From the fake emperor to the concubine

Within Zhang Yunfan's sea of ​​consciousness, Zheng Yi's voice rang out at the opportune moment, carrying a hint of certainty: "What this woman said is true. This item is indeed a good thing, especially for a small cultivator like you with a shallow spiritual foundation. Wearing it for a long time will nourish your spiritual soul and can at least shorten your hard work by three to five years, allowing you to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment ahead of time."

He paused, a hint of surprise in his voice: "Tsk, I didn't expect that lump of iron to be carrying such an elegant treasure."

However, just when Wei Siling thought that Zhang Yunfan would happily accept it, and might even treat her more kindly because of this "unexpected windfall,"

Zhang Yunfan's next move almost made Zheng Yi, a seasoned veteran of many storms, drop his jaw in his mind.

Zhang Yunfan weighed the sachet in his palm, as if feeling its weight and the faint spiritual energy it exuded.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Wei Siling and Zheng Yi in his mind's eye, he casually flicked his wrist.

That priceless soul-nourishing artifact was tossed back to Wei Siling as easily as if it were an ordinary trinket!

The movements were so quick and casual that it was as if this were something an ordinary woman would wear.

Wei Siling acted entirely on instinct, subconsciously reaching out to catch the flying object.

It wasn't until she felt the familiar, slightly cool silk in her palm, and smelled the calming fragrance of the Soul-Gathering Incense from the sachet, that she suddenly realized what had happened!
Zhang Yunfan actually threw the magical sachet that she had just personally presented to her and explained its precious effects in detail back to her!
In that instant, even Wei Siling, with her deep and cunning mind, showed a slight crack in her mask of pretense.

Those eyes, which always held a hint of allure and a touch of gentleness, suddenly flashed with extreme astonishment and disbelief, and even a hint of cold anger that she herself was unaware of—an anger that came from being offended!

Her fingers, which were holding the sachet, unconsciously tightened slightly.

Wei Siling held the peony sachet, which felt slightly cool to the touch, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth silk. In the depths of her eyes, which were always filled with the gentle charm of autumn water, a storm was surging.

"Master, what's wrong..." Her voice was still sweet and soft as usual, but there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor at the end.

With her keen and perceptive mind, she understood Zhang Yunfan's intention almost the instant the sachet landed in her palm.

But the more I understand, the stronger that unbelievable sense of absurdity becomes.

How many cultivators had she seen? Whether they were righteous and respectable sects or eccentric and heretical sects, whether they were elites from well-resourced sects or rogue cultivators struggling to survive.

The inherent greed of human nature is laid bare in the face of cultivation resources.

Which one of them wouldn't want to hold every grain of spiritual sand and every herb tightly in their own hands?

It's not uncommon for brothers to quarrel and masters and disciples to turn against each other over a slightly better magical artifact.

What's more, this Soul-Gathering Sachet in front of us? It's a precious spiritual artifact that can nourish the soul, aid cultivation, and greatly benefit both Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If left outside, it would be enough to ignite a small-scale bloodbath.

However, this very same Qi Refining stage youth whom she hated to the core, wishing she could devour his flesh and sleep on his skin, yet who was forced to feign compliance due to the contract, casually tossed back the treasure that was within her grasp.

This completely overturned her understanding of human nature and the ironclad rules of the cultivation world that she had held for hundreds of years.

A complex mix of shock, confusion, and even a hint of humiliation, as if she had been given charity, surged violently within her.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions, and tried to emphasize the value of the sachet again, her voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency: "Master, you may not have heard me clearly, this magical artifact..."

Zhang Yunfan, however, waved his hand impatiently, cutting her off abruptly, his tone decisive and unquestionable: "You don't need to explain anymore, I know this thing is extraordinary."

He glanced at the exquisite peony pattern, then looked away, gazing at a few withered grasses swaying in the autumn wind on the cliff, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

"These are spoils of war that you obtained by personally killing the enemy. What do they have to do with me? I was right there, watching like a spectator, without even moving an inch."

He paused, his tone becoming serious, even tinged with self-deprecation: "That's not entirely true. If you hadn't intervened in time, with that Iron Turtle's strength, I probably wouldn't just be seriously injured, I might even have lost my life here."

