Wang Xuan and Li Meng hurried over and lifted Li Ran’s clothes to take a look, their expressions changing instantly. Li Ran’s entire body was flushed red and covered in small bumps.

"Li Ran, you might be having an allergic reaction!" Wang Xuan said with a frown.

"An allergic reaction?" Li Ran’s expression changed drastically. "How is that possible? I was fine when I applied the ointment this morning. How could I have a reaction after applying it tonight?"

"I don’t know." Wang Xuan shook her head. "Why don’t you go ask Ye Lin’er’s bodyguard?"

Li Ran didn’t dare. She was terrified of Ye Xiu now.

Wang Xuan said, "You applied too much just now, and now your whole body is reacting. If you don’t get it treated in time, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Horrified, Li Ran involuntarily pictured her entire body rotting away. She immediately cast aside her fear of Ye Xiu, quickly got dressed, and ran out.

Just as she left the tent, she bumped into Tajiguli, who was also just coming out of her own tent. The sight of Tajiguli’s face gave her a fright. Tajiguli’s face was a sickly red, covered with bumps.

"What... what happened to your face?" Li Ran asked.

"It was the ointment. I put some on my face, and this happened," Tajiguli said hastily before heading straight for Ye Xiu’s tent. Li Ran quickly followed.

When the two of them arrived at Ye Xiu’s tent, Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu were fawning over Ye Xiu, begging him to take them on as his disciples.

"Is something the matter?" Ye Xiu asked teasingly upon seeing Li Ran and Tajiguli.

"Um... well, why did we have an allergic reaction after using your ointment?" Li Ran asked weakly.

"I knew you two stole my ointment this morning," Ye Xiu sneered. "What you don’t know is that my ointment has an expiration date. Once it expires, applying it will cause an immediate allergic reaction. If it isn’t treated in time, your entire body will rot."

Li Ran and Tajiguli were terrified. Their entire bodies would rot? Since they were the ones who had stolen the ointment, they now felt both awkward and desperate.

Li Ran asked weakly, "So... you have a cure, right?"

"I do," Ye Xiu nodded. "But why should I treat you?"

Li Ran and Tajiguli were speechless. Considering everything they had done to Ye Xiu, the fact that he hadn’t killed them already was an act of extreme mercy.

"I’m willing to pay! As long as you cure me, I’ll pay any price," Tajiguli forced herself to say. If she didn’t get treatment soon, her face would be ruined. In showbiz, her face was her fortune!

Li Ran quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, me too! I’ll pay, I have money! As long as you can cure me, any amount is fine."

That’s exactly what I was waiting for, Ye Xiu grinned. "10,000,000 each."

"That’s..." Li Ran and Tajiguli nearly cursed out loud.

Although they were A-list celebrities and made money quickly, a portion of their earnings went to their agency and another to taxes, leaving them with less than half. After so many years of struggling in the entertainment industry, they had each amassed a net worth of over a hundred million. 10,000,000 was a huge sum for them.

Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu clicked their tongues on the side. Master really has some nerve, asking for 10,000,000 just to treat a skin allergy! What fool would agree to that?

"You’re free to seek treatment at a hospital," Ye Xiu chuckled, "but let me remind you, no hospital can cure the allergic reaction caused by my ointment. In twelve hours, your skin will begin to rot. By then, not even the Daluo Golden Immortal himself could save you if he descended from the heavens. And," he added, "to avoid any delays in filming, I won’t be letting either of you leave the film set."

And just like that, Li Ran and Tajiguli’s escape routes were completely cut off.

"Fine, I’ll pay!" Tajiguli said, gritting her teeth.

"I’ll pay too," Li Ran said listlessly. She was now filled with regret for ever offending Ye Xiu. If I had just gotten on good terms with him from the beginning, he probably would have treated me for free.

Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu glanced at each other. 10,000,000, just like that? Master makes money way too easily!

"Transfer the money," Ye Xiu said cheerfully.

I have to fleece Li Ran, Tajiguli, Zong Rui, and the Director until they’re bankrupt before this reality show is over, he thought.

「Inside the hotel.」

Ming Yue and Kristina were eating takeout.

As Ming Yue ate, she recounted her feud with Ye Xiu, her words dripping with a hatred so deep it made her teeth itch. This was no act; she truly loathed Ye Xiu, yet she was forced to submit to him and do his bidding.

"You saved me, so I’ll protect you. Stick with me from now on. Ye Xiu is just a plaything in my hands now. He belongs to me, so he won’t dare to touch you," Kristina said cockily, gnawing on a chicken leg.

She was incredibly grateful to Ming Yue, who had told her she’d found her in a deserted corner, bleeding from all seven orifices, her internal organs seemingly shattered. Kristina had believed Ming Yue’s fabricated story completely.

"With you around, Ye Xiu wouldn’t dare do anything to me. But if you were to leave one day, I’d still end up dead at his hands," Ming Yue said with a sorrowful expression that was only half-feigned. In reality, she was constantly worried that Ye Xiu would kill her one day.

"Don’t worry. When I return to the Eternal Kingdom, I’ll take you with me," Kristina promised.

Ming Yue’s face broke into a smile. "Now that you’ve said that, I can rest easy!"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Kristina’s eyes lit up. "They’re here! Come in, the door’s unlocked."

The door opened, and a graceful young man entered, followed by a scruffy old man.

Kristina was startled when she saw the scruffy old man. "Qiao Beiming?" she asked, turning to the young man. "Lin Feng, why did you bring him here?"

Lin Feng was the graceful young man, the half-brother of Lin Xin, and a powerful contender in the struggle for the throne of the Eternal Kingdom.

"Father said it was time to set things in motion, so he had me bring Elder Qiao," Lin Feng replied with a smile.

Kristina frowned. "Based on the project’s progress in the Million Gold Mountains, we’re still at least two months away from completing the preliminary work for the Mist Chant Martial Meeting. Isn’t it too early to make a move?"

"This was a decision from the higher-ups of the three great Judicator Families," Lin Feng said with a shrug. He then pointed at Ming Yue and asked, "Who is she?"

"This is Ming Yue, my benefactor..." Kristina quickly recounted the story of how Huang Quan had killed her and how Ming Yue had saved her.

"Huang Quan is courting death!"

Upon hearing that the Princess had been killed by Huang Quan three times, an astonishing Killing Intent flared from both Lin Feng and Qiao Beiming.

Kristina paid them no mind and turned to Ming Yue. "Let me introduce you. This is the Second Prince of the Eternal Kingdom. The scruffy old man behind him is Qiao Beiming. Don’t be fooled by his sloppy appearance—he may look like a useless old codger, but he’s actually the number one sage of the Eternal Kingdom. He is the head of the Ministry of Military Affairs’ think tank, the director of the Eternal Kingdom’s Intelligence Department, and he’s known as the ’Demon Master’."