After simply enjoying some dried longans, it was time to get down to business.
Following the production steps she had learned back with the Human Race, the next step was to put them into a Magic Oven and dry them at a low temperature.
‘There should be one in the kitchen, right?’
Zhu Qiu carried a basin of dried longans, avoided Xiaguang’s gaze, and quietly sneaked into the kitchen, locking the door behind her.
‘Safe.’
The first thing she saw was the Magic Oven sitting on the stovetop.
“Great, hehe—”
Zhu Qiu dragged a stool from the corner of the kitchen and stepped up on it.
“First, put the dried longans into the oven, control the temperature at 55 degrees, and let them dry for a while.”
“Hee hee hee—”
While waiting, Zhu Qiu needed to prepare the tools for the next step.
“The next step is to use a pulverizer to grind the dried longans into powder.”
Did kitchens usually have pulverizers?
Zhu Qiu stepped out of the kitchen and asked the slacking Xiaguang, only to receive a negative answer.
‘Whatever. If there’s no pulverizer, I’ll just use a knife to chop them up myself. The effect should be about the same.’
Once she completed those two steps, Zhu Qiu put the chopped longans into a pot.
“Next, mix the dried longans with water, then heat and stir them to get a concentrated liquid.”
However, she had forgotten the specific ratio and the heating temperature.
‘I won’t worry about that either. I’ll just add a random amount; it’ll be close enough.’
“The final step is to evaporate the excess water and stir-fry it until dry, then I’ll have what I want! Hee hee hee—”
“Done! Zhu Qiu’s Homemade Longan Sedative Powder! With this, Zhu Xiaxia will definitely be under my thumb!”
Zhu Qiu took an empty seasoning bottle from the kitchen and filled it with the Longan Sedative Powder.
“Hehe—at noon, I just need to secretly sprinkle this on Zhu Xiaxia’s food. Once she finishes eating and her head is all fuzzy and unclear, hehe—hehe—I’m going to bully her so hard!”
The clever Little Princess was already immersed in her own fantasies.
“Princess, what are you doing in the kitchen?”
Xiaguang burst into the kitchen at that moment.
“Ah? Huh? Nothing,” Zhu Qiu quickly clutched the Longan Sedative Powder in her hand.
“By the way, Xiaguang, didn’t I lock the door? How did you get in?”
“The Princess didn’t lock the door, did she?”
“Then… then I might have forgotten when I went out just now. I—I was just hungry and came to the kitchen to find something to eat.”
“Princess, lunchtime is coming soon. I need to use the kitchen to cook now. Could I trouble you to move?”
“Sure, sure! It’s almost lunchtime, I’m looking forward to it. Take your time cooking, Xiaguang. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
Zhu Qiu bolted like a streak of lightning, leaving Xiaguang standing there stunned.
“The Princess is acting a bit crazy today.”
When she looked at the mess on the stovetop, Xiaguang’s brain went numb.
What exactly had the Princess done?
Several knives were scattered all over the place, a pot was flipped over, and the entire stovetop was smeared with a pile of yellowish-brown powder.
“Seriously!”
It was frustrating enough that she didn’t know what the Princess had been doing, but now she had to clean up after her.
—
Inside Zhu Qiu’s room, a little girl was happily wagging her tail, rolling around on the bed while hugging a pillow.
“Hee hee—hee hee—”
“I’m about to succeed! Yay, yay, yay!”
At some point, the Sword Spirit had sneaked out. Holding the Holy Sword, she stared crossly at the little girl on the bed who showed no signs of ambition.
‘What time is it, and she’s still here going hee hee and yay yay!’
The Sword Spirit was furious!
‘It seems you are truly beyond saving, Evil Dragon Zhu Qiu. Accept the judgment of the Human Sword Spirit! I will definitely cut off your tail—’
“HOLY LIGHT FINAL SLASH!”