"From this point of view, I actually owe you my life."

He turned his head, his gaze meeting Wei Siling's eyes again.
But in just a moment, as if burned, she quickly, with a hint of barely perceptible panic, turned her gaze elsewhere.

Just now, the emotions surging in Wei Siling's eyes were too complex, like a deep vortex, as if it could really suck one's soul in.

He forced himself to remain calm, but his voice involuntarily quickened: "So, what you earned through your own abilities, I, Zhang Yunfan, have no right to forcibly take away. That's not my style, and it's not reasonable!"

Wei Siling listened quietly, her fingers holding the sachet tightening slightly.

She had seen too many cases of cunning and extortion, and heard too many high-sounding excuses, but she had never heard such a "pedantic" yet somewhat peculiar statement about "fairness".

Zhang Yunfan could have rightfully taken everything based on the contract. But he chose the most "foolish" way.

Suddenly, a clear, bell-like laugh, tinged with languor and strange allure, broke the silence at the bottom of the cliff.

Wei Siling smiled, but it was no longer the kind of sweet smile that was deliberately trying to please.

She laughed so hard her body trembled, her eyebrows and eyes curved into crescent moons, and even a little bit of water glistened in the corners of her eyes.

At that moment, she seemed to break free from some invisible shackles, radiant with beauty, like a stunning orchid suddenly blooming in a deep valley, displaying a breathtaking and awe-inspiring beauty.

"Master!" This cry of "Master" was uttered with great difficulty, like a thread wrapped in honey, winding around her.

Wei Siling leaned against a sturdy old pine tree. The golden afterglow of the setting sun shone through the sparse branches and leaves, dancing on her eye-catching red dress and outlining her breathtaking curves.

A faint smile played on her lips, her eyes sparkling with a natural allure.

Even Zhang Yunfan felt like his heart was being scratched by a cat, and a surge of uncontrollable heat rose up. He quickly stopped Wei Siling: "Stop, let's talk things out. Can you please stop making such strange noises?"

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his fingers unconsciously curled up.

Wei Siling seemed not to hear Zhang Yunfan's words, her slender fingers casually playing with the sachet, her voice becoming increasingly alluring, with a touch of languid nasal tone.

“Master, you seem to have forgotten that I have signed a master-servant contract with you. So my things belong to you. If you want to take them, I will of course obediently offer them up.”

She drew out the last syllable of her voice, her eyes, like hooks, sweeping meaningfully over Zhang Yunfan's waist. A cool breeze blew through the woods, yet Zhang Yunfan felt a layer of cold sweat instantly appear on his forehead.

This woman's words were loaded with hidden meanings. On the surface, she was talking about sachets, but her words were full of suggestive hints that would make any man's heart pound.

That look, that tone of voice—everything about it was playing with fire.

If Zhang Yunfan hadn't clearly known why this woman had deliberately created such a grand scene when she killed someone, he might have actually believed her lies.

He took a deep breath to suppress the pounding in his heart.

"Stop! Miss Wei, don't try to fool me." Zhang Yunfan's voice carried a hint of tension, and his eyes sharpened, trying to pierce through her alluring mask.

"The master-servant contract between us was just a misunderstanding. I never intended to restrict your freedom."

"In the current situation, although you are bound by the contract, I will not really treat you as a servant. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely find a way to break the contract between us."

Zheng Yi let out an extremely disdainful snort in Zhang Yunfan's sea of ​​consciousness: "Release? Unless I agree, there is absolutely no one in this world who can release me from this contract. You two can give up on that idea."

The illusory figure stood with its arms crossed in the sea of ​​consciousness, exuding an air of disdain.

Zhang Yunfan pretended not to hear Zheng Yi's harsh voice and forced himself to ignore the interference in his mind.

With an extremely serious expression, he said to the dangerous yet beautiful woman before him, "Therefore, aside from the constraints of the contract, the two of us can be considered as a small team."

As he spoke, Zhang Yunfan's face turned slightly red. To put it bluntly, with his current abilities, he was really not qualified to be Wei Siling's teammate.

