Side Effects of the Soul Contract

Ye Xiu settled down in the Snake-Person Race tribe.

If word of this got out, the jaws of everyone in the Jia Ma Empire would likely hit the floor. A human, running into a Snake-Person tribe, and staying there at the personal invitation of Queen Medusa herself—was this not just asking for death?

But the fact remained that not only was Ye Xiu still alive, he had become the first human in the history of the Snake-Person Race to be treated as an honored guest.

Of course, while they called him an honored guest, he was essentially under surveillance.

The gazes the Snake-Person tribesmen cast at him were like those directed at some strange and exotic Magic Beast. Some were wary, some were curious, and a few young female Snake-People even had looks in their eyes that carried an indescribable, ambiguous flavor.

Ye Xiu didn't care, however; he just went about his business.

Early the next morning, he went to find Queen Medusa.

Inside the palace, Queen Medusa sat upon her throne, still wearing that icy expression.

Ye Xiu tossed a piece of paper directly to her.

"This is the formula for the Soul-Melting Pill. You provide the medicinal ingredients."

Queen Medusa took it, glanced at it, and frowned.

"These items are not cheap."

Ye Xiu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if a tier six medicinal pill were cheap, would it still be called tier six? Besides, your Snake-Person Race has been roaming the desert for so many years; surely you can manage to scrape these few things together?"

Queen Medusa said nothing and put the formula away.

"Right, there is one more thing," Ye Xiu said. "Your Majesty should sign the soul contract with me first."

Queen Medusa raised her eyes to look at him and asked coldly, "Why are you in such a rush?"

Ye Xiu shrugged. "The sooner it's signed, the sooner I can rest easy. You don't trust me, and I don't trust you. Once the contract is signed, we can both sleep soundly."

Queen Medusa was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine."

A soul contract, to put it plainly, is a guarantee made with blood and soul. Both parties force out a drop of heart-blood to fuse into the other's soul.

Once the contract is established, if anyone dares to go back on their word, their soul will shatter into fragments, and not even a god could save them.

Ye Xiu and Queen Medusa stood face to face, both closing their eyes at the same time.

Ye Xiu could feel a cold aura drilling in from between his brows, taking root deep within his soul. At the same time, a drop of his own essence blood fused into Queen Medusa's soul.

The sensation was quite miraculous.

It was as if an invisible thread had suddenly appeared between the two of them, and they could vaguely sense each other's presence.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the contract was complete.

Ye Xiu opened his eyes and met Queen Medusa's gaze.

Their eyes locked for a moment before both simultaneously looked away.

"Done." Ye Xiu revealed an imperceptible, meaningful smile, then said, "I'll head back first. Call me whenever Your Majesty has gathered the ingredients."

With that, he left.

Queen Medusa sat on her throne, watching his back disappear through the doorway. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and she remained motionless for a long time, as if deep in thought.

A month passed by quite quickly.

The Snake-Person Race's efficiency was actually quite good; the ingredients for the Soul-Melting Pill were found one by one. Some were dug out from the tribe's inventory, some were found by parties sent deep into the desert, and others were purchased at high prices from passing caravans.

During this month, Ye Xiu hadn't been idle either.

He lived in a small courtyard on the east side of the tribe, spending his time cultivating or refining a few batches of pills to keep his skills sharp. Occasionally, he would go out for a walk and wander around the tribe.

Those Snake-People, who had been wary at first, slowly grew accustomed to the existence of this human.

And unexpectedly, the one who came to find him most often was Queen Medusa.

This woman, who knew what had gotten into her, would run over to his place every few days. Sometimes she asked about the Heavenly Flame, sometimes she chatted about this and that, and sometimes she would simply sit there without saying a word.

Ye Xiu found it quite strange at first, but eventually, he got used to it.

Moreover, he discovered that ever since they signed the soul contract, Queen Medusa's attitude toward him seemed a bit different.

He used to think this woman was beautiful, yes, but too cold and too dangerous; one look was enough to know she was not to be trifled with. Now, looking at her again, she was still cold and still dangerous, but it didn't seem as jarring anymore.

Sometimes, when she sat in the courtyard and the sunset shone on her face, Ye Xiu would think that this woman was actually quite beautiful.

Not only did she possess that stunning beauty, but it was the kind of beauty one could never grow tired of looking at.

Queen Medusa herself might not have even realized that she was visiting Ye Xiu more and more frequently.

Sometimes it was during the day, sometimes at night, and sometimes she even ran over in the dead of night, claiming she had to keep an eye on him to ensure he didn't harbor any ill intentions toward the Snake-Person Race.

Within the Snake-Person Race, there seemed to be more whispers regarding this phenomenon.

Ye Xiu was sometimes speechless, but he didn't say anything.

He could feel that the look in Queen Medusa's eyes was changing, too. From the initial wariness and scrutiny, it slowly turned into curiosity, and then into... how should he put it? It was a bit like the look one gives an old acquaintance.

One time, while Ye Xiu was refining medicine in the courtyard with Queen Medusa watching from the side, he finished a batch, and she suddenly spoke.

"In all my years, this is the first time I've seen an Alchemist refine pills with such speed and stability."

Ye Xiu looked up at her: "How was it?"

Medusa thought for a moment and said: "Barely passable."

Ye Xiu was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

This woman didn't even know how to give a compliment.

Days passed by, one after another.

Sometimes Ye Xiu would wonder, what the hell was this situation? Had he actually become friends with the Queen of the Snake-Person Race? No one would believe it if he told them.

But he also knew that this was likely related to the soul contract. With their souls bound together, they were bound to influence each other over time.

Medusa probably felt it too, but she didn't say anything. Naturally, Ye Xiu wouldn't bring it up either.

Some things were better understood in the heart; saying them out loud would only ruin the mood.

A month later, the medicinal ingredients were finally gathered.

Medusa came to find Ye Xiu personally, saying that the ingredients were ready and asking when he would refine the pill.

Ye Xiu said: "Let's do it today."

"Today?" Medaisa was taken aback, "Don't you need to prepare?"

Ye Xiu smiled: "Prepare for what? It's just refining a pill."

Medusa looked at him, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

After spending this month together, she felt more and more that this human was bizarre. He was clearly only fifteen or sixteen, yet he spoke and acted with more composure than those old foxes who had lived for decades. The key was that he truly wasn't afraid of her.

In the entire Snake-Person Race, who dared to speak to her like that?

Only him.

"Fine," Medusa said, "then today it is. We'll refine it at the altar."

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow: "The altar?"

"That is the most sacred place of the Snake-Person Race," Medusa said, "I want to watch you refine it there. I also want the tribesmen to see what exactly comes out of the ingredients they spent a month gathering."

Ye Xiu understood.

The Snake-Person Race had gone to great lengths to gather the ingredients for the Soul-Melting Pill.

She wanted to let those snake-people see that their efforts hadn't been in vain, and that this human truly had some real skills.

"Fine," Ye Xiu said, "then the altar it is."