The summer night was calm and quiet.
The moonlight was cool as flowing water, and the twinkling stars kept the darkness from truly settling in.
Somewhere in the vast desert, a tavern stood precariously on the edge of a cliff.
A gust of night wind swept through as a shadow slipped in through the tavern's window.
Inside, the sound of soft moans echoed faintly.
As the shadow entered, a burly, middle-aged man with a scarred face, dressed in tattered robes, shoved a snake-woman off his lap with a look of irritation.
"The great Ice Emperor himself... You had to barge in now?"
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the snake-woman, who quickly exited the room.
As the door shut, Hai Bodong paid him no mind, his voice cold and indifferent.
"The mission is canceled."
He retrieved a portrait of the snake-woman from his storage ring and tore it apart.
The middle-aged man adjusted his clothing. Already displeased by the sudden intrusion that had ruined his mood, he scoffed with a hint of mockery.
"The mighty Ice Emperor actually failed? But you promised me you'd bring that snake-woman back."
"You didn't mention that this mission involved Queen Medusa. And another Dou Huang was involved." Hai Bodong's tone remained indifferent.
"Queen Medusa?!" The man was stunned. "How is that possible?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. Queen Medusa personally left the palace for her. You think I'd be mistaken?"
"And what about the other Dou Huang?"
"Not sure. No one like him exists in the Jia Ma Empire. He's likely an outsider."
Silence filled the room.
After a moment, Hai Bodong glanced at the man one last time before turning to leave.
Just as he was about to step out, the man suddenly spoke.
"Since you're backing out, per the rules, your payment will be forfeited."
Hai Bodong's steps halted. Then, after a brief pause, he said:
"Rules... I understand."
With that, he leapt out the window.
At that exact moment, a sharp, crystalline fragment flew through the air, slicing cleanly through the man's neck.
As his head rolled onto the floor, Hai Bodong's cold voice echoed in the dimly lit room:
"Last time, I warned you—if you ever talk to me like that again, I'd twist your head off and use it as a piss pot. That's the only rule I follow."
A few moments later, a terrified scream shattered the silence of the night.
"The boss is dead! Murder!"
"Did you hear? The Queen brought back a human—completely naked!"
"No way! Why would Her Majesty bring a human back?"
"I heard from a friend who was part of the capture squad. That human saved the traitor multiple times and even injured Chief Mebas. The Queen took him as a slave."
"He injured Mebas? That means he's a Dou Wang! A Dou Wang serving as a slave? The Queen is incredible!"
"Idiot! My brother is part of Her Majesty's royal guard. He told me himself—that human is a Dou Huang! And not just that—Her Majesty took him straight into the palace!"
Unaware of the storm his arrival had stirred, Chen Mo was placed in a simple room by Queen Medusa before she quickly left with Die.
Suppressing the pain of his injuries, he scanned his surroundings.
A wooden bed. A single table. A wooden stool. A small oil lamp flickering on the table.
She really does see me as a slave.
The door opened, and two beautiful snake-women slithered inside.
One of them placed a wooden tub on the floor, then poured in a basin of water, followed by several strange medicinal ingredients.
"Her Majesty ordered us to prepare this medicinal bath for you. It will heal your wounds."
The other handed Chen Mo a storage ring, her voice soft and alluring.
"This is from Her Majesty. Inside, you'll find clothing suited for humans, as well as food. From now on, you are Her Majesty's personal slave. Once your injuries are healed, you will serve the Queen."
With that, the two snake-women left the room without waiting for a response, leaving Chen Mo standing there, dumbfounded.
It wasn't until he heard voices outside that he snapped back to reality.
"That human is so handsome!"
"I think so too! There's something about him that's just... magnetic."
"Ahhh, you feel it too? I thought it was just me!"
Being handsome is a crime, I swear...
Men should always be careful when traveling alone.
Shaking off his thoughts, he slipped the storage ring onto his finger.
Then, without hesitation, he stripped off his clothes and unwrapped the bandages from his back before stepping into the waist-high wooden tub.
The water inside was a deep green, filled with medicinal herbs.
As soon as he submerged himself, a warm and gentle energy seeped into his body through his pores, flowing through his meridians and gradually healing his internal and external wounds.
"Ahhh... That's nice."
Feeling his pain ease, Chen Mo sighed in relief and pulled up his status panel.
[Cultivation: Three-Star Dou Shi]
[Host Level: Lv1 (81/100)]
[Bound Goddess: Die (Favorability: 79) - Reaches 100 to become Dao Partner.]
[Cultivation Method: Supreme Primordial Art]
[Skills: Kunpeng Wings (Upgradeable), Cloud Wanderer Step, Xuan Thunder Palm, Nine Heavens Swordfall]
[Bloodline: Ordinary]
[Favorability Coins: 36]
[Physique: Heaven and Earth Sword Body (Upgradeable)]
[Charm: Celestial Grace]
Without hesitation, Chen Mo spent 30 Favorability Coins to upgrade his Heaven and Earth Sword Body to the Grandmaster level.
Instantly, his comprehension of the sword deepened.
With the sword heart refined, he could now wield swords with his mind alone.
He immediately summoned his newly obtained Spirit-grade Lower-tier Flying Sword—Tianyuan.
According to the system's description, flying swords were divided into four grades: Mortal, Spirit, Saint, and Divine, each further divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers.
The higher the grade, the greater the enhancement to one's strength. High-tier swords could even develop spiritual consciousness and fight alongside their master.
With his newly upgraded sword body, Chen Mo quickly refined the sword and effortlessly controlled it within the room for a while before storing it inside his body.
Any spiritual-grade weapon and above could be stored within one's body.
Afterward, he checked his inventory.
[Items: First-Tier Alchemy Proficiency, 7 Incense Sticks of Enlightenment Time, First-Tier Lust Pill, Holy Alchemist's Manual, Beauty Retention Pill, Amethyst Essence, Xuan-rank Advanced Dou Technique—Senluo Death Seal.]
He extracted First-Tier Alchemy Proficiency first.
A flood of memories surged into his mind.
Alchemy knowledge, pill refinement techniques, and fire control methods—all of it instantly became second nature to him.
In other words, he was now officially a First-Tier Alchemist.
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