Chapter 10

"Meow, open the door."

He hadn't even slept for long when the door was knocked on.

"Who is it?"

Lu Ping'an was somewhat annoyed. He had just lain down not long ago and was still trying to catch up on his sleep.

"It's me. Your green onions, the scallion pancake is here."

Lu Ping'an was startled awake, his back drenched in sweat.

Green onions? Does she know what I think about her? Or does she have some advanced mind-reading technique? This world of 1998 doesn't even have the term 'green onions'!

Lu Ping'an silently opened the door, only to be greeted by a certain girl's ingratiating smile, there to buff him.

She held a bag of breakfast and smiled.

"Didn't you have breakfast yet? I brought some for you on my way."

She looked very pleased, even a bit smug.

Yesterday, she got some supplements from her brother, and now she could afford breakfast again! Human breakfast!

Lu Ping'an sighed in relief, glad not to encounter the second toxic穿越者 (穿越者 means '穿越者', a term for someone who has traveled through time or dimensions, often used in Chinese web novels). He opened the door.

"Let's eat together. I still have some milk and bread here."

"No, cookies are better. I need to save my stomach... cough, no need, I've already eaten. Besides, you know milk doesn't suit me, meow."

This time, the girl took the initiative to hold her little paw and waved her small fist in a beckoning cat style.

Some things are hard to hide. Since they might be working together for a long time, it's better to be honest.

"Anyway, he probably saw through it yesterday, meow. He seems honest enough, shouldn't be a bad person, right?"

The girl's white cat ears also appeared, twitching along with her little tail, making her look even more lively and cute.

"Oh, even lactose intolerance in cats? Interesting, what about catnip?"

The boy asked casually.

The girl froze instantly, her tail standing straight up, and her ears bristling.

Her eyes were full of caution, the look a girl gives a suspected criminal.

"The last one who tried to add catnip to my food is still in the hospital!"

Quite merciful, didn't kill him?

At this moment, Lu Ping'an was even more determined to hide his 'true' self.

No wonder people say 'special abilities' are the biggest secret. Shuiyun, as a therianthrope, naturally exposes additional weaknesses just by being known for her abilities.

"It's not a big deal, just a few more things she can't eat. Her sense of smell should be good, so she won't fall for it easily... but what if it's made into a spray? Or placed in the bathroom water? Interesting, I want to see."

His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, but Lu Ping'an smiled very friendly.

He ignored her warning and planned when he would have time to visit a pet store to get some materials.

"...By the way, I have a big cat at home, want to try? Forget it, she just looks like a cat. This kind of thing isn't even an insult, besides, I need to be a bit nicer to her lately."

He sat at the dining table in the living room, enjoying the breakfast brought to him.

The door to the other room remained closed, and Xia Qin still hadn't come home.

"Looks like she's working overtime to the point of madness."

He was eating the scallion pancake, while the girl kept circling the table, unable to stop, wanting to say something but holding back, her tail wagging uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright, let's get to business. Did you bring the stuff?"

Lu Ping'an put down his chopsticks, his mouth still oily.

"I brought it, it was expensive, can you share the cost?"

The girl looked miserable, trying to renegotiate the previous agreement.

"Then forget it, we don't have to do the deal..."

"Slam!"

A stack of contracts was slammed on the table, and the girl flipped through them angrily.

"Got it from a familiar binder, he gave me a discount of 300. The confidential content is the details of our abilities. If the contract is violated, there will be a red warning for a year. If there's no problem, sign it."

Binders, or contract masters, are a branch of the scholar path, a quite practical second-tier practitioner.

Their ability can turn 'verbal contracts' into 'contracts with some binding power.'

Lu Ping'an flipped through it, ensuring there were no hidden contents, and signed it in a few quick strokes.

Red warning? Any use of supernatural abilities comes with a price.

The price of this 'contract' is shared by the contract maker and the signer.

He could have used a powerful contract like 'death for breaking the oath,' but he would also have to bear the cost of cursing someone to death.

That level of contract is definitely not something a poor girl like Shuiyun could afford.

The so-called 'red warning' is the lowest-cost, most severe breach warning, tested by time.

"The contract period is one year, and the punishment period for breaking the oath is also one year. If the contract is violated, the word 'traitor' will appear on your face in red, and it can't be hidden. If you don't want to be socially dead, keep each other's information confidential."

