All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 105: The Forbidden Area of the Imperial Palace

In the Thousand Charms Empire, within the forbidden area of the imperial palace, layers of formations covered the area. However, Empress Luo Shenyu wasn’t hindered by them. She quickly entered the formation and stopped before a wooden cabin.

“Master, your disciple seeks an urgent audience!” she called out to the cabin.

After calling three times, the cabin door opened. A white-haired woman emerged. Though her hair was white, her face was still beautiful, but her expression was extremely poor. While the outside world believed she had passed away peacefully, and that Empress Luo Shenyu was the strongest in the Thousand Charms Empire, in reality, she was still alive, but with her lifespan nearly exhausted and death not far off.

Ordinary people live to 100, Mystic Realm practitioners to 500, Spirit God Realm to 1000, and True Realm to 3000. As a peak Spirit God Realm ninth stage expert, the former Empress Mu Fangchen now had just over two years of life left, like a candle in the wind.

The Thousand Charms Empire’s empress succession had few requirements, the only one being that the successor must be female. It could be a female descendant of the previous empress or a disciple without blood ties. Mu Fangchen never married or had children, so she passed the position to her most talented and beloved disciple, Luo Shenyu.

“Yuèr, I told you not to wake me unless the nation was in danger. I’m at a crucial point in my closed-door cultivation. Whether I can overcome this tribulation depends on these one or two years. Have you come to me because something major has happened to the Thousand Charms Empire?” Mu Fangchen asked, her eyes showing some tension. Only two things could worry her now.

Luo Shenyu shook her head, “No, Master. The Thousand Charms Empire is fine. For years, I’ve been collecting treasures to extend your lifespan, but always without success. Today, however, I obtained an eighth-grade Longevity Pill that can extend life by ten years! I came here immediately to give it to you.”

“Longevity Pill? Wasn’t the Longevity Pill long lost? That’s what your senior uncle said. Where did you get it?” Mu Fangchen’s eyes lit up, asking joyfully.

“Let’s not discuss that now. Master, please take this pill first and see,” Luo Shenyu took out the pill and handed it to Mu Fangchen. Mu Fangchen knew her disciple was skilled in both pill-making and martial arts, not only being a Spirit God Realm second stage expert but also an eighth-grade alchemy master, truly a prodigy of the ages whose future achievements would surpass her own. She took the pill without any doubt.

As the wondrous medicinal power circulated through her body, a green light emanated from Mu Fangchen. Under Luo Shenyu’s anxious gaze, Mu Fangchen’s complexion regained its vitality.

“Excellent! With these extra ten years of life, my chances of advancing to the True Realm are much greater! It’s all thanks to you, Yuèr.” Mu Fangchen looked at Luo Shenyu with eyes full of love. She had no children, but she viewed Luo Shenyu as her own.

“This small favor is nothing compared to your nurturing, Master. I’ve obtained the Longevity Pill formula. If I gather the materials, I can refine another pill to extend your life by five more years,” Luo Shenyu said.

“You even got the formula?” Mu Fangchen’s face showed shock. She had thought Luo Shenyu’s chance acquisition of a Longevity Pill was already incredibly fortunate, but she even had the formula. This kind of pill was effective for people at any realm. While fifteen years might not seem much, its effect was actually enormous. For instance, if your enemy had calculated that your lifespan was about to end and came for revenge, you could foil their plans by living an extra fifteen years due to the Longevity Pill. Or in Mu Fangchen’s case, already with one foot in the True Realm and truly racing against time, these extra fifteen years were like sending charcoal in snowy weather. No matter how many treasures or purple crystals it cost, as long as she could afford it, she would be willing to exchange for it. This formula was truly priceless!

“Yes, a young man asked for my help, and this pill and formula were his payment. He also obtained them by chance,” the Empress smiled. At this moment, she recalled Zhanyue’s somewhat nervous expression. That boy had underestimated the value of this formula, but he was truly willing to give it up to save his lover.

“To have such fortune? Yuèr, this merits a great reward. Don’t shortchange him. Alright, I need to continue my closed-door cultivation to strive for the True Realm. Once I advance to the True Realm, the safety of the Thousand Charms Empire will be truly assured,” the former Empress Mu Fangchen said.

“Of course. He has greatly helped you, Master, which makes him my benefactor as well. I certainly won’t treat him poorly. Come to think of it, this person was brought by Senior Uncle, though it seems Senior Uncle didn’t know about the Longevity Pill. It’s truly strange,” Luo Shenyu thought for a moment, then spoke.

“He… he came to Myriad Purple City?” Mu Fangchen’s body trembled slightly. “It seems Senior Brother still has some affection for me, knowing my lifespan is nearly exhausted and willing to come see me.”

Seeing her master’s state, Luo Shenyu felt indignant. “He came all this way, yet still isn’t willing to see you. Master, let me go find him for you!”

