Chapter 93: Covenantor (XVI)

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Chapter 93: Covenantor (XVI)

Two months later, once Shang Ke had mostly recovered, Lu Xiufan brought him home and tightened the security around him until there was practically no opening left to exploit.

Shang Ke now had his own dedicated driver, mechanic, tailor, chef, and more. They were responsible for every aspect of his daily life, while Shang Ke was responsible for taking care of Lu Xiufan.

With the Main Mission complete, Shang Ke began shifting his focus toward Covenantors. His Additional Mission was to establish a Covenantor protection system. Such a system had actually existed for a long time, but by now it had largely ceased to function. What Shang Ke needed to do was change the way society viewed Covenantors.

Covenantors varied greatly in ability depending on their education and life experience. Their lack of emotion made them appear stiff and mechanical, almost like copies of one another, but in reality, each possessed a distinct personality. Some were highly articulate, some taciturn, and others cold and incisive. What they shared was an absence of desire and scheming; they simply lived according to established rules and systems, following each step as prescribed.

Another problem occurred to Shang Ke. If Covenantors were hired by terrorists, wouldn’t they become ideal tools for committing crimes? Even if ordered to die, they would not hesitate. The Placement Centers strictly vetted employers, but it was inevitable that one or two dangerous people would slip through the screening.

A casual online search indeed turned up numerous cases involving Covenantor crimes. Once captured, they almost never survived, because their employers commonly issued standing orders to commit suicide immediately if a mission failed.

Shang Ke suspected this was one reason Covenantors struggled to gain social acceptance. They were like double-edged swords: whether they were used for good or evil depended entirely on the character of their employer.

When Lu Xiufan returned to the mansion, the sight before him immediately stopped him short.

More than forty Covenantors stood rigidly upright in the mansion garden. As Lu Xiufan approached, over forty expressionless faces turned toward him in perfect unison. The effect was indescribably… eerie.

Lu Xiufan walked over to Shang Ke. “What are you doing?”

“Having a meeting,” Shang Ke replied.

“Here?”

“Didn’t Sir allow me to make my own arrangements?”

“…” So you decided to turn a dignified royal mansion into the gathering place of an “illegal organization” ? Lu Xiufan looked at him helplessly.

At that moment, Shang Ke called one of the Covenantors over and introduced him. “Sir, his name is Yang Kai. He’s a bodyguard. Whenever I’m unable to drive for you, he can take my place. What do you think?”

Lu Xiufan’s drivers were normally selected from his guards, but to prevent anyone from being threatened or compromised, they were replaced periodically. Having a Covenantor serve as both bodyguard and driver would make everyday travel much more convenient.

Lu Xiufan studied the Covenantor for a while before asking the butler to take him away and test his skills. He had never considered hiring Covenantors before, partly because of their short lifespans and partly because they were too rigid. Shang Ke’s presence, however, had gradually changed his view of them. Shang Ke was exceptionally capable and kind by nature. He followed rules yet remained flexible and resourceful, daring to do what others would not and think of what others never considered.

Lu Xiufan had met many Covenantors, yet not one was as exceptional as Shang Ke. If he was already this outstanding after becoming a Covenantor, then just how dazzling must he have been before?

Every time Lu Xiufan thought about it, his anger toward the Yue Family grew. It was their stupidity that had destroyed the brilliant life Shang Ke should have had.

Over the next few days, Shang Ke recommended not only Covenantor bodyguards but also purchasing staff, gardeners, cleaners, and others. Seven or eight new employees joined the mansion, filling many of its vacancies. The head butler nearly thought he was about to lose his job and hurried to complain to Lu Xiufan about Shang Ke’s “crimes,” declaring that if this continued, the entire mansion would soon be occupied by Covenantors! The result was predictable: Lu Xiufan dismissed him with a single cold snort.

The head butler had worried that too many Covenantors would lower the mansion’s standards, but in fact, their arrival made everything even more orderly. They were disciplined and conscientious, and after standardized training, their conduct and etiquette were impeccable. Their dedication was enough to make even the head butler feel ashamed of himself. The only flaw was probably their extremely limited range of expressions.

Shang Ke had tried to improve that as well. He selected three Covenantors and gave them several pictures of facial expressions to imitate. Unfortunately, although they copied the expressions perfectly, they then kept them completely unchanged. Unless Shang Ke told them to stop, they could probably maintain the same smile until the end of time. Even worse, one of the reference images featured an angry, wide-eyed glare. The resulting sight was simply beyond description.

Shang Ke genuinely had not meant to make fools of them, but it was just… far too funny.

Shang Ke found it funny.

Lu Xiufan found it even funnier.

How exactly does one expressionless person rationally teach a group of other expressionless people to move their facial muscles properly? Little Ze, have you ever considered enriching your own expressions first?

The Covenantors’ expressions remained beyond saving. Instead, it was Lu Xiufan’s own cold, stern face that ended up being transformed.

The incident secretly amused Lu Xiufan for a long time, to the point that everyone around him began experiencing the bizarre impression that spring sunshine had somehow descended upon him.

Shang Ke did not particularly care. The expression training might have failed, but everything else had been successful.

