Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 3: Lan Qi Knows His Way Around Contracts
Even though the golden hues of dusk had long since faded, the cityscape illuminated by lanterns remained just as breathtaking.
On both sides of the ancient streets, pedestrians in various outfits strolled by, their faces adorned with carefree smiles.
In a quiet corner of the residential district, a few hundred meters from the city gate, the only sources of light came from the torches mounted on the walls by the guards and the warm glow spilling from residents' windows.
As Lan Qi’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he slowly approached his destination.
Beneath the wall at the street corner, he could see curled-up figures—quite a few of them, in fact.
Fragile little creatures, shivering from the cold.
Lan Qi continued forward, and soon, he could hear the soft sounds of life.
“Meow~ Meoww~”
He stopped, crouched down, and opened the meal box in his hands.
The moment he did, the enticing aroma began to spread.
As Lan Qi tossed pieces of cooked chicken onto the ground, small cats started cautiously approaching him.
At this moment—
He seemed completely unaware that across the street, leaning against a wall, was another figure. A girl, dressed like a homeless vagrant from the slums.
This street corner wasn’t exactly a great place—isolated, with only a few stray cats and barely any guards. No other vagrants around either.
But for Talia, who despised humans, that made it all the more comfortable.
No one would ever suspect that this seemingly ordinary vagrant girl was once a princess of the Demon Clan.
Time passed.
Most of the surrounding cats had already been drawn to Lan Qi.
He watched them eat with a look of utter contentment on his face.
Earlier, his butler had informed him that Talia had been sleeping on the streets here for the past two days.
So before dinner, Lan Qi had specifically asked the chef at his estate to prepare a generous portion of special aromatic chicken—safe for cats but even more delicious for humans.
Then, at a carefully chosen time, he made his way here under the pretense of feeding the cats.
“……”
Despite not sparing her a single glance for several minutes, Talia had noticed this intruder in her “territory” right away.
If he had simply kept to himself, she might have ignored him altogether.
But that damn human—why was he feeding stray cats such high-quality meat?!
Thinking back to her own years of wandering and hardship, Talia could only draw one infuriating conclusion—even the cats ate better than she did.
Finally, she couldn’t resist glancing in Lan Qi’s direction.
However, her pride wouldn’t allow her to voice any complaints.
So all she could do was death-stare at him.
Yet Lan Qi remained blissfully oblivious.
“…Can you go feed them somewhere else?”
She finally broke the silence, her tone cold.
Lan Qi blinked and lifted his head, his gaze drifting toward the source of the voice. After a moment of understanding, he replied nonchalantly:
“I’ve been coming here longer than you have.”
His words were like a declaration of territorial rights, making it clear that feeding cats here was his routine.
Talia let out a barely perceptible scoff and turned away.
Because—he wasn’t lying.
Lan Qi had spoken the truth.
As a native of this city, he had undoubtedly visited this area more frequently than Talia, who had only arrived recently.
Of course, she had no way of knowing whether he actually came here often, but she wasn’t about to ask.
Still, she was stubborn.
She detested Lan Qi, but she also wasn’t willing to give up her spot after staying here for two nights.
Whoever backed down first would seem like the loser.
So she sat in the corner, enduring her hunger and forcing herself to sleep.
A Little While Later…“Can you do me a favor?”
Lan Qi’s voice suddenly broke the silence of the street.
Talia lifted her head slightly, confirming that he was speaking to her.
“…What?”
She hadn’t intended to acknowledge him.
But according to human customs, when someone asked for help, there was usually some kind of payment involved.
And right now, she desperately needed anything of value.
“Help me feed the cats. Don’t let the big ones bully the little ones. I’m tired—I want to go home and sleep.”
Lan Qi raised the meal box in his hand and added, “You can have whatever’s left.”
“……”
Talia fell silent.
If it wasn’t charity, but a transaction… she could consider it.
For demons, honoring a contract was a matter of pride.
The nobler the demon, the more they valued their word—even to the point of choosing death over breaking a deal.
Even though this human had no idea she was a demon, as a member of the Demon Clan’s royal bloodline, she would sooner starve to death than break an agreement for a few extra scraps of food.
She quickly counted the number of cats, estimating how much chicken would remain for her.
“…Deal.”
Talia decided it was an acceptable trade.
Even if she couldn’t understand what kind of joy humans got from feeding cats.
Lan Qi casually closed the meal box, placed it on the ground, stretched his back, and strolled away.
The Next Morning – A Wealthy Merchant’s EstateAnother self-disciplined day began.
After waking up early and finishing breakfast, Lan Qi left his house.
The courtyard plants glowed with a soft morning shimmer, bathed in the first light of dawn. Goldfinches chirped melodiously in the trees.
Lan Qi couldn’t help but feel cheerful as he walked through the garden.
However—
He stopped the moment he stepped out of the gate.
Because right across the street, Talia was sitting there—like she was staking him out.
But Lan Qi wasn’t nervous at all.
There was no way she could’ve found out about the shady things he’d done so quickly.
At a distance, Talia swiftly approached, while behind Lan Qi, the estate’s guards immediately went on alert at the sight of her.
Lan Qi raised his hand, signaling the guards to stand down.
There was no point in being on edge—if she truly wanted to go on a rampage, no one here could stop her anyway.
“Box.”
Talia simply lifted her hand and handed last night’s meal box back to Lan Qi.
