The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a rough knocking sound, like a Dwarf War Hammer striking an Anvil, startled A Mi and Xiao Ye awake from their light sleep.
“Get up, you two lazy bums! The sun is already high, how long are you going to sleep?! Get out here for training!”
Old Stubborn Stone’s characteristic hoarse and irritable shout, still thick with the remnants of a hangover, pierced through the door.
The two dared not delay, quickly tidied themselves up, and arrived at the training clearing in front of the villa.
The chill of the early morning had not entirely dissipated, yet Old Stubborn Stone was already waiting there with his arms crossed, his expression sourer than the day before, as if the entire World owed him a large barrel of Mead.
He first scrutinized A Mi with his bloodshot, bell-like eyes, his brow furrowed into a knot.
“Kid, what Race are you? Why can’t I sense it?”
he asked gruffly, as the subtle perception of the Elf Race was not his strong suit.
A Mi calmly replied, “The System determined it as Unknown.”
“Unknown?” Old Stubborn Stone paused, then seemed to realize something, confirming with disbelief, “Then are you a Contracted Spirit?”
“Yes,” A Mi nodded.
This affirmative answer was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg. Old Stubborn Stone instantly exploded!
His flushed face snapped towards the somewhat bewildered Xiao Ye beside him, spittle nearly flying onto her face, unleashing a thunderous barrage of roaring:
“You! What kind of Spirit Master are you?! Huh?! You actually let your Contracted Spirit rest in the same room as you?!
Don’t you know that a Contracted Spirit should be recalled to the Contract Space for nurturing when not in combat or on alert?!
This is the most basic common sense! The most fundamental rule! Is your head filled with Straw?!”
Xiao Ye trembled from his sudden outburst, instinctively taking half a step back, her lips quivering. She wanted to explain but couldn't utter a single word.
In truth, this wasn't a grave offense; many close Spirit Masters and Contracted Spirits shared rooms, especially in safe environments.
But Old Stubborn Stone clearly didn't see it that way.
“You think this is nothing?!” he continued to roar, his voice shaking the surrounding leaves, “I’m telling you! This is an issue of attitude! An issue of discipline!
What if you get lucky later and acquire a second, a third Contracted Spirit?!
Are you going to stuff them all into your room too? Is your little shack supposed to be a hotel?! Huh?!
If you don't even grasp this most basic concept of energy management and space, what kind of Spirit Master are you?! Go home and play with mud!”
Xiao Ye tightly pursed her lips, her eyes instantly reddening, filling with tears of grievance, but she desperately held them back, clenching so hard her jaw trembled slightly, managing not to let a single tear fall.
Seeing that she managed to hold back her tears, Old Stubborn Stone unexpectedly raised one of his thick eyebrows, and his violent scolding paused slightly.
“...Fine, you have some backbone, not immediately shedding golden beans for me. Seems you aren't completely hopeless!”
He dropped the issue and moved on to the day’s “main course”—physical training.
“Now, run laps around this Training Ground for me! Don’t stop until I say so! Eat after you finish! Begin!” He pointed at the sizable gravel area and issued the cold command.
A Mi glanced worriedly at Xiao Ye, who took a deep breath, forced her legs to move, and began running laps following A Mi.
However, prolonged malnutrition and a life of ostracization had left Xiao Ye’s physique far weaker than others her age.
Even though she pushed herself to the limit, gritting her teeth to persevere, by the fourth lap, her lungs burned as if on fire, and her legs felt as heavy as lead.
Xiao Ye’s vision darkened intermittently, and finally, she couldn't hold on, stumbling and collapsing onto the ground, gasping violently, lacking the Strength to even stand up.
...Logically speaking, running four laps was actually quite average for someone her age.
But this scene reignited Old Stubborn Stone’s Wrath.
“Trash! Only four laps! Four laps!”
He charged over like a furious lion, pointing at the collapsed Xiao Ye, cursing her with spittle flying.
“Your stamina is worse than an old Goblin woman! When the enemy attacks, are you planning to use that body of yours to reason with them?!
Or are you hoping your Contracted Spirit will carry you away?! How can you fulfill the duties of a Guard like this?! The Moon Shadow Family recruits Guards, not charity wards for sickly weaklings!”
“Enough!” A Mi suddenly stepped forward, blocking Old Stubborn Stone’s roar, and said in a deep voice, “Instructor, Xiao Ye has been living poorly and never received proper development or exercise! It’s not her fault!”
“Not her fault?!” Old Stubborn Stone acted as if he had heard the greatest joke, his voice rising even higher.
“Then is it my fault?! Does this World care how you lived before?
Will the enemy show mercy because you are pitiful?!
These are not excuses! If you want to survive here, if you want to bear responsibility, you must show corresponding ability!
If you can’t, you deserve to be scolded! Deserve to be eliminated!
Crying? What use is crying! Can tears make you run faster or soften the enemy’s heart?!”
His Rapid-fire speech, like icy needles, pierced Xiao Ye’s already fragile spirit, sentence by sentence.
She finally couldn't hold back anymore; the tears she had been suppressing burst forth like a broken dam.
She curled up on the ground, burying her face in her knees, her small shoulders shaking violently from suppressed sobs, emitting small, desperate whimpers.
Seeing her cry, Old Stubborn Stone showed no sign of softening; instead, he cursed even more fiercely, his words becoming sharper and crueler, as if trying to completely tear away her last shred of dignity.