The first step toward improving Covenantors’ status was to gradually integrate them into ordinary people’s lives and workplaces. Lu Xiufan was undoubtedly the best possible advertisement. If he took the lead, many people’s attitudes would inevitably change. Although numerous powerful nobles regarded Lu Xiufan as a terrifying menace, among ordinary citizens he enjoyed tremendous prestige and authority.

Clearly, Shang Ke could not establish a Covenantor protection system by himself. He needed people with genuine political power to formulate rules and put them into practice.

Shang Ke looked at Lu Xiufan. Having a man at his side who could charge into battle when necessary and govern the country when he stepped back was truly convenient.

Having secretly extracted every last bit of Lu Xiufan’s surplus value, Shang Ke decided he absolutely had to repay the favor properly.

That evening, Shang Ke produced a Supplementary Work-Hours Plan and let Lu Xiufan choose from the available services. They included massage (one hour), physical therapy (two hours), musical performance (thirty minutes), cosplay (unlimited duration), and more.

Lu Xiufan looked over the plan without changing expression, though a peculiar light appeared in his eyes.

After a moment, he said calmly, “Then let’s start with a massage today.”

“All right.” Shang Ke helped Lu Xiufan remove his robe and lie facedown on the bed. He applied essential oil, then began working over his body with ten slender fingers.

The clean fragrance of essential oil filled the air. Lu Xiufan, who was habitually vigilant, gradually relaxed beneath Shang Ke’s steady kneading. His eyes closed and his features eased until he resembled a lazy black panther.

When Shang Ke’s fingers moved to the muscles at his waist, he pressed several times and noticed that the previously relaxed muscles had tightened again.

Could Lu Xiufan be ticklish? Shang Ke mischievously kneaded the area back and forth. He had never seen Lu Xiufan laugh out loud before. Could tickling finally break that stoic composure?

Lu Xiufan’s composure did indeed break.

Just not into laughter.

With one sweep of his long arm, Lu Xiufan dragged Shang Ke into his embrace and thrust his hips upward, making Shang Ke clearly feel the erection straining against him.

“There are still thirty-two minutes left in the massage,” Shang Ke reminded him calmly.

“We can count it toward the additional time for sex,” Lu Xiufan replied hoarsely as he nipped and bit at Shang Ke’s neck.

“Sir exceeds the allotted time every time we have sex.” Going overtime required overtime compensation.

“There’s overtime pay.”

Shang Ke: …Since you understand the rules so well, I’ll let it go.

But could you please slow down, be gentler, and show a little elegance?!

Shang Ke’s robe hung loosely from his body, both hands clutching the pillow tightly as one leg was lifted. His body rose and fell rhythmically with every thrust…

This time, they exceeded the allotted period by three hours and fifty-two minutes, changed locations twice, and left the entire room thick with the unmistakable atmosphere of sex.

Shang Ke proved through personal experience that massage and essential oils could greatly increase hormonal activity.

The next day, Shang Ke carefully recorded every minute, determined not to give Lu Xiufan any opportunity to avoid paying what he owed.

Lu Xiufan: …I can give you half my fortune.

Shang Ke: I don’t want money I haven’t earned. I’m just that principled.

Lu Xiufan: “…”

Over the following month, Lu Xiufan tried every single service item with painstaking thoroughness, yet every experience somehow ended by turning into a certain “harmonious exercise.”

By day, they were an expressionless master-and-attendant pair; by night, passionate partners. Their lives settled into a full and cheerful, if unconventional, husband-and-husband routine.

Another year passed. Under Shang Ke’s management, the Yue Family gradually returned to stability, and his work involving Covenantors progressed smoothly as well. Although various incidents occurred along the way, Lu Xiufan’s relentless precautions eliminated most threats before they could fully develop.

With Lu Xiufan unintentionally helping promote the idea, more and more people began accepting Covenantors as employees. But Shang Ke still had no way to ensure that every Covenantor was protected from abuse. He checked his savings and began considering whether he could purchase a Covenantor Placement Center.

He had anonymously approached one of the people in charge to discuss a possible price, but they had absolutely no intention of selling. Covenantors with exceptional abilities or outstanding appearances commanded extremely high hiring fees, from which the Placement Centers received substantial commissions. That did not even include certain black-market transactions, where permanently buying out a Covenantor could easily cost tens of millions. Afterward, the Center would erase that Covenantor’s information, and ordinarily there would be no further trouble. Of course, a dedicated investigation could still uncover traces of what had happened.

If buying one was impossible, then he would simply establish a new Placement Center himself.

There were only ten Covenantor Placement Centers throughout the country, distributed among several major cities and operating as semi-private institutions. All Covenantors listed online remained anonymous, with no photographs provided. Their profiles mainly gave age, general physical characteristics, and personal abilities. Only powerful nobles had the right to access their detailed records.

This system protected Covenantors’ privacy extremely well, but it also made black-market transactions much easier to conceal.

Shang Ke considered such privacy measures necessary, but without strict oversight, many Covenantors’ rights could never be guaranteed. He had no authority over the existing Placement Centers, but in one he established himself, he could implement a genuine supervision system.

At first, Shang Ke had thought he would have to rely on Lu Xiufan to complete the mission. But in reality, if he created a functioning protection system himself, that might be enough to achieve the objective.

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