All Things Are Contracts

Baizhi felt uncomfortable being stared at by everyone and tried to pull her hand away from Zhanyue, but he held on tightly, and she couldn’t break free. Cheng Lingxin looked at Zhanyue with complex emotions. His appearance was passable, and his courage was commendable, but was he really not afraid of death? Daring to come here alone to stake his claim? She couldn’t even protect Baizhi, how could she protect him? Wait, didn’t Baizhi say earlier that he had a way to solve her predicament? Could it be that he wasn’t just boasting?

Facing the pressure from three Spirit God Realm experts, Zhanyue remained calm and composed, thanks to the confidence given to him by the illumination Goddess.

“Zhanyue pays respects to the three elders,” Zhanyue said, adhering to the principle of courtesy before force.

“Zhanyue? You must be Zhan Zilong. What do you mean by this?” Bai Yulou looked at this young man with some confusion. He was too calm, frighteningly so. He only wondered what Bai Jinhua was doing, how she could have let Baizhi come here.

The Golden Pill Cultivator had a terrifying look in his eyes, as if he wanted to eat someone. Baizhi was his target, his forbidden fruit. From the moment he saw Baizhi’s true face, he vowed to have her, even at the cost of an eighth-grade pill formula.

“What are the three elders discussing here?” Zhanyue asked, feigning ignorance.

“We’re discussing important matters of the Bai family! Please withdraw for now. It’s not that we don’t know how to treat guests, but now is not the time,” Bai Yulou didn’t dare to act rashly without knowing Zhanyue’s background.

But the Golden Pill Cultivator beside him was about to lose control. A mere mortal daring to compete with him for a woman!

“Boy, let go of her hand,” the Golden Pill Cultivator said coldly.

“Oh, alright,” Zhanyue released Baizhi’s hand, then directly wrapped his arm around her soft waist.

“You’re courting death!” The Golden Pill Cultivator was about to act when Gu Changfeng stopped him, transmitting a message: “This boy is fearless, he must have some backing. We can’t act rashly.”

“What are you doing?” Baizhi’s face turned red as she broke free. She was naturally embarrassed in front of so many people.

“Young Master Zhan, this is a private matter of our Bai family. Please mind your own business, or regardless of your identity, you’ll suffer the consequences,” Bai Yulou threatened, surprised by the many unexpected turns of events today.

“So you don’t know my background and are being cautious,” Zhanyue smiled. “I don’t have any background, and there’s no powerful family named Zhan in this world. I just heard that the Bai family head wants to marry this girl off to someone else, so I rushed here. I should have already sent a message through Bai Wu and Bai Liu to the Bai family head, that Baizhi’s marriage should be her own decision, or the consequences would be more than the Bai family could bear. Did Bai Wu and Bai Liu not deliver the message, or did the Bai family head forget?”

Bai Yulou had never imagined he could be so enraged by a junior, “You youngster! Silence! Do you think this is a place where you can run wild? Today, regardless of your identity, you must pay the price!” Bai Yulou, provoked repeatedly, was truly angry now. A terrifying pressure fell upon Zhanyue.

“Not good,” Cheng Lingxin was about to forcefully break through to take them away when another figure descended from the sky and walked in. The newcomer was a stunningly beautiful woman who could fly without being in the Spirit God Realm. She wore the standard blue official uniform of the Thousand Charms Empire, but her uniform was embroidered with a colorful divine bird, with nine auspicious clouds beneath it.

That night, being tense, Zhanyue hadn’t noticed the exceptional beauty of this personal attendant beside the Empress. She had an oval face, a snake-like figure, and between her brows was a mix of allure and extraordinary heroic spirit. She was smiling at everyone, nodding slightly towards Zhanyue.

Others might not recognize this woman, but Gu Changfeng was startled and immediately went to greet her. The Empress rarely met people and seldom attended court, and even fewer had seen her face. But this female official by the Empress’s side often appeared in public. Outside, she was the Empress’s avatar, and no one dared to disrespect her. The Thousand Charms Empire didn’t have eunuchs; instead, there were palace maids and female officials around the Empress. This Gong Xiaoyun was one of the Empress’s right-hand women, with a status equivalent to a ‘seal-holding eunuch’, truly high in position and power.

“Greetings, Your Highness Gong Jiuyun,” Gu Changfeng, although a Spirit God Realm expert and deputy city lord of Alchemy Capital, didn’t dare to put on any airs in front of Gong Xiaoyun. Jiuyun referred to the nine clouds on Gong Xiaoyun’s official uniform, meaning the same as ‘Ninth-rank Official’. It’s worth noting that Gu Changfeng, as the deputy city lord of Alchemy Capital, only had seven clouds on his uniform, and even the eighth-grade Alchemist, the lord of Alchemy Capital, only had eight clouds.

“No need for formalities. I’m here to announce an imperial edict on behalf of Her Majesty,” Gong Xiaoyun said.

With Gu Changfeng’s explanation, everyone now knew who this Gong Xiaoyun was. Wasn’t she the legendary ‘Little Empress’? But why did she suddenly appear here? The Golden Pill Cultivator felt a sinking feeling in his heart, having an ominous premonition.

Everyone bowed in greeting. In the Thousand Charms Empire, kneeling wasn’t required.

“By heaven’s mandate and the Empress’s decree: There is a girl in Alchemy Capital named Baizhi, with unparalleled talent, stealing heaven’s creation, who has done great service to the Empress. The Empress’s actions seek only to be just in rewards and punishments, with a clear conscience. Considering her talent and suitable age, the Empress wishes to adopt her as a goddaughter, conferring upon her the title of Pill Saint Princess, and granting her a hundred acres of land outside Long Ye Forest in the capital as her fief. This is the imperial will.”

Adopting a goddaughter, conferring a princess title, granting a fief – this triple combination stunned everyone except Zhanyue. It’s worth noting that in the Thousand Charms Empire, unlike other countries where a princess was just a princess, the throne was always inherited by women. The current Empress had no children or disciples, and Baizhi would become her only adopted daughter, potentially making her the future heir to the throne! At first, Zhanyue also thought the Empress had gone mad, but then he realized that whether Baizhi could inherit the throne was just a matter of the Empress’s word, but outsiders didn’t know this. This way, Baizhi’s status would appear supremely noble to the outside world.

Zhanyue didn’t think that just one pill formula could make the Empress pass the entire empire to Baizhi. The Empress’s thoughts were as deep as the sea. For her, this adopted daughter status was something she could give with one edict and take back with another, but outsiders didn’t know her attitude. Baizhi could use this to her advantage, solving her predicament. The ways of emperors are indeed extraordinary.

An eighth-grade Alchemist could be called a Pill Dao Master, a ninth-grade Alchemist a Pill Dao Grand Master, and only a tenth-grade Alchemist could be called a Pill Saint, according to ancient records. Now the Empress had conferred upon Baizhi the title of Pill Saint Princess. Did this princess title mean the Empress believed Baizhi had the potential to become a Pill Saint? Or was it just a beautiful hope? Outsiders couldn’t know and could only speculate, only knowing that Her Majesty the Empress valued and had high hopes for this adopted daughter.

“I must say, the Empress is really generous. This adopted daughter status and princess title are enough to make outsiders imagine a lot,” Zhanyue praised.

“Bai Family Head, do you still want to help arrange the marriage for Her Majesty’s daughter?” Zhanyue asked, looking at the stunned Bai Yulou.

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