A New Contract
Swish-swish!
I waited for nightfall. The moment I confirmed Son Yeona had passed through the front gate of Zhang Jian's estate, I vaulted over the wall.
For a man who had nearly been killed only yesterday, the internal security was remarkably lax. Then again, with Zhao Yun glued to his side, there was hardly any reason to waste money on extra guards.
Compared to the government compound in Henei, this place was practically unclaimed wilderness. Of course, I had already infiltrated during the day and mapped out the interior routes just for a situation like this.
I peeked around the corner.
Down the corridor leading to Zhang Jian's chambers, Zhao Yun stood with her spear in hand. Which meant Son Yeona had already gone inside.
Every instinct screamed at me to rush in and pull her out. But even with a War stat of 100 and the White Peach Sword in my grip, could I guarantee a win against Zhao Yun?
More importantly, unlike Zhao Yun — who had no qualms about using lethal force — I would have to fight while keeping Yeona's safety in mind.
A frontal assault was out of the question.
Swish… swish…
I slipped into the underground storeroom I had scouted earlier that day. Creeping up behind the dozing sentry, I locked him in a chokehold. He made a single strangled sound and went limp.
"Who's there!"
Son Gong's voice. I lifted the lantern the guard had been holding and cast its light across a crudely built wooden cell. There he was, locked inside.
"Son Gong. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. Your daughter is here. She's planning to become Zhang Jian's concubine to get you out."
"W-what are you talking about!? I never gave her permission — why would that child…"
"Shh. We don't have time, so do exactly as I tell you. There's no one watching the corridor right now. Get out, run, and scream at the top of your lungs that Son Gong has escaped. Once you've drawn enough attention, come back here and lock yourself in the cell again."
"What kind of nonsense is that? If I'm not actually escaping, then why…"
"No time to explain. Do what I say and I'll save both you and your daughter. Can you do that?"
He nodded rapidly.
Son Gong had no other options anyway. I unlocked the cell door at once, then slipped back out of the storeroom and headed for Zhang Jian's chambers.
Son Gong has escaped! Son Gong has escaped!
"…!"
Zhao Yun, standing guard outside the door, rolled her eyes toward the source of the shouting. From inside, Zhang Jian's voice rang out.
"What the hell is all that noise?"
"They're saying Son Gong has escaped."
"What? Fuck… Get out there and find him, now!"
"But while I'm gone, Lord Zhang will be—"
"I'll be fine! Just go find him!"
"Yes…"
Zhao Yun moved swiftly toward the underground storeroom where Son Gong was kept. Everything so far was going exactly as planned.
With the bodyguard out of the way, Zhang Jian — you're a dead man.
Ah, Father escaped? What do you mean?
We'll catch him soon enough. You don't need to worry about it.
I can't do that. I only came here for my father. I have to make sure he's safe first… Kyaa!!
Damn, for a little thing you've got some strength. Shut up and finish what we started, yeah? Hah, fuck… for a country girl you're ridiculously hot. Lick. Lick.
Crash!
I smashed the door open and stormed inside. Zhang Jian, who had bound Son Yeona and was licking the nape of her neck, jerked back with a startled scream.
"Wh-who the hell are you!?"
Crack!
I didn't even want him to know my name. Without a word of reply, I swung my blade and took his head clean off.
A wet spray of blood erupted like a fountain, drenching Son Yeona from head to toe. I still wasn't used to killing — but for this bastard, I felt not a shred of guilt.
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"Miss! I know you're shaken, but we have to get out of here before that woman comes back."
"B-blood! There's blood…"
"Quiet, please! Your father is safe. Just follow me for now."
"R-really?"
The news that her father was unharmed finally snapped her back to her senses. I wiped the blood from around her eyes, took her hand, and pulled her along.
"This way…"
Whoosh!
But she came back far faster than I had expected. The moment I rounded the corner, Zhao Yun was already there — and her spear shot straight at me.
Clang!
I barely managed to raise the White Peach Sword in time, then flung Son Yeona to the floor. Thud! Kyaa! She hit the ground hard amid a flurry of panicked sound effects, a cry of pain escaping her lips.
"How did you block that?"
Zhao Yun seemed more shocked that I had stopped her spear than anything else. I didn't miss the only opening she had given me.
"Miss! Get out of this house right now! Hurry!"
"H-hic…!!"
Thankfully, Son Yeona's will to live was fierce. The moment I saw her scramble to her feet and start moving, I raised my sword and faced Zhao Yun properly.
"You didn't actually think you were the strongest person under heaven, did you, Zilong?"
"Have I ever told you my name?"
"You didn't need to. A problem-solver with a striking face and flawless spearwork — who else could it be but Zhao Zilong of Changshan?"
"What happened to Zhang Jian?"
"Who knows? Let me go and find out for yourself."
Whoosh!
Zhao Yun realized Zhang Jian was already dead and swept her spear in a vicious arc. The one silver lining was that we were in a narrow corridor — which favored me, with my shorter-reach blade.
I rolled clear just as her spear buried itself in a support beam. Seizing the chance, I sprang back to my feet — but Zhao Yun wrenched the spear free with terrifying strength and settled into stance once more.
"This isn't going to end either way, Zilong. How about we call it a draw for today?"
