"Do you think he would need to go through all this trouble if he wanted our lives? And have you ever seen someone try to control another person without watching them swallow the pill?"
Su Mei looked at Tie Wu, utterly speechless. She strongly suspected this man's muscles had long since overtaken his brain.
"If you want to know what it is, just open it and see. Why sit here guessing?"
Old Yin Bone cut them off directly. He opened the jade bottle in his hand. The moment he saw the pill inside, his eyes flew wide. He stammered, "Th-this… this…"
"What's with all the fuss?" Su Mei frowned at Old Yin Bone's reaction and scolded him.
She opened her own jade bottle. Her impatient expression instantly transformed into pure astonishment, her mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg.
"Oh my god… it's actually a Dou Emperor Pill!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Su Mei exclaimed.
Hearing their words, Tie Wu directly opened one of his jade bottles. Inside was also a Dou Emperor Pill.
"This kind of generosity… it leaves us in the dust." Old Yin Bone hastily recapped his bottle, afraid the pill might somehow escape or lose its potency.
"Indeed. It truly shocks me. Not only are our lives spared, but we also receive the Dou Emperor Pill we've always dreamed of. It seems joining Heaven Punishing Divine Palace isn't bad at all. They're powerful, and the benefits come instantly."
Su Mei patted her ample chest, making it tremble. Normally, the other two would have at least appreciated the sight. But right now, both were utterly captivated by the pills. In the Black-Corner Region, women were nowhere near as important as pills.
"Indeed. I thought we were going to die. Thank goodness we knelt quickly." Old Yin Bone let out a dry laugh. Earlier, he had felt a twinge of humiliation. Now he felt he had knelt far too slowly.
"Tie Wu, what's in your other jade bottle? Let me help you identify it." Old Yin Bone's eyes darted slyly toward Tie Wu.
"Get lost, get lost! I can look myself—I don't need you. If it falls into your hands, it'll be in your stomach the next second." Tie Wu knew this old man was cunning to the bone. Handing it over would be no different from throwing a meat bun to a dog.
"Damn, damn, damn!" Tie Wu opened the second bottle, identified the pill inside, and immediately started shouting, momentarily unable to say anything else. He quickly recapped it and hid it inside his clothes. Without a storage ring, his clothes were the safest place.
The other two stared at him, burning with curiosity. Tie Wu's reaction was clearly even more shocked than when he'd seen the Dou Emperor Pill. They had also sneaked a glance earlier—the medicinal fragrance from that bottle was noticeably more potent.
"What's in that jade bottle?"
They kept staring at where he'd hidden it, their expressions full of longing.
"Nothing. Just an ordinary sixth-grade pill." Tie Wu casually brushed them off. He wasn't wrong, though—it was indeed a sixth-grade pill. Just a Break-Sect Pill. That kowtow had been completely worth it. If the Palace Master were still here, he'd definitely kowtow a few more times. He might even say: *If the Palace Master does not abandon me, I, Tie Wu, am willing to become his adopted son!*
—
"You took them in. Are you planning to have that seductive woman warm your bed?"
Medusa narrowed her eyes at Xiao Tian, a trace of jealousy flickering within them—so faint it was nearly undetectable. After speaking, she quickly added an explanation. "I only promised Xun'er to keep an eye on you. To make sure you don't go flirting around. Don't overthink it."
Xiao Tian shook his head helplessly and chuckled. "What, are you jealous? Do I look like that kind of person? I have no interest in her whatsoever."
Medusa stared intently into his eyes. Xiao Tian met her gaze directly. In the end, she looked away first. "Hmph. It better be true. If you need someone to warm your bed… I can do it too."
Her voice grew softer and softer toward the end, until it was almost inaudible.
"What did you say?" Xiao Tian looked at her as her head dropped lower and lower, her voice fading to nothing.
"N-nothing…" Medusa's face flushed slightly. She stammered, then quickly reassembled her queenly demeanor. "Hmph. Anyway, I do not agree to her joining our circle of sisters. I'm only vetting for Xun'er. Who told you to be so attractive to women?"
"Alright, alright. I accept your supervision. I have no interest in her. I'm only interested in all of you." Xiao Tian looked at Medusa—brimming with jealousy yet still using Xun'er's name to pressure him—and couldn't help laughing at how adorable she was.
"What are you laughing at? If they hadn't told me to manage you, I wouldn't even bother with you. Hmph." Medusa let out an arrogant snort, turning her face slightly away.
"Cai Li… you look so beautiful like this." Xiao Tian changed the subject, stroking her cheek softly.
"Hmph. This Queen is naturally beautiful. I don't need you to tell me." Happiness surged inside her, and a subtle smile tugged at her lips, though her words remained proudly dismissive.
"Let's go. We have serious business to attend to." Xiao Tian wrapped his arm around Medusa's slender waist, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
"What business?" Medusa asked, curious.
"It's about what you said earlier." He looked at her teasingly.
"What did I say?"
"I heard every word you just said. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
Hearing his words, she realized Xiao Tian must have heard everything she'd murmured before—and had simply pretended not to. Her face instantly flushed rosy. "You…"
"What? Do you remember now?" Xiao Tian smiled at her changing expression.
Without waiting for her to speak again, he embraced her and entered the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm.
"It's still daytime~."
Only Medusa's shy voice lingered in the empty air.
—
The women in the Eternal Dream Palace felt the aura emanating from Xiao Tian's palace. They sensed the commotion inside and cursed under their breath. *No restraint at all. It's still broad daylight.*
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes flickered several times. No one knew what she was thinking.
—
After a long while, once Xiao Tian had fully unleashed his power and decisively defeated Medusa, he prepared to take a bath and clean up.
Just as he was soaking in the tub, a fair, delicate body appeared in his arms. Xiao Yi Xian's exquisite, beautiful face was revealed—white hair, purple-brown pupils. Even in his current state of post-clarity wisdom, Xiao Tian felt excitement stir.
White hair with red eyes was the ultimate XP trait. White hair with purple eyes wasn't bad either.
In an instant, the calm surface of the bathwater began to churn. Who knows how long had passed, but after the storm finally subsided, the entire bathtub was left in complete disarray, covered in the water marks of fierce winds.