Chapter 39: No Corruption, Just a Misunderstanding

Shi Qianla.  

In her ninth cycle—the previous one—Bai Yue Ling had briefly met this person.  

Back then, she was being hunted by big sisters and fled to the capital of the Rose Kingdom. 

The third princess had warmly welcomed her, treating her to a lavish meal. 

Sitting at the table were the princess and this elf secretary, Shi Qianla.  

But what Bai Yue Ling didn’t know at the time was that the meal was drugged. 

After eating, she fell into a drowsy slumber, only to wake up bound by Xueyu, Jin Litui, Liming Huaji, Ying Ye, and other big sisters, who made her “curl her feet.”  

Looking back, the third princess was a cunning woman—sweet and innocent on the surface, cold and ruthless underneath. 

But her personal secretary? 

Bai Yue Ling barely knew her.  

Wait, wasn’t Aiya also the princess’s personal guard? 

So why hadn’t she seen Aiya in her previous life?  

Bai Yue Ling stood on her tiptoes, trying to peek over Aiya’s shoulder, but saw nothing. 

Tilting her head, she caught a glimpse through the gap between the doorframe and Aiya’s arm—a pair of long legs wrapped in glossy black tights.  

Hmm… those legs look a bit chubby. Not much exercise, huh? 

Not as toned as Aiya’s or as sleek as Ying Ye’s. Kind of like Ming Die’s.  

But Ming Die’s mature, sultry vibe carried her fuller legs effortlessly, while Shi Qianla, with her youthful appearance, looked a bit odd with such thick legs.  

Well, I shouldn’t say that. 

Chubby-legged girls are pretty popular these days—like that Rikka or Laeza… and, uh, me?  

Bai Yue Ling pinched her own plump thigh, snapping out of her random thoughts.  

She couldn’t help it—critiquing pretty girls was a reflex, her “occupational hazard” as a yuri flirt.  

***

“Shi Qianla, what are you doing here?”  

“Surprised to see me?”  

Shi Qianla smirked, switching her crossed legs, her hips, wrapped in a tight skirt, slightly numb from sitting.  

Aiya said, “You should be at Her Highness’s side. Why’d you come all the way out here for me?”  

“The capital’s only two or three days away—not exactly ‘far,’” Shi Qianla said, dangling her black-stockinged toes. 

“Besides, Her Highness sent me.”  

Aiya’s brows furrowed deeper. “What does Her Highness want?”  

Shi Qianla stood slowly, approaching the two. 

“This morning, Her Highness had a sudden feeling that you might be in trouble, so she sent me via teleportation array to check on you.”  

Trouble…  

Bai Yue Ling’s heart raced, her breath catching.  

The trouble Aiya encountered that morning was her corruption by Bai Yue Ling.  

Had the corruption been discovered?  

Bai Yue Ling didn’t want her fallen angel identity exposed or for anyone to notice Aiya’s descent into darkness.  

Sure enough, Aiya’s pupils shrank—she hadn’t expected the third princess to sense anything.  

Aiya’s voice was heavy. 

“Did Her Highness leave a mental imprint on me?”  

“Of course. Her Highness specialized in mental magic at the academy,” Shi Qianla said casually. 

“I’ve got her mental imprint on me too.”  

A “mental imprint” was a skill that monitored a target’s mental state, undetectable under normal circumstances.  

When Aiya was corrupted, the intense mental fluctuations reached the princess in the capital, prompting her to send Shi Qianla to investigate.  

“I was curious what kind of trouble a holy knight could run into in this little forest,” Shi Qianla said, tapping Aiya’s chest armor. 

“But you seem perfectly fine.”  

Aiya replied calmly, “Of course I’m fine…”  

Whoosh!  

Suddenly, Shi Qianla raised her right hand, and a vibrant green vine shot from her sleeve, bypassing Aiya and hurtling toward Bai Yue Ling at breakneck speed!  

The vine’s razor-sharp tip stopped just short of Bai Yue Ling—not because Shi Qianla halted, but because Aiya grabbed it in time.  

A drop of cold sweat slid down Bai Yue Ling’s thigh, her heart pounding from the scare as she ducked behind Aiya.  

This is the attack of a level 40 NPC at level 12, she had no chance of resisting.  

Aiya gripped the vine tightly, her voice low. 

“What are you doing?”  

Shi Qianla’s gaze was icy. 

“I suspect you’re under some kind of mental control magic, and the caster is this person.”  

She raised her other hand, ready to attack again.  

“Wait,” Aiya said calmly. “I fought a level 20 succubus in the forest earlier.”  

Resisting a succubus’s charm could cause strong mental fluctuations, giving Aiya a cover story to hide her corruption.  

Shi Qianla frowned. 

“A succubus? Living succubi are rare these days. The last one I saw was 50 years ago.”  

Sensing Shi Qianla’s lingering suspicion, Aiya pointed to Bai Yue Ling’s Charm Wound staff. 

“That’s a charm gem, standard for every succubus. You’d recognize it, right? After I killed the succubus, I gave the gem to her.”  

Shi Qianla took the staff, her emerald eyes widening as she examined the gem closely, her fingers tracing its hard edges, feeling its pure charm aura.  

“Hmm… it is a charm gem. That succubus was unlucky running into you. You’re too stubborn to be charmed.”  

Bai Yue Ling glanced at Aiya’s back, surprise flashing in her eyes. 

Shi Qianla was 10 levels higher than Aiya and would have the upper hand in a fight, yet Aiya had quickly thought to use Luoluo Yue’s charm gem to explain her mental fluctuations, dispelling Shi Qianla’s doubts.  

Though Aiya seemed like a rigid holy knight on the surface, she was actually quite sharp.  

“Good thing it’s just a misunderstanding. We both serve Her Highness; I’d hate to cross blades with a colleague,” 

Shi Qianla said, returning the staff to Bai Yue Ling before grabbing Aiya’s hand. “

Since you’re fine, come back with me.”  

Aiya pulled her hand back, frowning. 

“Back? But I haven’t finished the task Her Highness gave me.”  

“Forget the task. Her Highness said to bring you back no matter what.”  

“…Can it wait one more day?”  

“What, you don’t want to go back?” 

Shi Qianla raised an eyebrow, glancing at the white-haired, busty girl behind Aiya. 

“Got a girlfriend?”  

“No,” Aiya answered firmly. 

“Her name’s Little White. She’s the highest-level otherworld traveler, already at level 12. I see potential in her and want to recruit her for Her Highness’s forces.”  

“Level 12?”  

Shi Qianla’s brows shot up, and she leaned in close to Bai Yue Ling, studying the white-haired, busty girl with interest. 

“Level 12 on just the second day? Quite the promising talent.”  

Feeling the fresh, earthy scent of trees and flowers, Bai Yue Ling realized this elf secretary was indeed a follower of the Goddess of Nature.  

Her gaze instinctively drifted downward to Shi Qianla’s tight black skirt…  

Is she following the Goddess’s teachings and going commando right now?