Handmaiden Xiao Yi Xian

A Dou Emperor! And a grade six alchemist at that!

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the handsome young man who was barely older than herself. Her beautiful eyes rippled with disbelief, though she subconsciously suspected that Gu Shenge only appeared young and that his true age was likely far beyond what his appearance suggested.

"If you wish to rid yourself of the hidden dangers of the Woeful Poison Body, condensing a Poison Pill is no difficult task for me. However, it will require some time because I currently only possess one type of Heavenly Flame. That said, given your current condition, your Woeful Poison Body is still far from the point of a toxic outbreak, so there is still plenty of time."

Gu Shenge watched the astonished Xiao Yi Xian as he pointed out her current state, leaving her to fall into a contemplative silence.

There is no such thing as love without a reason in this world, nor is there help without expectation of return. Even if he were helping her because of his maid's request, Xiao Yi Xian still felt it wasn't that simple.

After a long while, the gentle girl spoke softly: "What do I need to give in return?"

Hearing this, Gu Shenge did not beat around the bush and stated his purpose.

"The Woeful Poison Body is a rare and special constitution. If you can condense a Poison Pill, your future achievements will be limitless. I would like to invite you to join the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace. Are you willing?"

He did not force Xiao Yi Xian to be his wife as he had with Ya Fei; different women naturally required different methods.

Xiao Yi Xian wasn't going anywhere, and to Gu Shenge, the rewards given by the system would be the same whether he married her sooner or later, so he was in no rush.

"Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace?" Xiao Yi Xian repeated the name, her beautiful eyes flickering with thought.

Although she was unsure what kind of faction the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace was, since the other party could help her control the Woeful Poison Body and fulfill her long-held wish, joining his faction held no downsides for her.

Xiao Yi Xian also knew that he valued the talent of her Woeful Poison Body; if she refused to join and he decided to use force, she would have no way to resist.

Besides, it is easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree; having a major faction as a backer had many benefits.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Yi Xian made her decision.

"I can join the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace, but I have one condition."

Gu Shenge: "Speak, as long as it isn't excessive."

"I hope the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace will not force me to do anything wicked or immoral. Otherwise, even if I die, I will not agree."

As she spoke, Xiao Yi Xian bit her lower lip, her pretty face showing a stubborn expression. This was her only condition; she would rather be tortured to death by the Woeful Poison Body than commit wicked acts.

Hearing this, Gu Shenge shook his head helplessly. Did he look like the type of person who would do such wicked things?

"The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace is not a demonic sect; naturally, we will not force you to do anything wicked or immoral."

"That's good." Xiao Yi Xian breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because she was now in the same faction as Gu Shenge, she became more familiar and less tense.

"Then, how should I address you?"

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian gradually relax, Gu Shenge smiled gently, warm as the sun, and said softly: "My name is Juan Shoutian. You may address me as Palace Master, or you can continue to call me Sir."

"Palace Master?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian immediately understood that he was the master of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace.

However, she preferred calling him Sir over Palace Master. She stood up and bowed respectfully to Gu Shenge to show her deference.

"Then I shall trouble you from now on, Sir Juan."

Gu Shenge nodded: "No need for formalities. From today on, you shall follow by my side just like Qing Lin and serve as my maid."

When Qing Lin heard that Xiao Yi Xian was also becoming the young master's maid, she quickly stepped forward to take her arm. Her pretty little face beamed with joy, and her sweet voice rang out in Xiao Yi Xian's ear.

"Yay~ Qing Lin has a companion now."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the little beauty snake who was acting so intimate, a soft expression appearing on her gentle face. She reached out to stroke Qing Lin's head and thanked her softly.

"Thank you, Qing Lin."

"Four months from now, an ancient cave dwelling will emerge in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. I will take you both to attend. During this time, I will help you improve your cultivation. Qing Lin, don't you dare be lazy. If you haven't reached the level of a Dou Master within four months, don't blame me for spanking you until you're sore."

Gu Shenge emphasized this to Qing Lin. This little girl had been spoiled by him to the point of being inconsistent, taking half a year to reach a three-star Dou Practitioner even with the supplies from the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake and the Black Prison Soul-Devouring Python. It was clear how perfunctory and lazy she was in her daily cultivation.

The little beauty snake blushed upon hearing this, feeling quite embarrassed. She stuck out her little tongue at Gu Shenge and quickly acted spoiled.

"Young Master, Qing Lin knows. I will definitely work hard on my cultivation, so please don't spank me~"

"We'll see how you perform." Gu Shenge rolled his eyes at the little girl. Qing Lin patted her well-developed chest, indicating that she would definitely not let the Young Master down.

Seeing the way they interacted, which didn't look like a master and maid at all, ripples stirred in Xiao Yi Xian's heart. It seemed that joining the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace was a good decision after all.

Xiao Yi Xian asked Gu Shenge: "Sir Juan, do I have to participate as well?"

Gu Shenge nodded. Although Xiao Yi Xian was slightly older than Xiao Yan, her strength was pitifully weak—she wasn't even a Dou Practitioner. He assumed this was because she focused on medical arts and had no heart for cultivation.

"When the ancient cave dwelling emerges, many experts and members of the younger generation from the Jia Ma Empire will arrive. Although your current cultivation hasn't reached the level of a Dou Practitioner, with the unique trait of the Woeful Poison Body that allows you to improve by consuming poison, paired with the Poison Pill I will refine for you, reaching the level of a Dou Master in four months—let alone a Dou Grandmaster—will be a piece of cake."

Gu Shenge needed Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian to represent the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and crush the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire. As for him, he would naturally be busy thrashing the older generation.

The battle for the cave dwelling would also be the moment the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace revealed itself to the world.

Xiao Yi Xian frowned slightly when she heard Gu Shenge ask her to take a Poison Pill to improve her cultivation, feeling some resistance.

Although consuming poison could quickly improve her cultivation, it would also accelerate the accumulation of toxins in her body, thereby hastening her death. Furthermore, if she couldn't control it and the Woeful Poison Body went out of control, it would lead to tragedy.

Gu Shenge saw Xiao Yi Xian's concern and spoke to reassure her.

"Do not worry. Unless you reach the level of a Dou Ancestor, the toxins at the Dou Grandmaster level will not affect you. Besides, with me here, even if your Woeful Poison Body goes out of control, I can suppress it."

Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a long time before finally nodding in agreement. After all, she was now a member of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace, and although she was somewhat reluctant, she still had to listen to Gu Shenge.

Qing Lin practiced the Ten Thousand Snakes Devouring Spirit Art, the same as Yue Mei. Since Gu Shenge had not yet married Xiao Yi Xian, the system had not provided her with a suitable dowry, so he had to prepare a cultivation technique for her himself.

Gu Shenge opened the system and spent 700,000 Origin Points from the System Store to purchase a Heaven-tier intermediate cultivation technique called the Nine Deaths Poison Canon.

Those who practice the Nine Deaths Poison Canon can recover in the shortest possible time even if they are severely injured or near death, provided their head is not crushed or their heart pierced. Each time they break through to a major realm, they gain an additional chance, for a total of nine times.

It also contains the formulas for various poisons, some of which are so strange that even a Dou Zun would find them troublesome; a moment of carelessness could lead to death by poisoning.

~

PS: Xiao Yi Xian will definitely be recruited, but not as directly as Medusa or Ya Fei. After all, given Xiao Yi Xian's personality, a direct approach is not suitable.