Chapter 180 – The Concubine’s Counterattack: The Most Favored Empress – Signing the Contract (10)
Bai Tang walked through endless darkness. There was no Luo Dai, no husky, no palace attendants—nothing around him.
Overhead, a single beam of light illuminated a three-step radius around him, and no matter where he went, that light followed.
“Is anyone there…?”
“A Dai… Qiu’er…”
Bai Tang called out many times, but no matter how he shouted, his voice was swallowed up by the darkness.
“A Dai, Qiu’er, where are you? I’m so scared~”
Bai Tang squatted down, hugging his knees as tears streamed down his face. “A Dai… A Dai…”
Back in the imperial cabinet, Luo Dai was in the middle of a military discussion with his ministers when his heart suddenly ached—was Tang Tang calling out to him?
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”
The ministers, not receiving a response from Luo Dai, couldn’t help but call out to him.
“It’s nothing. Prime Minister Li’s strategy is sound,” Luo Dai replied absentmindedly, though he noticed shadows moving back and forth at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.
“What’s going on outside?” Luo Dai asked in a low voice.
A palace attendant from Qiankun Palace entered the inner hall, first bowing to the emperor and ministers before briefly reporting that Bai Tang had suddenly collapsed—and even the imperial physicians couldn’t determine the cause.
Luo Dai’s expression changed. He immediately said, “Prime Minister Li, handle everything in my absence,” then turned and left. By the time the ministers realized what had happened, Luo Dai had already vanished from the inner cabinet.
Prime Minister Li was Luo Dai’s trusted aide and a staunch royalist. As soon as Luo Dai left, he swiftly took charge, not giving the other ministers a chance to raise concerns.
“Tang Tang… Tang Tang…”
Back in the darkness, Bai Tang had cried until his voice was hoarse. Suddenly, he heard Luo Dai’s voice.
He quickly stood up and shouted into the darkness, “A Dai! A Dai!”
“Tang Tang, don’t be afraid. I’m right here. Close your eyes—I’ll come to you.”
“Tang Tang, I’m here.”
Luo Dai’s voice had a calming effect on Bai Tang—it brought a sense of peace.
Although closing his eyes and losing his visual sense of the surroundings was terrifying, he chose to trust Luo Dai.
He slowly closed his eyes and walked toward the direction of the voice.
One step… two steps… Bai Tang fell into a warm embrace.
He opened his eyes and was met with Luo Dai’s gentle, handsome face.
“A Dai, it was so dark there… I couldn’t find my way out…” Bai Tang cried in Luo Dai’s arms, releasing all his fear.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here now.”
But before Bai Tang could fully hold onto him, the next second, the person in his arms vanished. Panic surged within him as he ran toward the fading light, shouting, “A Dai! A Dai, don’t go…”
“A Dai!” Bai Tang suddenly sat up, wide awake.
Luo Dai pulled him into a hug. “Tang Tang, you’re awake.”
The despair of grasping hope only to have it torn away still lingered in Bai Tang’s heart. Two silent tears slid down his face.
After a long moment, he wrapped his arms around Luo Dai’s back. “I thought… you didn’t want me anymore…”
“I never will.”
Tang Tang was truly too easily shaken—words alone couldn’t reassure him. Luo Dai would give him his embrace, and stay by his side forever, until all his fears were gone.
Xiao A let out a sigh of relief as it watched the two embrace.
The situation had been critical earlier. It had no choice but to pull the person Bai Tang was closest to into his mental realm. If it succeeded, both of them would return. If it failed, Luo Dai would be trapped inside too.
It had risked being destroyed by the Heavenly Dao to save Bai Tang. If Luo Dai died before a new spiritual pillar for the world appeared, the entire world would collapse—and no one would escape.
Thank goodness… thank goodness…
After finally calming Bai Tang down, the imperial physician checked his pulse and said he had simply suffered a fright. With two doses of calming medicine, he would be fine.
Still worried, Luo Dai stayed by his side, reviewing memorials on a nearby table within the inner hall.
Not long after Bai Tang closed his eyes, a strange youthful voice echoed in his mind:
“Ding—Hello, I am the Fortune and Destiny System, Xiao A. Delighted to be at your service, Host.”
Startled, Bai Tang opened his eyes and looked around. He saw Luo Dai frowning as he read through documents—everything else seemed normal.
“No need to look around, Host. I’m connected to your consciousness. Others can’t see or hear me.”
“What do you want?” Bai Tang instinctively asked in his mind.
“According to system diagnostics, you are someone blessed with immense fortune, yet plagued by a troubled fate. Due to certain unnamed external forces, you are destined for an early death. My purpose is to help guide you back to the right path. Of course, in return, I will absorb a small amount of your fortune as compensation.”
Bai Tang frowned. Xiao A’s words sounded both unfamiliar and oddly familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before. Deep in his mind, a voice warned him not to accept this strange system.
“I don’t need your help, thank you.”
Xiao A wasn’t surprised by the youth’s cold rejection. Based on its analysis, this boy was never meant to be part of this world in the first place.
Although it couldn’t detect anything deeper, it suspected he might, like itself, possess a system or some other kind of “golden finger.” The reason nothing had appeared until now remained a mystery.
Undeterred, Xiao A continued, “Do you want Ma Aoshan to take Luo Dai’s kingdom? Do you want to watch Luo Dai become her prisoner, suffering unbearable torment? If it weren’t for my help just now, you would have fallen into Ma Aoshan’s seduction trap. Even if Luo Dai wanted to protect you, openly committing a crime like illicit relations—especially with a woman—would mean certain death for you.”
