Zhou Kai’s mind raced.

No. It wasn’t a sudden confession.

During the earlier battle, Uncle Sun must have been lurking in the shadows, witnessing firsthand how they had slaughtered the Fu family guards.

He had been observing. Testing. Checking for any connection to the Fu family.

Only after confirming that Zhou Kai and Chen Ziyi were ruthless enough—and held no love for the Fu clan—did he choose to reveal himself.

Now, kneeling to entrust his master’s sister, laying out his secrets… it wasn’t just desperation. It was coercion.

He was using the Lin family’s array inheritance as a carrot, and his own life as the stick. Uncle Sun had likely prepared a failsafe—perhaps a lethal Killing Array hidden beneath their feet. If Zhou Kai showed the slightest hesitation or ill intent toward Lin Zhiwei (Su Qingzhu), the old man wouldn’t hesitate to detonate everything, taking them all to hell.

Chen Ziyi was clearly moved by Uncle Sun’s plight. Her eyes were wide, and she looked ready to agree immediately.

But she knew her place. Such a life-altering decision belonged to her husband. She remained silent, her small hand tugging gently at Zhou Kai’s sleeve, her eyes pleading.

Zhou Kai looked at the kneeling old man.

To be honest, he was interested in Su Qingzhu—or Lin Zhiwei, as she was truly named.

A Qi Condensation Great Perfection cultivator. An Array Master. A delicate, tragic beauty. Adding her to his harem would be a massive win.

However, Zhou Kai hated being manipulated. Uncle Sun’s approach, while seemingly pathetic, was a masterclass in emotional blackmail.

But looking at the situation… this was a golden opportunity wrapped in a threat.

He stepped forward and gripped Uncle Sun’s arm, pulling him up.

“Please rise, Uncle Sun,” Zhou Kai said calmly, his voice betraying neither joy nor anger. “My wife and I agree to this matter. Since you have laid everything out so completely, it shows your trust. However, I wonder what exactly this ‘care’ you speak of entails? What specifically do you require us to do?”

Hearing the agreement, Uncle Sun bowed deeply again, his aged back trembling.

“Thank you for your great kindness, Young Friend Zhou and Young Friend Chen!” Uncle Sun said, his voice thick with emotion. “After my Young Master and I pass away, please look after my Young Lady for twenty years.”

“During these twenty years, protect her safety with all your might. Shield her from her enemies. Ensure that my Young Lady successfully reaches Foundation Establishment!”

Zhou Kai let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Twenty years. Foundation Establishment.

That was it? He wasn’t being asked to storm the Fu family stronghold or assassinate a Golden Core Elder?

Twenty years was nothing to a cultivator. If Lin Zhiwei became his woman, he’d protect her for two hundred years, let alone twenty. As for Foundation Establishment… with his System and “Deep Interactions,” bottlenecks were non-existent.

In his view, these conditions weren’t harsh—they were a bargain.

The slight displeasure in his heart vanished, replaced by the thrill of a steal.

“Alright,” Zhou Kai said decisively. “I accept all your conditions.”

Chen Ziyi let out a sigh of relief, the tension leaving her shoulders.

“Then please sign a Spirit Contract with me as a pledge,” Uncle Sun added immediately.

Sign a Spirit Contract?

Zhou Kai’s eyes narrowed. The old fox wasn’t done yet.

Agreeing verbally was one thing; binding his soul was another. A Spirit Contract was no joke.

But meeting Uncle Sun’s resolute gaze—the look of a man who had already staked his life—Zhou Kai knew this was the bottom line. This was the only way the old servant could die in peace.

“Only a Life Contract,” Zhou Kai stated firmly. “No Death Contract.”

In the cultivation world, contracts were serious business.

A Death Contract was slavery. Breach it, and your soul shattered. Your Dao Foundation crumbled. It was often one-sided and cruel.

A Life Contract was a mutual agreement, binding but flexible, based on honor and specific terms rather than absolute servitude.

“Naturally, a Life Contract,” Uncle Sun nodded.

He produced a yellow talisman paper, the surface glowing with flowing golden runes. Faint ripples of Spirit Qi emanated from it.

Following the instructions, Zhou Kai and Chen Ziyi wrote the agreed terms onto the parchment.

Zhou Kai scrutinized every character. He checked for linguistic traps, hidden clauses, and double meanings. Only after confirming it was clean did he exchange a nod with Chen Ziyi.

They bit their fingertips. Two drops of crimson Essence Blood fell onto the paper. Uncle Sun added his own.

Flash!

The talisman erupted in dazzling light. It dissolved into three streaks of golden energy that shot into their chests, settling around their hearts.

The contract was sealed.

Uncle Sun slumped visibly, as if an invisible mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked toward the center of the lake, his eyes filled with a complex mix of relief and sorrow.

“My Young Lady…” Uncle Sun whispered. “She is not weak-willed… but tragedy has made her fragile. She has lived in isolation, dependent on her brother and this old servant. She lacks the ruthlessness to survive alone.”

He turned back to Zhou Kai. “I have… perhaps half a year left. I cannot hold on much longer. I must go ahead to follow my Patriarch, to give an account in the underworld.”

He unhooked a plain grey Storage Bag from his waist and pressed it into Zhou Kai’s hands.

“Inside are the resources for our transaction. The Lin family’s ancestral array manuals. Spirit Stones. Magical instruments. And resources for my Young Lady’s cultivation. Please… take them.”

His voice grew steely. “If I do not die… my Young Lady… I fear she will never truly follow you. She will cling to the past.”

Zhou Kai took the heavy bag. Before he could check the contents, Uncle Sun moved.

It happened in a blur.

The old man spun around, snatching the large blade dropped by the dead burly guard. There was zero hesitation in his eyes.

SHUNK!

He drove the blade fiercely into his own chest.

“Uncle Sun!”

“No!”

Zhou Kai and Chen Ziyi lunged forward, but it was too late.

The blade pierced through ribs, lung, and heart. Blood gushed out like a fountain, dyeing his grey robes crimson.

Uncle Sun’s body shuddered violently. The light faded rapidly from his eyes, but a faint, relieved smile touched the corners of his mouth.

He remained standing for a moment, swaying. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Zhou Kai leaned in, catching only fragments of a dying breath.

“…Young Lady… Young Friend Zhou… Ziyi… please…”

The old man collapsed.

Chen Ziyi stared at the corpse, her face pale, tears welling in her eyes.

She knelt beside him and gently closed his eyelids. “Uncle Sun… rest assured. Go peacefully.”

“Husband,” she whispered, her voice choking. “Let us bury him properly.”

Zhou Kai stood there, looking down at the bloody scene. The Storage Bag in his hand felt incredibly heavy.

Bury him?

No. Not yet.

“Ziyi, there’s no hurry to bury him,” Zhou Kai said, his voice devoid of emotion.

He bent down and lifted Uncle Sun’s corpse. With a wave of his hand, he collected the bodies of the two Fu family guards as well.

“We take all three bodies back.”

His eyes were cold, calculating.

“We wait until Su… until Lin Zhiwei emerges from seclusion. Then we tell her everything.”