Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 493 - 78: Celestial Divine Sword Values Integrity Above All

May 5, 2018

At the lakeside camp, the girl looked somewhat bewildered at the pure white long sword and the sword master descending from the sky, dispelling the haze in her heart like the bright moon in the night... and then bringing even more shadows.

Especially when Wang Jiu walked up to her with a serious face and asked her something.

The ominous feeling in Shen Qingming’s heart grew heavier.

She had known Wang Jiu for almost a year, and some things had indeed become a pattern. Every time she placed expectations on him, he would strike without hesitation, pounding people into the abyss.

Almost without exception!

"What is it?" Shen Qingming asked, trying her best to remain calm.

Wang Jiu said, "Let’s date."

"Pfft!"

Shen Qingming spat out a mouthful of blood.

Everyone spat out a mouthful of blood.

Wang Jiu frowned, "Is this what you mean by a blood oath relationship?"

"No!" Shen Qingming reacted immediately, protesting loudly, "What nonsense are you spouting again!?"

Before she could finish speaking, a flash of pink sword light hit her, and she was swept away with great force. Li Chaolu hurriedly sheathed the Twilight Sword and said with a face full of bliss and urgency, "If she doesn’t want to, I do! Date me!"

On the other side, Shen Qingming, relying on the strength of the Immovable Tyrant Body, was unharmed after Li Chaolu’s Twilight Sword slapped her face. She wiped her face, stomped her foot, and punched Li Chaolu, sending her flying.

"Don’t cause trouble. As if his words could ever be taken literally, use your brain!"

Li Chaolu shook her hands, which were tingling from the shock, gaining a new appreciation for Shen Qingming’s brute force, yet she retorted, "Do I need to use my brain for this? Even if it’s not literal, so what!? The chance to date him might not come even in several lifetimes, even if it’s fake, I’ll take it!"

"You’re deceiving yourself!"

Li Chaolu said angrily, "Have you never deceived yourself!? When you were lonely and restless in the Shen Garden, calling the Tree Spirit Grandpa Tree, wasn’t it just your own imagination!?"

"Respecting the elderly and loving the young, what’s wrong with that!?"

Seeing that the two were about to argue endlessly, Wang Jiu had to interrupt, "Sorry, but right now, I need Qingming to date me, so..."

Before he could finish, Li Chaolu fainted in despair.

Shen Qingming turned red with embarrassment and anger, "You definitely don’t mean it literally! So what do you actually want, tell me clearly!"

Wang Jiu asked, "Do you want a detailed explanation, or something simple and easy to understand?"

"Detailed so everyone can understand."

"Okay, the matter begins in the Jiuzhou Era..."

Shen Qingming quickly changed her mind, "Simple and easy to understand."

Wang Jiu thus rephrased, "Zhao Chenlu has hit a bottleneck in her cultivation. Due to insufficient external pressure, her cultivation progress is far from ideal, so I plan to establish a strong rival to stimulate her subjective initiative."

Shen Qingming took a moment to sort out her thoughts and asked, "So you plan to support me as a sparring partner for Zhao Chenlu?"

Wang Jiu said, "Strictly speaking, it wouldn’t be sparring, but rather..."

"But rather the red cape in a bullfight, right?" Shen Qingming said while feeling like a bull confronted with a red cape, her anger building visibly.

On the other side, the Celestial Sword Spirit was oblivious to this—after all, Shen Qingming did not allow him to read her mind at will—and continued, "This analogy might not be quite apt, but it fits your comprehension ability. Yes, I hope you can be Zhao Chenlu’s red cape so she can at least regain the cultivation motivation from the Jiuzhou Era."

Shen Qingming suppressed her fury and asked, "Why should I be her cape! Do I have a good relationship with her!?"

"Precisely because the relationship isn’t good, it qualifies you to be the cape," Wang Jiu explained. "Considering how extremely bad your relationship is with her, she’s highly sensitive to your every move, which makes you a prime candidate for being the cape..."

"But what’s in it for me!? Whether Zhao Chenlu’s cultivation fast or slow, what does it matter to me!?"

Wang Jiu found this first-rider utterly unreasonable. What was there to ask about this?

"Of course, there’s no benefit. It’s precisely because your interests are not aligned that your relationship is bad, allowing you to become her red cape. I hope you can deeply understand this logical relationship."

"I understand very well! That’s why I’m asking you, why would I agree to something that brings me no benefit!?"

Wang Jiu said, "That’s why I’m asking you as a favor."

"..." Shen Qingming was at a loss for words.

Indeed, the term ’favor’ inherently implies compelling someone against their will; otherwise, one would simply call it a transaction, not a favor.

