Chapter 121: Returning Home (Bonus Chapter)

Staring at the word "Slave" on the parchment, Ji Linmo frowned, finding it exceptionally jarring. A lingering sense of unease coiled around his heart. It felt as though signing this contract would truly seal his fate, leaving no room for retreat.

"Mr. Ji, what are you hesitating for? Could it be that you don't dare to sign?"

Qin Feng’s voice was eerie. He stood behind the man, leaning in slowly, pressing down on the back of the hand holding the pen and lifting it up.

"Oh~ Mr. Ji, surely you aren't shaking so much from fear that you can't sign your name? Mr. Ji, you really are something; you're a grown man, yet you can't even keep your word."

Facing Qin Feng’s mockery, Ji Linmo remained expressionless. He cast one final glance at Qin Feng and lowered his voice.

"Qin Feng, before I sign, I need a guarantee. You must promise that this contract concerns only the two of us. You must never involve anyone else just to force me to ask for your help."

Qin Feng grasped the underlying meaning of Ji Linmo’s words and smiled, casting his gaze toward the distance.

"Mr. Ji, are you saying you're worried I might harm that Liu Xiaoxiao to coerce you? Goodness, Mr. Ji, you break my heart. How could you think of me so maliciously?"

Ji Linmo continued to stare at him, his expression cold and unyielding. Qin Feng had no choice but to shrug helplessly. He was still smiling, but his eyes were unfathomably deep, heavy as the abyss of the sea.

"Fine, fine, Mr. Ji. To set your mind at ease, I will add this restriction to the contract. But before that, Mr. Ji, you must let me choose one more item from your inventory."

Ji Linmo was surprised by this request. Though his unease grew, he opened his inventory and allowed Qin Feng to pick. This time, without the slightest hesitation, the youth took Ji Linmo’s B-rank item: "Ready-to-Eat Bagged Rabbit Meat."

"That's it?" Ji Linmo frowned. Rabbit meat that reduced mental corruption was hardly a precious item.

"Yes, that’s it, Mr. Ji~"

A golden light flashed across the parchment, adding a line of text: "Party A promises never to threaten Party B into requesting help by using the safety of others as leverage."

Ji Linmo no longer hesitated and signed his name on the parchment.

***

The moment he signed, the parchment glowed with gold and vanished instantly.

[Notification: Contract finalized!]
[Both parties are unable to violate the written contract; violators will face mandatory punishment from the other party.]

"I'll drive on the way back."

Ji Linmo felt a chill down his spine. Without looking at Qin Feng again, he headed out of the park on his own. He did not know that the youth behind him was staring at his retreating back with burning intensity.

"Hooked... finally... finally, you are mine!"

"Mr. Ji... Mr. Ji~ Ji Linmo~"

Qin Feng covered his face with his hands, muttering like a madman. Beneath his palms, the youth could no longer suppress his grin. He laughed in a deeply twisted manner, his eyes glowing a vibrant, blood-red.

"Hmph, hmph~"

When they got into the car, Ji Linmo clearly sensed that Qin Feng was in an excellent mood. The youth sat comfortably in the passenger seat, humming a tune he didn't recognize. Although puzzled, Ji Linmo didn't dwell on it, given that the contract had just been signed.

Throughout the journey, Ji Linmo drove fast, reaching home safely just after seven in the morning. Once they arrived, Qin Feng went upstairs to his room. The man headed to the kitchen to prepare something.

"As expected... not only the structure of this house, but even the placement of the items is exactly the same."

Ji Linmo crouched down and pulled two bottles of high-proof, potent liquor from a hidden spot on the lower shelf. Today, his primary task was to find a way to get his parents drunk so he could steal his sister's corpse and bury it. After all, the text message from his "sister" had specifically requested a proper burial. To ensure everything went smoothly, Ji Linmo had sought his "mother’s" permission before heading to the kitchen to prepare a few dishes.

*Dong, dong, dong—*

When the clock struck eight in the evening, the grandfather clock on the first floor chimed rapidly. The dishes, fragrant and appetizing, were already set on the table.

"Honey, come downstairs for dinner. Our eldest son cooked for us tonight!"

His "mother," who still had bandages on her body from the previous night's struggle, took a bite of the five dishes and soup Ji Linmo had prepared, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Good child... this lamb chop tastes wonderful. You've really grown up!"

Ji Linmo smiled; he wasn't surprised by his "mother's" reaction. After all, he had been cooking for himself since he was young and was quite skilled in the kitchen.

"Cooking? Why on earth are you cooking?"

His "father" descended the stairs with a dark face and cold words. "The medicinal human we had in our grasp ran away last night—wasn't that because of a few useless things?"

His mother’s expression turned awkward, but she wiped away her tears, handed his father a pair of chopsticks, and signaled for him to stop. His father had unwound the bandages around his throat; someone had stabbed him there the previous night, leaving a gaping hole. Even though food and drink leaked out of the bloody wound every time he took a bite, he couldn't stop eating. Still, he glared at Ji Linmo.

"What kind of slop is this? It looks like dog shit! If you put that effort into your real duties, the medicinal human wouldn't have escaped!"

"Dad, it's all my fault. That’s why I cooked this meal to apologize."

Ji Linmo smiled and opened the liquor, pouring a glass for both his "father" and "mother." The rich aroma of the spirits made his "father" instantly ravenous. He reached out, blocked the bloody hole in his throat with his hand, and drank heartily.

"Not bad! Good wine, truly good wine! Fill it up!"

Ji Linmo kept pouring for his parents until both bottles were empty. Watching his father, who was becoming disoriented, and his mother, whose cheeks were flushed with intoxication, Ji Linmo lowered his gaze.

It seemed to be working; they were definitely getting drunk.

"Dad, Mom, you're drunk. Let me help you to your room."

Ji Linmo put on a concerned facade and helped the two of them to their room. Afterward, he crouched by the door, waiting silently. Only when he heard the rhythmic sound of snoring did he return to his own room. Grabbing the rope and tools he had prepared, he slipped outside and climbed back up to his parents' room from the exterior.

"..."

In the darkness, Ji Linmo held his breath, confirmed one last time that his parents were asleep, and climbed into the attic via a ladder. The attic reeked of rot. Ji Linmo carefully opened the wooden barrel, frowned, and packed his sister's corpse—which had already begun to seep oily fluids—into a burlap sack.