Nearby, Hongyue sat relaxed with her legs swaying off the roof. She breathed in the fresh night air as she monitored the commotion down below.

She sighed.

While she had a lot of power, she shouldn't tread so hastily. Tomorrow that shitty father of hers would surely try to find his missing head guard. While a deceased head guard was simple to cover up with, a spoiled second miss was not. However, since the stupid girl delivered herself in her hands, why not make use of her? After all, this second sister could get into places Hongyue herself couldn't.

Since everyone deemed this eldest miss was easy to pass around with, shouldn't she join just as full-heartedly? She was just warming up as well.

A mocking smile hung on Hongyue's lips.

Of course, in order to keep ChunHua under her control, Hongyue placed a unique collar on ChunHua. The thread was made carefully from elemental water plus three different types of hexes consolidated. It was a standard tool in her past life used in blood contracts to keep slaves in check. In truth, it didn't necessarily require blood. In fact, if the target was willing or weak enough, the contract could be completed. Since Hongyue wasn't certain if all her hexes could work in this body, she purposefully forced ChunHua to breakdown before she initiated the contract. Without the use of blood, Hongyue could control ChunHua and wouldn't receive any backlash if ChunHua did choose to resist against her orders.

As for Black, she unfroze him and sent him back with a 'special' message to report back to the third prince.

Her eyes narrowed playfully as she waited for the second concubine to leave the residence. However, her body stiffened when she suddenly sensed something outrageously wrong within her bloodstream. Hongyue immediately bit her finger and watched a bead of blood peeking through the wound. With her bleeding fingertip, she drew a bloody rune on her flesh. In the dark, the pale skin contrasted greatly with the dark blood. The blood rune settled into the body before she felt herself calming. She'll have to check her blood once she got back to her courtyard.

As for now—

Hongyue gently lifted her finger to her nose and sniffed it. There was a sharp yet sweet scent that transmitted from the wound. It was the fragrance of the unfamiliar drug that was incorporated in with the Bone Eroding Poison she ate. Hongyue furrowed her brows. She slid off the roof and descended lightly on the soft grass, her robes rustled softly with the breeze. The breeze carried a slight calming scent of grass to Hongyue, who wrinkled her nose, being that she caught the smell of something else. Was it the second concubine's perfume? Strange.

She sighed before she turned her head and cracked the door to ChunHua's room. Hongyue calmly walked in, her footsteps reverberated softly, heading closer to the bed where the ChunHua was resting. Hearing the steps, ChunHua immediately sat up, her eyes red with fear as she faced Hongyue's glowing eyes.

"Why is the Eldest Sister here? This younger sister did everything as you ordered," ChunHua tried to keep her voice calm as she inquired.

Hongyue smiled, but she didn't respond, her fingers gently wounding a silver thread tightly. On ChunHua's neck, a faint red line swiftly appeared underneath the bandages as the thread squeezed around her neck. A bead of blood rolled down the pale skin and dyed a single red drop on ChunHua's blanket. ChunHua looked at the sheet with disbelief. She hadn't even felt anything, yet the thread already cut through a thin layer of skin. What was that thread made of? Didn't Hongyue say she'll let her live? ChunHua widened her eyes and looked at Hongyue.

"Y-you said-" ChunHua started.

Hongyue gazed up, her eyes emotionless as she cut ChunHua short, "I said a lot of things."

ChunHua panicked before she quickly adjusted her tone of voice and implored, "I can get the information you want. I can be your spy-"

Another slight tug of the thread and two new drops of red added to her blanket quickly shut ChunHua up. The second miss stayed quiet; her heart filled with unease as she waited for Hongyue to speak. Hongyue finally spoke, her voice piercing the air like blades.

"Be a spy? Do you think you'll be useful? I think you're mistaken. You're already my puppet," Hongyue paused before continued, "However, if the puppet is disobedient or too noisy, I'll send it to be with your fourth aunt."

Hearing Hongyue's threat, ChunHua quickly nodded. Seeing ChunHua agree, Hongyue sat down lazily on a chair near the bedside. She waved her hand dismissively as she crossed her legs.

"Dismiss your servants," She ordered.

ChunHua swallowed hard before she called for them to leave. There were only two female servants in the backroom grinding medicine, so it wasn't long before the only ones in the place were just Hongyue and ChunHua.

ChunHua glimpsed up, "W-what are eldest sister's orders?"

However, Hongyue ignored ChunHua, she got up and walked over to the bowl of medicine the female servants had made. A faint aroma invaded her nose, provoking her instincts. ChunHua, seeing Hongyue seemingly interested in the medicine, quickly introduced it.

"Eldest sister, this is <Chilled Breath>. It's a tonic made from a special herb grown high in the mountains. If the mind or body is overworked, this tonic can calm you down. Mother brought it over," ChunHua explained thoroughly.

Hongyue stared at the medicine. It had a similar scent to the one she detected on the second concubine's body. She dipped her finger in the green tonic and rubbed it between her fingers. Suddenly Hongyue's pupils constricted; her left eye glowed a strange aqua blue.

ChunHua was startled upon seeing Hongyue's eye alteration and promptly offered, "Sister, this is a high-level medication. Do you want it?"

Hongyue inclined her head.

Ha.

Who knew tonight's trip was worth it. She looked back at the bowl. Inside the bowl, the tonic smelled like bitter; however, once it encountered her fingertip where the wound was, the whole fragrance changed.

No.

Not just the aroma, the entire property as well. The color was slowly turning pitch black. The new scent was accurately like the smell of the Bone-Eroding poison she ate. Within her body, she had allowed the poison to flowed freely to study any strange effects. Since the change transpired because the tonic touched her blood, this meant the tonic reacted with the poison. Hongyue narrowed her eyes; the drug she was looking for was this tonic. Since this drug came from the second concubine—

This second madam needs to be looked at a little more deeply, doesn't she?

in_awe

A demon acting like a tiger who's acting like a bunny. What do you think is the 'special message' she sent to the 3rd prince?