Chapter 199: Death and Life Bonds

"What deal?" Zu'an asked, his heart turning cold as he gazed at the distant army of the undead. He had barely escaped the wolf's den, only to stumble into a tiger's lair. It seemed there was no escaping his fate today.

Mi Li quickly said, "You must realize that once these undead legions fully break free, all living beings here will perish..."

Zu'an couldn't help but ask, "Weren't they soldiers of Qin in life? It's one thing for them to resent Zhang Han, but as the Empress, shouldn't you be able to command them?"

Mi Li shook her head. "They were indeed Qin soldiers in life, but they died consumed by resentment and were suppressed for over a thousand years. Now, they've completely transformed into vengeful spirits, devoid of any reason. All that remains in their minds is bloodlust and cruelty, a desire to annihilate every living thing they see. Once they fully emerge, none of us will escape death."

"What is this deal you're talking about?" Zu'an could previously chat lightheartedly with Mi Li because of her beauty, but these vengeful spirits offered no such comfort. The thought of them sent shivers down his spine.

"Don't waste your purification on me," Mi Li said. "Use it against these vengeful spirits. That will be beneficial for both of us!"

Zu'an's heart swelled with delight. It seemed the woman truly believed he possessed purification abilities and was afraid.

With this thought, his demeanor became even more assertive. "Why should I? You nearly killed my wife. How could I let you off so easily?"

Mi Li's expression flickered, clearly undergoing an internal struggle. She glanced towards the edge of the pool, where the Terracotta Warriors were steadily retreating, their formation on the verge of collapsing.

After all, the numerical disparity was immense. The undead army numbered a staggering 200,000, appearing inexhaustible as they surged forward. The Terracotta Warriors, on the other hand, numbered only a few thousand. If the undead legion hadn't been prevented from fully emerging all at once, the Terracotta Warriors would have been crushed by sheer numbers long ago.

"Very well," Mi Li said in a deep voice. "I agree to leave your wife's body, but you must promise not to use purification on me again. Furthermore, in the future, you must be responsible for finding various rare treasures to help me reconstruct my body."

Zu'an was overjoyed. This outcome was an unexpected bonus. It seemed the legendary purification ability indeed held great deterrence for her. "Alright, I promise you. Please come out of Chu Chuyan's body now!"

"Do you take me for an idiot?" Mi Li sneered. "What if I come out just like that and you go back on your word?"

"Then what do you propose?" Zu'an asked. "Perhaps we could sign a contract. That way, you wouldn't have to worry."

"No," Mi Li flatly refused. "Contracts have too many loopholes. You're too cunning; who knows what word games you might play to trick me?"

Zu'an: "..."

"Sister, weren't you the one who just tricked me with a fake contract?" Zu'an retorted, feeling a surge of anger. "And you have the nerve to bring this up?"

"Zu'an, don't agree to her terms," Chu Chuyan's voice rang out. "This woman is extremely cunning; she's definitely playing another trick."

Qiao Xueying quickly agreed, "Exactly, this woman is too wicked. Don't trust her."

Mi Li scoffed. "You two foolish women, what do you know? All's fair in war. We had no prior relationship, so using a few tricks was perfectly normal. If you were so easily fooled, you only have yourselves to blame for your foolishness. But now, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same string. Of course, it's different."

Zu'an was speechless. He felt offended by her words, yet he remained more rational, not allowing anger to cloud his judgment like Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying. After all, he was merely bluffing at the moment.

"If not a contract, then what do you suggest?"

Mi Li had already thought it through. "Typical contracts have too many flaws. We'll return to basics and sign a 'Life-and-Death Pact.' That way, neither of us can play tricks."

"'Life-and-Death Pact'? What's that?" Zu'an was bewildered.

Mi Li quickly explained, "'Life and death, we are bound by words. I'll hold your hand, and grow old with you...'"

Qiao Xueying, standing nearby, couldn't help but mutter, "How shameless. Are you trying to find a way to steal Miss Chu's husband?"

Chu Chuyan's expression was equally startled, clearly sharing the same thought.

Mi Li was furious. "What nonsense are you two foolish women spouting? Do you think I want to steal this smelly man from you? This poem isn't meant to describe romantic love at all. It was circulated among soldiers back then to describe camaraderie, a vow to live and die together with comrades, as the name implies."

Qiao Xueying's face immediately flushed. "Who... who said I was afraid... afraid of that?"

Chu Chuyan also felt a flush of embarrassment and didn't notice Qiao Xueying's unusual reaction.

"If we sign this pact, our souls will be linked," Mi Li continued. "If one of us dies, the other dies too. This way, neither of us will dare to do anything detrimental to the other. Only then will I feel secure enough to leave your wife's body. Otherwise, I'd rather we all die together."

"Live and die together?" Zu'an hesitated. After all, no one wanted to entrust their fate to another.

Chu Chuyan grit her teeth and said, "Zu'an, don't agree! Quickly take Xue'er and leave. I'll hold her here!"

Zu'an frowned. Before he could reply, Mi Li interjected, "What a foolish woman, indeed. If he were willing to abandon you, he would have run away long ago. Why would he wait until now, and even suffer such severe injuries?"

"Besides," she continued, "I don't even dislike your man, yet you're disliking me? How powerful I am! Few in this world can harm me, but your man is so weak. To be honest, I'm the one who should be worried."

