Chapter 184: Weakened Version of the Immortal Pet Contract

"When our people return the young master to the North Star Tundra, the clan will send ten more rock wolves to join the army."

"Huh?" He Yue was taken aback. "Why does this sound familiar?" He whispered to his brother, "Is it talking about an immortal pet contract?"

Although his voice was low, the wolf demon Lu Xin, with his excellent hearing, was greatly displeased. "It's not an immortal pet contract! Rock wolves are never pets!"

"Alright, alright." Seeing them bristling, He Chunhua quickly interjected to calm them. "This agreement is good."

While still agitated, Lu Xin added another condition: "Also, each wolf must eat at least seven jin of good meat every day."

"That's not a problem." It's just about providing food, isn't it? Is the army afraid of big eaters? He Chunhua went to the market boy's cart, took out paper and pen, wrote down the contract in duplicate, signed it himself, and then brought it back for the wolf demon to review.

Lu Xin found another old wolf to review it, repeatedly confirming the content was correct—though it was only two sentences to begin with—before pressing a paw print onto the contract.

Thus, the contract was formed.

As the strange person in the sky had already departed, the were-wolf gradually became peaceful. The pack of wolves approached, nuzzling heads and sniffing tails. It was unclear how they communicated, but the were-wolf licked them a few times.

One wolf, from somewhere unknown, produced a blood-red spherical object, resembling a lantern, and fed it to the were-wolf. After consuming it, the were-wolf's eyes gradually brightened, and it began to wag its tail, becoming more affectionate towards the pack.

So Lu Xin asked He Chunhua to retract the Silk Net of Heavenly Snares, and the wolf pack escorted the were-wolf down the mountain. They intended to escort the young master out of the Shiheng territory before dawn, to keep him away from the strange person.

Lu Xin and another wolf, Lu Jin, stayed behind as agreed.

As for how to transport the were-wolf back to the North Star Tundra, that was an internal matter for the Rock Wolf clan, and the humans did not inquire further.

Seeing that the situation was stable, the guards of Lumingyuan bid farewell and returned to the mountain.

Ke Jihai's and the He family's carriages were both damaged, so they had to ride horses down the mountain. The captive wounded by He Yue had not died. After his wounds were simply treated, he was interrogated on the spot.

It was unclear whether the man lacked fortitude or if Ke Jihai's methods were brutal, but in any case, he quickly confessed, admitting that he and his companions were pawns left in Shiheng City by Xunzhou Governor Nian Zanli. The masked man who controlled the strange demonic beast, referred to respectfully as Mr. Dong, was an assassin hired with a large sum by the Grand Marshal.

Ke Jihai and He Chunhua were common enemies to both sides. Upon learning they were both attending the Zhu family's night banquet, Mr. Dong decided to eliminate them all at once.

"This man is truly arrogant!" Ke Jihai laughed, incensed. "He dares to assassinate royal officials protected by vital energy, and he thinks he can kill two at once!"

"Mr. Dong is very powerful. I heard he has killed many officials."

He Chunhua interjected, asking, "Why did you wait until his were-wolf was captured by me before rushing out?"

"We didn't dare come out earlier," the man replied with a wry smile. "Mr. Dong's pet beasts are fierce and bloodthirsty. When enraged, they even kill their allies and cannot cooperate with humans during battle. There were originally ten of us, but unfortunately, one unlucky person had his head bitten off and eaten by that demon ape a few days ago."

Next, Ke Jihai pressed for more information, such as how many rebel remnants remained in Shiheng and the capital, where they were hiding, and who their contacts were. However, this man's status was not high, so he knew very few internal details.

Fortunately, he still knew where his leading superior lived and what his name was.

With this information, Ke Jihai bid farewell to the He family: "Lord He, we shall meet again. We will likely see each other soon, either on the battlefield or in the imperial court."

He Chunhua cupped his fists in return: "I wish General Ke success in defeating the enemy and triumphing everywhere on the battlefield!"

"Triumph everywhere, indeed!" Ke Jihai laughed heartily, then said to He Lingchuan, "Young man, I'm becoming more and more optimistic about you. Let's have a drink sometime."

He Lingchuan nodded: "Alright, I'll prepare good wine for the general."

Ke Jihai then departed with the captive, traveling under the stars and moon to rush back to the capital.

It was conceivable that the capital would undergo another dramatic change tomorrow, and it was unknown how many heads would roll.

The wolf demon Lu Xin stayed behind. The wolf pack had tracked Dong Rui to this point, gathering a lot of information along the way, which they could now explain to the humans. Of course, He Lingchuan also assured him that if he stayed, there would be meat to eat.

"We like venison; mutton is also acceptable." They had just arrived at Lumingyuan and encountered many sika deer, so fat they could barely run. If only they weren't worried about alarming the humans...

The hungry wolves began to drool. In the northern lands, venison and rock sheep meat were top-grade delicacies, beloved by every wolf.

"No problem. As long as you answer all questions, there will be plenty of tender mutton tomorrow morning."

The most pressing question for everyone was the identity of the masked man, Dong Rui.

"Have you ever heard of a 'Demon Puppeteer'?"

The He family, of course, shook their heads.

"Is it a Beast Tamer?"

"No, it's a Demon Puppeteer. This title is unique to Dong Rui alone."

Beast Tamers are also a type of spellcaster; they are numerous, and their defining characteristic is, of course, fighting with tamed beasts. But no Beast Tamer's demon pet is as strange as Dong Rui's.

