Chapter 129: The Unequal Soul Contract

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: The Unequal Soul Contract

"..."

’It’s true what they say; there’s rarely such a thing as love and affection without reason in this world.’ Gu Nuan Nuan felt a sense of relief at getting an answer, but it was immediately followed by a new worry. "Even if you can follow me when I reincarnate, how can you guarantee that I’ll still have a single Wood Spirit Root in my next life, or the life after that? What if in my next life, or the one after that, I become a mortal with no Spirit Root at all?"

"Master has already signed a Soul Contract with Cao Cao. As long as Cao Cao’s Companion Space exists, it can naturally guarantee that Master will continue to have a single Wood Spirit Root in the future." Cao Cao said proudly, then added in a smaller voice, "But there’s a downside to this. From now on, whenever Master reincarnates, your Spirit Root will always be a single Wood Spirit Root; there will be no possibility of having any other type. Compared to Cultivators with other elemental Spirit Roots, a Wood Spirit Root Cultivator’s self-preservation abilities are a bit weaker. That’s why not all Cultivators are willing to be limited to only a single Wood Spirit Root forever."

’Her Plant Pet was surprisingly honest.’ ’Still, even with the downside, it was obvious that if the ability of Cao Cao’s species were ever to become widely known, it would be more likely to drive people into a frenzy. To be guaranteed a Spirit Root—a single Wood Spirit Root, at that—even after reincarnation... what kind of idiot would turn their nose up at a temptation like that?’

’If everyone knew, probably no one would be generous enough to leave this Plant Pet to their descendants.’

At this thought, Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Cao Cao, do your inherited memories say whether many of your kind have signed Soul Contracts with humans?"

"Not that many, I think. You could count the number of currently existing masters on the fingers of one hand."

"Why aren’t you willing to tell your masters that your species has such a heaven-defying ability? Isn’t it a good thing for you? Don’t you continue to grow every time your master reincarnates?"

"Because there are many examples of Plant Pets with Soul Contracts being abandoned by their original masters." Cao Cao’s branches drooped, its tone dejected. "If a Plant Pet only signs a normal master-servant contract with a master, then even if things go wrong, they are at most bound for a single lifetime. The relationship is still fundamentally equal. Aside from being unable to harm or betray the master during the contract period, they can still decide whether to hold things back from their master. But it’s completely different once a Soul Contract is signed. At that point, the Plant Pet becomes entirely dependent on the master for its survival and has to constantly worry about being disliked and abandoned."

"What happens if you’re abandoned?"

"Complete withering and death." Cao Cao’s leaves drooped pitifully. "A Plant Pet with a Soul Contract, no matter how powerful it has grown, will have all its energy absorbed by its original master the moment it’s abandoned. The only thing left for it is to wither away and die completely."

"Are there no examples of an original master abandoning a Plant Pet but not absorbing its energy?"

"Impossible. Even if the original master doesn’t actively absorb it, the moment the contract is broken, the Plant Pet’s energy will still automatically transfer to the original master until the Plant Pet’s life force is completely extinguished."

"No wonder."

Gu Nuan Nuan was lost in thought. ’It’s just like someone raising a pet until it’s strong and useful, only to decide it’s worthless and discard it, burning the bridge behind them and leaving it with nothing. At the end of the day, how is that any different from some of the scumbags in the Mortal World?’

She was reminded of her scumbag father’s actions in her past life, and a wave of anger washed over her. ’I will never become a person like him.’ Seeing Cao Cao’s anxiety, she was overcome with a feeling of pity and impulsively blurted out, "Don’t worry. Now that I know abandoning you means taking your life, I could never bring myself to do something like that. Besides, you’re worrying for nothing. Although I have a single Wood Spirit Root in this life, this isn’t the Cultivation World. There’s no Spiritual Energy and no Cultivation Methods. I’ll probably just live this life peacefully as a mortal. To me, you’re already very useful as you are now. How could I ever bear to abandon you?"

"Really? Master, do you really promise to never, ever abandon Cao Cao?" Cao Cao suddenly started to tremble all over, its voice shaking. "Master, do you know that once you make such a promise, you will bear a heavy karmic burden if you ever fail to keep it?"

"I would do it even without the promise. That’s just a basic moral standard for being a decent person. Now that I’ve promised, you can finally rest easy, right?" Gu Nuan Nuan smiled and gently scraped a finger against Cao Cao’s main stalk.

"WAAH WAAH, Master..."

Cao Cao burst into tears. This time, it wasn’t just thunder without rain. Droplets of Plant Essence rolled down its main stalk, one after another. When they reached the bottom, they’d roll right back up onto the leaves without a single drop being wasted. Soon, every one of Cao Cao’s leaves was brimming with Plant Essence. The sight was so comically delightful that Gu Nuan Nuan had to hold back a laugh. "Hurry up and stop crying! Didn’t you say you were running out of energy?"

"SOB SOB, Master, Cao Cao was just so moved." Cao Cao immediately stopped its flow of Plant Essence, mainly because its leaves couldn’t hold any more and it couldn’t bear to waste it. As it spoke, it subconsciously tried to wave its leaves, but then it remembered they were covered in rolling droplets of Plant Essence and froze, staying perfectly still.

"Master, we need a jade container. That’s the only way to store Plant Essence without its energy dissipating."

"How am I supposed to get a jade container right now?" Seeing Cao Cao’s restrained and awkward posture, Gu Nuan Nuan laughed wickedly. "Serves you right. Who told you to act so recklessly without thinking?"

"Aww, Master is making fun of Cao Cao." Cao Cao swayed its main stalk coquettishly. For a second there, it almost tried to cover its stalk with its leaves again. Gu Nuan Nuan laughed even louder. By now, she could gradually sense the extraordinary affection Cao Cao held for her.

"Master, actually, it’s not entirely impossible for you to cultivate. Cao Cao’s inherited memories contain a top-tier Cultivation Method that’s perfect for a single Wood Spirit Root. If we can find even a single Spirit Vein—even one that isn’t that rich in Spiritual Energy—or a spirit stone mine in the future, Master can achieve Foundation Establishment and begin Cultivation."

"Huh? But I thought Blue Star was devoid of Spiritual Energy and had no Cultivators? How could there possibly be Spirit Veins and spirit stone mines here?"

"Actually, Spirit Veins and spirit stone mines can appear anywhere, even in the Mortal World where there’s no Spiritual Energy. They’re just not as common as in the Cultivation World, and even when they are found, most of them are severely lacking in Spiritual Energy and Spirit Stones."