Without Zhu Qiu knowing at all, the Sword Spirit released the Holy Sword’s ultimate move.
The little girl on the bed heard the familiar voice and turned around to see a massive wave of sword energy emitting a holy light flying toward her.
“Waah waah waah! Stop it!”
But the sword energy was extremely fast, and it was already too late to dodge.
Just as the sword energy was about to reach Zhu Qiu, the Sword Spirit forcibly changed its direction.
In the end, the energy brushed past Zhu Qiu’s dragon horns and flew out the window, exploding in the sky.
Zhu Qiu panted heavily, cold sweat pouring down her face as she clutched her pounding heart.
“Whew… whew… that was close. I almost died.”
After recovering for a moment, she looked at the Sword Spirit holding the Holy Sword and became very angry.
“Sword Spirit, what are you doing! Do you have any idea that I was almost killed by you just now?”
“An Evil Dragon deserves to die under the Sword Spirit’s Holy Sword.”
“?”
‘Evil Dragon?’
‘Who’s an Evil Dragon?’
Zhu Qiu’s eyes suddenly cleared.
“Sword Spirit, what nonsense are you talking about? Did you not wake up properly?”
“I’m serious. Since you want to degenerate into an Evil Dragon, I must eliminate the Evil Dragon on behalf of the Human Sword Saint!”
“Huh?”
“Stop, stop, stop! Who’s degenerated into an Evil Dragon?”
“Who else could it be? All your degenerate behaviors have been witnessed by me.”
So that was what the Sword Spirit meant?
“No way, that’s just part of my plan. Haven’t you noticed? Zhu Xiaxia has completely let her guard down. This noon, I’m going to implement my great revenge plan.”
“Hmph!”
The Sword Spirit sheathed the Holy Sword.
“I’ll believe you one more time. That sword energy just now was only meant to scare you and serve as a reminder. Seeing your lack of ambition makes my teeth itch with hatred.”
“Don’t worry, it’s impossible for the Human Sword Saint to fall. Just don’t use this method to scare me next time. I’ll end up with heart disease.”
Zhu Qiu felt exhausted.
“Fine, fine, I get it… You… you aren’t hurt, right?”
“No, no, I was just startled.”
“That’s good then.”
After a few brief words, the Sword Spirit disappeared.
‘Sword Spirit, I won’t let you down.’
—
Nearing noon, Zhu Qiu brought the Longan Sedative Powder and sat down at the dining table early.
By this time, several fragrant dishes were already on the table.
‘Now, I just need to wait for the prey to appear.’
A moment later, footsteps came from the stairs.
‘She’s here!’
Zhu Xiaxia walked over to Zhu Qiu’s side, sat down, and gently rubbed her little belly.
“It’s all Mother’s fault for forgetting to have Xiaguang prepare breakfast for you. I made you go hungry all morning. Here, have a piece of candy to tide you over.”
Zhu Xiaxia placed a candy in Zhu Qiu’s palm.
The sudden concern caught Zhu Qiu off guard, and her little face began to feel warm.
‘Calm down, calm down. Everything is going according to plan.’
“Haha, it’s fine. We’re about to eat anyway. Thank you, Mother.”
Ilanka arrived at that moment and offered a greeting.
“Your Majesty, Princess, good afternoon.”
“Hello, Teacher Ilanka!”
Soon after, Xiaguang brought out the final dish.
“Your Majesty, all the dishes are served. We can begin.”
“Good.”
“Yay! Let’s eat!”
According to the plan, Zhu Qiu intended to fill her stomach first, then wait for Zhu Xiaxia to be distracted before sprinkling the Longan Sedative Powder into her bowl.
But Zhu Xiaxia was eating seriously, and no opportunity presented itself.
“What should she do?”
The Little Princess was thinking…
‘Got it!’
“Hehe—”
“Everyone, look at what’s outside!”
“Outside?”
The three of them collectively looked out the window.
‘The chance is here! Now!’