Heavenly Pact & Blood Sac
"Quick. Make your eternal Heavenly Pact. I am Quhiyn." His cold tone resounded in her ears.
Her eyes sparked open with shock then dropped, half-closed. Filled with intense emotions that ravaged her mind, in the end, she let out a long, hopeless sigh. She couldn't contain her anxious heart at all, she was about to submit everything to a man she tried to harm.
Who knows what kind of fate awaited her? She had many aspirations but now, she didn't know if he would be able to ever fulfill any of them. She hoped there will be chances, maybe if she served him well, he would let her learn. Alas, she realized her fate was sealed and let out a deep breath. Any glimpse of expression faded before a strict expression appeared.
"Promise me first that you won't ever ask or do anything sexual in nature to me against my will in any form. If you try or ask the pact will be broken." She said in a tone that wouldn't budge.
"Heavens as the witness, I promise." Quhiyn said, nonchalant. She waited a few moments before letting out a harsh breath and hardened her heart and curled her fingers into a firm fist.
"Heavens as the witness, I, Shi Ziyi, swear eternal allegiance to Quhiyn." She said with a trembling voice. Tears flowed out of the edges of her lightless eyes, her lips were pressed shut.
"I accept," Quhiyn said, unfazed but inwardly he wondered if the pact was a little too much. Well, that was the consequence of her actions but he didn't plan to treat her badly. He moved his sword away and waited for her to get up.
"Here, take this pill. It will replenish your strength and show me the wound on your neck." Quhiyn had a poker face and a monotone voice. She needed to be at her best to aid him in his fights.
Ziyi was expressionless but figured he would show his true face later on and just followed what he said and revealed her smooth neck, slightly muddy. She flinched a little as he cleaned the wound and wrapped a cloth of herbs.
"Tell me if it hurts later on," Quhiyn said.
She nodded and followed him till they reached the Blood Snake. Quhiyn needed to at least know why she attacked before they could hunt together.
"Why did you attack me?" He asked, sharply looking at her.
She took a step back. Her heart became tight. Was she about to be hurt? She gathered her courage and explained, "I only wanted to get the Blood Snake. I thought I could defeat you or at least you would retreat without the Blood Snake."
"What's so special about the Blood Snake?" Quhiyn asked, surprised by the simple reason.
"There is a special material, known as the Blood Sac, it contains a small colorless orb that can strengthen me if enough is taken." She said. Even though she hid her face and tone well, Quhiyn picked up the sorrow in her tone and expression.
"Mm. You could have just asked me for it nicely," He lightly said.
"What, Really? You would have given it to me if I had asked nicely?" Ziyi repeated, unable to comprehend his words that were a little too good to be true. Who would in their right mind give their hard-earned hunt to a random passerby? She had seen him fight.
Ziyi was shocked speechless. Even if that was the case, she rarely saw or even heard anyone give out any item they won't use. They would rather destroy it than let someone else prosper with it. This was the mindset she grew up seeing.
"Can I please get the orb from the Blood Snake, young master?" She said in a gentle, pleading tone. She wanted to see for herself. Would he give her the orb? Or was he just airing empty words?
Quhiyn was a bit surprised seeing that much expression, genuine at that. Her eyes were big and filled with a craving, eyebrows were crowded in the middle.
"Go ahead," He said, relaxed and arms crossed.
Ziyi ran toward the Blood Snake and started looking. It didn't take her even a minute before she snatched the orb out. It had a solid blood color, round and smaller than her palm. She stood up and blinked at him. He really was letting her keep it.
"Young Master?"
"Mm?" Quhiyn wondered why she was this hesitant when he had clearly told her.
"Are you sure?" Ziyi said in a nervous voice. At first, she thought he would use this as a reason to punish her but there were no signs of that yet.
"No, I want you to keep the whole Blood Snake," Quhiyn added. Any specific uses didn't come to his mind. Ziyi just stared at him with wide eyes.
"I am serious. Stop hesitating." Quhiyn said and stepped closer to her. They had to dismantle the Blood Snake.
"Thank you, Young Master but I don't have anything to give you in return," Ziyi said with her head low. Her expectations shattered and her heart was overwhelmed with gratefulness. She was embarrassed about her previous thoughts which still lurked but not in her focus.
"Don't worry about that. Take it as a gift from me. If you are strong, I am strong too. " Quhiyn reassured. She nodded.
"Now, is your living quarters nearby? We will have to store it somewhere." Quhiyn said, pointing toward the Blood-Snake.
"Um, we can use Storage Rings for that?" Ziyi said in a confused tone. It was the most common method of storing items.
"What is a Storage Ring?" Quhiyn asked, staring at her now brighter eyes. She was a little confused by that question. Almost everyone had a storage ring.
"Young Master, it's a special ring with room for storing all sorts of items other than living. The amount of storage depends on the grade of the ring. Doesn't young master have one?" Ziyi showed her Storage Ring before the neat explanation. Her voice was calm.
"No, I don't but it sounds useful," Quhiyn said, wondering how people even made them. This tiny item could hold such a large item. It was baffling.
"Here, young master. Take this." She said, handing him a Storage Ring.
"Isn't this expensive?" Quhiyn said, rubbing the cold ring.
"Take it as a small gift from me," Ziyi said, using his reason on him. Quhiyn showed a faint smile and nodded. She herself felt energetic seeing his relaxed, gentle attitude. The smile only added on top of it, making her feel the oath wasn't that terrifying but she still wanted to see more of him and learn about him.