Chapter 25: The Alchemist's Aphrodisiac & The Pavilion's Poison
The morning sun of the Northern Void had barely begun to filter through the crystalline windows of the Imperial suite when a knock echoed against the jade doors.
Xu Yanluo was currently buried under a mountain of silken sheets and sleeping beauties. Hu Ruyan's tails were draped over his chest like a warm blanket, and Ye Ziyun was curled into his side, her silver hair tangled with his.
"Master... it is time for your morning recovery," a melodious, scholarly voice called out.
The doors slid open to reveal Su Yan, the newly "liberated" Alchemist Empress. She was a vision of scholarly elegance, wearing semi-transparent alchemist silks that left very little to the imagination. In her hands, she carried a steaming jade bowl.
"What is that?" Yanluo asked, sitting up and inadvertently waking the Fox and the Fairy.
"A 'Heavenly Source Restoration' tonic," Su Yan said, her eyes shimmering with a mix of professional pride and a hint of something more predatory. "Since you took me from that... ladle... I felt it only right to show you the difference between a 'Chef' and an 'Empress.'"
The Tonic of Overwhelming Charm
Yanluo took the bowl and downed it in one go. Instantly, his blood began to boil—not with pain, but with a terrifying amount of vitality.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Warning! Alchemist Empress Su Yan added 'Crimson Dragon Essence' and 'Nectar of the Seven Veils' to the brew.]
[Status: 'Seductive Aura' increased by 500%. 'Stamina' locked at Maximum.]
"Uh, Ling?" Yanluo muttered, his voice dropping an octave as a visible, golden-red haze began to radiate from his skin. "I feel... different."
Hu Ruyan and Ye Ziyun both sat up, their eyes widening. They didn't just see Yanluo; they felt an irresistible, magnetic pull. Even the Goddess Tian Ling, who had just walked in to complain about the noise, stopped dead in her tracks, her face flushing a deep crimson.
"Yanluo..." Ruyan whispered, her tails fluffing up to double their size. "You smell... delicious."
Su Yan smirked, adjusting her glasses as she watched the effect. "It seems my 'Bedside Manner' is quite effective, wouldn't you say, Master?"
"You did this on purpose," Yanluo growled, though he couldn't help but grin as the harem began to close in like hungry wolves.
The Pavilion's Hidden Contract
While Yanluo was busy with his "side-effects," a much darker meeting was taking place on the lower decks.
Lu Qingshan, the Lord of the Crimson Pavilion, stood over his son, Lu Yanming, whose face was still swollen and bruised from the previous day's slapping.
"Father! You let that brat humiliate me!" Yanming hissed, his voice muffled by bandages. "I want him dead! I want his women!"
"Quiet, you fool," Qingshan barked. "The Immortal Dynasty is too strong to face directly. But the Crimson Pavilion doesn't fight with swords—we fight with Contracts."
He pulled out a scroll made of human skin, glowing with a sickly purple light. "This is a Void-Binding Blood Contract. I have already bribed one of the Prince's servants to place it under his bed. Once he spills a single drop of blood or... other fluids... on it, his soul will be bound to the Crimson Pavilion. He will become our puppet, and his Father's Empire will be ours."
Lu Yanming grinned maliciously. "And his women? Can I have the Fox first?"
"You can have whatever is left when I am done," Qingshan replied coldly.
The Trap is Set
Back in the suite, the atmosphere was peak chaos. The "Charm Aura" was so thick that the Regent Yao Qingxue had to use her cultivation just to stay sane, though she was currently pinning Yanluo to the divan, her eyes glazed with desire.
"Darling... I think we should skip the morning training," she whispered, her lips inches from his.
Suddenly, Yanluo felt a "glitch" in his spiritual senses.
[Ling: ALERT! A 'Forbidden Contract' has been detected beneath your cushions. It is currently attempting to harvest 'Bio-Data' to initiate a Soul-Bind.]
Yanluo's eyes cleared instantly. He looked at the floor, seeing a faint purple glow peeking through the rugs. He let out a dark, amused laugh.
"A Blood Contract? In my own bedroom?"
He stood up, the golden-red aura of the tonic swirling around him. He didn't destroy the contract. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the Alchemist Empress by the waist, pulling her close.
"Su Yan, you're good with toxins and seals, right?"
"The best in the Higher Heavens, Master," she purred, her heart racing as she felt his heightened charm.
"Rewrite this contract," Yanluo commanded, his eyes glowing like rubies. "I want the 'Puppet' status to reflect back onto the sender. If Lu Qingshan wants a slave, I'll give him one. Himself."
The "Feedback" Loop
Yanluo bit his finger and dropped a single bead of blood onto the rewritten scroll.
Five decks below, Lu Qingshan was holding the twin scroll, waiting for the connection. Suddenly, the skin-scroll in his hand turned black and burst into flames. Qingshan screamed as black chains erupted from the air, wrapping around his neck and dragging him to the floor.
"What is this?! The contract is... reversing?!"
Back in the suite, Yanluo leaned back, surrounded by his beautiful, thirsty harem. He looked at the hidden camera he knew the Pavilion was using.
"Lu Qingshan," Yanluo's voice echoed through the ship's internal arrays. "I hope you enjoy being my new 'Imperial Dog.' Oh, and tell your son to get ready. I need someone to wash my boots, and his face looks just about the right shape for it."
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Quest Complete: 'The Reversed Trap.']
[Reward: Crimson Pavilion's Treasury & 10,000 Villain Points.]
"Now," Yanluo said, turning back to his harem with a predatory smirk. "Where were we? I believe Su Yan's tonic still hasn't worn off."
[Author's Note: The Crimson Pavilion Lord is now a soul-slave! The Alchemist Empress has proven her 'worth'! But a new, much more powerful aura has just appeared on the radar—is it a True Chosen One?]