Reborn In The Three Kingdoms

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An elixir that could be taken only once in a lifetime, capable of slowing the march of age and fortifying the body from within. He remembered their surprised faces then, their curiosity quickly overtaken by amusement when he’d tried to speak of the medicinal benefits, because all they had really heard was ”slow aging.”

Now, holding the thought in his mind, he reached into the air as though adjusting his robe, and in one smooth motion withdrew the three pills from his inventory. To the others, it looked like he was pulling them from the folds of his clothes.

He turned back to face them, the pills resting in his palm, small, round, and with a faint luster that caught the sunlight. Ying Yue’s breath hitched. Diao Chan’s eyes widened slightly. The other three stared in confusion. ”...Husband?” Cai Wenji ventured first, her head tilting. ”What is that?”

Lie Fan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Ying Yue, who was already watching him with a knowing look.

Ying Yue’s gaze sharpened instantly. ”Husband,” she said, her tone almost casual but with the weight of recognition, ”you still have those pills.”

Beside her, Diao Chan’s lips curved, memory lighting her eyes. ”So you kept some after all.”

Cai Wenji, Lu Lingqi, and Zhen Ji looked between them, puzzled. Cai Wenji tilted her head slightly, her scholar’s curiosity already stirring. ”What are they?” she asked, voice calm but intent.

Zhen Ji’s brows drew together as she leaned closer to look. ”They seem... refined. Not an ordinary medicine.”

Lu Lingqi crossed her arms lightly, eyes narrowing in interest. ”What sort of pill do you give in the Imperial Garden without explanation?”

Lie Fan’s gaze flicked to Ying Yue, who still watched him with that knowing look, and he smiled. ”I obtained more recently,” he said, ”from an old doctor skilled in ancient formulas.”

That was enough for Cai Wenji’s interest to sharpen further, but before she could press, Ying Yue glanced at her sisters. ”He’s not telling the whole story yet. Years ago, he gave one of these to me and to Sistern Diao Chan. He told us it could be taken only once in a lifetime.”

Diao Chan nodded, her tone almost teasing as she addressed the others. ”According to our husband, it’s very beneficial for the body.” She gave a pointed little smile. ”But the part you’ll care about is that it slows aging.”

At that, all three women, Cai Wenji, Lu Lingqi, and Zhen Ji, snapped their eyes back to him, whatever scholarly curiosity or martial caution they had replaced instantly by something far more direct.

”Is that true?” Zhen Ji asked, stepping just a little closer, her voice low and certain.

Lie Fan, still smiling faintly, inclined his head. ”Yes. But it’s not just about beauty. It strengthens the body, keeps the spirit and vitality longer, improves—”

”Slows aging,” Cai Wenji repeated, her voice deceptively calm.

”Slows aging,” Lu Lingqi echoed, this time with the sharp decisiveness of a warrior picking her prize.

And just like that, the rest of his explanation was swept away. The three of them extended their hands toward him, open palms and bright, expectant smiles that told him clearly they weren’t interested in waiting.

Lie Fan chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. ”You should know there’s a side effect—”

They all nodded at once, impatient. ”We understand,” Zhen Ji said smoothly.

”You haven’t even asked what it is,” he pointed out.

”We don’t need to,” Cai Wenji replied, a rare glimmer of playfulness in her eyes.

Lu Lingqi smirked. ”We’ll survive.”

Resigned, and admittedly a little amused, he placed one pill in each of their hands. Without hesitation, the three of them popped it into their mouths and swallowed.

At first, nothing happened. They exchanged quick glances, as if wondering whether the effect was meant to be subtle. Then, gradually, a faint restlessness passed over their expressions. Cai Wenji’s brows drew in, Zhen Ji’s eyes widened slightly, and Lu Lingqi shifted her stance.

It hit them all at once.

”I... need to excuse myself,” Zhen Ji said, her voice still dignified but already moving toward the nearest corridor.

Cai Wenji’s composure cracked just enough for a small, dry, ”So this is the side effect.”

Lu Lingqi simply gave him a long, narrow eyed glare before following the others.

The three swept away with as much dignity as the situation allowed, their silk hems whispering across the flagstones.

Ying Yue and Diao Chan stood beside him in the sudden quiet. For a long beat, they said nothing. Then Diao Chan, eyes sparkling, murmured, ”You didn’t warn them enough, did you?”

Ying Yue’s lips curved in the faintest smirk. ”He never does. It’s more amusing this way.”

Lie Fan laughed, a warm, unrestrained sound. ”They’ll forgive me before dinner.”

The two women exchanged knowing glances. ”We’ll see,” Ying Yue said, and they resumed their stroll as if nothing had happened, the garden once again filled with the scent of wisteria and the distant hum of palace life.

An hour later, the three women returned, pale, exhausted, but undeniably radiant. Their skin glowed with a healthy sheen, their eyes brighter, their very bearing lighter.

Zhen Ji was the first to speak, her voice deadly calm. ”Husband.”

Lie Fan, wisely, had taken refuge behind a decorative shrub. ”Yes, Ji’er?”

”Next time,” she said sweetly, ”perhaps mention that the side effect involves violently expelling every impurity from one’s body.”