That made Bai Tang waver. If what Xiao A said was true, wouldn’t that mean A Dai would eventually…
He looked at Luo Dai with eyes full of emotion. No—he couldn’t let that happen. A Dai was such a proud man. He should be standing at the very top of Great Zhou.
“But how do I know you’re telling the truth? That you won’t hurt A Dai?” Bai Tang asked one final question.
Xiao A nearly gave up—this boy, so deeply in love, asking for nothing as long as the one he loves is safe—it was almost too much to handle.
But then it thought: maybe this was for the best. As long as Bai Tang agreed, they could dissolve the standard binding and switch to a contract mode—a mutual aid agreement. Either party could terminate it at any time without consequence.
Xiao A explained this to Bai Tang, and a contract-like document immediately appeared in Bai Tang’s consciousness.
The script was strange—similar yet different from the writing of Great Zhou. Strangely, though, he could understand it perfectly.
He carefully reviewed every clause, making sure it wouldn’t harm him or A Dai in any way.
Simply put: Xiao A would only intervene when Bai Tang requested help. If Bai Tang didn’t need anything, Xiao A would quietly stay in its own space and remain uninvolved. In either case, before Bai Tang left this world, he would need to give Xiao A a portion of his fortune as payment.
Bai Tang didn’t fully understand what “leaving this world” meant, but according to Xiao A, it wouldn’t affect him much—so he agreed.
If Qiu’er knew what had happened, it would definitely jump out and bite Xiao A hard: “You bast*rd! Stealing my energy—hope you never find a female system!”
Unfortunately, it didn’t know any of that. All it knew was that Tang Tang had woken up. Overjoyed, it jumped onto the bed to play with him.
The moment it saw the jade thumb ring on Bai Tang’s hand again, it immediately thought: Wow, this thumb ring looks even better than before!
Drooling slightly, Qiu’er stared intently at the ring.
“Woof woof~~” Tang Tang, can I play with this jade thumb ring?
Because Bai Tang and Qiu’er were bound by a system link, even though Bai Tang had lost his memory, he could still understand Qiu’er’s thoughts.
Xiao A had basically half-threatened and half-coaxed Bai Tang into signing the contract. Bai Tang, feeling a bit annoyed, rolled his eyes and asked:
“Xiao A, can you transform into other shapes? This jade ring is kind of heavy to wear.”
Since a contract was not as intimate as a binding relationship—and it was newly signed—Xiao A wasn’t yet familiar with Bai Tang’s true personality, so it answered honestly: “Of course. I can take any shape you want.”
“Then turn into a little jade droplet. That would be easier to carry around.”
Xiao A didn’t suspect anything. As soon as it transformed into a small droplet, Bai Tang strung it onto a red cord and hung it around the husky’s neck.
Xiao A: What the heck—why is it this dumb dog?!
Qiu’er: “Woof woof woof~~~” Thank you, Tang Tang!
Xiao A looked at Bai Tang with a wounded expression. “Host, that’s not fair!”
Bai Tang smiled slyly. “Xiao A, I need your help right now. Your task is to take care of Qiu’er for me.”
Xiao A: “…Fine.”
Meanwhile, the people who had been detained in the front hall of Qiankun Palace waited and waited, only to keep receiving the message that the Royal Consort was fine. Most of them eventually relaxed and left with peace of mind.
Only Ma Aoshan remained resentful. Her eyes flashed with unwillingness—Fine? How could he be fine?
She had seen with her own eyes Bai Tang inhale the pollen of the Passion Flower.
She deliberately lagged half a step behind the others, pretending to be concerned as she questioned one of the palace maids: “Is the Royal Consort really safe and sound?”
As she spoke, she slipped a pair of golden earrings into the little maid’s hand.
The little maid’s face lit up with surprise. After glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, she leaned close to Ma Aoshan’s ear and whispered, “It’s strange—none of the imperial physicians could figure out why the Royal Consort fainted. His Majesty is already in the inner hall reviewing memorials…”
The maid was telling the truth, but she didn’t reveal everything, leaving Ma Aoshan to assume her plan had succeeded.
No one reviews memorials sitting at the bedside, right? Then the first person Bai Tang would’ve seen upon waking was probably a palace servant—or maybe an imperial physician. And if it was an old physician… well, that would be quite the scene.
Just imagining Bai Tang, eyes glowing, throwing himself at a doctor over fifty years old—that picture was too hilarious.
“Alright then. Take good care of the Royal Consort,” Ma Aoshan said smugly as she walked away.
What she didn’t know was that the moment she turned her back, the little maid who had accepted her bribe immediately changed her expression. With the utmost respect, she handed the gold earrings over to the head matron and reported everything Ma Aoshan had asked.
The head matron frowned.
What is this Noble Consort Ma scheming now?
She had always been at odds with the Royal Consort—why was she suddenly showing concern?
Could Bai Tang’s collapse have something to do with her?
Unable to make sense of it, the matron reported the matter directly to Luo Dai.
Luo Dai didn’t stop writing with his vermilion brush. He merely said coldly, “Understood.” His tone made it impossible to tell what he was really thinking.
After the matron left, Luo Dai walked to Bai Tang’s bedside and gently kissed the boy’s smooth forehead.
“It’ll all be over soon. Just wait a little longer—I’ll bring you back.”
Author’s Note:
No matter what happens, Xiao A and Qiu’er are now inseparable.
Inseparable!
Hahahahahahaha…