"One... two... three!"
The Contract Gamble Fiend counted quietly while staring intently into Xia Tianqiong's eyes, subtly manipulating his consciousness to make him choose 'paper' while it chose 'scissors.'
As the count of three ended, both acted simultaneously.
One chose scissors, but the other chose not paper, but rock.
"This is impossible!"
The fiend's face twisted in disbelief. "How could you choose rock? I made you choose paper!"
"It wasn't me," Xia Tianqiong replied with a smug smile.
Suddenly, a head emerged from his shoulder, "I controlled the master's body and chose rock for him. Welcome to the club, brother!"
The Delivery Fiend greeted mischievously, as if seeing its past self.
"Ah!"
Song Shiqiao screamed and fled the room in terror.
She suspected this young man was another fiend and staying might be dangerous.
The Contract Gamble Fiend, pointing incredulously at Xia Tianqiong, stammered, "You must know my fiendish art?"
Xia Tianqiong nodded, "Indeed, I knew your art could influence consciousness, so for the final round, I let the fiend within me act on my behalf. It knew you would choose scissors and thus chose rock."
"This can't be!"
The fiend roared, its face contorted, "It's my first time in the human world; how could you know my art?"
Xia Tianqiong beckoned, "It doesn't matter now. A wager is a wager. Hand over the 386 years of life."
"My entire essence can only convert that much lifespan. If I give it all to you, I'll dissipate," the fiend protested.
Xia Tianqiong, arms crossed and confident, said, "If you don't want to die, sign a contract with me!"
Contractual power surpasses the rule's force; only through a contract can the rule be broken.
The fiend hesitated, "Very well, I shall sign an equal contract."
Xia Tianqiong sneered, "You misunderstand. You are on the verge of death. I'm saving you, so it's a master-servant contract!"
"Damn humans, you've schemed against me from the start."
"Indeed. Is it fair for you to harm others but not for others to harm you?"
As they spoke, the force of the rule wrapped around the fiend in the mirror, tearing at its body as punishment.
"I can extend human lifespans, something you all deeply value. You wouldn't let me die!" the fiend declared, its resolve firm despite the tearing.
Xia Tianqiong frowned; it had a point.
With a lifespan-extending fiend, one could stay young forever, a human's ultimate wish. He couldn't let it die.
Just as he was about to concede, the Delivery Fiend spoke again, "Brother, stop struggling. The master knows forbidden arts and doesn't care about your life. See these gold coins? They're from a fiend like us, converted using its nether force."
The Delivery Fiend's words were clearly manipulative.
Xia Tianqiong, inspired, pulled out an unconverted paper ingot and held it to the mirror.
The Contract Gamble Fiend, torn by the rule's force, saw its nether force drawn to the ingot.
"It's true! The forbidden art!"
The fiend's eyes sparkled. No gambler could resist money, not even a gambling fiend.
The Delivery Fiend continued, "Brother, you're not the only one who can extend life. The master has plenty of money. Sign the contract, or he'll let you dissipate and convert your force into coins for me. Look at me, I signed a master-servant contract and got to eat over a hundred taels of gold!"
Xia Tianqiong, maintaining a cold exterior, inwardly praised the Delivery Fiend's persuasive skills.
As the gold ingot grew, the fiend in the mirror faded.
"Fine, I will sign the master-servant contract!"
The fiend, after much hesitation, surrendered. Having such a master wasn't bad; at least it wouldn't lack nether coins.
Xia Tianqiong glanced at the Delivery Fiend on his shoulder and fed it the now fist-sized gold ingot.
Communicating telepathically, he praised, "Well done. You'll get nether coins daily."
The Delivery Fiend swallowed the gold with a grin, "Thank you, master. It's all due to your charm; I merely played a minor role."
What a sycophantic fiend!
Xia Tianqiong chuckled inwardly as he successfully signed the master-servant contract with the gambling fiend.
The fiend belonged to the Mirror Fiend tribe, a unique species.
Lacking a physical form and fixed appearance, it could mimic anyone or anything it saw.
Its most unique trait was its inability to inhabit humans, only mirrors or similar objects.
So, Xia Tianqiong shattered the bathroom mirror, selected a shard for the fiend to inhabit, and carried it with him.
Using the fiend's arts required the mirror.
It had three arts: "Mirror Immobilization," which temporarily immobilized a target's legs when reflected in a mirror, limited to one target at a time; "Rock-Paper-Scissors," a mostly useless art that influenced an opponent's consciousness during the game; and "Lifespan Transfer," converting its nether force into human lifespan, akin to the Delivery Fiend's "Nether Delivery," a self-damaging art.
This was what Xia Tianqiong valued most.
Now, he could stay eighteen forever and possibly achieve immortality.
"Master," the fiend stammered, adapting to its new role, "there are many of my kind nearby. Would you like to conquer more?"
"Oh? You can lead me to them?"
Xia Tianqiong's interest piqued.
The Mirror Fiend tribe was vast, and he recalled the highly coveted Mirror Space Fiend, second only to the gambling fiend in popularity, capable of creating a mirror space for storage or living, essentially a portable dimension.
Such a contract would make carrying large amounts of gold much easier.
The fiend continued, "I can trick them into coming."
"Trick" was the perfect word, indicating it intended to deceive its kin.
"Excellent! Here's fifty taels of gold. Every fiend you bring, another fifty taels."
Xia Tianqiong, in high spirits, hadn't expected this additional benefit.
The Mirror Fiends were known for their unity; this one's betrayal was unprecedented.
"Brother, you're truly a talented fiend!"
The Delivery Fiend begrudgingly complimented.
It felt a sense of urgency, fearing a new rival for favor.
Ignoring Song Shiqiao's flight, Xia Tianqiong took out his phone and dialed a number from a business card.
The phone rang twice before being answered.
"Ms. Song, where's my billion?"