The tone made the figure in black on the hall pause for a moment.
With a hint of surprise, they looked up and saw a stranger’s face, a blend of gentleness and resilience.
The woman’s features were like a painting, a delicate beauty tinged with a cool, distant aura.
Her frame was slender, yet far from weak; on the contrary, her arms and legs exuded strength, evident in the way she moved.
In appearance and power, she bore no resemblance to Feng Yinwan.
Yet, the composure in her words, the calm and collected gaze in her beautiful eyes, bore a striking resemblance to her, a resemblance that was almost fatal.
Like her, but not her.
Ye Tinglan’s eyes darkened as he let go of the momentary daze.
“Naturally.”
His voice was sharp and stern.
The woman, as if waiting for his affirmation, hooked her red lips upon hearing his reply. With a shift of her palm, an immortal herb materialized.
“The Jade Spirit Grass is here. If Your Highness wants it, come and take it. But there’s one condition: you must abide by the rules of my Immortal Medicine Sect.”
“Alternatively, Your Highness could try to snatch it.”
Destroying it would be far quicker than obtaining it.
She stood there, neither servile nor overbearing, her beautiful eyes appraising, exuding an unhurried, noble demeanor.
That demeanor was a confidence built on her own strength, an unshakeable foundation.
Ye Tinglan’s gaze darkened again.
He knew the rules she spoke of—nothing more than a double-edged poison.
His thin lips parted, about to respond, when the old man suddenly stepped forward.
“My disciple is ignorant of the rules, Your Highness, please do not be offended. Allow me to speak with her first.”
With that, he pulled Feng Yinwan aside, only releasing her when they were well beyond the range of the iron cavalry.
Feng Yinwan, puzzled, asked, “Master, why are you pulling me away?”
Upon seeing Ye Tinglan, she had understood the reason behind the old man’s inquiry about the Jade Spirit Grass.
It was a dilemma she had been trying to navigate, and she couldn't understand why he was obstructing her now after she had, in a way, resolved his predicament.
The old man glanced around, then leaned in conspiratorially.
“Sānqīng, you don’t understand.”
“Your senior brother just said that Prince Mo wants the Jade Spirit Grass to save his new wife. I heard his previous wife died only three years ago, a double death, with the child in her womb also stillborn…”
“And here he is, finding a new love in just a few years. Such a heartless scoundrel, how could I possibly give the immortal herb to him!”
Feng Yinwan was truly taken aback by this turn of events. She blinked a few times before snapping back to reality.
Before she could speak, Sānshí and Sānmù caught up.
“Master, Junior Sister.”
They looked at her, their faces filled with anxiety and worry. The old man, however, raised his chin, giving them a reassuring nod.
“Sānqīng, don’t worry. You produced the Heavenly Profound Pill at the Alchemy Convention, so the Jade Spirit Grass is rightfully yours. Master will certainly not let anyone snatch it from you!”
“Here’s what we’ll do: later, your two senior brothers will escort you out the back door quietly. You’ll return to the Xuan Sect and lie low for two days. As for that scoundrel… ahem, Prince Mo, I will handle him myself.”
He then prepared to urge Sānshí and Sānmù into action, but Feng Yinwan stood rooted to the spot, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The old man grew even more anxious.
“Child, have you been scared silly? Why are you laughing?”
Feng Yinwan’s laughter subsided into gasps. After a moment, she spoke again.
“Master, who said I was leaving?”
“How can you not leave? The Jade Spirit Grass has been exposed, and how could Prince Mo just let it go?”
This child, Sānqīng, was too naive.
To her surprise, Feng Yinwan simply curved her lips. “If he has the ability, let him come and take it.”
She had only said she was willing to give it, not that he could successfully take it.
The old man frowned suspiciously. “Sānqīng, it’s not that Master is saying…”
Feng Yinwan shook her head, directly cutting him off.
“Master, you don’t need to say any more.”
“Disciple has seen many wondrous poisons in the Xuan Sect. Are the poisons in our main headquarters superior to those?”
The old man frowned, his instinct to say “of course” rising.
But before the words could escape, he suddenly realized something and stopped short.
“Disciple means…”
A glance conveyed understanding.
The old man’s face suddenly lit up, and he gave her a thumbs-up.
“Good! That’s how we’ll do it!”
After all, Prince Mo himself had said he would abide by the rules. Let him suffer a bit, and taste the power of poison!
He opened his lips, about to instruct Sānshí and Sānmù to fetch some potent poisons, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by Feng Yinwan again.
With a twist of her wrist, she took out several small bottles and jars from her waist and handed them over, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
“Adding bricks and tiles to the cause of our headquarters.”
The old man was deeply gratified. “As expected of my good disciple. Together, master and disciple, we’ll poison that scoundrel to death!”
With that, he bustled off to make arrangements.
Feng Yinwan, in good spirits, was about to walk away when she turned and met Jiǎn Yě’s trembling gaze.
She immediately frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing!”
Did he dare say it?
Every single one of the potions Junior Sister Wan’er had taken out just now was a potent poison that could penetrate deep into the bone marrow.
What made his eyelids twitch even more was that he had peeked through a crack in the window earlier, and the appearance of Prince Mo… was somewhat familiar.
It seemed that it was him who had snatched Junior Sister Wan’er from their hands in the desolate realm back then!
The most critical thing, however, was not this.
He, he, he… he had actually administered Forget-Dust-No-Joy to Prince Mo back then…!
So, in the wilderness, a man and a woman alone, how was Forget-Dust-No-Joy resolved?!
Jiǎn Yě dared not think further, for the Holy Master would flay him alive.
“Your subordinate will go and see if there is any news from the sect.”
With a hasty salute to Feng Yinwan, he scurried away.
Feng Yinwan’s brow furrowed in suspicion, but her gaze met Feng Wúxī’s in mid-air.
This fellow let out a soft clicking sound towards her, his meaning implied.
“It seems today will be livelier than expected. I’ve decided to postpone my return until tomorrow. Are you happy?”
“…”
Feng Yinwan was too lazy to argue with him. She turned and walked directly back to her courtyard.
She was certain that Ye Tinglan would not be able to resolve the poison, so she didn’t worry about the Jade Spirit Grass flying out of her possession.
She was called again when the old man sent Sānshí to fetch her to witness the miserable state of Ye Tinglan after being poisoned.
A perfectly healthy person had walked in and was carried out.
Feng Yinwan glanced at him from the side, but only a faint hatred welled up in her beautiful eyes.
This incident was merely the beginning.
She would reclaim everything the entire royal family owed the Feng family, bit by bit!
The Alchemy Convention ended in the morning, Ye Tinglan was poisoned and carried away at noon, and Luo Qingyi’s secret letter arrived in the evening.
Upon receiving it, Jiǎn Yě was even more excited than she was.
“Miss, the Holy Master’s secret letter!”
The letter was sealed with red wax, indicating the urgency of its contents.
Feng Yinwan’s beautiful eyes narrowed as she reached out and took it.
The moment the secret letter was unfurled, immense joy surged through her.
After a long while, Jiǎn Yě finally heard her voice, struggling to contain her emotions.
“Hundred-Wood Spirit Rhinoceros, there’s news!”