"Blood... Blood Oath Contract!" she ground out through clenched teeth. "I can form a Blood Oath Contract with you. If you die, I die."
Hearing her mention this so-called Blood Oath Contract, Su Chen stopped. "And what about me?"
"You... you'll be fine," Jiang He replied.
Still not satisfied, he asked, "I want the kind that gives me control over your life."
"That kind doesn't exist. At least, I can't do it, and you can't control it," Jiang He explained, forcing herself to sound calm. "This is the best method I can think of. There are ways to circumvent it, but they come at a great cost."
Su Chen looked at her. 'This is probably the best I'm going to get,' he thought. He didn't want to leave Southwind City either—that was a death sentence. He'd just have to take the risk.
"Do you have a book that describes this Blood Oath Contract?" Su Chen asked, nodding.
"Yes, upstairs." Jiang He's tense body visibly relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Let me rest for a bit, then we can go look at it together."
Su Chen was still a bit wary, but then he remembered the resistance he had shown to Jiang He's earlier area-of-effect attack.
'That must have been a Mental Attack. Even before I became a Professional, my resistance was stronger than that Rope Master's. It's probably because I transmigrated here.'
'I might as well test her...'
With this in mind, Su Chen didn't say anything more. He just walked to the side, picked up his clothes, and then grabbed the rope Old Ghost had dropped on the floor.
'Hm?'
[Tier One Item -- Vein Hemp Rope: A special rope woven from Vein Grass soaked in Black Oil for three days. Can be controlled by a Rope Master.]
'It can identify items, too,' Su Chen thought in surprise. He casually touched a few other things, but only the two robes that could blur one's figure triggered a notification.
[Tier One Item -- Shadow-avoiding Robe: A robe made primarily from Shadow Wolf Hide.]
'It seems only Tiered Items get a description.'
"Do you know who wants you dead?" he asked, finding a place to sit down and looking at the two corpses on the floor.
Jiang He was rubbing her temples. Her clothes were in tatters, revealing large patches of skin, but she paid it no mind. A venomous look appeared on her face at his words. "I've made plenty of enemies, but not many who would go so far as to have me killed."
"You're married, aren't you?" Su Chen mentioned abruptly.
"What are you trying to say?" Jiang He's gaze snapped toward him, filled with shock and suspicion.
"Nothing. There's a saying that a husband and wife can be the closest of kin or the furthest of strangers. When one spouse is murdered, isn't it normal to suspect the other?" Su Chen said casually.
"That Withered Grass Potion has to be ingested, right? The number of people who could have poisoned you is minuscule."
"Besides, that guy, Old Ghost, said that if you died, your family and the academy would quickly sweep it under the rug. But he never mentioned whether your husband would do the same."
"Logically speaking, given the way he said you would die, your husband should be the one most concerned."
Jiang He's expression changed slightly. Old Ghost had indeed said that, but the situation had been so dire that she had forgotten. She never expected Su Chen to remember.
"Could it be him...? Would he dare?" Jiang He murmured, her gaze sweeping over the pool of wine-red liquid on the floor.
"If it is him, there must be a reason. You have a bad reputation, so it's probably not because you cheated on him. Think hard," Su Chen reminded her again.
The reason he also wanted to get to the bottom of it was that the mastermind had clearly included him in their scheme. Since neither of them died today, there would likely be consequences.
"Could it be..." Jiang He looked up abruptly, as if she'd realized something. "The Tier Three Profession—Secret Weaver!"
"Hm?" Su Chen looked over. Jiang He's expression was slightly agitated.
"A month and a half ago, my father told me that the family would select three people for special grooming, supporting them all the way to becoming a Secret Weaver."
"He's been working behind the scenes for me. Half a month ago, he told me that everything was almost settled. My father only has one daughter, me. The spot has been arranged, the price has been paid. Even if something happened to me, my father wouldn't just hand it over to someone else."
"It would probably go to him."
"It must be him!" Jiang He was nearly certain, yet still confused. "But where would he get the resources to hire two Professionals? And this was a family secret. My father only told me, and I never revealed it to him."
Seeing that Jiang He had sorted through her thoughts and had likely identified the suspect, Su Chen didn't help her analyze any further. He simply asked, "How does one advance to Secret Weaver?"