"I cannot."
"Zhang Jian is dead. There's no point wasting your strength over nothing."
"That was the agreement. You harmed Zhang Jian. Therefore, I will kill you."
"…"
She was still clinging to the terms of a contract in the middle of all this? So the only option left was to crush her with raw skill?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three exchanges in the blink of an eye. Zhao Yun's spear thrust without a single wasted motion — but I wasn't exactly an easy mark either.
"I've never faced an opponent like you."
"Same here. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to go up against Lü Bu."
"Who is Lü Bu?"
"Even if you're just a bodyguard for some thug boss, isn't that a little too detached from the world? Pathetic. Since things have come to this, why don't you travel the realm with me and—"
Whoosh!
Zhao Yun had zero interest in holding an actual conversation. Every single strike was a killing blow; one moment of carelessness and I would be the one dying first.
So what now? How was I supposed to subdue this woman and finally have a proper talk…
Step… step…
That was when a woman came walking up behind Zhao Yun. The problem was that it was someone who should never have appeared here — and worse, it was Son Yeona.
Zhao Yun sensed the approach as well. She kept her spear trained on me and flicked her eyes sideways. Son Yeona was walking toward us, her body soaked in blood, both hands clasped behind her back.
But her expression was utterly grotesque. It was a look she hadn't worn even when Zhang Jian made his demands of her — the hollow eyes of someone who had lost everything.
"Miss! Why did you come back? I told you to get out of the estate!"
"Father… Father…"
"…?"
Son Yeona only repeated the same words in a vacant voice. A terrible suspicion seized me, and I turned to Zhao Yun.
"D-did you kill Son Gong? He was locked in a cell — why would you…"
"He tried to attack me. So I countered."
"…"
It was an absurd twist. Son Gong hadn't listened to me.
Rather than trust the words that would have kept him alive if he simply stayed put, he had fretted over his daughter being violated by Zhang Jian, seized a guard's sword, and come running this way.
And the person he ran into midway was, of all people, Zhao Yun. Even knowing how formidable a warrior she was, he had squeezed out every drop of courage for the single purpose of saving his daughter.
Of course, he never got to see her.
"My father's… enemy…"
Son Yeona was no longer a simple country girl. She had endured humiliation solely to save her father — and the result had been nothing. She had long since become a creature of pure vengeance.
Aaaaaah!!!
Just as her father had done, she charged at Zhao Yun. The hands clasped behind her back swung forward, revealing a hidden blade.
"N-no!"
Whoosh! Thud!
But it was already far too late. Zhao Yun registered the knife a beat too late and drove her spear home as if a macro had been programmed into her arm.
"Guh…"
Father and daughter, both run through the belly in exactly the same way. With eyes full of bitter resentment, she looked back and forth between Zhao Yun and me — then her strength left her body all at once, and she crumpled.
"I… I only…"
Zhao Yun was just as shaken. I shoved her aside and ran to Son Yeona.
"Miss! Miss!"
"…"
Instant death. Before I could even try to stop the blood pouring from her stomach, her breathing had already stopped.
Trembling, I turned around.
"Have you lost your mind? You could have subdued her without killing her!"
"I saw the knife. And if I had lost track of you behind me—"
"You knew I had no intention of harming you! God, I'm going insane. Zhang Jian is already dead! The master you were supposed to protect is gone — so why the hell did you stab this girl too!?"
"…"
Zhao Yun had no answer for that. Because while Son Gong might have been one thing, there had been no reason whatsoever to kill Son Yeona.
How could this happen? She had been ready to offer up her young body to her enemy just to save her family.
The moment she thought she might finally see her father again — who could have imagined that both father and daughter would die at the hands of the same person?
Trembling…
I had never been this angry before. Gripping my sword, I rose slowly to my feet.
Zhao Yun hastily settled into a stance — but her composure was already gone.
"Still want to kill me, Zilong?"
"That was the agreement. That woman was unfortunate, but…"
"Shut the fuck up! You're nothing. You talk about contracts at the end of every sentence like you're some great warrior, but in the end you couldn't even save one girl who was ready to sacrifice herself to protect her family. And now you're going to go somewhere else and do the exact same thing all over again?"
"…"
So her heart wasn't made of steel after all. She was doing her best to look unshaken, but to eyes as sharp as mine, everything was visible.
The tip of her spear was trembling.
So I stepped forward and pressed my own chest directly against that tip. But Zhao Yun couldn't even bring herself to thrust.
"I'll help you keep your promise."
"Killing you would be enough."
"Then kill me. Why are you shaking like that? You know as well as I do that you can't beat me in this state. So I'll give you a chance to fulfill that promise of yours."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you think? Make a new contract with me. Carry out a few tasks I give you, and I'll let you keep your promise to Zhang Jian."
"That doesn't make sense. To keep the contract, I have to kill you — so why would I enter another contract with you…"
"That's exactly what I'm offering."
"…?"
Still don't get it? Honestly, I'd love nothing more than to take your head right now — but your stats are far too valuable to waste.
So I'll give you the chance to finish your contract. I grabbed the shaft of Zhao Yun's spear and leaned my face in close, right in front of hers.
"When our contract ends — at that moment — you can do whatever you want with me. What I'm offering is my life. That is the reward for this contract."