Qiao Xueying, standing by, immediately retorted, "Hmph, who are you looking down on? He can live for at least a thousand years, and with higher cultivation in the future, he could live even longer. Linking his life and death with yours would be a loss!"

She knew that she had previously transferred at least seven or eight hundred years of her lifespan to him through the "Half-Life Bond." Combined with the longer lifespans of cultivators compared to ordinary people, living for a thousand years was a trivial matter for him.

The thought of sacrificing half her life only for Zu'an to die because of another woman made Qiao Xueying feel utterly shortchanged.

"A thousand years?" Chu Chuyan was surprised, not understanding why Xue'er would say such a thing. Given Zu'an's current cultivation, he was still far from living for a thousand years.

Mi Li, however, scoffed, "Forget a thousand years; even if he lived for two or five thousand years, I would still be at a great disadvantage."

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan fell silent, knowing she spoke the truth. After all, who knew how long she had lived in this dark underground palace?

Zu'an, however, couldn't resist asking, "Empress Sister, how old are you exactly?"

"Why are you asking that?" Mi Li shot him a glare. "Don't you know it's incredibly rude to casually ask a woman's age?"

Zu'an replied, "I don't doubt for a second that you could live for ten or even eighty thousand years. But you've already lived for several millennia in this underground palace. What if you're already in your twilight years? Wouldn't it be a huge loss for me to be bound to you in life and death?"

Mi Li: "..."

Rage points from Mi Li: 777!

Qiao Xueying, watching from the side, secretly chuckled. She used to find it infuriating whenever this guy annoyed her, but seeing him annoy someone else now was strangely satisfying.

"You brat, you're testing my patience!" Mi Li's eyelid twitched as she gritted her teeth.

Zu'an quickly tried to appease her. "Alright, I agree. I'll sign the 'Life-and-Death Pact' with you."

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan immediately became anxious. "Zu'an, don't..."

Zu'an stopped them from saying more. "Don't worry, signing this won't be a loss for me. We need to resolve the current situation; this stalemate isn't helping."

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan hesitated, knowing it was true, and found nothing more to say.

Only Zu'an knew the truth: he had completely bluffed Mi Li. Therefore, signing the soul pact of shared life and death quickly was the best strategy.

However, he was also concerned that being too eager might arouse suspicion, so he had deliberately dragged out the conversation. It seemed his tactic had worked well.

"How exactly do we sign this 'Life-and-Death Pact'?" Zu'an asked.

At that moment, Mi Li's face subtly appeared on Chu Chuyan's, and she extended her hand. "Give me a drop of your essence blood."

"Essence blood?" Zu'an looked abashed. "That's not really appropriate, is it? Taking off my pants in front of you all..."

Qiao Xueying: "..."Chu Chuyan: "..."Mi Li: "..."

"What disgusting thoughts fill your mind!" Mi Li couldn't help but roar. "Essence blood is the source of your life; it's different from ordinary blood, and it's certainly not what you're thinking of!"

Rage points from Mi Li: 517!

Zu'an gave an awkward laugh, feeling embarrassed. He had indeed misunderstood. Yet, he recalled that he had clearly relied on the *other* thing he was imagining to heal Chu Chuyan's elemental channels earlier.

Mi Li didn't bother with further explanation. She directly used her index fingernail to prick his forehead, drawing out a drop of blood that was much richer and more vibrant than ordinary blood.

Chu Chuyan was alarmed and was about to intervene, but Mi Li had already stopped. "Don't worry, I won't harm your man."

Zu'an immediately felt a wave of weakness and exhaustion wash over him, more debilitating than even a severe injury. It seemed essence blood was indeed incredibly precious.

Mi Li scoffed again. "You also extend your finger and draw with me."

Qiao Xueying, from the side, warned, "Be careful!"

Chu Chuyan also said, "If you sense anything unusual, immediately stab me with your sword."

Zu'an smiled faintly. "Don't worry, she can't kill me."

With the "Rich Woman's Pleasure Orb" assisting him, he truly wasn't afraid of her.

"You certainly possess a strange confidence," Mi Li scoffed, clearly quite displeased.

Zu'an said no more. Instead, he reached out and touched her finger. The cool, refreshing sensation was incredibly comfortable. For a moment, he felt a strange disorientation, wondering if this comfort was from Chu Chuyan or Mi Li.

"Focus your mind!" Mi Li frowned, Zu'an's expression making her slightly uncomfortable. "Slowly, draw with me."

Zu'an hummed in acknowledgment and wasted no more time. Connecting his finger with hers, he used the drop of essence blood as ink to draw an intricate pattern in mid-air.

As soon as the pattern was complete, it emitted a golden glow, then separated, landing on each of their foreheads before disappearing.

Zu'an blinked. In that instant, he suddenly felt a sense of closeness to Mi Li, and he also confirmed that she hadn't been lying earlier; this pact indeed allowed them to live and die together.

This confirmation wasn't based on words, but on an understanding of the fundamental laws of the world.

Zu'an suddenly remembered a serious problem: "What happens after you leave my wife's body?"

Before, he had desperately wanted Mi Li out of Chu Chuyan's body. But now that their fates were intertwined, he worried that if Mi Li's soul dissipated upon leaving, he would die with her. That would truly be a situation with nowhere to cry.