He Shu was not short on artifacts or treasures.
Besides, for a Body Integration powerhouse like Hua Yanyun, Silent Sound was still too low in rank.
If it were released to the outside world, countless sound-path and soul-path cultivators would fight over it until their heads broke.
Yet in Hua Yanyun’s hands, the greatest use of such a treasure was simply to give it away as a gift.
***
Inside Wanyi Tower, He Shu knelt on a pillow while eating.
Her face was no longer deathly pale like when she had first woken up; a healthy flush had returned.
She really did not want to stay inside the cage, but after losing so much blood during the experiment a few days ago, her body still felt weak and powerless.
She had no choice but to obediently remain inside the cage.
Mu Xinlian had left not long ago, using the excuse of buying medicine to secretly contact Shen Qingci.
He Shu finished the last sip of sweet congee in the bowl and let out a satisfied burp.
She had been eating sweet congee for two days straight.
Even though she had only recently regained a proper diet, He Shu was already starting to feel sick of it.
She really wanted to eat some meaty dishes to properly nourish her body and soothe her wounded heart, but considering how weak she still was from the massive blood loss and how difficult it would be to digest heavy food, she could only give up on the idea.
After all, she had to take care of her stomach first before she could handle rich meats.
She set aside thoughts of asking for help and decided her stomach had recovered enough.
She began calculating what delicious food she should request from Hua Yanyun’s people tomorrow.
Speaking of which, although Hua Yanyun had allowed her to eat her fill more than a month ago, He Shu had not tasted any meat in all that time.
She had either been recovering from injuries or on the verge of new ones.
Only these past few days had been relatively peaceful, and even that peace had been bought with a severe injury in exchange for a short break.
She still had two days of vacation left.
Just thinking about having to face the knife again the night after tomorrow made He Shu involuntarily shrink her neck.
That damn Hua Yanyun had only given her seven days of rest and had even counted the three days she spent unconscious as part of the break.
He Shu truly wondered what kind of environment could produce someone with such a rotten personality.
She placed the bowl and chopsticks into the food box, then set the entire box outside the cage door.
After that, she pulled the quilt over her head and burrowed underneath.
It had been raining all day.
What started as a light drizzle in the morning had now become a steady downpour.
The windows in He Shu’s room offered no protection from the wind.
If the cage had not been positioned in the center of the room, it would have already been soaked by the rain.
She considered draping a large blanket over the cage to block the wind and rain, but after thinking it over, she decided against it.
Even if she ignored whether Hua Yanyun would agree, she still had to worry about air circulation if the cage were completely covered.
Her thoughts were drifting further and further off track.
He Shu quickly pinched her own arm to snap herself out of it and cleared her mind of distractions.
This is bad… this is really bad.
He Shu tilted her small head and began questioning her own sanity.
How had she become so distracted after only two days of relative ease?
Her current situation was still extremely dangerous.
Throughout her eighteen years as an undercover agent, He Shu had always remained highly vigilant.
Those eighteen years had also sharpened her ability to sense changes in any situation.
Could her mind have been dulled by the “exciting” life she had been living lately?
She was only human. Humans needed to relax; it was impossible to stay tense forever.
In the past month and a half she had endured far too much.
Not only did she have to constantly suffer ten times the normal sensitivity, she also had to do everything in her power to adapt to the situation.
Any ordinary person would have already suffered a complete mental breakdown.
After staying under such high pressure for so long, it was only natural that once she suddenly relaxed, her mind would unconsciously begin to wander.
This was her body’s way of protecting her spirit from total collapse by allowing these fleeting, impulsive thoughts.
While she was still inwardly doubting herself, a spatial fluctuation appeared in her perception.
The next moment, the quilt covering her face was yanked away, revealing a small, startled face.
He Shu suddenly found herself staring straight into Hua Yanyun’s eyes.
“?”
A question mark popped up in her mind.
He Shu tried to pull the quilt back over her head.
She tugged, but it would not budge.
It seemed the Hua Yanyun before her was the real thing.
Her heart instantly felt as if she had swallowed a cockroach.
She had assumed Hua Yanyun would only come looking for her the day after tomorrow.
Why had she shown up today without warning?
“Aren’t you going to explain anything?”
“I… huh? Ah?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, He Shu was momentarily stunned.
What is this old witch going on about now? This is so strange.
“Explain what? Is there anything on me worth you coming here in person for?”
Perhaps the recent comfortable material conditions had made He Shu a little bold.
She actually talked back for once.
“Heh, quite the tough attitude.”
“We won’t waste time with you. He Shu, what exactly is your relationship with He Xiu?”
Hua Yanyun put her full weight on He Shu, and the way she addressed her changed as well.
Previously, Hua Yanyun had grown used to calling her He Wanyi.
This time, she used He Shu’s real name directly.
He Shu’s expression stiffened at once. Panic surged inside her.
How did Hua Yanyun suddenly start asking about her relationship with Mother? Could she have already found out?
Cold sweat broke out on her back.
The chilly wind blowing in from the window carried away what little warmth remained in her body.
“Relationship? Why are you asking about that?”
He Shu tried to fish for information from Hua Yanyun to see if she could pick up any clues, but Hua Yanyun was not falling for it.
“Hmph. A mere captive actually dares to question Us now. It seems We have been treating you far too well lately.”
“Speak. What exactly is your relationship with He Xiu!”
Both of He Shu’s arms were pinned to the floor. Hua Yanyun pressed down on her completely, their bodies pressed chest to chest.
“I was ordered by Monarch He Xiu to infiltrate the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom. Naturally, our relationship is that of ruler and subject.”
Her wariness rose even higher.
Hua Yanyun would not have come without reason.
Since she had suddenly asked such a pointed question, she must have discovered something.
He Shu was not foolish enough to expose herself under this kind of pressure.
She gave a vague, noncommittal answer.
Hua Yanyun snorted coldly.
She pinched He Shu’s cheeks, forcing her small mouth to pout.
“Mmmph mmmph… What exactly do you want to ask?”
“Hmph. Playing dumb even when death is staring you in the face.”
One hand gently stroked He Shu’s cheek as Hua Yanyun spoke calmly, “If We are not mistaken, you are actually He Xiu, that old woman’s real second daughter, aren’t you?”
“!”
Hua Yanyun’s words sent massive waves crashing through He Shu’s heart.
A flash of panic crossed her face for an instant before she instantly regained her composure.