Chapter One Hundred: The Heart-Linked Enchantment Art

Lin Xiaobao’s words shattered all of Yun Keke’s fantasies to pieces. In the end, he still wanted her to sign a master-and-servant pact with him. Refuse? Judging from Lin Xiaobao’s attitude, if she refused, he would not make things difficult for her. But...

“I am not forcing you. If you sign a master-and-servant pact with me, I will not restrain your freedom in any way. I would only need you to help me when I need it.” After saying this, Lin Xiaobao suddenly realized that his words seemed to carry another layer of meaning, and he quickly added, “I mean by using heart-linking sorcery!”

At this moment, Yun Keke was in an extreme conflict. The item she carried on her person concerned the future of the Yun clan, and even the entire Charm tribe. If she could not return, then everything would be in vain. And yet, at the cost of becoming a servant—and the servant of this youth whose thoughts were so filthy—if one day he...

“If the will is not nurtured, the spirit will not be firm; if the spirit is not firm, thought will not reach; if thought does not reach, the will is not genuine. Knowledge of kinds lies in exhaustion; when there is doubt, use heart skills. Without the heart’s art, there must surely be obstruction...” Seeing Yun Keke hesitate, Lin Xiaobao recited a mnemonic taught to him by Old Mo.

“The Heart-Linking Charm Formula?” Yun Keke stared at Lin Xiaobao with even greater astonishment than when he had first revealed her background. “The Heart-Linking Charm Formula was long ago lost among the Charm tribe. How could you possibly know it? Could it be that you are also from the Charm tribe?”

“If I were from the Charm tribe, then I wouldn’t need to sign a master-and-servant pact with you, would I?” Seeing her expression, Lin Xiaobao added fuel to the fire. “If you become my servant, then you will be able to obtain the complete Heart-Linking Charm Formula.”

“Fine! I agree!” Yun Keke’s lack of even the slightest hesitation left Lin Xiaobao somewhat unable to adjust.

“Don’t be surprised. The Heart-Linking Charm Formula is the highest secret art of the Charm tribe. It can maximally awaken the bloodline of the Charm tribe and make the cultivation of heart-linking sorcery advance at a rocket’s pace. It’s just like if you took out a supreme cultivation art now, plenty of cultivators would still be willing to follow behind you and curry favor,” Old Mo said to the dumbfounded Lin Xiaobao. “What are you standing there for? Sign the contract with this little girl first. You’ll find the benefits later!”

With their abilities, the two elders naturally looked down on having Charm tribe servants, so they had not mentioned this matter before. It was only when Yun Keke was bargaining with Lin Xiaobao that they realized the current Lin Xiaobao needed such a servant. But this fellow had turned and walked away with such ease that it nearly drove the two elders mad. Of course, they did not think at all that this was because they had failed to tell Lin Xiaobao about it.

Still, at this moment, Old Mo seemed to feel a little embarrassed and deliberately reminded Lin Xiaobao.

Yun Keke spread her arms wide, shut her eyes, and, with tightly furrowed brows, forced a bead of blood from between her eyebrows and slowly sent it drifting toward Lin Xiaobao.

Under the instruction of the two elders, Lin Xiaobao had long since learned the process of signing the pact. He did not evade it and let the bead of blood enter his body through the center of his forehead.

Instantly, Lin Xiaobao felt a special connection arise between himself and Yun Keke. With only a single thought, Yun Keke could even die on the spot.

And Lin Xiaobao did not go back on his word. Following that peculiar thread of thought between them, he immediately transmitted the entire set of the Heart-Linking Charm Formula into Yun Keke’s mind.

“It really is the Heart-Linking Charm Formula!” Yun Keke’s eyes shone brightly, as though she felt not the slightest displeasure at becoming Lin Xiaobao’s servant. “Who exactly are you? How can you possess a charm art that the Charm tribe has already lost?”

Although Yun Keke had signed the master-and-servant pact with Lin Xiaobao, her thinking remained very much her own. The pact merely ensured that she would never harbor the intention to harm Lin Xiaobao, and that whenever Lin Xiaobao’s orders conflicted with her own thoughts, she would obey his requirements unconditionally. At all other times, she was no different from how she had been before signing the pact.

“That is not something you need to ask!” Lin Xiaobao naturally could not tell Yun Keke that for a secret scripture of this level, the two elders likely had no idea how many they had tucked away. Although Lin Xiaobao still did not know their origins, from all their conduct it was clear that the two elders were indeed formidable figures—at least they had been once.

After that, Lin Xiaobao did not hurry on the road. Using the bonfire that had not yet gone out, he began chatting with Yun Keke. He had always been curious about the thing Yun Keke had obtained; before, he had only thought it had nothing to do with him and there was no need to ask. But now that Yun Keke had become his servant, Lin Xiaobao naturally had the right to know everything.

Through their conversation, Lin Xiaobao learned that the Yun clan seemed to have found a way to break through the Charm tribe’s inability to cultivate, and this breakthrough appeared in Yun Keke’s elder brother, Yun Yuefei.

As a member of the Charm tribe, the Yun clan had not been swallowed by the river of history because their ancestors had some connection with the demon race. The complicated details were something Yun Keke herself could not explain clearly. She only knew that the current Yun clan was, more precisely speaking, the descendants of both the demon race and the Charm tribe. Moreover, the demon bloodline and the Charm bloodline in her elder brother Yun Yuefei had seemingly awakened at the same time. He not only possessed the Charm tribe’s heart-linking sorcery, but could also cultivate. By now, he had already reached the peak of the ninth stage of the Spirit Path.

However, because his cultivation had surged too violently, the demon bloodline could no longer be suppressed, and three years ago he had already been bedridden. Yun Keke’s trip was precisely to bring back a demon inner core to suppress his demon bloodline.

As for why the weak Yun Keke was sent to complete such a dangerous task, Lin Xiaobao had little interest in finding out. Instead, he was filled with curiosity about the demon race itself.

Yun Keke then explained at once: “Nowadays everyone knows that spirit beasts of the first to third tier are equivalent to cultivators in the Spirit Path realm; spirit beasts of the fourth to sixth tier are equivalent to cultivators in the Dao Heart realm; spirit beasts of the seventh to ninth tier are equivalent to cultivators in the Spirit Embryo realm. Above that, sacred beasts are equivalent to cultivators in the Dao Body Dharma Form realm. Once a sacred beast breaks through again, its strength is equal to a cultivator in the Fusion Dao realm, and it can also transform into human form. At that point it can no longer be called a beast; it is called a demon.”

By the time the sky began to pale, Lin Xiaobao had gained a preliminary understanding of the Yun clan and of everything now within Bloodwind City. According to his analysis, although the Yun clan was descended from the Charm tribe, those clan members who had not inherited the Charm tribe bloodline could also cultivate. Overall, their strength was no weaker than the Snowstorm Pavilion’s—in fact, it was stronger.

Of course, that was only in comparison with the Snowstorm Pavilion that Lin Xiaobao had seen. As for how much hidden power the Snowstorm Pavilion still possessed, Lin Xiaobao’s standing there was far too low to glimpse it.

“Let’s set out.” Lin Xiaobao did not immediately begin ordering Yun Keke around after signing the master-and-servant pact. As he put it, he was a good man from the twenty-first century, and he still needed to retain a bit of gentlemanly grace.

Yun Keke found this very acceptable as well. Although she could not refuse Lin Xiaobao no matter what attitude he used, nor was she able to refuse, Lin Xiaobao’s current demeanor was undoubtedly the one she found easiest to accept.