Amber eyes stared intently at the woman who had just walked out of the tent.
Her waist was wet and still warm; she didn’t need to look to know it was bleeding.
Shu Yue struggled to straighten up from the ground, reaching out to touch the spot where she had been hit.
After seeing her, Shu Yue’s face showed no particular expression.
Neither surprise or shock, nor anger or disgust—instead, it was so calm it felt eerie.
She wasn’t surprised that Anna was here, nor that Anna had attacked her.
Shu Yue had never believed Belang’s sweet talk from the start; whether true or false, she was going to kill Belang.
[Healing Spell]
A soft radiance soaked into her body, vast vitality rapidly repairing her damaged form, and the tearing pain was alleviated.
Shu Yue sat cross-legged, leaning back against the Gray Giant Pine behind her.
Anna had already changed out of her maid outfit and was wearing a gorgeous purple court dress.
The square neckline revealed pale collarbones and full bust line, flared sleeves showed her lace-gloved hands, black stockings paired with short boots—her outfit was like a gorgeous noblewoman.
Her long hair was no longer loose, and she wore delicate makeup; her lovely face was especially pleasing to the eye.
When she looked at Shu Yue, a hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes.
“Shu Yue, I’m very disappointed. When you heard my news, you didn’t hesitate at all.”
Shu Yue responded with silence, just quietly watching her.
Anna slowly stepped forward, stopping less than ten meters from Shu Yue.
At this moment, Belang, who had broken free from the water prison, finally stood up.
The protective magic power of the Magic Element Armor could block water flow, so he hadn’t been choked.
As he walked toward Anna, he taunted Shu Yue.
“Haha, you can’t even satisfy your own woman—aren’t you just waiting for her to betray you?”
As he spoke, he reached out and placed his hand on Anna’s waist, which was tightly cinched by the corset.
Anna pushed him away, her expression cold, showing no consideration for his face.
This obviously embarrassed Belang; his face under the Magic Element Armor turned terrifyingly dark, but he couldn’t vent his anger at Anna.
Anna was a Tier 2 mage; such a level of existence was extremely precious anywhere.
Now that he had her, Belang naturally had to give her enough respect to make her his ally.
Anna turned her gaze back to Shu Yue, her chest rising and falling slightly more heavily.
“You never trusted me, did you?”
Shu Yue remained silent.
Anna took a deep breath, calmed herself, raised her chin slightly, and said, “It would have been so good if you had agreed back then. I was so good to you, but you pushed me away.”
“Accept it, Shu Yue. As long as you give up resistance, you can serve Lord Belang, and we can still be together. We can still enjoy wealth and luxury, and not have to fight tooth and nail in the Outlands.”
Hearing these words, Shu Yue couldn’t help but laugh.
She released her hand covering the wound, slowly clenched it into a fist, stared straight at Anna, and said coldly, “Anna, you’ve changed. You used to at least pretend, but now—you’re completely a slut.”
“No, I haven’t changed.”
Anna shook her head.
“I’ve never changed; you just never truly understood me.”
Shu Yue, however, smiled.
She remembered what Scabby-headed Master had said to her before he died.
“Shu Yue, you must remember: this world is cold and cruel. No one will help you. The only one you can trust is yourself.”
So this was a curse. Placing trust in others could only bring harm.
Shu Yue would not believe a single word from Anna anymore.
Anna watched her smile and frowned.
She had never liked Shu Yue going against her will.
From a long time ago, she had consciously or unconsciously exerted control over Shu Yue, from shallow to deep, trying to turn her into her possession—whether ability or the person themselves, they should belong to her.
Just like that dog Mundo.
But Shu Yue always resisted unconsciously, making her “training” never work.
That kind of temperament wasn’t what a young child should have.
She seemed open, but no one could truly enter her heart.
Anna’s expression gradually turned cold.
“I know you still have three Healing Spells left. The reason I kept that dog Mundo barely alive was to consume one of them. The second you used on the injury from Belang’s punch, and the third you just used—this is your last chance.”
“And I am now at second tier. Thanks to the Wind Whisper Art you taught me, it fits me very well, allowing me to break through in such a short time.”
“Now, it’s equivalent to two second-tier combat powers ganging up on you, a first-tier. Your Alchemy Magic Potions are almost gone, aren’t they? On the way here, you used two bottles, right?”
Years of being together gave Anna a thorough understanding of Shu Yue.
She knew her personality well, and thus was able to set a reverse trap, making Shu Yue fall into it step by step.
But even so, Shu Yue’s displayed strength still surprised her.
This also showed that Shu Yue had been hiding things from her all along.
But no matter how much she hid, she was still only first-tier.
Even if she could defeat the “pseudo second-tier” Belang, who was propped up by Magic Element Armor, so what? She couldn’t possibly fight a real second-tier mage at the same time.
Even less could she escape—the speed advantage from wind magic was not something she could match.
Shu Yue let out a soft breath.
“I have one last question. I hope you can answer me.”
“What question?”
Anna narrowed her eyes slightly.
Stalling for time?
She didn’t care. In the face of absolute power, such petty tricks were meaningless.
Shu Yue spoke, “Why did you save me back then? Because I know alchemy?”
Anna answered directly, “You’re good-looking. I wanted to keep you. That’s right, I wanted to play with you. Clean and neat, it’s comfortable to play with. I wanted you to be my man. That way, the children we’d have would be good-looking, and their talents would be good too.”
Shu Yue was stunned.
She hadn’t expected Anna to be so blunt.
Now thinking back, when Anna often hugged her back then, it wasn’t because they were close, but because she coveted her body, and even leaned on her to sniff her scent.
Shu Yue suddenly felt a chill of disgust.
She had actually been hugged by such a person!
Belang beside her was also stunned.
He hadn’t expected Anna, who looked like a noble lady, to speak even more explicitly than a shrew.
Shu Yue lowered her head and stopped moving.
Seeing this, Anna tentatively spoke, “You… have you chosen to accept your fate?”
The next moment, a gentle voice rang out.
“Sister Anna…”
Anna’s heart trembled violently.
Shu Yue looked up, tore off the disguise on her face, and revealed her true appearance.
After absorbing Dragon Blood twice, her appearance had become more feminine, with almost no male features.
She herself didn’t know exactly what she looked like, but it couldn’t be ugly.
That ethereal, otherworldly little face, with a mischievous smile that carried a hint of success in a prank, yet also made one feel warm like basking in sunlight, even with a touch of holiness.
“Why?”
Anna was somewhat incredulous.
“Sister Anna, do you really know me?”
Shu Yue no longer deliberately lowered her voice; the neutral disguise faded, revealing her soft and gentle natural tone.
Perhaps from living as a woman for so long, her intonation also carried a hint of girlish playfulness.
Those peach blossom eyes looked at the stunned Anna with amusement.
Belang’s eyes also widened.
The person before him had changed from male to female in an instant.
Especially that exquisitely beautiful face, making him unable to resist a hint of desire.
But soon, he suppressed that thought.
If not for her value in alchemy, he would even want to offer her to Viscount Hermann.
That viscount most liked such young maidens; if sent to him, it would surely bring generous rewards.
Belang’s thoughts had already drifted far away.
The fat guard was even more dumbfounded—both shocked that the person who nearly killed him earlier was a little girl, and shocked by that incredibly exquisite face.
The remaining few Tier 0 guards also momentarily forgot their hatred.
[Bloodline Manifestation]
Just as everyone’s attention was drawn to her appearance, Shu Yue activated her own Silver Dragon Bloodline.