đ If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon! I'm offering advanced chapters there as a thank-you to readers.
--------------------
Check out advanced chapters on : patreon.com/Veni_V
---------------
The next day, in the afternoon. Inside Shrek City, in the bedroom of an advanced hotel suite. The sensual aura that had lingered all night had dispersed, and the room returned to tranquility. Kong Mingan sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a clean bathrobe, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples.
The way things developed last night had completely exceeded his expectations, even becoming a bit out of control and overly indulgent. So why did things turn out this way? Kong Mingan fell into deep thought.
He tried to remember how the night began, but everything was a blur of emotions and sudden passion. It was hard to believe he had let things go that far.
However, just as he was thinking, the bathroom door nearby was pushed open, and a mist of water vapor immediately spread out. Following this, Zhang Lexuan slowly walked out. At this moment, she had also changed into a clean bathrobe, her wet hair casually draped over her shoulders.
Having washed away yesterday's intoxication and disarray, she had regained her usual cool and detached appearance. She looked like the calm and composed woman everyone in Shrek Academy knew.
It was just that her eyes no longer held the tolerance and gentleness towards the world that they usually did. Instead, they were direct, even carrying a hint of morbidity, staring intently at Kong Mingan sitting on the edge of the bed. Her red lips parted slightly, and she uttered two words.
"Continue?" she asked.
Kong Mingan stayed silent. Sure enough, the world had gone crazy in ways he couldn't understand. He shook his head, but spoke in a declarative tone.
"You can't handle it," he said.
Now it was Zhang Lexuan's turn to fall silent. She pursed her lips and didn't reply immediately, merely leaning forward and resting her tall, voluptuous body entirely against his. Her hands naturally hooked around his neck, and her lips pressed against the side of his neck, carrying an unconcealed, morbid attachment. She seemed to want to stay in this moment forever.
"You clearly can make me handle it," Zhang Lexuan whispered, glancing sideways at her fair, smooth wrist.
There, and on her neck, there should have been bruising left by the tightening chains after last night. However, there was nothing there now. Her skin was perfect, as if nothing had happened at all. Kong Mingan felt a slight headache. Gently holding her waist, he couldn't help but speak.
"That's not how the power of life is meant to be used," he told her.
"Why not?" Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but ask.
She had lost consciousness multiple times, yet the young man never showed any fatigue. This was clearly abnormal. The young man was repeatedly cheating by using the power of life. That wasn't fair.
She knew that the power of life was a sacred and rare energy, but here he was, using it to sustain their indulgence. Kong Mingan remained silent. The passive effect brought by the Gold of Life had been personally adjusted by him, magnifying the effect tenfold.
Essentially, this meant life force naturally circulated within the body, nourishing the physique and preventing fatigue. He could only say the results were exceptional. He sighed, remaining silent for a moment, then decided to steer the conversation back on track, otherwise, heaven knew if he would be able to leave today.
"Let's first talk about Shrek's current situation and your plans moving forward," he said.
Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan paused slightly, yet she inexplicably obediently began recounting things next to his ear. The content generally concerned the changes in power within Shrek Academy, the division of authority previously held by the deceased Elders and the dismissed Yan Shaozhe, as well as Mu En's training plan for her.
She spoke about how the inner court was reacting to the recent losses and how the leadership was being restructured. Her voice was calm and her words clear, showing none of the initiative she displayed last night when soliciting kisses and asking him to bring out the chains. Of course, this was assuming she wasn't reporting all this while hugging him.
Kong Mingan listened quietly. Finally, he nodded, understanding the current situation. He knew that the balance of power in Shrek was fragile right now.
"I understand. You should proceed normally, taking power and cultivating at your own pace. If you need cultivation resources, or certain specific resources, commercial or military support, the merchant association will provide assistance," he explained.
Zhang Lexuan slightly tightened her arms, whispering softly into his ear.
"Yes," she replied.
Kong Mingan fell silent again. He had already noticed that something was off about Zhang Lexuan at this moment. This completely submissive demeanor, even carrying a hint of self-objectification, was more than just slightly strange. It was as if she had given up her own will entirely. He paused, his tone laced with concern.
"You don't need to treat yourself entirely as a tool," he said gently.
Zhang Lexuan paused slightly, then softly replied.
"You can treat me as a toy, too," she whispered.
Kong Mingan had nothing to say to that. He was surprised by her words.
"As long as you always need me, anything is fine," she added.
Kong Mingan said nothing, only this time, he unconsciously tightened his grip slightly around Zhang Lexuan's waist. He felt a mix of pity and responsibility for her. After a long time, the two separated. Kong Mingan raised his hand, and a contract appeared, which he pushed toward Zhang Lexuan.
"Take a look and see if anything needs to be amended?" he asked.
Zhang Lexuan took it, her gaze quickly scanning the clauses. She did not modify the original text. Instead, after a slight pause, she directly extended her fingertip and added another clause to the end of all the stipulations. The content summarized: once every three days.
Kong Mingan fell silent, his expression shifting slightly. After a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out a response.
"Delete it," he said firmly.
Zhang Lexuan shook her head, having lost her completely compliant demeanor from before.
"No, this one thing, absolutely not," she insisted.
What kind of situation was this? Kong Mingan didn't know how to complain, but he still started bargaining with Zhang Lexuan. He tried to explain that such a frequent schedule would be difficult to maintain given their other responsibilities.
After a good while, the original once every three days was changed to once every two weeks, with an additional item being a situation report. Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement. The new contract terms were thus finalized. The two separately imprinted their marks on the contract using spirit power and mental force.
With a flash of light, the contract was established, transforming into two streaks of light that vanished into their respective glabella. This was a soul contract, binding them to their agreement. Silence spread throughout the room, but Kong Mingan was the first to stand up. After briefly adjusting his bathrobe, he spoke.
"Then I'll leave?" he asked.
Zhang Lexuan didn't speak, only nodded. Following this, she quietly watched Kong Mingan step into the gray spatial portal, his figure vanishing. It was only when the spatial ripples completely subsided, and Zhang Lexuan was the only one left in the room, that the mask of perpetual calm on her face finally shattered piece by piece.
As if all her strength had been drained away, she fell backward, collapsing heavily onto the messy bed that still retained traces of their shared scent. Raising one hand, she weakly covered her face.
What exactly had she done? Was it because the long-term mental suppression had finally broken down, and she truly couldn't hold back? Or was it that in that extreme despair and emptiness, she couldn't help but want to grasp onto something, even if it was through such a moth-to-a-flame method? She actually just handed herself over, and in such an absurd manner. She thought about her position in the academy and her future.
Zhang Lexuan rubbed her aching temples, taking several deep breaths, trying to calm her turbulent emotions. However, with every breath, the frantic and passionate scenes from last night until this morning uncontrollably replayed in her mind.
Every touch and every word felt like it was burned into her memory. Lips, cheeks, neck, collarbone, chest, abdomen, and even more. A feeling mixed with shame, confusion, and a strange sense of restraint and suffocation that filled her, surged into her heart once more.
In the depths of Zhang Lexuan's eyes, a few traces of morbid satisfaction arose almost instinctively, and this feeling inexplicably calmed the anxious heart she had carried recently. Zhang Lexuan closed her eyes, a slight realization dawning in her heart. She was probably truly ill and incurable.
She knew she was changing, but she couldn't bring herself to stop it. The emptiness she felt before was gone, replaced by something dark and heavy, yet it felt more real than anything she had felt in years. She lay there for a long time, just breathing in the scent of the room, until the sun began to set.