Chapter 156: Chapter 109: Are You Crazy? How Could You Terminate the Contract with a Target Again?

Ming Ye lowered his head, looking intently at the woman before him.

He had only been gone for a moment, yet the red patch on her face had vanished. Now, her face was so beautiful it seemed unreal, her skin as smooth as polished jade, utterly without a flaw.

But what did that matter? None of it had anything to do with him.

Even after hearing her words, which were filled with concern, he remained completely unmoved. His expression was as dark as ever.

"There’s no need. I can handle it myself. If you really want to help me, you’d be better off terminating our contract!"

Hearing this, Fu Yuan and Si Xie whipped their heads toward him. But where Fu Yuan was utterly stunned, Si Xie was ecstatic.

’This is great, just great! That guy wants to terminate the contract. That’s one less competitor! This is really something to celebrate.’ Si Xie beamed, and even the chicken soup in his mouth seemed to taste more delicious.

If he weren’t concerned about Jiang Yunnuan’s feelings, he would have applauded right then and there.

"You want to terminate the contract?"

Jiang Yunnuan stared at him, stunned, a flash of panic in her eyes.

’Damn it, haven’t I been treating him well enough? Why does he still want to terminate the contract?’

’If our contract is terminated, what will happen to my mission?’

’And the farm... don’t tell me it’s going to be locked again?’

’Aaaah! What do I do? Can this still be salvaged?!’

Si Xie: "..."

’That’s right, her mission...’

The thought of those bizarre, unseemly missions she had—the ones requiring her to raise the affinity of Beastmen—made him grit his teeth.

’What the hell is that stupid system, anyway? Why is it forcing her to curry favor with so many Beastmen?’

’Isn’t he enough for her?’

’I’ll work really hard to become stronger!’

Just as he was seething with anger, Ming Ye’s cold, emotionless, and incredibly firm voice cut through the air.

"That’s right. The three-month mark isn’t far off anyway. Let’s terminate the contract early. I’ll be grateful to you."

Si Xie’s eyes shifted to Jiang Yunnuan. He saw her fingers clench unconsciously. He hadn’t expected her to agree, but to his surprise, she gave a firm nod.

"Alright. Since you want to terminate the contract, I’ll agree. Go wash up, change your clothes, and eat first. After you’re done eating, I’ll terminate the contract with you."

The three men were utterly astonished to hear this.

Fu Yuan looked at Ming Ye, trying to read his expression, but he was quickly disappointed.

Ming Ye’s expression hadn’t changed at all; the only difference was that his deep purple eyes seemed even more profound.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Thank you for the kind offer," he said in a low voice, "but I’ll skip the meal. Let’s terminate the contract now. I’m in a hurry!"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’I can see he’s really in a rush to cut ties with me.’

A part of her was indignant, but mostly she just felt defeated and helpless. She had worked so hard for so long, and in the end, it was all for nothing.

"So be it. Let’s terminate the contract now."

She closed her eyes, activated the contract seal within her, and sent him the request for Contract Termination.

He accepted almost without a moment’s hesitation.

CRACK!

The special, life-linking bond between them was completely severed.

Once again, Jiang Yunnuan received a "marriage failure" message and an evaluation form from the Empire’s marriage system.

[Ding! Contract terminated. Affinity progress reset to zero. The host will be punished.]

[Punishment: All powers will be sealed. While sealed, the host will be unable to use Healing, Purification, Mystic Technique, or any other powers. Punishment Duration: To be determined. Condition to End Punishment: Form a contract with a new target, or raise a current mission target’s affinity to one hundred.]

[Aaaaaah! Host, are you crazy?! Why did you terminate the contract with another target?]

[You started with four targets, and now, thanks to you, there are only two left! I brought you here to win them over, not to break contracts with them! Are you messing with me on purpose?!]

The system was having a meltdown. Its voice was so sharp and shrill it gave Jiang Yunnuan a splitting headache.

"I wasn’t even looking for you, but you just had to show up. Heh. Let me ask you, why are my own powers being sealed? What gives you the right?"

"I earned those powers through my own damn hard Cultivation! They’re not some cheat you gave me! What right do you have to seal them? I’ve never seen such a brainless, pig-headed system in my life!!!"

Si Xie: "????"

’Her powers are sealed?’

’What’s going on?’

’What the hell is that stupid system trying to do?’

[That’s not it, Host! The punishments are random; it has nothing to do with me! But who told you to terminate the contract with a target?]

[Just look at you! You’ve been slogging away for two months, and you haven’t contracted a single new target. Instead, you’ve lost two! Is that any way to do a mission?]

"Oh, so it’s *my* fault? He wanted to terminate the contract. Was I supposed to shamelessly force him to stay against his will?"

"Don’t forget, I’m here to raise their affinity, not their animosity. His Blackening Value is already sky-high. If I had forced him to stay, his affinity would have dropped into the negatives, not to mention he might have tried to kill me!"

’Risking my life for a mission clearly wasn’t worth it.’

’Anyway, I have plenty of other targets, and I haven’t even finished winning over the ones I have now. It’s fine if he wants out. I’ll deal with him later.’

’At least this way I can preserve what’s left of his affinity and, more importantly, my own life.’

"Jiang Yunnuan, thank you for agreeing to the Contract Termination. If I..."

Ming Ye’s voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. Jiang Yunnuan snapped back to reality and looked at him. He paused, then his tone shifted as he let out a faint laugh.

"Heh... never mind. I’m leaving now. Take care of yourself." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

With that, he turned to leave. Seeing him go, Jiang Yunnuan quickly grabbed his arm.

"Wait—"

"What is it?"

He stopped and turned his head to look at her. She frowned.

"You’re leaving right now? Aren’t you going to pack your things?"

"No. There’s nothing worth packing."

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

Seeing his empty hands, she felt a pang of guilt.

She pulled Beast Souls, Immortal Fruits, many bottles of well water, and all sorts of Crystal Cores from her storage space. She even had the system exchange points for long-lasting jerky and canned goods, packing everything into a large box for him.

"Fine, don’t pack then. It’s not like you have anything valuable in your room anyway. Think of this as a parting gift. Take it all. And if you ever run into trouble, remember you can come to us for help."

’We’ve already terminated the contract, and here I am, still chasing after him, showering him with resources and kindness. I feel like such a simp.’

’Well, a simp is a simp. I just hope I can get some kind of emotional response from him... and that he doesn’t go and form a contract with someone else after this.’

Staring at the large box, which had been packed to the brim, Ming Ye felt a warmth spread through his chest. An unfamiliar sting pricked at his deep-set eyes.

He suddenly reached out and pulled Jiang Yunnuan into a hug.

Instantly, a gaze as sharp as a blade swept over them, a look that promised death by a thousand cuts. But he didn’t care.

"Jiang Yunnuan, thank you!"

Jiang Yunnuan froze for a second before gently wrapping her arms around him in return.

"You don’t have to thank me. Just staying alive and well is the best way to repay me. Take care of yourself after you leave. I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, but I believe you’ll get through it. You can do it!"