“Deputy Commander Jin De of the Royal Swordsmen?” Empress Danzhen’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “He’s an elite swordsman. Are you really so fearless to challenge him?”
“It’s all because of a woman!” Yang Hao lied effortlessly, a skill clearly polished under Hunyuanzi’s guidance. “I’m young, handsome, and charming, so naturally, the beautiful ladies of Lingfei Star Sea are all smitten with me. One of Jin De’s longtime lovers even broke up with him for me, so he became furious and challenged me to a duel.”
“Oh really?” Empress Danzhen slightly moved her fingers, and the glow on her face gradually faded. It seemed to be the effect of some device that made her appear more authoritative. “Then why do I detect traces of two rare elixirs from the royal treasury on you? Don’t tell me they jumped into your pockets by themselves.”
Yang Hao was startled and quickly checked his pockets. Sure enough, all his items—Fire Child, Frost Fish, and even his pill pouch—had been taken. He was now completely unarmed.
“Oh my goodness!” Hunyuanzi’s voice popped up, as if trying to scare him to death.
“I thought you were dead!” Yang Hao whispered angrily. “Quick, help me think of a way to talk my way out of this or I’m really done for.”
“Talk out of what? Look up quickly, do you see who that is?” Hunyuanzi’s tone was as if he had seen God himself.
Yang Hao looked up. At this moment, the glow on Empress Danzhen’s face had completely vanished, revealing an aged face. Yang Hao’s mouth dropped open in shock. “How could it be you?!!” he blurted out.
“You know me?” The Empress’s expression was half-smiling, but her eyes glimmered with a cold light.
Yang Hao naturally recognized Empress Danzhen. Not only did he recognize her, but it was precisely for this old man that he had risked entering the palace.
Empress Danzhen was none other than the old man who had given Yang Hao so much trouble back in Lingfei Star Sea, the one suffering from the Antidote Syndrome to aphrodisiacs. Back then, Yang Hao had already found it strange how this old man exuded an aura of authority that ordinary people could never possess. The number of high-level guards around him and the threats they posed were also something no other noble could match.
But Yang Hao had never imagined that this pitiful old man, who had consumed every known aphrodisiac in the universe without effect, was actually the supreme ruler of the entire Reimond Star—Empress Danzhen himself.
Empress Danzhen gazed at Yang Hao, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Yang Hao felt a chill run through his body and had to suppress several shivers to remain standing.
“I don’t know you, Your Majesty,” Yang Hao replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Hmph.” Empress Danzhen nodded in satisfaction. “Of course a commoner like you wouldn’t know the Emperor.”
Yang Hao was cursing inside, thinking what a ridiculous “sacred emperor” this was—just a pitiful old man seeking medical help, yet still clinging to his dignity in front of others, unwilling to admit his impotence.
Still, no matter how angry he was inside, Yang Hao dared not reveal the old emperor’s secret. After all, his life was still in the emperor’s hands. If he angered him, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to pay the price.
“Now then,” Empress Danzhen said calmly, though no longer with the earlier murderous intent, “you may tell me why you came here.”
“Hey, apprentice. The old man seems to be giving us a way out,” Hunyuanzi, the old fox, quickly sensed the shift in tone.
“Like hell he is!” Yang Hao wasn’t optimistic. “These nobles are all rotten to the core. I bet he might even kill us to keep his secret safe.”
“Heh, if you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet,” Hunyuanzi said and then fell silent again.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Yang Hao couldn’t figure out what the emperor was really after. But since things had come this far, he decided to just go all in. “I broke into the palace to steal two elixirs to make a special aphrodisiac. This aphrodisiac can cure someone’s Antidote Syndrome.”
“Scoundrel!” Empress Danzhen roared in anger. “How dare you steal my precious elixirs to make aphrodisiacs? What you’ve done is unforgivable!”
Seeing the old man’s rage, Yang Hao braced himself for death. “Guilty as charged! Just kill me already. I’ve already taken down a deputy commander of the Royal Swordsmen, so I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”
Empress Danzhen blinked, then suddenly changed the subject. “I don’t believe you can really make aphrodisiacs from those two elixirs.”
“Of course I can! I’m the owner of the Aphrodisiac Pharmacy, after all. What can’t I make?” Yang Hao puffed out his chest proudly. He had fully embraced his role and felt no shame in selling aphrodisiacs.
“Guards!” Empress Danzhen commanded with authority.
The hundreds of guards below drew their swords in unison with a metallic clang. The sight terrified Yang Hao, who had moments ago been ready to die, now whimpering, “If you’re going to kill me, just do it already. Don’t scare me like this.”
“Take him to my alchemy chamber. Let’s see if he can really turn elixirs into aphrodisiacs,” Empress Danzhen said, casting a meaningful glance at Yang Hao. “He may use any of my medicinal ingredients. But if he fails to produce an aphrodisiac within a day, tear him apart piece by piece.”
The royal guards responded with a loud shout and rushed forward, dragging the severely injured Yang Hao—who was now barely holding on—to some unknown dark place.
Though Yang Hao didn’t faint from fear, his mind was spinning. He couldn’t understand why danger always found him when he thought he had everything under control, and why, when he was sure he was doomed, things always took an unexpected turn.
Was this what people called the whims of fate?
What a cursed fate indeed.
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