She had found him so quickly because, in this town, all it took was asking around for a “black-haired, green-eyed boy,” and she would immediately hear about the notorious reputation of this wealthy young master.
However, the “rich playboy” that the townsfolk described didn’t quite match the lazy but harmless boy she had encountered.
He seemed a little dumb and laid-back, but at least he didn’t come off as ill-tempered.
“You can sell it. I don’t intend to take it back.”
Lan Qi looked at her, puzzled.
The fine tableware from his estate could fetch at least half a pound if sold.
“This wasn’t part of the deal,” Talia stated expressionlessly.
Lan Qi nodded, taking the box from her.
This Demon Clan princess must have worked hard to blend into human society—she was meticulously following human rules down to the smallest details.
Before Lan Qi could say anything else, Talia turned around and walked away without hesitation.
“…You didn’t eat much, did you?”
Lan Qi asked, watching her gray cloak sway as she left.
“I fulfilled my end of the deal.”
She didn’t even look back.
“I see.”
Lan Qi lowered his gaze, staring at the meal box in his hands.
So, to her, this was strictly a transaction—not charity.
Her pride wouldn’t allow her to accept handouts from anyone. She had no intention of repaying any favors, because she understood better than anyone—"free" is the most expensive price of all.
That meant Lan Qi’s little plan of earning goodwill through favors had just been shattered.
She had even returned the box immediately, avoiding any possibility of being trapped in a "favor debt".
With a sigh, Lan Qi handed the meal box to a nearby guard.
As expected, trying to cancel out her grudge by showering her with kindness wasn’t going to be that simple.
But…
Everything was still within his expectations.
Lan Qi motioned to the guards to stand down, indicating that he wanted to speak with the young lady alone.
The guards didn’t dare object and remained stationed at the mansion’s entrance.
Then, Lan Qi jogged after Talia.
She turned her head slightly, looking at the human who had once again approached her.
Her expression showed a hint of confusion—
What exactly did this weak but well-off human want from her?
“I’d like to propose another transaction. I’ll guarantee its fairness in the name of my family.”
Lan Qi spoke politely, his tone serious.
Talia’s golden eyes bore into Lan Qi’s, as if trying to peer into his soul.
No deception.
She had magic that allowed her to discern truth from lies.
And since they had already made a deal once before, this wealthy human seemed reliable.
Plus, he could offer something she needed.
“…Go on.”
Talia stopped walking.
“I hope you won’t ask me why when I tell you the details of this deal.”
Lan Qi’s expression grew more solemn.
Talia gave a slight nod.
She had no interest in probing further—no one could lie to her anyway.
“There’s someone in this town who wants to kill me. So, I’d like to hire you to watch for suspicious individuals near my estate, eliminate any potential threats, and protect me. In exchange, I’ll pay you accordingly.”
Lan Qi’s expression darkened, his worry unmasked as he looked directly at Talia.
“That’s not difficult,” Talia replied after confirming that every word he had spoken was the truth.
“Your family must be powerful and wealthy in this town. And from the looks of it, your estate doesn’t lack guards.”
She glanced at the alert guards standing by the mansion, voicing her skepticism.
“Because the assassin could be someone close to me. I can’t fully trust anyone around me—so I need as many reliable safeguards as possible.”
Lan Qi’s eyes reflected nothing but genuine appreciation as he looked at Talia.
He admired her—for being honest enough to return the meal box, and for not judging him based on his status, wealth, or reputation.
“So you think I’m more reliable than your own guards?”
Talia had seemingly acknowledged her own strength without hesitation.
She knew Lan Qi possessed a keen merchant’s intuition—
And clearly, he had chosen her for a reason.
“Relatively speaking, yes.”
Lan Qi nodded.
“…Hiring me is expensive.”
Talia’s tone was indifferent.
She had been analyzing every word he spoke, yet she still hadn’t caught him in a lie.
So far, among all the humans she had encountered, this one was rare—honest, principled, and even kind.
A good business partner.
“Three pounds a day. As long as I stay in this city, our contract remains in effect.”
Lan Qi pulled a checkbook from his pocket, the words ‘Wilfort Merchant Guild’ printed on the cover, and took out a pen.
Apparently, carrying around piles of gold coins was too inconvenient for him.
For context—thirty pounds was enough for a normal family in the southern border of the Hedon Kingdom to live for an entire year.
Talia froze for a moment.
Not just because of his extravagant wealth—
But because she hadn’t handled currency in "pounds" for a long time.
As a blacklisted fugitive in the kingdom, this was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Besides, she had absolute confidence in her abilities.
This wasn’t charity.
It was business.
More importantly—she had full control over when to end the deal.
“…Deal.”
Talia quietly accepted.
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
Lan Qi handed her both the checkbook and the pen, causing her to pause in surprise again.
Talia glanced down at the checkbook, deep in thought.
So… I’m supposed to write in the amount myself every day and cash it in?
This human was truly wealthy and generous.
And on top of that, he possessed qualities like kindness and integrity—
Which, ironically, made him the type of human least compatible with demons.
Meanwhile, as Lan Qi walked away…His lips twitched—
He was already struggling to hold back his laughter.
Talia had no idea yet.
That the person who wanted to kill him…
Was her.
And by the time she figured out that he was the one who had slain her Familiar, she still wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on him.
Because of one simple rule—
"As long as she remained in this city, she had to protect Lan Qi… and receive three pounds a day for it."