Stirling looked at the kneeling figure before him, never letting down his guard. He took a slight step back, approaching the gate.

  "Lord Lance?" Stirling asked tentatively.

  "Master, please call me Little Lance; you flatter me!" Lance raised his head, looking at Stirling with a piteous expression.

  "Lord Lance, what is your biggest secret?" Stirling didn't take it easy; instead, he continued to check.

  "Ah? Your servant had an affair with the Duchess of Viva." Lance looked ashamed and tweaked.

  "Ah??" Stirling was now relieved a little and couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you a eunuch?"

  "No, Master, I served the Duke of Viva before the calamity and entered the Yearning Palace only afterwards," Lance explained.

  "Holy crap, you are popular with all sexes, quite the perfect fit for being a servant." Stirling felt surprised for a moment, then said: "Um, Lance, do you have a knife?"

  Lance was confused, but still said. "Master, yes."

  "Find it and stab yourself." Stirling said without expression.

  "Master, you still do not trust your servant." Lance's face paled in shock.

  "Do as I say." Stirling said as he backed away, activating the vital-force inside him, ready to unleash it.

  Lance, hearing this, gritted his teeth, got up at once and went to the room. When he came out again, he was holding a dagger. The next moment, Lance gripped the dagger and plunged it into his own arm. The blade pierced the flesh with a simple sound in the quiet air. Stirling raised an eyebrow

  "Stab your leg," Stirling continued, watching Lance indifferently.

  Lance's expression turned determined. Without hesitation, he stabbed himself, as if he were stabbing someone else's thigh. The blade drove deep into the hilt, showing Lance had given it his all while stabbing himself. This eased Stirling's brow a bit. Lance's arm and leg were now half-crippled. Even if things went wrong later, taking him hostage would be a good option.

  Thinking this, Stirling beckoned to Lance, signaling him to come closer. "Tell me, why are you calling me 'Master'?"

  Lance, holding back blood, sluggishly walked towards Stirling. He endured the pain while he spoke. "Master, I know neither. Since coming back from the archives, your servant has thought about you all the time."

  "Later, your servant felt unwell all over, as if my viscera were burning. What I wanted was to see you as soon as possible and to share your burdens!" Towards the end, Lance's tone became melancholic and pitiful.

  "Enough! Watch your mouth! I'm a man!" Stirling got goosebumps all over at Lance's words, almost turning tail and running away.

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  What blood -manipulating pill is this? Its effect sounds like an aphrodisiac. Stirling recalled the last line from the pill's description:

  In that moment, Stirling saw Lance coming closer. He reached out and put his hand on Lance's head. Instantly, the Aether within Stirling's body surged towards his palm. This aether is a type of internal energy. It cannot penetrate the body like virl-force can. But as soon as it touched Stirling's palm, it shot into Lance's head, as if being summoned!

  As soon as the Aether entered Lance's mind, Stirling's eyes grew wide with shock. The surrounding set changed, showing a strange scene. An illusory figure floated in the darkness. One side was white; the other, black. They were clearly defined but perfectly balanced, like a flawless creation.

  "Come, come..." the figure murmured constantly. Lance's vision blurred under Stirling's hand, and the light in Stirling's eyes bit by bit dimmed. In that moment, Stirling's blood surged in a heartbeat. An unseen force surrounded him.

  Lance's blood echoed from afar with Stirling's. It surged and churned within them, sending continuous Aether racing up their meridians. This energy rushed into their minds like bees to a flower, wave after wave, breaking down the illusory figure in Lance's mind. Stirling and Lance's eyes gradually cleared.

  Next, the Aether that entered Lance's mind spun straight away. It soon turned into a green figure, its face faintly resembling Stirling's. The green figure sat in Lance's mind like the black-and-white one. This made Lance shudder unintentionally.

  Stirling felt an immediate bond with Lance. It was two hearts beating as one; his words became law. Until this moment, the blood-manipulating pill in Lance's bloodline had used up all its energy. The cyan figure made Stirling see Lance was now truly one of his own.

  "Master? Master? Can I stop the bleeding first?" Lance asked, enduring the pain and looking at the dazed Stirling.

  "Ah? Little Lance, go right now." Stirling saw that Lance's wound was still bleeding a lot, so he waved his hand.

  Stirling was deep in thought about what had just happened. Meanwhile, Lance hurried back to the room to find something to bandage his wound. The earlier figure, like the one he saw when working on Romeo's statue, showed the deity projection of Calamity.

  This Aether had simulated and taken the place of the Deity projection of Calamity, casting light and shadow in Lance's mind. Was this usurpation? It has to be said that the ring's function is incredibly powerful.

  Stirling finally relaxed, then looked around at everything, a smile he could not suppress. A grand mansion, a spacious courtyard, beautiful maids—all of this is mine now! Once upon a time, I was just a salted fish lying on a broken wooden bed. Now, although my lifespan is short, at least I've experienced a reversal of fortune, haven't I?

  All this is thanks to my wisdom and hard work! Stirling clenched his right hand, thinking to himself.

  Shortly afterwards, Lance finished bandaging his wound and returned to Stirling's side with great care.

  "Master, won't you sit down and talk?" Lance bowed, looking at Stirling obsequiously.

  "No need; I ask and you answer," Stirling continued.

  "Please ask, Master." Lance replied.

  "What level are you in?"

  "Master, I am at the initial stage of the Nascent realm, equal to the Viscera-Irrigating stage in samurai." Lance said so with trepidation.

  "Oh?" Stirling felt a pang of dissatisfaction; this guy was only worth about 30 years of lifespan.

  "Do you have any divine statues?"

  "Yes, Master, I have not used up my cultivation quota for this year." Lance replied without pausing.

  "Hmm?" Stirling perked up immediately upon hearing this.

  "Bring them here immediately!" Stirling commanded.

  "Master! Do you want to worship a god? Your servant can introduce you to a higher-level statue. Don't waste yourself on this low-level one!" Lance said it with concern.

  "What worship? I want a statue!" Stirling cursed.

  "Yes, yes, yes, Master, it's good that you don't want to worship a god. Your servant will bring it to you now." With that, Lance hurried to run back to the room, returning with something wrapped in a blue cloth.

  "Master, I've already absorbed most of this statue. However, next year's quota will be available soon. If you need it then I'll give it to you." Lance spoke as he unwrapped the blue cloth.

  A blood-red statue appeared before Stirling's eyes!