The training, originally planned to last half a day, ended abruptly amidst Xiao Ye’s uncontrollable weeping and Old Stubborn Stone’s relentless scolding.
After glaring fiercely at the Xiao Ye on the ground one last time and throwing out, “Useless thing, think about it yourself!”, Old Stubborn Stone angrily strode away from the Training Ground without looking back, leaving A Mi to silently help up the nearly exhausted Xiao Ye.
At noon, the atmosphere in the dining hall reserved for the mansion’s Guards was somewhat heavy.
Xiao Ye kept her head down, mechanically pushing the food in her bowl with her spoon. Her eyes were still swollen red like two peaches, clearly showing the deep shadow left by the morning’s training and reprimand.
A Mi sat beside her, eating in silence, glancing at her worriedly from time to time.
Just then, a tall Shadow fell over their dining table.
Old Stubborn Stone, carrying a meal tray larger than his face, sat down opposite them with a loud clatter.
He first glanced at Xiao Ye’s pitiful appearance, let out a cold snort of ambiguous meaning from his nose, but did not resume the morning’s scolding.
Surprisingly, he picked up his own fork and, with rough yet precise movements, speared several large, sizzling pieces of roast meat, several large scoops of well-stewed vegetables, and even a large potato that looked very filling, from his plate piled high like a small mountain.
With a few "thuds," almost as if smashing them, he piled them unceremoniously into Xiao Ye’s bowl, which was less than one-third full, instantly turning it into a overflowing "small mountain."
“What are you looking at?!”
Old Stubborn Stone glared and roared at the slightly stunned Xiao Ye.
“Eat all of this for me! Don’t leave a single drop of soup! Did you hear me?! With that small body of yours, how can you gain Strength and train if you don’t eat more? Can you get stronger just by breathing the air?!”
His voice remained loud and piercing, carrying an unquestionable command.
Xiao Ye flinched at his roar, looked at the sudden "mountain of food" before her, then at Old Stubborn Stone’s fierce expression, and dared not refuse.
She had no choice but to pick up her spoon and start shoveling food into her mouth with large bites, her cheeks quickly puffing out like a hamster’s.
Because she was eating quickly, and her emotions hadn't settled, she occasionally choked or couldn't help but sniffle, her eyes threatening to turn red again.
“No crying!” Old Stubborn Stone immediately bellowed again, like a clap of thunder, “If you’re eating, eat properly! Can tears be eaten?! Swallow it down for me!”
Xiao Ye shuddered from the fright, quickly forced the food in her mouth down, blinked desperately to push back the welling tears, and buried her head to eat harder.
Watching Xiao Ye struggle to swallow, Old Stubborn Stone grabbed the large wooden mug beside him and gulped down several large mouthfuls of Mead, the strong smell of alcohol once again permeating the air.
He wiped his beard, which was smeared with foam, with his thick arm; it seemed the alcohol slightly eased the tension in his face.
He glanced sideways at the two young people opposite him and spoke in a muffled voice, his tone still gruff, but the content was no longer purely scolding:
“Hmph, don’t think I’m targeting you two, deliberately looking for trouble.”
He let out an alcoholic burp and continued, “Let me tell you, the Spirit Master and the Contracted Spirit are bound together! The moment the Contract is formed, the Spirit Master’s ceiling has already been broken!”
He took another swig of alcohol before roughly explaining under the slightly confused gazes of A Mi and Xiao Ye.
“The Strength of the Contract is bidirectional! The Spirit Master supplies the foundation and Strength for the Contracted Spirit’s existence, and in return, the existence of the Contracted Spirit subtly feeds back and elevates the Spirit Master’s own Life level and potential ceiling!
According to records from those ancient relics of history, a Spirit Master with decent aptitude and a deep bond with their Contracted Spirit can have their physical functions and energy capacity reach a maximum level equivalent to about Level 20 of an ordinary Contracted Spirit!”
This news stunned both A Mi and Xiao Ye; Xiao Ye, in particular, slowed her chewing.
“What are you stopping for, eat!!!” he scolded Xiao Ye again.
“So!” Old Stubborn Stone heavily knocked his knuckles on the table for emphasis, “Don’t think getting stronger is only your Contracted Spirit boy’s business! You, little girl, must also train desperately for me!
The stronger your body becomes, the more Contract feedback you can withstand, and only then can the overall Strength of your combination increase!
Otherwise, even if he reaches a high level, if you are too weak, it’s like a small horse pulling a large cart—problems will arise sooner or later!
By then, forget guarding the Family; it will be a question of whether you two can survive dangerous missions!”
He glared at the diligently eating Xiao Ye: “Do you understand?! Starting today, train like your life depends on it! Eat like your life depends on it! Make yourself sturdy! Stop looking like you’ll blow over in the slightest breeze—it just irritates me!”
After saying this, he ignored the two and began devouring the real mountain of food in front of him like a whirlwind, his chewing sounding like grinding millstones.
Xiao Ye and A Mi exchanged glances, seeing realization and a hint of gravity in each other's eyes.
It turned out that the Spirit Master was not merely the Contracted Spirit’s “commander” or “energy source”; they also needed to grow themselves.
Xiao Ye looked at the food piled high in her bowl, then at the Dwarf Instructor opposite her—who, despite being fierce, had words carrying a strange form of concern—and nodded silently, once again forcefully and firmly stuffing a large bite of food into her mouth.
She knew the road ahead was still difficult, but at least the direction was clearer now.
She had to become stronger, for herself, and for Mr. A Mi.