Mu Fangchen grabbed Luo Shenyu’s hand, “Your Senior Uncle is a True Realm expert. If he doesn’t want to see you, how could you find him? I understand your Senior Uncle. He’s lived a free and unrestrained life, not wanting to be burdened by worldly affairs. That’s why he’s always avoided me. He fears having too deep a connection with me would affect his ‘Carefree Heart Sutra’. My affairs should be handled by me. How can I let you intervene? Once I break through to the True Realm, I’ll seek him out myself. Don’t resent your Senior Uncle because of me. He’s been very good to you as well.”

Luo Shenyu nodded. She couldn’t have become an eighth-grade alchemy master without the Alchemy Daoist’s guidance.

Mu Fangchen returned to the wooden cabin to resume her closed-door cultivation. Luo Shenyu hurried back and immediately sent people to search for the materials needed for the Longevity Pill.

After she left, a man in green robes who had been watching from the shadows appeared outside the wooden cabin. He sighed softly, placed a bottle of pills down, knocked on the door, and left without waiting for a response.

Mu Fangchen opened the door curiously, thinking Luo Shenyu had returned. But when she saw the note under the bottle of pills on the ground, she froze, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Ninth-grade True Knowledge Pill. Remember to take it at the crucial moment.”

“Senior Brother!” Mu Fangchen called out, looking around, but there was no response. She knew her senior brother had broken through to become a ninth-grade alchemy master, that he had refined this pill for her, and how precious these materials and this pill were. But what she wanted more was for her senior brother to see her face to face. “Senior Brother, what unspeakable difficulty do you have? Why won’t you talk to me? We’ve known each other since childhood, for over 980 years now, yet I still can’t understand you.”

But no one answered her. After a while, she dejectedly took the pill back inside. With this ninth-grade True Knowledge Pill and the extra ten years of life, her chances of entering the True Realm from her current half-step True Realm had greatly increased.

Zhanyue, of course, knew nothing of what had transpired in the forbidden area of the imperial palace. He was arranged to stay outside and leave the palace the next day. Zhanyue was in no hurry and sat cross-legged in his room, cultivating and chatting idly with the illumination Goddess.

“Sister, what cultivation realm is that Empress at?” Zhanyue asked curiously.

“Spirit God Realm, second stage,” the illumination Goddess replied.

“Spirit God Realm, second stage?” Zhanyue’s eyes widened. The Spirit God Realm had three stages: Entering Spirit, Investigating Things, and Transcending Spirit. Wind Lord had only recently broken through from Entering Spirit to Investigating Things, which was already impressive. Yet this Empress was at the second stage of Transcending Spirit!

“Not only is her talent no less than mine in the past, but she’s also very beautiful,” the illumination Goddess suddenly added. “The Thousand Charms Empire truly deserves its reputation as a land of beauties.”

The illumination Goddess dared to use her divine sense to investigate the Empress, but Zhanyue wouldn’t dare. “More than that, I’m concerned about the imperial seal in her hand. That’s my contract object! Ah, how did it turn out to be something like this!” Zhanyue felt a headache coming on.

“That’s easy to solve. Just win her over, and it’ll be yours,” the illumination Goddess suggested.

“Sister, I’ve noticed you’ve become quite mischievous lately,” Zhanyue said, somewhat speechless.

“Before, when we weren’t close, I had to act like a senior expert. Now there’s no need to pretend, and it was quite tiring,” the illumination Goddess said honestly. Those who knew her well were aware that she had always been very lively and playful, never changing. It was only because of her great strength and achievements that others had more ‘divine’ fantasies about her. Gods were supposed to be serious, lofty, loving yet distant. But in reality, it wasn’t so. The illumination Goddess had been a curious and mischievous child from a young age.

“Ah, in the future, I must personally write ‘The Biography of the illumination Goddess’ to set the record straight!” Zhanyue said, exasperated. But then he suddenly realized that his ‘sister’ hadn’t been proper from the start, otherwise why would she let him call her sister? Being several thousand years older than him, how could she be so shameless?! But whether serious and aloof or playful and cute, she was still his good sister.

“But to speak seriously, the strength of the human race isn’t as weak as I thought. Besides the publicly known Thunder Lord and Sword Lord, the ascetic monk you met before and this mysterious Alchemy Daoist are all True Realm experts,” the illumination Goddess suddenly mentioned the Alchemy Daoist.

As if summoned by their conversation, soon after, a green figure appeared in Zhanyue’s room, startling him.

“Elder, why didn’t you knock?” Zhanyue said, displeased.

The Alchemy Daoist looked Zhanyue over and said, “I didn’t expect a youngster like you to have such a treasure as the eighth-grade Longevity Pill formula. Well, you’ve helped me resolve a matter of the heart. Although I have no intention of taking disciples, giving you some guidance is no problem.”

With that, the Alchemy Daoist placed two jade tablets on the table, serving as payment for Zhanyue and fulfilling his promise to the old monk. Before Zhanyue could ask any questions, the Alchemy Daoist vanished from the room as silently as he had come.

After examining the jade tablets with his soul sense, Zhanyue’s face lit up with joy. One jade pendant contained the “Twelve Mystic Light Swords” technique for controlling flying swords after mastering sword flight, while the other contained the Alchemy Daoist’s notes on pill refining. Both of these were priceless treasures.