“Shu’er, it’s good that you understand. It’s good that you understand.” He Xiu’s voice was filled with emotion. “Mother has been hiding you with all her might because there is a mission that only you can undertake, and only you are suited for it.”
Hearing that her mother was preparing a mission that only she could do, He Shu stopped sobbing. She looked up at He Xiu, her small face full of determination.
He Xiu’s smile grew even gentler as she looked at her serious daughter.
“This mission carries considerable risk. Mother knows about your physical condition, so I have specially prepared a Body Integration realm spell for you. This spell will completely free you from your bodily afflictions and allow you to freely change your figure and appearance as you wish.”
He Shu became even happier after hearing this. Not only would her mother solve her physical problems, but the spell also came with the ability to alter her appearance at will. With this spell, she would surely be able to complete the mission perfectly.
“Mhm, Mother, what is the mission? I will go through fire and water without hesitation!”
He Xiu nodded at He Shu’s declaration, then spoke, “The Jade Water Immortal Kingdom shares a border with our Southwind Immortal Kingdom. Conflicts and friction between us have continued for generations, making them the only major threat in our surroundings. Mother needs you to disguise yourself, travel alone to the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom, act as a spy, infiltrate their inner circle, and become this nation’s eyes and ears.”
At first He Shu had been full of confidence, but the more she listened, the paler her face became. Being a spy was an extremely high-risk job. If caught, the outcome would be tragic.
Moreover, she would have to infiltrate alone with no support. This mission was practically a suicide task.
After hearing the mission her mother had assigned her, He Shu’s small face turned deathly pale, her entire body trembling with fear.
“Are you… willing?” He Xiu’s voice sounded beside her ear.
He Shu’s voice shook, her body ice-cold. “Mother… I…”
She was terrified beyond measure, yet the twisted trust she held for her mother still made her accept this near-certain-death mission.
“I… am willing…”
“However, once I go to the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom, Shu’er may never be able to return. So before I leave, I want to hug Mother a little longer…”
He Shu’s voice grew softer and softer as she held He Xiu tightly. He Xiu hugged her back just as tightly until He Shu finally fell asleep in her arms.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, eighteen years had passed.
The little girl who had once cried while hugging her mother was now curled up in a cold cage, clutching a pillow.
A night breeze blew in through the window, making He Shu’s body tremble slightly. In a daze, she opened her eyes.
She looked around in confusion and raised a hand to rub her eyes, only to find her fingers came away wet.
“Why am I… crying?”
He Shu murmured softly. She felt like she had dreamed of something from many years ago, but she couldn’t remember exactly what it was.
She sat up, still hugging the pillow warmed by her body heat, and looked out through the carved wooden window toward the lake.
It was already deep into the night. At some point, countless lotus lanterns had been lit on the lake. There were thousands of them, illuminating the entire surface with a dreamy, ethereal glow, like the fires of the mortal world made real. He Shu was mesmerized by the sight.
“So beautiful…”
He Shu sighed. Watching such a beautiful scene eased much of the bitterness in her heart.
“This place must have been a scenic pavilion before.”
She continued gazing at the view until a voice spoke.
“Is it beautiful?”
Upon hearing the voice, He Shu answered instinctively.
“Yes, it is.”
“Hmph.”
The voice sounded unconcerned as it continued, “This location used to be part of the Lanshan Inn’s properties. I requisitioned it to serve as your residence. The scenery is naturally quite nice.”
He Shu remained silent. She recognized the voice as Hua Yanyun’s. She turned her head and, sure enough, saw her.
“Did you come here just to tease me?”
“I just happened to pass by. I didn’t expect you to wake up the moment I arrived,” Hua Yanyun said, neither confirming nor denying.
Seeing the ambiguous smile on Hua Yanyun’s face, He Shu turned her head back toward the lake.
“You didn’t come here to watch the scenery with me, did you? If you want to know something, just ask directly. Though I won’t tell you anything.”
Hua Yanyun shook her head at He Shu’s words. “I certainly didn’t come to watch the scenery with you, but I didn’t come for intelligence either.”
“Then what did you come for?”
He Shu was puzzled. She had assumed Hua Yanyun was here for the information in her head, but hearing that it wasn’t for intelligence left her confused.
Hua Yanyun walked up to the cage where He Shu was locked, snapped her fingers, and the cage door opened by itself. She stepped inside and stopped in front of He Shu.
With a casual push, she sent He Shu falling backward onto the floor. Hua Yanyun ran a finger along He Shu’s jawline, her voice teasing and provocative. “You are this monarch’s girlfriend. As my girlfriend, you naturally have to fulfill your duties. I get quite lonely and bored by myself at night, you know.”
He Shu’s heart tightened at Hua Yanyun’s shameless words. She understood exactly what Hua Yanyun wanted. She hugged the pillow tightly to her chest, trying to resist.
But Hua Yanyun’s advances were not so easily deflected. Step by step, He Shu fell into her clutches.
Hua Yanyun was not gentle. Her actions were intense and overwhelming. He Shu passed out several times, only to be woken up again by Hua Yanyun.
The sensation was far from pleasant.
The next day, when He Shu woke up inside the cage, it was already afternoon. She felt like she was going to die. Every part of her body ached with soreness and fatigue. Even the slightest movement sent sharp pain shooting through her.
Enduring the soreness, He Shu sat up, leaning against the side of the cage. She noticed she was wearing a different set of clothes. It was no longer the oversized gauze robe, but a perfectly fitting lotus-leaf hem dress. Just like yesterday, however, she was not wearing any underwear.
“Did Hua Yanyun change my clothes herself? Or did she have someone else do it?”
After finishing, Hua Yanyun had picked up the limp, ragdoll-like He Shu and carried her to an outdoor hot spring. She had washed the unconscious girl’s body, then taken out a custom-made dress tailored to He Shu’s measurements from her storage bracelet and put it on her. Finally, she had placed He Shu back into the cage.
He Shu was somewhat puzzled about who had changed her clothes. She had passed out at the end of the night and had no memory of what happened afterward.
Deciding not to dwell on the clothes, He Shu gently touched the red marks on her arms, her tone carrying a hint of resentment. “Tsk, Hua Yanyun really is rough…”
After losing her cultivation, He Shu had returned to her original appearance. Her body had always been extremely fragile. After last night’s intense “battle,” many marks had appeared across her skin.
Especially noticeable was the spot on her calf where Hua Yanyun had pinched hard. By now, a clear bruise had formed there.
He Shu reached down to touch the bruise on her calf. The pain made her let out a muffled groan.
The numerous marks standing out against her snow-white skin made the already fragile-looking He Shu appear even more delicate and pitiable.
“What exactly does she want?”
He Shu pondered Hua Yanyun’s intentions while rubbing the red marks on her body.
She couldn’t understand why Hua Yanyun was doing this. She hadn’t asked her for any classified information about the Southwind Immortal Kingdom, nor had she demanded the names of other Southwind spies. She was simply toying with her.
Yet the more she did this, the more afraid He Shu became. She had a growing feeling that Hua Yanyun was plotting something even bigger.
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