Cai Wenji nodded fervently. ”I felt like I was dying.”

Lu Lingqi groaned, collapsing onto a stone bench. ”I wished I was dying.”

Ying Yue and Diao Chan, the veterans of this particular ordeal, exchanged smug looks.

”Welcome to the club,” Diao Chan said.

Ying Yue patted Zhen Ji’s shoulder. ”The results are worth it, Sister Zhen. Look at you, you’re luminous.”

Zhen Ji opened her mouth to retort, then paused, catching her reflection in the pond. Her skin, already flawless, now seemed to glow, her features subtly softened as if time itself had hesitated upon her face.

...Okay. Maybe it was worth it.

Still.

She turned back to Lie Fan, who had cautiously emerged from behind the shrub. ”You’re lucky you’re handsome, husband.”

He grinned. ”Noted.”

As the sun dipped lower, casting the garden in golden light, the six of them settled in the pavilion at the Imperial Garden, Lie Fan flanked by his wives, their earlier complaints fading into contented silence.

The pills’ effects were undeniable, even Lu Lingqi, who had sworn vengeance moments ago, couldn’t stop admiring the new strength in her limbs.

Ying Yue, ever perceptive, noticed Zhen Ji’s hand drifting unconsciously to her abdomen. A knowing smile touched her lips, but she said nothing. Some things were much better for the person involved talked about herself. For now, she let this moment lingers first.

The afternoon sun had mellowed into a warm, drowsy gold by the time the maids began to arrive, trays balanced in careful hands.

The scent of fresh rice drifted in first, followed by the richer aromas of stir fried greens in garlic, ginger laced duck, sweet and savory braised pork, steamed river fish glistening in soy and scallion oil, and a delicate chicken soup that sent gentle clouds of steam curling into the air.

A separate group of Imperial Maids followed behind with the smaller touches, bamboo baskets of dumplings, plates of sesame pastries, jewel like candied fruits, and even mooncakes, their golden crusts patterned with intricate designs.

The pavilion’s table quickly transformed into a festival spread, the colors and textures as inviting as the scents that wove together in the warm air.

Lie Fan, still seated with his wives gathered close, didn’t lift a hand to the feast until everyone else had been served.

Here, in the Imperial Garden, there was no Emperor’s distance, no cold formality, only a man among the women he cherished. He picked morsels from the platters himself, placing them gently into the bowls of his wives.

”Qi’er, you’ll like this,” he said, sliding a piece of crispy skinned duck into her bowl.

Lu Lingqi gave him a sidelong look, as if to say she needed no pampering, but her lips softened into a smile as she took it.

”Cai’er, you’ve been neglecting the greens,” he teased next, adding a chopstick full of stir fried bok choy into her rice. Cai Wenji rolled her eyes lightly but did not refuse.

And when it came to Zhen Ji, his touch grew a shade more tender. He carefully picked the softest piece of fish, free of any bones, and set it into her dish. ”For you,” he said.

She accepted it with a smile that softened her usual poise. ”Thank you, husband.”

But just as she lifted her chopsticks to taste it, the smile faltered.

At first, it was subtle, a flicker of discomfort, a slight pause. Then Zhen Ji’s brows drew together, and her hand moved to her mouth as her expression tightened.

Lie Fan immediately noticed. He leaned forward, concern replacing all trace of playful warmth. ”Ji’er?”

She swallowed once, but the color had drained from her face. She pushed the dish slightly away, her other hand still covering her mouth. ”I... I think—” Her voice broke off, and she gave a small shake of her head, as if trying to wave it off, but her eyes watered.

By now, everyone had stilled, chopsticks halfway to lips, watching her with alarm. Everyone except Ying Yue, who had noticed a certain small gesture earlier in the garden and now only observed in silence, her gaze calm but expectant.

Lie Fan was already rising, moving behind Zhen Ji’s seat. One broad hand came to rest gently between her shoulder blades, rubbing in slow circles. ”Tell me what’s wrong,” he said, voice low and coaxing.

She shook her head again, a little more urgently, trying to will away the sensation. ”I feel like—” She stopped, eyes squeezing shut against a wave of nausea that left her breathing through her nose.

It was Cai Wenji, watching with a scholar’s sharp mind, who suddenly seemed to remember something. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ”Sister Zhen... have you had your period this month?”

The question hung in the air like a struck bell.

Zhen Ji blinked at her, startled. ”I... no. Not yet.”/She hesitated, then frowned slightly. ”It’s late, actually.”

A ripple passed through the other wives, Lu Lingqi’s eyes widened, Diao Chan’s lips parted, and even Cai Wenji’s composure cracked into open surprise. The only ones who didn’t look stunned were Ying Yue, whose lips curved in quiet certainty, and Lie Fan, whose eyes had lit with a sudden, almost boyish brightness.

He looked from Zhen Ji to Ying Yue, the corner of his mouth lifting. ”Please check her, Yue’er,” he said, the edge of eagerness in his voice unmistakable. ”Tell us if it’s what I think it is.”

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty

Age: 35 (202 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 2325

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 966 (+20)

VIT: 623 (+20)

AGI: 623 (+10)

INT: 667

CHR: 98

WIS: 549

WILL: 432

ATR Points: 0