While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Chapter 113 The Lie of the Marriage Contract, Easily Exposed

Silvery moonlight poured in through the window, flowing like a river across the wooden floor.

The enchanting woman from the Cao family leaned back in a pearwood chair, her black dress cascading down like a waterfall. The flickering candlelight on the table occasionally danced, casting shifting shadows on her profile. But whether it was the warm glow of the candlelight or the moonlight streaming in from the window, it all shone brilliantly on her exquisite face.

Seeing that she was reading very attentively, Chen Xiao slowed down his pace slightly.

Even so, Cao Ying quickly noticed and looked up.

"Where is the city lord going so late?"

Over the past twenty days, although Cao Ying and Chen Xiao addressed each other by their first names, they rarely exchanged such teasing jokes.

In Chen Xiao's memory, she seemed to have no interest in anything other than alchemy.

Even on the way to the Black Corner Region, as long as Zi Yan didn't disturb her, every time Chen Xiao's gaze swept over Cao Ying, she was reading the alchemy manual. Over all those days, Chen Xiao hadn't seen her cultivate for even a minute.

"I just finished taking stock of the harvest and noticed you were reading here alone, so I thought I'd come and chat with you."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying nodded slightly, placed the note on the table beside her, and stood up.

"That's perfect, I also have something I'd like to ask you."

"The whereabouts of the Fourth Elder?"

"No, Fourth Uncle is definitely still in Fengcheng. Let's not worry about him. Let's talk outside."

Cao Ying glanced at the bright moonlight outside the window and spoke.

Chen Xiao readily agreed.

They stepped out of the bamboo house side by side and walked along the bamboo path. Chen Xiao was choosing his words, and Cao Ying seemed to be doing the same.

After a short while, Chen Xiao took out three jade bottles and handed them to Cao Ying.

"We found three unidentifiable sixth-grade pills in Han Feng's storage ring. You're an expert in this area, so please take a look."

Cao Ying was extremely confident in her alchemy skills, and upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, she immediately accepted without hesitation.

She took the three jade bottles, opened one first, poured out a scarlet pill with a rather pungent smell, pinched it between two fingers, and examined it carefully by the moonlight.

"This is a Demon Transformation Pill. Its effects are similar to those of a Transformation Pill, but it can only partially transform a magical beast into human form. This kind of pill is highly sought after by some magical beast families in the Beast Domain. Four years ago, the Cao family helped refine a batch of it. It's a bit strange that Han Feng has this pill on him."

"It was probably crafted by a powerful figure from the Black Corner Region."

Chen Xiao took the pills from Cao Ying and put them back into the jade bottle.

Cao Ying nodded gently, opened the second jade bottle, observed its color, and smelled its aroma.

"The Azure Longevity Pill is a good thing. It can increase a person's lifespan by nearly ten years. Each person can only take one in their lifetime. Han Feng is so young and has no worries about his lifespan, so he is probably making it for someone else."

Chen Xiao's heart stirred. He flipped through Han Feng's storage ring and roughly scanned the pill formulas. Among the medicinal materials Han Feng had collected, there seemed to be several ingredients for the Azure Longevity Pill.

Just as she was thinking this, Cao Ying was already appraising the last pill.

"This one is not bad either. It should be the Starfall Soul-Suppressing Pill. Even fighters can take it. This pill can suppress the soul and calm the mind. It can be very useful at certain times, such as when breaking through a key realm. After the effect of this pill wears off, it can enhance the power of the soul. However, it is very troublesome to refine and is not cost-effective. Few people are willing to refine it. After all, the effect of the seventh-grade mid-level Pure Heart Pill is better."

A fifth-grade alchemist can appraise a sixth-grade pill with great expertise.

This is the foundation of a family of alchemists!

Chen Xiao nodded and noted it down; this pill did indeed have some effect on him.

"Are there any other pills?" Cao Ying asked.

As alchemists, they would be extremely happy to personally inspect higher-grade pills.

Especially in front of people who don't understand elixirs, that light and airy feeling is quite pleasing.

"I can recognize the other pills, but could you take a look at this one for me? Is there anything wrong with it? I've heard that some alchemists add ingredients to their pills."

Without much hesitation, Chen Xiao took out the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill and handed it to Cao Ying.

When Cao Ying opened the jade bottle, her eyes widened slightly as she watched the golden light burst forth.

"Excellent pill!"

"A seventh-grade pill! No wonder he's a direct disciple of the Medicine Master, Han Feng really has some skill!"

"Based on my perception, there is no problem with this pill, and it can be taken with peace of mind. It cannot be denied that some alchemists do add ingredients to pills to achieve their despicable purposes, but most alchemists are still quite wary of such methods. After all, once they are discovered, their reputation will be ruined."

After examining the pill from all angles, Cao Ying returned it to Chen Xiao.

With the appraisal of a fifth-grade alchemist, and knowing from his memory that Xiao Yan had taken the pill without any problems, Chen Xiao finally felt relieved.

After taking it, he put it into his mouth without hesitation, under Cao Ying's astonished gaze.

