully cleared.

Ning Xuan glanced at the bloodstains on her vines, then at the mangled, bloody heap that was Chen Nan, curled up in the corner. "Didn’t you say this was an absolute safe zone? How is it that I can beat you to this state and no one does anything?"

As she spoke, Ning Xuan reached out to touch Chen Nan’s face. Still terrified, he involuntarily flinched away. "What are you flinching for? Weren’t you just saying you’d be happy to let me beat you to death? You look far from dead to me." With undisguised malice, Ning Xuan’s fingers traced his neck, as if she might snap it at any moment.

Chen Nan forced down his instinct to resist and whispered submissively, "Ah Nan deserves death. Please, Lord Contract Master, do with me as you will."

Chen Nan’s pathetic appearance after the beating, along with his well-timed display of submission, greatly quelled the fire of Ning Xuan’s anger.

"Isn’t this an absolute safe zone? As the owner of this property, aren’t you protected here?" Ning Xuan asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Contractor, the City Guard Team only appears if I call for help," Chen Nan answered.

"If I die, my Teleportation Token will automatically disappear, and the City Guard Team will investigate the cause of death," Chen Nan added quickly, having already guessed what she was trying to find out.

’She didn’t need him to spell out the rest. Naturally, it would be a life for a life. That was the only way to protect the interests of registered individuals within the safe zone and uphold its order.’

Ning Xuan pressed a finger onto the back of Chen Nan’s hand, right where a vine had pierced it earlier. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

Chen Nan was covered in wounds, and the single touch sent a jolt of pain through his entire frame, making him tense up. Seeing the cold look on Ning Xuan’s face, he instinctively adopted a frightened and aggrieved expression. "It hurts..."

"You don’t want to break the contract?" Ning Xuan watched him, her expression still cold.

"I don’t! Lord Contract Master, if you truly don’t want to stay here, I’ll send you back!" Chen Nan hastily declared.

"Oh? So we don’t need to wait for me to awaken my Companion Spirit anymore?" Ning Xuan looked at Chen Nan mockingly.

"It would still be best to wait until after you awaken your Companion Spirit..." Chen Nan trailed off, not daring to continue as he watched her expression.

CRACK! Ning Xuan slapped him across the face. "What do you take me for? You dare to make my decisions for me?"

"Ah Nan wouldn’t dare again!" Chen Nan said, enduring the pain to hug Ning Xuan’s leg.

’After learning more about Extreme Cold City, I have to admit this place Chen Nan chose is actually perfect for my current needs. Learning the Alchemy Technique requires a large amount of materials, like Alien Material. Buying those raw materials on the Star Network is expensive. If I want to cover the costs of experimentation, I’d have to stick to brewing simple medicines that pose no challenge, just so I can sell them. But that would definitely slow down my progress.’

’As for joining a school training camp... while I’d get to use their resources, I’d also owe the school a favor. I would inevitably have to repay that debt later.’

’But here, Exotic Plants are much cheaper, and I have access to Earth Fire Resources. That drastically lowers the cost of honing my Alchemy Technique.’

’As long as Chen Nan doesn’t plan to harm or defy me, staying here for a while might not be so bad.’

"I remember your father sent you a file. It was the rules the Bai Family wanted you to learn before joining them," Ning Xuan said suddenly.

When Chen Nan heard her mention this, his heart sank. He answered cautiously, "Yes, but I had already set my heart on you, so I never really looked at that file."

’Thinking of those three full pages of rules, Chen Nan wanted to weep but had no tears. In truth, it wasn’t just the Bai Family. Any prominent family on a High-level Planet had an enormous number of rules.’