Chen Nan’s only comfort was that he was Ning Xuan’s first Contractor—the one who had stepped up when she needed help the most. Ning Xuan had already established a spiritual connection with him, and her attitude toward him had once been incredibly gentle and considerate.

If he hadn’t made such a huge mistake a while back, which made Ning Xuan’s current attitude toward him so harsh, he would have been confident in his ability to come out on top, even if the new Contractor who had just appeared was Lin Mo.

’No, that’s not right. Even though Ning Xuan is giving me the cold shoulder right now, Lin Mo was flat-out rejected. And then there was that incident with the Slaughter Pavilion assassin a while ago—Lin Mo was a suspect. The fact that he managed to track her to Extreme Cold City so quickly probably means he’s been having people watch her this whole time!’

Based on his understanding of Ning Xuan’s personality over the past three months, it would be incredibly difficult for Lin Mo, or any other Contractor for that matter, to win her approval.

’What great news for me!’ Chen Nan rubbed his stiff, frozen arms, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile he couldn’t suppress.

’Ning Xuan had originally planned to leave Extreme Cold City for the outside world in the next few days. But with Lin Mo waiting out there, she’ll most likely stay put for now to avoid him. That means I’ll have more time alone with her!’

Chen Nan grew even happier at the thought. At the same time, he noticed that whenever his body grew stiff from the cold and he rubbed his arms to get the circulation going, Ning Xuan would look up at him. ’What does this mean? She must feel sorry for me. She’s probably worried I’ll freeze, but she’s too embarrassed to call me back inside.’

’As an astute Contractor, how could I let my Lord Contract Master be put in a difficult position?’ Chen Nan thought of the Contractor back home who was his mother’s favorite, the one who was always fawning over her and vying for her affection. When he had been punished for a mistake, that person had told him, ’Know when to yield and when to flatter. Don’t be so stubborn and resist!’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

With this in mind, Chen Nan withdrew some of the Special Energy he had circulated to his face and limbs. In less than two minutes, he felt his face and limbs go numb with cold. He turned and walked back into the house. Once inside, he pretended to hesitate before finding the study. He knelt before Ning Xuan, looked up at her pitifully, and said, "Lord Contract Master, Ah Nan isn’t hot anymore. I feel so cold!"

Chen Nan had just come in from outside, bringing a chill with him. His exposed arms and face showed faint red patches from the cold. They had, after all, spent every day together for the past three months. Seeing him like this, Ning Xuan felt a pang of pity. She walked over, mobilized the Special Energy stored in her body, and cupped Chen Nan’s face. "It’s been four hours since you took the medicine. Tell me, what are you feeling?"

Under Ning Xuan’s touch, Chen Nan’s body temperature quickly returned to normal. At the same time, a scorching wave surged through him, even more intense than before. He hugged Ning Xuan’s legs tightly, rubbing his head against them, his voice trembling. "Lord Contract Master, hold me!"

Sensing the aura emanating from Chen Nan, Ning Xuan scooped him up, sighed, and said in confusion, "The medicine’s development was clearly a success. Why isn’t it working?"

"The Suppressant Potion you developed is very effective, Lord Contract Master. I can remain lucid even without wearing the Imprisonment Ring," Chen Nan said, panting. "It’s just that for someone like me, who’s been... ’conditioned’ by you during my heat periods, the physical reactions are very difficult to suppress. Even a Star Rank Suppressant Potion might not be able to keep it down!"

As Chen Nan spoke, Ning Xuan carried him to his bedroom. She had been about to leave, but after hearing what he said, she was no longer in a hurry. She directed her spiritual power through their spiritual connection and into Chen Nan’s Spiritual Sea.

Just as Chen Nan had said, his Spiritual Sea was perfectly calm, with no signs of agitation. However, his spiritual power felt different today—unusually soft and languid. His Superpower Body, Little Jin, stared at Ning Xuan with a liquid shimmer in its clear, jade-like eyes, radiating an aura that begged to be ravaged. Ning Xuan didn’t hold back. Her Spiritual Power Threads wrapped around Little Jin and kneaded it thoroughly. When she withdrew from Chen Nan’s Sea of Consciousness, she found him collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath. His hands were clasped so tightly around her waist that she could barely breathe. "Didn’t you say the medicine was working? What’s wrong with you?"

"Oh, a physical reaction!" As understanding dawned on Ning Xuan, Chen Nan’s aura began to affect her, and her own body started to respond. Seeing his lustful, desperate state, she patted his cheek. "Good boy. Let go and climb into bed yourself."

Chen Nan begged Ning Xuan to let him wear the Imprisonment Ring, but she refused. "Since you’re lucid, what’s the point of wearing that thing?"

Chen Nan wanted to cry but had no tears as Ning Xuan pressed down on him. His Lord Contract Master knew his body’s reactions like the back of her hand and knew exactly how to handle him. He lost control easily under her manipulations. Without the restraint of the Imprisonment Ring, he didn’t dare make a single move, terrified he might accidentally hurt her.

"Lord Contract Master, please, will you tie my hands with your vines?" Chen Nan begged humbly, his face flushed. ’Besides, it’s just a weapon. Even if it gets damaged, she can just buy another one!’

"Oh, so you like it like this!" Ning Xuan chuckled lightly. With a flick of her hand, two black-and-red-striped vines wrapped around Chen Nan’s wrists.

The process was thoroughly satisfying, but at the very end, overwhelmed by a wave of extreme pleasure, Chen Nan momentarily lost control and snapped one of the vines. The vines were nourished by Ning Xuan’s blood. The moment one broke, the blood flowed back into her, and with a SPIT, she coughed up a mouthful of blood right onto Chen Nan’s chest.

Seeing Ning Xuan cough up blood, Chen Nan panicked. "Lord Contract Master, what’s wrong?"

Ning Xuan retracted the vines into her palm. The broken half could no longer be recalled. A belated realization dawning on him, Chen Nan asked, "Lord Contract Master, those vines... they aren’t a weapon, are they? They’re your Plant Pet?"

In the Interstellar Federation, besides Alchemists, there were other professions like Artifact Refiners and Array Masters. Among them, Artifact Refiners could forge weapons of various forms. Plant-form weapons were quite common; though not particularly powerful, they were simple to refine, inexpensive, and rather popular among female Spirit Controllers.

Chen Nan had always assumed the vines Ning Xuan used were a plant-form weapon.

"A Plant Pet? I suppose so. My vines have a rather nasty temper and hold a serious grudge. You hurt one today, so you’d better not fall into their clutches in the future! Otherwise, they’ll definitely get their revenge." Ning Xuan didn’t take her anger over the broken vine out on Chen Nan. Throughout the entire process, he had been restraining himself to accommodate her and was not at fault.

"Come on, let’s go take a shower," Ning Xuan said, leaving the bedroom first.

Chen Nan followed, his mind in a daze. A Plant Pet. Only a sentient plant could become a Plant Pet, and sentient plants were far, far rarer than sentient Exotic Beasts.