"He rarely appears in the Yuan Kingdom, so you know very little about him. This man unscrupulously captures powerful demons, subjecting them to cruel and unimaginable modifications and soul-refining, turning them into puppets to be used for killing!" For the sake of meat, Lu Xin indeed explained with utmost patience. "To my knowledge, he has committed atrocities in at least seven kingdoms, from high officials to commoners, and even many famous spellcasters have died by his hand."

"That demon ape was the son of the Beijia Kingdom's Left Imperial Guard General. We heard he was only fifteen when Dong Rui abducted him. For over a decade, the Beijia Kingdom has sought revenge on Dong Rui, but he is extremely vigilant and slips away at the slightest sign of trouble."

"So, that demon ape is less than thirty years old?" He Yue asked, surprised. "Demons generally have long lifespans, and their cultivation progresses slowly. Its strength and size make it look at least three or four hundred years old."

"That is Dong Rui's capability. It's said that when he was drunk, he once boasted that while being pursued by enemies, he fell into an ancient immortal's cave and secret realm, where he learned the arts of refining and taming beasts. He then further developed these skills, integrating the characteristics of various demon beasts to create monsters like the demon ape, even able to increase their cultivation by hundreds of years out of thin air. However, the cost is that the process is extremely painful, and the modified demons lose their sanity, becoming violent and highly unstable, often falling into a frenzy. It's unknown what methods Dong Rui uses to make these demon puppets obey his commands."

"How many demon puppets does Dong Rui still have?"

"We heard there were usually three, but now that the young master has returned, it's two," Lu Xin pondered. "However, no one knows if Dong Rui has any other demon puppets."

"That captive just said Dong Rui was invited by Dong Haoming with a large sum of money."

"Money won't hire him," Lu Xin shook his head. "Only precious materials can persuade him."

He Lingchuan had another unanswered question: "During the previous battle, the demon ape was already suppressed by General Ke's vital energy, so how did it suddenly surge with power and manifest two heads and four arms?"

Lu Xin admitted he didn't know: "By all accounts, a demon ape shouldn't be able to transform into that form. We don't know what Dong Rui did during the modification process. Our young master also... underwent some strange changes."

Demons cannot transform into human form unless their original appearance is similar to humans, like apes or monkeys. The Rock Wolf clan was deeply shocked that Lu Ze was transformed into a were-wolf after his modification.

"To our knowledge, multiple nations have issued bounties for Dong Rui, dead or alive. Naturally, the reward for capturing him alive would be exceptionally generous."

He Lingchuan chuckled: "The fact that his demon puppets can contend with vital energy is a secret everyone wants to investigate."

This mystery had far-reaching implications, yet Dong Rui, with a high bounty on his head, continued to commit crimes freely, remaining at large.

"Dong Rui returned empty-handed from this trip, with two of his three demon puppets injured and one lost. He will definitely seek an opportunity to retaliate against you."

He Lingchuan flashed a smile at the wolf demon: "What's this 'you' and 'us'? From now on, we're all on the same side."

Finally, they descended the mountain.

The He family returned to the inn, first settling Madam Ying. Ling Guang, the medicinal ape, actively came to tend to He Lingchuan's injuries. Only then did the father and two sons retire for a private discussion.

He Lingchuan had wanted to ask for a long time: "Tell me about immortal pet contracts." He had heard of them before but had never delved deeply into the subject.

He Yue smiled: "Didn't Uncle Hao raise a hawk demon named Little Grey? That was his bird pet, bound by a contract."

At this point, He Lingchuan also found it strange. "How odd, why have I never kept a demon as a pet?"

He increasingly felt that his original self, who seemed to have everything his way in Blackwater City, was actually nothing special.

He just had some money and could act arrogantly towards ordinary villagers.

"Hardly anyone in Blackwater City keeps demon pets." In rural areas, demons are much fiercer than humans.

"You have the chance now." For better cooperation in the future, a one-on-one alliance between humans and wolves would be necessary. "The rock wolves will choose their partners themselves."

Next, He Yue enlightened his brother.

It turned out that whether one was a Beast Tamer or an ordinary cultivator keeping a demon, the prerequisite was an immortal pet contract.

This was not a modern invention, but rather a creation of ancient immortals, who subdued powerful demon beasts and then used the power of contracts to bind and control them. Later, as immortals gradually disappeared, this method remained.

Of course, the immortal pet contract has evolved into many versions over time. Dong Rui's method for controlling his demon puppets must be closer to the original version, where the master is strong and the pet is weak. In contrast, the "alliance" proposed by the Rock Wolf clan is a weaker variant of the immortal pet contract, where demons and humans have no subordinate relationship, maintaining equal status. It only retains the most crucial rule of the immortal pet contract:

Contract partners cannot harm each other, and under certain specific conditions, they can also share external damage. For example, this version of the alliance stipulates that if contract partners are less than ten zhang apart, either the human or the wolf can activate the "Shared Fate" special effect, transferring half of the damage to their contract partner for twenty breaths.

Additionally, He Chunhua had heard that rock wolves were most famous for their endurance talent. If a contract partner was in the same space as a rock wolf, they could likely share this characteristic.

It made sense; wolves could run for ten hours straight to pursue prey, so their endurance was naturally outstanding.

"So 'endurance' just means good stamina, right?" He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together excitedly. "This is good, this is good! Can it be used anytime?!"

For instance...?