He Shu had a dreamless sleep. When she woke up, she found herself no longer on Mu Xinlian’s bed, but back inside the cage that had kept her imprisoned.
He Shu sat up. The mood that had lifted slightly after a good night’s rest sank once again.
“I clearly remember falling asleep in Little Mu’s room last night. Why am I back here after waking up?”
“Was it Hua Yanyun who had me moved back? Or Mu Xinlian?”
He Shu’s expression darkened. Logically speaking, no matter who had moved her into the cage, as long as there had been physical contact, she should have woken up immediately.
“Is it because my body hasn’t fully recovered yet?”
That might be part of the reason, but more than that, He Shu’s vigilance had decreased.
Hua Yanyun’s conditioning had undoubtedly been successful. After being imprisoned for more than half a month, the thought that she could not resist had already taken root in He Shu’s heart, causing her to gradually grow numb to external stimuli.
She lifted the blanket covering her body, stood up, and walked to the edge of the cage.
The cage was not locked. This was one of the terms of the deal Hua Yanyun had offered last night—she had granted He Shu a certain degree of freedom.
Yet He Shu almost wished she didn’t have this hard-earned freedom, because the price was simply too high.
She desperately wanted to convince herself that last night’s deal had only been a dream, something that had never happened.
But reality poured a basin of cold water over her.
Imagining the cruel experiments Hua Yanyun might perform on her, He Shu felt a chill spread through her heart.
She stepped out of the cage. Her delicate, fair feet stepped onto the wooden floor, and the cool sensation made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
Walking to the door, He Shu paused for a moment.
“Although Hua Yanyun only permitted me to move around inside the room, from my observations over this long period, she hasn’t left any surveillance measures here.”
She reached out and pushed the door open, swallowing nervously.
He Shu’s heart pounded heavily. This action was risky, because she did not know whether Hua Yanyun had added any monitoring methods after last night.
Now that Hua Yanyun knew about her special physique, her level of attention toward her would undoubtedly increase significantly.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. How will I know the result if I don’t test it?”
Having made up her mind, He Shu carefully extended one leg over the threshold.
She waited for a while. When no one came, the tension in her heart eased slightly.
The sixth floor of Wanyi Tower had only two rooms: hers and Mu Xinlian’s directly opposite.
He Shu opened the door a crack and looked inside, but did not see Mu Xinlian.
“Hm? Where did that girl Mu Xinlian go?”
Zhang Sanshan had already left, so the entire Wanyi Tower contained only her and Mu Xinlian. If Mu Xinlian was not in her room, where could she be?
With this question in mind, He Shu walked a full circle along the outer corridor.
Wanyi Tower was built beside the lake and located on the outskirts of Cloud Mist Immortal City. Not far away were vast stretches of mountain forest. The location was rather remote.
Observing the surrounding terrain, He Shu tried to find possible escape routes.
“Cloud Mist Immortal City is located in the north-central part of Jade Water Immortal Kingdom, more than seventy million miles from the border with Southwind Immortal Kingdom. If I were still a Nascent Soul cultivator, traveling at full speed, I could cover that distance in about a month.”
“But right now, I’m nothing more than a mortal. Even if I know the terrain around Cloud Mist Immortal City well, escaping solely on my own strength would be nothing but wishful thinking.”
She had once been the City Lord of Flowing Flower Immortal City and had visited Cloud Mist Immortal City several times. It was here that she had met Bing Yao.
Thinking of Bing Yao made He Shu’s heart ache with sadness. Bing Yao had been her lover, brutally killed by Hua Yanyun.
He Shu did not know what had happened to Bing Yao’s remains afterward—whether they were still left among the ruins of the City Lord’s Mansion in Flowing Flower Immortal City.
“I only hope you can find peace in the world after death.”
After silently mourning Bing Yao for a moment, He Shu wondered whether she should return to Flowing Flower Immortal City once before being rescued by the people her mother had sent.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart hurt. She felt immense guilt over Bing Yao’s death.
Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, He Shu returned to the staircase and descended step by step down the spiral stairs.
The fifth and fourth floors had many guest rooms, all fully furnished. After all, this place had once been an inn, and He Shu knew that.
She continued down to the first floor and reached the main hall entrance, where she saw Mu Xinlian talking with a black-haired woman.
Mu Xinlian took a food box from the black-haired woman who had delivered the meal. As soon as she looked up, she spotted He Shu standing on the stairs.
“Eh? Young Miss, why have you come downstairs?”
She hurriedly trotted over and took He Shu’s small hand.
“Young Miss, you should go back quickly. If Her Majesty finds out and uses this as an excuse to make trouble, you’ll end up getting punished again.”
She was nearly a head taller than He Shu, and their hair colors were similar. Standing together, they looked like an older sister holding her younger sister’s hand.
“No need to worry. Hua Yanyun won’t do anything to me right now.”
He Shu knew clearly in her heart that, until her injuries were fully healed, Hua Yanyun probably would not do anything to her.
“But Young Miss, your body…”
Seeing that she could not persuade He Shu, Mu Xinlian tried a different approach.
“My body is fine now. The feeling of weakness has lessened a lot. I’ve been locked up for so long that I feel a bit stifled. I want to go out and get some fresh air.”
He Shu spoke calmly, her gaze falling on the food box in Mu Xinlian’s hand.
“Was this sent by someone Hua Yanyun arranged?”
“Mm. Her Majesty agreed to let Young Miss eat. You hadn’t woken up this morning, so I took the liberty of ordering some food for you.”
“Considering that your body is still very weak, I ordered only light and mild dishes. You won’t blame me, right…”
Mu Xinlian’s voice was soft and sticky, like a child who had done something wrong.
He Shu shook her head.
“There is no one else here. Accompany me for a walk outside.”
Mu Xinlian nodded in agreement, then asked curiously, “But Young Miss, you’ve been walking barefoot this whole time. Doesn’t the floor feel dirty?”
He Shu’s steps halted. She looked down at her pair of tender, jade-like feet.
The rough hardwood floors along the way had made the soles of her feet ache, to the point that she had grown somewhat used to it and hadn’t considered how dirty the floor might be.
Seeing He Shu’s dazed expression, Mu Xinlian opened her mouth to offer some comforting words, but she suddenly thought of something and stopped herself.
A faint blush rose on her cheeks. In a slightly shy tone, she whispered, “There is a hot spring nearby. If Young Miss doesn’t mind, I can help you bathe.”
He Shu looked at Mu Xinlian’s shy appearance and immediately understood the little thoughts in her heart.
A feeling of disappointment rose in her—how could she fail to live up to expectations? She had once raised Mu Xinlian as her own goddaughter, but now this former goddaughter harbored such improper ideas of overstepping her bounds!
He Shu jumped up and rapped Mu Xinlian on the head, scattering the fanciful scenes playing in the girl’s mind.
“Take me there. I’ll wash myself. I don’t need your help. Also, are there any clothes here that I can wear? Go prepare a set for me.”
Mu Xinlian’s small face drooped in disappointment. The thought of not being able to touch He Shu’s delicate skin made her heart itch unbearably.
At the moment, He Shu was wearing only a white lace-trimmed dress. Her soft, smooth black hair cascaded all the way down to her knees.
Her skin was a tender pinkish-white, as if it could be squeezed to release water with a pinch. Most of the bruises on her body had faded, but faint marks still remained, making her look even more pitiable and endearing at first glance.
Looking at her “godmother” appearing so small, delicate, and lovable, Mu Xinlian mentally slapped herself several times and cursed herself harshly in her heart.
Mu Xinlian, oh Mu Xinlian, how can you have such treasonous thoughts? The person in front of you is the godmother who raised you for so many years! How can you be so shameless and disrespectful?