"That..." Jiang He shook her head. "I don't know either. Secret Weaver is the advanced profession for a Secret Scholar, and I don't even know how to advance to Secret Scholar."
"That information is top secret."
'Secret Magic Apprentice, Secret Scholar, Secret Weaver... it must be a single profession line.'
Folding the Vein Hemp Rope and the Shadow-avoiding Robe together, Su Chen noted the bundle wasn't too large. "In that case, you must at least know how to become a Secret Magic Apprentice."
Jiang He hesitated for a moment before replying, "First, your Spiritual Power has to reach a certain standard. Then, you have to pass the Delirious Words Trial."
Su Chen's brow furrowed slightly. "Reach a certain standard? How is that measured?"
Jiang He hesitated. Su Chen made a move as if to stand up, and her eyelid twitched. 'Information about a Tier One Profession isn't some huge secret, anyway.'
"The Candle Fire Spirit Training Method..." she said hurriedly. "You have to be able to complete ten cyclical constructions within one minute. That's enough."
"You have it, right?" Su Chen said, holding out his hand.
'Secret Magic Apprentice is a Tier One Advanced Profession. It's definitely stronger than a Warrior.'
"I do..." At this, Jiang He seemed to relax a little more. "It's also upstairs. Come with me."
"These bodies..." Su Chen mused.
"Don't worry about them. I'll take care of it tomorrow." Jiang He seemed to have recovered some of her spirit, regaining the air of "Violet."
She picked up a silver bracelet from the floor and slipped it onto her wrist. A blurry, grayish-yellow virtual projection flickered to life above it.
Su Chen's expression turned strange for a moment as various memories surfaced in his mind. 'This world... seems really peculiar.'
Following Jiang He out of the room, he realized it wasn't a living room, but a basement.
The servants had long since gone home. The house was empty, solemn, and grand.
The two of them ascended the stairs. A huge wedding photograph hung on the staircase wall. It was of a man and a woman; the woman was Jiang He, smiling happily.
The man was also very handsome, with a gentle smile. His most striking feature was his pair of light blue eyes.
Su Chen deliberately stared at it for a few extra moments.
When they reached the study, Jiang He took one or two books from a safe. Neither was very thick, consisting of only a few thin pages.
"You can't take the Candle Fire Spirit Training Method with you. If you're going to practice it, you'd better memorize it here," she stressed. "Every faction is extremely strict about tracking this kind of profession information. Taking it with you would just be a hassle."
Su Chen took the books and quickly skimmed through them.
The first book described several Talisman Arrays, one of which was the Blood Oath Contract. Its effect was exactly as Jiang He had said. 'She definitely didn't prepare this in advance.'
The second book was the Candle Fire Spirit Training Method. It was similar to meditation, involving sketching the image of a Candle Fire in one's spiritual domain and then imagining being burned by it.
Of course, it wasn't purely based on imagination. The text described several spiritual nodes and some tricks, such as first practicing with a real candle flame.
'It seems...'
Su Chen closed his eyes and gave it a try. He imagined his Spiritual Power sketching out a ball of candlelight, bit by bit depicting its form, and then its warmth...
BOOM—
Su Chen felt a rush of heat in his mind before his eyes snapped open, filled with astonishment.
"It's normal not to be able to form the image on your first try. A normal adult would need at least three to five months to succeed for the first time. Even though you're already a Tier One Professional, you'll still need to practice for ten-odd days."
"You just need to roughly memorize it for now. Later, when you're attending Southwind Academy as a visiting student, you can come ask me anytime..." Seeing Su Chen's expression, Jiang He tried to soothe him, afraid that he would try to take the book by force.
Su Chen remained silent. 'This thing is no trouble for me at all. A small gift from my transmigration, I suppose?'
'The so-called ten cycles just means forming the Candle Fire ten consecutive times. I just did it once and felt no pressure at all.'
'The only thing to worry about is the time limit. One minute is a bit short.'
At this thought, he suddenly had a feeling and quickly opened his skill panel.
Just as he expected, besides his Warrior profession, a new, separate Skill had appeared.
[Candle Fire Spirit Training Method -- Novice: 50%]