After all, the gap between the two sides is there.

“So, stop calling me ‘master’ all the time. If we get anything good, we can distribute it according to our contributions.” Zhang Yunfan tried to make his voice sound calm and firm, attempting to establish a relatively equal cooperative relationship.

He met Wei Siling's gaze calmly, her eyes seemingly capable of drawing one's soul in, though his palms were slightly sweaty.

"However... I'm afraid your mission is impossible to complete. Regardless of my stance, I cannot..."
"It would allow you to continue disrupting the Zheng family's apprenticeship ceremony." He paused, his tone becoming more forceful, carrying an unquestionable bottom line.

Zheng Yi let out a cold snort from the depths of his mind: "You could have just given the order, but you actually tried to negotiate with her. How could you be so spineless?"

Wei Siling's smile vanished instantly, the alluring charm on her face receding like a receding tide, catching everyone off guard.

Instead, a chilling indifference prevailed, as if the alluring woman who had just been smiling had never existed. Her red lips parted slightly, her voice laced with undisguised sarcasm: "Tch, how boring. You won't even eat the meat that's been offered to you. Are you some kind of block of wood who knows nothing?"

She looked Zhang Yunfan up and down, her eyes assessing him like an uninteresting product.

Zhang Yunfan felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze and couldn't help but roll his eyes. He thought to himself, "It's not that I don't understand, it's just that I know you're a poisonous woman, with deadly fangs hidden beneath your beautiful exterior."

If someone dares to actually bite into it, they might not even know how they died.

This woman herself is frighteningly cautious, constantly hinting to herself in various subtle ways not to act rashly, yet she still tries to provoke people with her words and actions.

This woman is really not afraid of getting burned.

Zhang Yunfan secretly became wary, reminding himself that he must not be deceived by her fickle appearance.

In any case, after this less-than-pleasant exchange, the two have reached a preliminary, fragile consensus on cooperation. At least they no longer have to be on edge, constantly testing and wary of each other, as before.

Over the next few days in the secret realm, Zhang Yunfan finally experienced firsthand what it felt like to cling to someone powerful.

With Wei Siling, such a powerful woman, around, he didn't need to take any action at all; in fact, being on guard often seemed unnecessary.

Wherever Wei Siling's red dress went, it was as if she were announcing a forbidden zone of death.

Within the Zheng family's secluded haven, almost no one could withstand Wei Siling's three or four moves. Her movements were as swift as a ghost, her attacks ruthless and precise; often, before her opponents could even see her figure clearly, a fatal attack had already struck.

The explosive sounds of colliding spiritual energy, the crisp cracking of breaking weapons, and the despairing groans of opponents became the most common background noises along this journey.

Almost without exception, all the rare and precious materials, spiritual herbs, ores, or rare beast cores that the unlucky souls they encountered had painstakingly collected, perhaps even risking their lives, ended up in the hands of Wei Siling and Zhang Yunfan.

The process is usually simple and brutal. Wei Siling moves lightly, and the other party either knows when to offer up or becomes nourishment for the secret realm.

Zhang Yunfan also strictly kept his promise, taking only a small portion for himself and giving the majority to Wei Siling.

Zhang Yunfan only accepted low-grade materials that Wei Siling really didn't want or that were of no use to her.

What was insignificant to Wei Siling, he could use perfectly well.

During this process, they did encounter some truly challenging characters.

However, at such times, both sides are very tacit, only facing each other briefly in the distance before turning around and avoiding direct combat.

At a time like this, there's absolutely no need to confront such a formidable opponent head-on.

Everyone understands the principle that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.

Whether it was a mysterious guidance or the pull of the secret realm itself, despite walking aimlessly, all the surviving trial participants were unknowingly swept along by an invisible force, gradually approaching the center of the secret realm.

Here stands a well that exudes an ancient and powerful aura.

Upon arriving at the crystal, everyone quickly understood the content of this trial.

Luck.

For a cultivator, nothing is more important than this.

If one's luck is bad, even a genius will likely perish early and be unable to make a ripple in this world of cultivation. (End of Chapter)