When it comes to forcing others... I’ve forced others more often than they’ve forced me, so...

"Alright, since you’re asking, I’ll agree."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Chaolu roared: "Shen Qingming, do you have any shame!? Taking advantage and still acting smug!? If you don’t want to, I do!"

Shen Qingming pretended not to hear and continued speaking to Wang Jiu: "So, do you know what people should do when they’re dating?"

Wang Jiu said, "Of course I know, but that’s not important. You and I don’t need a real relationship, we just need Zhao Chenlu to believe we’re in a relationship."

Shen Qingming felt she was about to suffocate.

"So you really see me as the red cape before a bullfight!?"

Wang Jiu could sense Shen Qingming’s dissatisfaction, but he didn’t understand the reason for it.

"Then what should we do?"

"Otherwise..." Shen Qingming was suddenly at a loss for words.

Yes, how else should they do it? Pretend to be real, consummate the relationship, get married due to pregnancy... Wait, what on earth is she imagining!?

Relying on her strong self-control from the Immovable Tyrant Body, Shen Qingming suppressed her flushed cheeks and said sternly, "Your intention is to stimulate Zhao Chenlu’s competitive spirit by letting her know we’re dating, right? But she won’t believe this. If she questions it, how do you convince her?"

Wang Jiu said, "Good question. So I need you to sign a dating contract with me."

"...What contract?"

"A dating contract. This is a summary of relationship standards based on my observations of human society, especially over the past year since I woke up. Once you imprint your Divine Sense on it, our relationship is officially established."

"...So what?"

Wang Jiu said, "So when Zhao Chenlu sees this contract, she has to acknowledge our relationship."

"No way! Is Zhao Chenlu really that naive? Would she believe in a relationship just because of a contract? Are humans that simple?"

Wang Jiu said, "I am not human, and I take contracts very seriously. I will strive to fulfill the contents stipulated in the contract. Those familiar with me should know this."

Li Chaolu nodded, "That’s right, Mr. Wang Jiu is someone who always keeps his word. How can you not know this and still claim to date him?!"

Shen Qingming considered her words akin to nonsense and ignored her, addressing Wang Jiu instead, "So, are you saying you’ll honor the contract and really date me?"

"Yes, I will strictly comply with the contract’s terms," Wang Jiu said.

Shen Qingming was stunned for a moment, her face blushing (meanwhile, Li Chaolu’s face turned pale), and she said, "Let me see the contract."

Wang Jiu hesitated, initially intending to ask if she could comprehend such a meticulously drafted, complex contract. However, considering that her academic performance in the Inner Sect of the Li Family Mansion was good, he assumed that dedication could make up for average intelligence. With enough time, she should understand the entirety of the contract even with a mild cognitive delay.

"You can take a look first. I’ll come see you tomorrow."

"It won’t take that long!" Shen Qingming, embarrassed and angry, "I’ll read through it all right now and show you!"

Evidence suggests that the public has underestimated Shen Qingming’s intelligence, which is quite unfair. The girl quickly finished reading the entire contract. On one hand, its rigor and practicality made her nod in appreciation; on the other, such a stringent and realistic contract meant that they really had to...

"Do you really have to follow the contract terms?" Shen Qingming couldn’t help but ask.

Wang Jiu said, "Of course."

Shen Qingming swallowed.

This meant Wang Jiu would genuinely have to care for her like a boyfriend, pamper her, love her sincerely, with his every word and action bound by the gentle, detailed clauses...

If it were truly like that, even knowing their relationship was only maintained by a contract, Shen Qingming would still be very happy. Initially, they only had a Master-Servant Contract, and upgrading to a dating relationship was simply too perfect to wish for.

According to the contract, neither side could mock the other for certain shortcomings. So from now on, Wang Jiu had better not tease her intelligence again!

However, the closer to this bright future she got, the more cautious she needed to be, and never be complacent. That Whiteboard Stupid Sword always managed to deliver a fatal strike from an unexpected angle.

This was an important conclusion Shen Qingming reached after nearly a year of cohabiting with the Celestial Sword Spirit.

The problem was, staring at the thick contract, Shen Qingming really couldn’t pinpoint any loopholes in it at the moment.

Where might he make a move? The dietary clause? Order her brain-boosting meals during dates to mock her intelligence? Or the attire clause? Buy her children’s clothes to tease her figure?

After much thought and seeing no obvious solution, Shen Qingming decided to ask directly.

"So, which contract clause do you plan to focus on fulfilling?"

Wang Jiu said, "Mainly the second-to-last Chapter on breach of contract clauses."