When Lin Mo saw that Ning Xuan still insisted on dissolving the contract, even though she clearly knew the assassination attempt had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help but feel wronged and voiced his dissent.

"Lord Contract Master, there was a reason I hid my personal information, and doing so is permitted by Federation law," Lin Mo argued desperately, looking at Ning Xuan. "If you want to abandon me, you need a legitimate reason! Otherwise, I will not consent to dissolving the contract!"

Ning Xuan heard him and glanced at him, then turned to Zhu Hongying. "As I understand it, forced contracts matched by the Core Brain are all traditional. The Contract Master has the right to deal with the Contractor as they see fit. I’m applying to dissolve the contract to set you free. You can go form a reciprocal contract, or you could have a female Spirit Controller marry into your family. Wouldn’t that be better for you?"

Ning Xuan gave Lin Mo a strange look. He was the first person she saw when she arrived in this world. Back then, he was leading a highly disciplined armed unit, exuding the noble arrogance of someone in a high-ranking position. She couldn’t imagine this same man kneeling before her, humbly begging her to withdraw the application to dissolve their contract.

"It’s incredibly rare to find someone with a gene compatibility over 90%. Moreover, you broke through to B-Level in such a short time, which means your bloodline level must be very high. Given time, reaching S-Level won’t be a problem. Besides... I don’t know if it’s because our compatibility is so high, but I have this intense craving to be near you. The closer I get, the stronger the feeling becomes—like a tremor in my very soul! So, being able to form a Contract with you is the best possible choice for me!" Lin Mo fought the urge to reach out and touch Ning Xuan.

A cold sneer touched Ning Xuan’s lips, and Lin Mo’s outstretched hand fell back to his side.

"Miss Ning, Little Mo is a good person, and he comes from a wealthy family. You wouldn’t be at a disadvantage by keeping him," Zhu Hongying said, her tone complex. "If you’re worried he’ll use his family’s influence to disrespect you, there’s really no need. With a compatibility over 90%, once you establish a spiritual connection, he’ll be under your control forever unless you actively sever it! Even if you’re separated for a long time, the spiritual connection won’t fade on its own!"

For a Contractor, an excessively high gene compatibility was a double-edged sword. If they were lucky and their Contract Master was a good person with great potential, the Contractor would naturally enjoy excellent benefits: more efficient spiritual soothing, a more compatible union for relief during their ’fever periods,’ and even a complete resolution to the dangers of mutation and spiritual power rampages. This would grant the Contractor a longer and higher-quality life.

But if they were unlucky, and the Contract Master was tyrannical, lacked potential, or was weak, the Contractor would be dragged down with them. Furthermore, once a spiritual connection was established, it couldn’t be severed to regain freedom, even if the Contract Master was far weaker than the Contractor or if they lived apart. In such a case, the weak Contract Master would be unable to soothe the Contractor, who would very likely die an early death from a spiritual power rampage or an overly high Mutated Value.

With low or average gene compatibility, however, these problems didn’t exist. The spiritual connection would naturally fade away if the pair was separated long enough. Alternatively, even if the connection lingered, it could be overwritten by finding a female Spirit Controller with higher gene compatibility or a higher Spiritual Power Level.

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow at Zhu Hongying’s explanation. Her prior knowledge had only covered contracts under normal circumstances. She hadn’t realized that with a gene compatibility over 90%, establishing a spiritual connection created a permanent, unbreakable bond.

"Fine, we don’t have to dissolve the contract. But I want to establish the spiritual connection in the immediate future," Ning Xuan said. ’Since Lin Mo is so insistent, what do I have to be afraid of?’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Of course. Whenever the Contract Master wishes," Lin Mo answered without the slightest hesitation.

Zhu Hongying looked at Lin Mo, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately held her tongue.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll be unable to raise my Spiritual Power Level any further? After all, advancing gets much harder later on," Ning Xuan said, surprised he had agreed so readily.

"I’m not afraid. I will work hard together with you, my Contract Master," Lin Mo said, his joy evident on his face now that Ning Xuan had relented.

"Ahem," Ning Xuan added. "I’m controlling, ill-tempered, and domineering. I also like to hit people. Are you sure you can handle that?"

"I’m sure. The Contract Master can do anything she wants to me," Lin Mo said, his tone resolute.

"Ah Nan, go get another tea room with him. Have a chat," Ning Xuan said to Chen Nan.

Chen Nan agreed meekly and left with Lin Mo.

"Sister Zhu, you didn’t come here just to vouch for Lin Mo, did you?" Ning Xuan asked, looking at Zhu Hongying.

"Let me guess... I don’t believe you sent someone to kill me, Sister Zhu, and it wasn’t Lin Mo. So, for you to be willing to take the fall... was the one who sent the killer your son, Yun Han?" Ning Xuan speculated.

"No, please don’t make wild guesses, Miss Ning. Yun Han was injured on the battlefield and has been in a coma for over a year," Zhu Hongying said, standing and bowing deeply. "I came to offer you sincere compensation in hopes of earning your forgiveness. I hope you can let bygones be bygones and try to save him."

"Hah. I took a liking to you the moment I met you, Sister Zhu. But you’re not being very sincere with me, are you? You won’t even tell me who the real culprit is," Ning Xuan said with a frown and a sigh.

In the adjacent tea room, Chen Nan and Lin Mo stared at each other in silence. Suddenly, Chen Nan bit his lip, undid a button on his shirt, and started to take it off. Lin Mo froze for a second before grabbing his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Taking off my clothes, of course. How else can I show you my injuries?" Chen Nan said with a faint smile.

"The Contract Master hits really hard! And she has a lot of rules. She’s a picky eater and requires her Contractor to know how to cook. Oh, and she hates any physical contact. That move you made just now? If you touch her without permission, she’ll chop your hand off," Chen Nan said, making a chopping motion.

"I know why you reached out just now. I’m just like you—no, I want to be close to her even more than you do. I want to press against her, to enjoy the intimacy of skin on skin. But do you see me daring to try?" Chen Nan said, his voice full of self-pity.

By then, he had pulled off his shirt. His chest and back were covered in purplish-blue bruises from pinching and scratching. On his shoulder and collarbone were two angry, bruised bite marks. Lin Mo took one look, and his face instantly flushed red. He whipped his head away. "Hurry up and put your clothes on! I may have never served a Contract Master, but I’ve taken the relevant courses. If you’re trying to show off the Contract Master’s ’favor’ toward you, there’s no need! My qualifications are superior to yours in every way. I won’t back down because of a provocation like this!"

Chen Nan froze when he heard Lin Mo’s words. He glanced down at himself, and his face instantly turned bright red. Mortified, he scrambled to put his shirt back on. ’Ning Xuan was a little rough last night, but I wasn’t wearing an Imprisonment Ring. Based on past experience, there shouldn’t have been any marks left!’