“Pfft hahahaha.”
He Shu burst into loud laughter as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
It did not sound forced at all.
“Hua Yanyun, it seems I’ve overestimated you. We’ve known each other for quite a while now. Are you sure you didn’t laugh while saying that?”
“If I were really Monarch He Xiu’s biological daughter, would I have been sent on an undercover mission?”
“If it weren’t for the sake of letting my frail, sickly younger sister live a better life, who would willingly take on such a deadly undercover task in an enemy nation?”
The mental fortitude He Shu had built over many years was no joke.
After the initial moment of panic, she immediately slipped into character and even improvised a backstory on the spot.
However, Hua Yanyun simply sneered.
“For the sake of your frail, sickly younger sister? How nicely you put it.”
“From what We have learned, He Ying lives far better than you—ten thousand times better, at the very least. She was the main culprit who bullied you for so many years. Don’t tell Us you felt no jealousy or urge to resist?”
“I don’t know how the Second Princess lives, but please do not slander Her Highness.”
Hua Yanyun’s words had struck He Shu’s sore spot, yet in order to keep her lie believable she still defended He Ying.
Although she no longer believed Hua Yanyun would buy her story, He Shu stubbornly refused to acknowledge any blood relation to He Xiu.
She had left almost no trace of her real life in the Southwind Immortal Kingdom.
As long as she refused to admit anything, even if Hua Yanyun spread the news it would not threaten He Xiu’s reputation.
Gazing down at the black-haired girl beneath her with pitying eyes, Hua Yanyun shook her head gently.
The brief exchange had already let her confirm her suspicions completely.
As a Body Integration powerhouse who had lived for thousands of years, her ability to read people far surpassed that of a little girl like He Shu.
Hua Yanyun’s dark strands of hair brushed across He Shu’s cheek, bringing an itchy sensation.
“How truly pitiful. Not only were you abandoned by your own blood relatives, you even feel the need to defend the person who bullied you.”
“He Shu, what exactly makes you trust He Xiu so deeply even after ending up in this state?”
Hua Yanyun genuinely could not understand.
If any ordinary person had lived He Shu’s life, simply not hating He Xiu to the bone would already have been considered generous.
But He Shu was different. She not only felt no hatred toward He Xiu—she trusted her deeply.
The level of trust was even twisted, which was clearly abnormal.
He Shu turned her head away, refusing to meet Hua Yanyun’s piercing gaze.
Her voice was cold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She tried to dodge the question and shift the topic.
Hua Yanyun’s presence was overwhelming. He Shu could even hear her own heartbeat racing wildly.
A flash of lightning lit up the window outside. The white light made He Shu’s face look extremely pale.
“Heh. Refusing to speak, are you?”
Hua Yanyun let out a cold laugh. She pinched He Shu’s chin, forcing her to turn and meet her eyes.
“Little thing, We have plenty of ways to pry open that small mouth of yours.”
Her eyes seemed capable of seeing straight into the soul.
A faint glow shone from Hua Yanyun’s rose-red pupils.
Countless threads of spiritual power condensed in the air and instantly wrapped around He Shu, binding her tightly.
“Your Southwind Immortal Kingdom people will be here in a week. So that you can meet your dear elder sister with a clear mind, We thoughtfully moved up the second experiment.”
She picked up the bundled-up He Shu and teleported straight to the previous laboratory.
He Shu was tied to a chair with spiritual-power threads. The familiar surroundings instantly stirred up terror in her heart.
“What… what are you going to do?!”
The chair was nailed firmly to the floor. No matter how He Shu struggled it was useless.
The more she fought, the tighter the spiritual-power threads became.
“What are We going to do? Naturally, We are going to interrogate a captured enemy spy.”
“As a spy, didn’t you ever consider this day might come? Or have Our lenient treatment these past few days made you forget your own identity?”
“Come on, little Southwind rat.”
Hua Yanyun spoke each word slowly and clearly.
At some point the Origin Suppressing Needles she had used on He Shu before had appeared in her hand once again.
***
“Is Miss He Qingyuan here?”
Mu Xinlian knocked on the door and waited outside.
The door opened. A black-haired young girl appeared in Mu Xinlian’s line of sight.
He Qingyuan was slightly shorter than Mu Xinlian and had a petite, loli-like build.
She wore a knee-length green pharmacist’s robe cinched tightly at the waist with a silk sash.
The room was filled with many spiritual plants, giving it a vibrant, lively atmosphere.
However, it also made the already small space feel even more cramped, leaving Mu Xinlian unsure where to step.
This was her first time visiting He Qingyuan’s home.
All previous meetings had taken place inside Rejuvenation Medical Hall.
The two sat down. He Qingyuan poured two cups of water and placed them on the table.
“Speak. What brings you here this time? Has something changed with Consort He’s situation again?”
He Qingyuan got straight to the point, speaking before Mu Xinlian could.
“You could say that. His Majesty conducted the planned research on Young Miss’s body as scheduled. Afterward Young Miss remained very weak. Even now she still has trouble walking.”
“The situation does sound rather bad.”
He Qingyuan frowned, resting her chin on her hand.
“Does she have any message she wants you to pass on? I need more detailed information.”
“Yes, she does.”
Mu Xinlian repeated He Shu’s instructions word for word. In essence, she hoped Shen Qingci could provide her with an “artificial golden core” and prepare more life-saving measures as soon as possible.
“By the way, Miss He, what exactly is the ‘artificial golden core’ that Young Miss mentioned? Is it some kind of treasure that can bypass the hundred-year Core Formation process?”
Mu Xinlian was extremely curious.
The hundred-year Core Formation was common knowledge in the cultivation world—it usually took a cultivator roughly a hundred years to go from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core.
A golden core was formed from a cultivator’s dantian.
If one could artificially create a golden core, did that mean one could artificially create a dantian as well?
“No. ‘Artificial golden core’ is just a common nickname. In essence it is still a spiritual-power reservoir. It can only store natural true yuan, though it is far more convenient than an ordinary spiritual-power reservoir.”
“Fellow Daoist Mu also knows that when a Golden Core cultivator dies, they leave behind their own golden core, which is an excellent material for artifact refinement and pill concoction.”
“The ‘artificial golden core’ is an artifact refined from the golden core left behind by a deceased cultivator. It allows the golden core to store spiritual power once again so that other cultivators can use it.”
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