Ma An looked at the ridiculously beautiful woman with complete shock. How had this woman appeared out of thin air?

But he no longer bothered thinking about that soon afterward, because he was completely enamored by her beauty. He had seen his fair share of stunning beauties as a subject in the imperial palace; for example, the empress, crown princess, and Concubine Bai. Their appearances weren’t much inferior to this woman, but this woman seemed to possess a kind of charm that seemed to affect all living things. It was to the extent that she didn’t even need to say anything or do anything. He felt as if even his soul had been hooked, even though she was only standing there.

How could there be someone this stunning in the world?

Ma An was already getting on in years, and so his lustful desires were no longer the same as they had been. However, when he smelled the faint fragrance that accompanied the woman’s appearance, he felt as if he had become a young man again. His heart that had remained stagnant for so long instantly came alive.

What kind of relationship does this woman have with Zu An? Why did she appear here? I think she was summoned when she heard Zu An’s voice…?

What the hell did this Zu An do in his last life? He’s a nobody from the streets, yet he obtained the Chu clan’s favor, and he’s clearly close to this stunning beauty too!

You have successfully trolled Ma An for +444 +444 +444…

Zu An was speechless. He thought, What is going on? Why are you getting angry at me just because you saw a pretty girl? But he didn’t feel like bothering with that. He said to the beautiful woman next to him, “Daji, control him and find out who the one behind him is.”

Daji had three abilities. Among them, Fox Charm was able to control someone of the opposite sex for a short amount of time.

Daji nodded, and then she calmly walked up to Ma An, showing him a devastatingly charming smile. Ma An immediately became stupefied. The only thing left in his head was ‘I’m going to die, I’m going to die’. Drool even flowed out of his mouth involuntarily.

Daji couldn't speak, so Zu An had to speak. “Who is the one backing you?”

However, in Ma An’s eyes, it was as if Daji were the one asking him. He began, “The master behind me…”

“Who is your master?” Zu An quickly asked.

“My master is…” Ma An subconsciously mumbled, but his expression suddenly changed. He immediately woke up. “Zu An, you’re really something. You were actually using sorcery!”

Zu An frowned. Why would the other party wake up just then?

Mi Li’s voice said, “Did you forget that there was another condition for Fox Charm? The target has to be of lower cultivation than Daji.”

Zu An sighed. “Of course I knew, but I thought that their cultivation levels were similar. They’re both at the initial stage of the sixth rank. I even sucked out his cultivation. I didn’t expect that to still not be enough.”

“Since the prerequisite for Fox Charm is that the target’s cultivation level has to be lower, then we clearly need to follow it strictly. As for you sucking out his strength, that doesn’t affect his true cultivation. Even though cultivators don’t cultivate their souls in the early stages, it’s still being influenced and nourished. You’ve sucked away his skills, but his soul is still at the sixth rank,” Mi Li explain.

“Then what do I do?” Zu An felt a headache. This Ma An was quite cunning, setting up that restriction on himself, so he couldn't use torture. Now, trickery wouldn’t work either. He really felt quite helpless.

Mi Li thought for a bit and then said, “Didn’t you say that the Ki Condensation Pills could increase the rank of her skills? Why don’t you give that a try?”

Zu An’s eyes lit up. “Right!”

“You… Who are you talking to?” Ma An felt a chill run down his back when he saw Zu An talking to himself. He subconsciously wanted to run, but his entire body was limp. He could only barely nudge his body a little bit.

Zu An didn’t feel like answering him. He smacked Ma An with his palm and knocked him out, planning to deal with him after the pill refinement. However, he quickly realized another problem. “But big sis empress, not even Shen Xuzi knows how to work this thing…”

He fished out the small green cauldron. To be honest, even though the color was a bit glaring, it was quite a nice item.

“Shen Xuzi wasn’t able to use it because he didn’t have the method.” Mi Li’s red-clothed figure appeared. She took the small green cauldron from Zu An and caressed it with her fine fingers. A while later, she said with a sigh, “But it’s a pity that it’s incomplete. However, that’s fine as well. Otherwise, a complete cauldron wouldn’t be the sort of thing you could control with your current strength.”