Before Chen Xiao could even chew, the golden pill transformed into a stream of heat, flowing down his throat and into his body.

A surge of heat, like a flood, burst forth within my body.

However, just as Chen Xiao was about to use his battle qi to suppress it, the heat flow was like water flowing into a sponge, slowly settling until it completely disappeared, and he felt nothing at all.

"What kind of elixir is this?"

Seeing that Chen Xiao showed no change after taking the medicine, as if he had just drunk a sip of hot water, Cao Ying looked surprised and her curiosity was piqued.

"The Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill has the effect of breaking down and rebuilding. Its effect can only be seen when one is seriously injured or dying. This pill was also created by the Medicine Venerable. The formula is in Han Feng's storage ring."

Noticing Cao Ying's expression, Chen Xiao smiled slightly.

To win over this genius alchemist, you need to have something that is attractive enough to her.

Coincidentally, after reaping the benefits from Han Feng, Chen Xiao now has a ton of these kinds of things!

"Doesn't that mean you have two lives?"

"You could say that, unless the enemy I encounter is too powerful and can wipe me out in one move."

The Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, the Three Thousand Thunderclaps, plus the backup hidden energy source, the Ice Soul Talisman…

Unbeknownst to many, Chen Xiao had already developed quite a few ways to protect himself, making it difficult for him to die even if he wanted to.

"As expected of the Medicine Venerable, he was able to create such a miraculous pill. However, in my opinion, this Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill should have a limit. At the lowest level, it's a Dou Zong, and at the highest level, it's a Dou Zun. Beyond that level, it may not be as effective. I think this might be the reason why it's only a seventh-grade pill!"

Cao Ying praised her, adding that she also had some of her own ideas.

Chen Xiao was uncertain about this, but he was also quite accepting of it.

This analysis is reasonable.

Ignoring the limits of the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, Chen Xiao slowly got to the point.

"I am not an alchemist, and the formula for the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill is useless to me. If you are interested, I can give it to you."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying slightly raised her eyes.

She was indeed very interested and knew how much help this pill formula could bring to the Cao family.

But she knew all too well that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and if one day it really did fall from the sky…

There's only one truth: it was bait laid by someone else!

Realizing that Chen Xiao was trying to seduce her, Cao Ying smiled slyly and stopped talking about it.

"When you were tidying up Han Feng's storage ring earlier, I went downstairs with Her Majesty the Queen. On the way, she asked me if there was a demoness in Zhongzhou who had condensed a fighting vortex at the age of seven and become an alchemist."

When Cao Ying spoke these words, she spoke slowly, with a mocking smile on her face. She stared intently at Chen Xiao's expression as it gradually froze, and her smile became increasingly undisguised.

"At that moment, I felt that the person Her Majesty was inquiring about seemed very familiar, so I didn't rush to answer, but asked her why she was inquiring about this person."

"Then, Her Majesty the Queen told me that she was just curious because you had told her that you had a marriage contract with that witch, which was broken off by her, and that you had a three-year engagement..."

"Stop! Stop! That's enough!"

The fabricated story was exposed on the spot by the person involved. Even though Chen Xiao thought he was not thin-skinned, he felt his face getting hot.

This is so embarrassing!

In particular, Cao Ying's mocking expression, as if to say "How come I didn't know I was engaged?" made it difficult for Chen Xiao to look her in the eye.

Seeing Chen Xiao's flushed face, Cao Ying smiled with satisfaction.

With her intelligence, she could naturally guess that Chen Xiao was deliberately deceiving Queen Medusa, and that the Cao family could not have arranged a marriage for her without her knowledge.

So, all that talk about annulment and the three-year agreement is a lie!

She brought it up deliberately to break Chen Xiao's confident demeanor, so that she could better negotiate terms if they were to cooperate again in the future.

Judging from the current situation, the results are even better than she expected!

Chen Xiao's appearance at this moment even made her forget that he was a nine-star Dou Wang powerhouse. She truly felt like a peer, and that long-lost confidence of being certain of victory returned!

Did Queen Medusa know the truth?

Chen Xiao silently circulated his fighting spirit to cool down, completely puzzled by Queen Medusa's actions.

This woman doesn't seem like the type to gossip.

Cao Ying smiled and shook her head. "Alchemist families are so engrossed in alchemy that they ignore worldly affairs and don't care about gossip or interesting stories from the outside world. My explanation is quite reasonable, isn't it?"

It's alright, barely acceptable.

Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

He's no longer afraid of Queen Medusa, but it's best to keep this embarrassing matter to himself forever, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

"Alright, my fiancé, now we can continue our previous topic. I am indeed very interested in the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill. Tell me your conditions."

By pressing down a bamboo stalk as thick as an arm, an extremely simple chair was formed. Cao Ying sat on it, looking up at Chen Xiao.

When Cao Xi was by her side, she didn't need to think about anything; the Fourth Elder would make the appropriate decision on behalf of the Cao family.

But now that Cao Xi has "mysteriously disappeared," Cao Ying has no choice but to step forward.

Although she is a little younger than Chen Xiao, she is already capable of handling things on her own.

(End of this chapter)