After everything ended, Hua Yanyun carried He Shu back to Wanyi Tower.
Her entire body was covered in countless tiny wounds that were slowly seeping blood.
If Mu Xinlian had not checked and confirmed that He Shu still had a faint breath, she would have truly thought her young miss had become a corpse.
He Shu had long been tortured until she was barely conscious.
Only after three full days and nights of Mu Xinlian’s meticulous care did she finally open her bloodshot eyes.
Once her consciousness fully returned, He Shu looked at the familiar golden birdcage and felt an overwhelming urge to cry her heart out.
Her body still ached faintly.
He Shu tried moving her limbs.
I… actually survived.
Feeling the sensation of being able to move freely again, He Shu let out a long, heavy breath.
When she had been lying motionless on that cold operating table, she had genuinely thought Hua Yanyun intended to leave her permanently paralyzed.
Recalling the agonizing experience of being treated like a mere specimen and toyed with at will, He Shu broke out in a cold sweat.
Thank goodness… it’s all over now.
After calming herself, He Shu turned her head and asked Mu Xinlian, who had been quietly waiting by her side.
“Xiao Mu, during the days I was unconscious, did you do what I told you to do?”
Mu Xinlian nodded.
“Yes, Young Miss. Xinlian has remembered everything you said. In the past three days, Lord Shen Qingci contacted me on his own and gave me two instructions.”
In front of He Shu, Mu Xinlian held up two fingers.
“First, Lord Shen Qingci made it clear that the Southwind Immortal Kingdom places great importance on you. The purpose of sending the diplomatic mission to the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom is to redeem you from His Majesty. He told me to tell you not to worry too much.”
“As for the second matter, he gave me a bead.”
Saying this, Mu Xinlian took out a pale red bead from her storage artifact.
She spoke with slight uncertainty, “Lord Shen Qingci seemed to value this bead greatly. He instructed me to deliver it safely to you, Young Miss.”
He Shu stared unblinkingly at the red jade bead in Mu Xinlian’s hand, feeling quite curious herself.
Enduring the soreness in her body, she took the bead and examined it carefully.
She realized it was no ordinary bead—it was a night-luminescent pearl.
“There’s a miniature array inside the bead.”
He Shu placed the bead in her palm, then brought her hands together and rotated them half a circle in opposite directions.
The night-luminescent pearl immediately changed from red to purple.
Once the mechanism was activated, not only did the bead’s color change, but a message that Shen Qingci had specially left for He Shu appeared inside.
The moment she sent her divine sense into the purple night-luminescent pearl, a voice sounded in He Shu’s mind.
“He Shu, if you can hear this message, it means you are currently in a relatively safe environment. I need to tell you three things. Please remember them well and do not tell anyone—including Mu Xinlian.”
Shen Qingci’s tone was quite grave.
He Shu’s heart tightened immediately.
Even Mu Xinlian cannot be trusted? What kind of information is this?
As she continued listening, He Shu’s pupils suddenly shrank to pinpricks.
“The Southwind Immortal Kingdom’s diplomatic mission consists of ten people. They will arrive at Cloud Mist Immortal City in about thirteen days. Leading the mission is our Southwind Immortal Kingdom’s Eldest Princess, He Cen. He Bai Su is also accompanying them.”
“You also know He Bai Su. Ten years ago she successfully passed her tribulation and advanced to Void Refinement. This shows just how much importance Monarch He Xiu places on you.”
“So the first thing I was instructed by Her Majesty to convey to you is this: Her Majesty has always remembered your contributions to the Southwind Immortal Kingdom. She will have the mission bring you back home at any cost.”
Hearing that He Xiu remembered her contributions and was willing to bring her home no matter the price, a warm feeling rose in He Shu’s chest.
Her heart ached faintly—not from sadness, but from being moved.
She suddenly felt that all her years of selfless effort had been worth it, because she had finally been acknowledged by her mother.
She began imagining the scene of being brought back to the Southwind Immortal Kingdom by her elder sister and tightly embracing her mother.
Even though it was only a fantasy, happy tears still slipped from the corners of her eyes.
“As for the second matter,” Shen Qingci’s tone suddenly changed from nostalgic to extremely serious, “consider it a reassurance. If Hua Yanyun refuses to let you go no matter what, the Southwind Immortal Kingdom will send specialized personnel to rescue you.”
“And the final, third matter is a personal request from me.”
Hearing Shen Qingci’s tone, He Shu was instantly pulled out of her beautiful fantasy and back to reality.
“Not long ago, I submitted a request to resign to Her Majesty. Therefore, I ask you—please take me with you when you leave the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom.”
His tone sounded almost like a plea.
He Shu could already imagine what Shen Qingci looked like when he recorded this message.
After delivering all three pieces of information, Shen Qingci’s voice disappeared completely.
He Shu continuously scanned the night-luminescent pearl in her hand with her divine sense.
She discovered that the miniature array inside had already self-destructed and vanished.
Shen Qingci is probably afraid of being exposed as a Southwind spy as well.
He Shu gladly accepted Shen Qingci’s final request.
Having an additional powerful Golden Core cultivator as an ally would greatly help her escape from the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom.
Shen Qingci was someone He Shu had secretly helped a great deal to successfully infiltrate Hua Yanyun’s harem.
She knew his strength very well.
Even setting that aside, she and Shen Qingci had a very good private relationship.
Otherwise, he would not have been the first person she contacted.
He Shu silently calculated the date of the mission’s arrival.
She felt it was time to make more preparations in case of any unexpected situations.
There were quite a few Southwind spies in Cloud Mist Immortal City, but the only one He Shu could fully trust was Shen Qingci.
It was true that she was the highest-ranking spy in the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom, but she understood very well that her subordinates’ subordinates were not necessarily her own.
Although they were all spies, those who were not from her own faction could not be completely trusted.
He Shu wanted to make more preparations, but for a moment she didn’t know what to do.
The diplomatic mission would not arrive in Cloud Mist Immortal City for another ten-plus days, but the “break” Hua Yanyun had given her was only seven days long.
That meant before the mission arrived, she would have to endure another round of that cruel torture in the secret chamber where she would beg for death but not receive it.
Just thinking about experiencing that living-death feeling again made He Shu’s breathing grow heavier.
The images of Hua Yanyun manipulating her body kept replaying in her mind.
It felt like she had returned to that moment.
Even just imagining it caused He Shu to break out in another cold sweat.
She had already been unconscious for three days.
Only four days remained until the next experiment.
“Time really is tight…”
With only four days to prepare, He Shu had to cherish every single second and do everything possible to increase her side’s strength.
She no longer held much hope for the diplomatic mission—even though it was being led by her elder sister He Cen and the Void Refinement realm cultivator He Bai Su.
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