Zu An felt a bit upset. His Tai’e Sword was sealed, and now this cauldron was also defective. Was his luck actually good or bad

Of course, there was a more pressing matter at hand. He said, “I’ve actually already given it a try before. This thing doesn’t really seem like a pill furnace.”

“What the hell do you know?” Mi Li harrumphed. “The nine cauldrons are the symbols of authority, but they also possess the ability to prepare food. Did you forget your experiences in Yinxu’s dungeon already?”

“I guess you’re right.” Zu An nodded. During ancient times, cauldrons were artifacts used to cook; it was just that there were strict rules for the size and amount depending on one’s status.

“Even though I served as the Shang emperor for so many years, I never gave the nine cauldrons a try.” Zu An felt a bit regretful. The nine cauldrons had disappeared during the Qin Dynasty, so they definitely existed in the Shang Dynasty. Unfortunately, the only thing on his mind back then had been how to pass that trial. He had never thought about such things.

Mi Li shook her head. “The nine cauldrons are too powerful, so there was no way Shang Emperor Wu Geng could recreate all their functions. Even if they did exist in that dungeon, those nine cauldrons would probably still be no different from ordinary cauldrons.”

“I see.” Zu An thought to himself, No wonder I never noticed the existence of any formidable nine cauldrons even though I was locked up in Yinxu for so long.

Mi Li examined the small green cauldron in her hands. “The nine cauldrons were refined by the Xia Dynasty’s Yu the Great, so I believe it should operate through the Xia Dynasty royal family’s technique. However, later on, the Shang and Zhou Dynasty possessed the nine cauldrons, so according to normal reasoning, their techniques should be able to activate it too. Use your Heaven Devouring Art or Phoenix Nirvana Sutra and infuse your ki into it.”

Zu An nodded. The Heaven Devouring Sutra’s offensive nature was too powerful, so he used the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra. As his ki flowed in, the small green cauldron suddenly released brilliant radiance.

The small cauldron was originally covered in bumps. Apart from its eye-catching color, it looked completely normal otherwise. Now, after the rays of light surged from it, it was as if there were streaks of faintly discernible light around it. The bumps on the small cauldron seemed to follow some kind of rhythm. Many of them seemed to depict mountains and rivers, as well as other unrecognizable things.

Mi Li was moved. “Indeed, indeed! According to the ancient records, the nine cauldrons are adorned with the mountains and rivers of the nine provinces, as well as all kinds of magical things!” She had never been able to see the nine cauldrons for herself, even after she became the empress of the Great Qin Dynasty. Who would have thought that she would actually see them for herself here?

The small cauldron floated in midair, sparkling and translucent. It flowed with brilliant colors, no longer carrying any resemblance to its earlier sorry state. If Shen Xuzi had seen it in this state, he probably wouldn’t have been willing to give it away.

Zu An felt an ancient and grand aura surrounding him, as well as a dignified and profound presence. He was also faced with many scenes he had never seen before. It was as if slides of a film strip were rushing past him at a hundred times speed. In that instant, Zu An felt as if his head were about to explode. He couldn't make out any of the scenes at all.

“Focus your mind; gather your ki toward your core!” Mi Li’s frantic voice vaguely said in his ears.

Some time passed, and yet it also felt as if only an instant had gone by. Zu An finally opened his eyes. His head felt as if it were splitting. He discovered that all of his clothes were tattered, and there were small droplets of blood coming out of his skin. It was as if all of his fine blood vessels had exploded. He was horrified and exclaimed, “What is going on?!”

Mi Li said with a sigh, “I believe your cultivation is still too low, and this cauldron is too powerful. Forcefully activating the cauldron will cause a powerful rebound. Fortunately, your body was forged by the Primordial Origin Sutra, so it’s incredibly tough, or else you might have died right here. But it seems you’ve already successfully obtained the cauldron’s acknowledgment, which means that your misfortune was actually a blessing.”

Zu An was stunned. He looked at that small green cauldron. Sure enough, he felt as if they were linked together. “It acknowledged me?” he asked, shocked and happy.

Mi Li harrumphed. “Put on some clothes first. Stop dangling that thing everywhere.” At the same time, she turned around to look at Daji, who had turned away. She remarked, “Strange, this woman clearly has no will. Why does she look all shy and embarrassed?”