Since the power of the contract also comes from the signer, it's hard to wash off the curse, even if it's just a painless red mark.

In the world of secret keepers, who value credit and promises, the cost of becoming a liar is almost social death... it would make everyone around you reconsider their attitude towards you.

The seemingly harmless red warning contract is actually more effective than low-level curses, at least before the social order collapses.

The idea of signing a confidentiality contract was Lu Ping'an's. He had a lot of secrets, and the more he used his abilities, the more he risked leaking information. He needed to mitigate the risk in advance.

Of course, he had no experience with this. The suggestion came from Chris.

Chris definitely had her own motives, but after careful consideration, Lu Ping'an determined it should be harmless, so he decided to adopt it... after that case, her attitude became much friendlier.

The contract specified 'information about both parties' abilities,' meaning that even if Lu Ping'an revealed new abilities, the other party would have to keep them confidential for a year... implying the possibility of deeper cooperation.

Lu Ping'an had a plan, a grand plan that could theoretically be mutually beneficial, needing a few tool cats... cough, trustworthy teammates.

The little girl didn't think that far. She was just heartbroken by the extra expenses of the contract.

She thought this man was so fussy, not trusting her, and her affection for him dropped... drop!

The worst part was that she had to pay extra, and he wouldn't share the contract cost! Not letting her embezzle a bit.

Yes, that's right, embezzle a bit. This was two contracts, not one.

The Lei siblings' contract was paid for by her brother, Lei Huoren. If Lu Ping'an had been willing to share the cost, it would have gone to someone else, no need to elaborate.

Looking at the pouting little girl, Lu Ping'an had some additional thoughts.

"Looks like you're short on money?"

"......Isn't it your fault?"

"You don't have to, I don't lack people."

Lei Shuiyun looked at him, grinding her teeth silently, then forced a smile.

"You're overthinking it, Senior Brother. I've always been grateful to you, meow. It's just that I'm really short on money right now."

"That's good. I have a purchase list. Can you help me? 300 yuan for the errand."

"300?! So good, meow? Just an errand?"

Lei Shuiyun took the list, flipped through it, and saw things she had never heard of.

"Snow Mountain Bitter Flower, male and female on the same plant, seeds of white mandrake, roots of Ant Paradise Wood... huh? These seem to be demonic plants. Are you planning to make demonic potions? Or are you taking the gardener path? Isn't that the logistics path..."

Faced with the girl's questions, Lu Ping'an just smiled and didn't answer.

This time, Lei Shuiyun blushed, lowered her head, and apologized.

Not investigating the other party's information is the most fundamental rule of secret keepers, let alone probing their abilities and paths.

Even with a purchase list, unless it's clearly prohibited, experienced people wouldn't ask, clearly Lei Shuiyun wasn't mature enough.

"Shouldn't be hard to get by this morning. They're not rare items, your brother should have the channels. I'm restricted from going out, otherwise I would have done it myself."

There was no reason to refuse. An errand for money.

But just as Lei Shuiyun was about to leave with the list, Lu Ping'an stopped her, remembering something.

"Wait, I forgot something important... okay, go quickly and come back soon."

"Catnip!!"

Seeing the last three words added, Lei Shuiyun's cute little face instantly twisted.

She meowed in anger, her teeth grinding, glaring at the delighted Lu Ping'an... but she instinctively sensed that whatever she said, he would be even more pleased.

For such a jerk, ignoring him might be the best choice. In the end, she forced out a sentence.

"...I'll be quick."

She stormed out, and from the force of her closing the door and the sound of her footsteps going down the stairs, she was clearly very angry.

"Ha, putting a spray bottle on the table, a bottle of water, she'll be suspicious... next time at the gym, I'll bring her a drink, buy some expensive sports drinks, see if she can bear to throw them away."

After completing his daily task (bullying the little cat), Lu Ping'an focused on the main task.

"According to the plan, through the little cat, I've spread the news that I'm taking the logistics gardener path. Now, it's time for the pleasant harvest."

It was already past nine, another 24 hours had passed, and it was time for the pleasant harvest of green onions.

The system had just started the settlement, and he was stunned.

[Obtained a small amount of insight into the Black Iron-level curse 'Spider Walk,' current progress 11/100.]

"Damn, no wonder the little cat endured so much. She became a true practitioner in one night? The awakened curse wasn't 'Earth Shrink'?"