The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

The scene changed instantly, and the two were no longer in Han Yueshi's room.

The once misty and ethereal space has lost its former beauty and charm.

"What happened? Why has it turned out like this?" Han Yueshi asked, her face full of heartache, clutching Lian Yao's arm. "What did you do? This space was supposed to purify that murky black energy, so why has it become like this?"

Lian Yao gently lifted her arm and flung her to the ground. "Are you questioning me?"

"This is me? Get lost! This is my territory, what have you done?" Han Yueshi was already injured, and then Lian Yao pushed her, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"You don't actually think you can bind me with a tiny bottle, do you? I was only willing to play along with you before because you had something to offer. Otherwise, do you think I would still be alive today?" Lian Yao glanced at her sideways, her disdain almost tangible.

"Are you sure?" Han Yueshi then disappeared from the spot.

In an instant, the entire space became oppressive.

"I've been waiting for you, and this time I'll finally make you suffer a bit."

Han Yueshi's voice filled the space, and as soon as she finished speaking, countless ice needles came from all directions.

Lianyao was caught off guard and many ice needles entered her body, melting as soon as they entered.

"Ah~"

Finally unable to bear it any longer, its pitiful howl echoed through the space.

"I forgot to tell you, I'm not your average young lady from a prominent family. Don't underestimate me."

When Han Yueshi reappeared, she still had a delicate figure, and her face was even a little pale.

"You've been hiding your strength well!" Lian Yao gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and gathered her strength to make another move.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: I am the absolute ruler here. If you don't behave yourself, you'll be the one who suffers. You've now acknowledged me as your master, so don't always think you can get away with something without it."

“Those ice pillars that didn’t go into your body earlier are no ordinary things. Now you have to listen to me completely.”

"And what exactly is going on here?"

Originally, the only idea was to have this auspicious cloud bottle find a way to make the person recognize it as their master, but unfortunately Lian Yao was too powerful, and there was no way to control him completely.

After suffering many losses, one should be more cautious. Those icicles had accumulated energy over a long period of time to create what happened just now.

She refrained from using Han Cuiyin's manipulation of dreams against the Han family, and certainly didn't use it against Lian Yao.

But today is different.

What happened in the woods was unforgettable.

In this world, can one reach the pinnacle of power without relying on men?

Han Yueshi was somewhat confused for a moment.

"Didn't you see it all? I've assimilated this place! You'll be just like me in the future, are you happy? Hahaha~" Lian Yao's laughter echoed in the space.

"..."

Lian Yao's arrogant laughter pulled me back to reality. Being like him didn't seem so bad.

In her past life, she had watched plenty of fantasy dramas and domestic dramas, so she didn't feel uncomfortable when she encountered a combination of the two.

If she had real power, she wouldn't need to pretend to be someone else and rely on men to gain supreme authority.

Being trapped in the forest this time shattered their original plans.

The second prince clearly favors Han Lingzhi and treats her coldly, so her plan is very likely to fall through.

Weighing the pros and cons, Han Yueshi made her choice: "Now that I've been assimilated by you, how long would it take for me to become like you?"

She witnessed Lianyao's prowess firsthand today.

If it weren't for her intervention, those people who disappeared on the sacrificial altar would probably have been absorbed by him. They originally planned to find the person behind it all and then take him down in one fell swoop, but someone intercepted their plan.

Fortunately, he received a lot of medicine in that courtyard in the capital, enough for Lianyao to recover from his injuries.

This time, she needs to completely subdue him; the stronger he is, the better.

Even the best things aren't truly yours to keep; it's always safest to hold onto some things.

"Aren't you afraid?" This time it was Lian Yao's turn to be surprised. "You're not afraid of a demon like me, yet you still want to learn martial arts from me?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Those aloof and righteous people aren't necessarily more noble than you. At least you're openly evil, while those people might not be! Also, do you really think that the courtyard in the capital was the work of evil cultivators? Don't be naive."

“The capital is the imperial city. Do you really think those worshippers are just sitting around doing nothing? This kind of evil sacrificial ritual must have come from one of them. It’s not so easy to gather so many noble ladies.”

Han Yueshi had long suspected that Li Meiyun was probably being used without her knowledge.

And then there's the Ghost Festival; that courtyard itself is quite strange.

"When you have some free time, go to that courtyard and look for clues. There will always be some trace left."

Lianyao's injuries have healed, so Han Yueshi naturally has to assign him chores; she can't just let him stay home to take care of things.

"I have no interest in these complicated matters. Han Cuiyin is an expert at doing thankless tasks. It's better to wait for her..."

"Fine, if you don't want to recover soon, just stay here and stay cooped up. I originally wanted you to find the person behind it all; perhaps they have some treasure that could get you out of this little world—"

"You know I don't belong here?" Lian Yao raised an eyebrow, not expecting this delicate woman to be so clever.

"Your cultivation technique is ten thousand times stronger than those at the Innate Realm, so it's obvious. You and Han Cuiyin come from the same place?"

Han Yueshi started trying to get information out of Han Cuiyin. She wasn't sure about Han Cuiyin's background either, as it seemed different from what was written in the book and didn't appear to be cannon fodder.

“Her soul is in harmony with this world, so she is a person of this realm.” Lian Yao frowned, unable to determine where the problem lay.

The Han Cuiyin here is the same one from the Longevity Realm.

The two exchanged a few more words, and Han Yueshi frowned, her body clearly reaching its limit.

"Use these to heal your wounds!"

Lianyao put her index and middle fingers together, flicked them upwards, and a stream of water flowed into the bowl.

The once clear stream water turned pitch black, but Han Yueshi only frowned and drank it all in one gulp.

Lian Yao kept a close eye on her expression. "It seems you really don't look down on us demonic cultivators."

The original spiritual spring water was completely polluted because it absorbed the black energy from that small courtyard in the capital, and there is no possibility of it being restored to its original state.

Han Yueshi already knew what was going on, so she readily accepted it, saying, "What right do I, a mere mortal, have to look down on others?"

"This is the basic technique. You practice it first, while I go and interrogate that bald-tailed fox properly."

"Once it gets here, it's easy to manipulate. If it doesn't tell the truth, come find me and see."

The two were no longer as distant as before, and Han Yueshi was happy to help.

It wasn't just that fox that was easy to manipulate; he focused his attention on the basic cultivation technique.

Lianyao nodded and went to find the bald-tailed fox. He was very interested in the Pinglian Mountains.

The next day.

After Han Cuiyin woke up, she was led to Luo Jingqian's courtyard, where Luo Jingqian was already sitting at the dining table waiting for her.

"Since it's just the two of us today, how about we don't set up a screen?"

Han Cuiyin casually replied, "When in Rome, do as the host says. I'm not that particular about these things."

Luo Jingqian placed the side dish from the center of the table in front of her. "Wait for me at home. I need to go to the palace in a little while."

"Then you must be careful, your emperor may not be as harmless as he appears."

This was the conclusion she reached after tossing and turning all night, but it was somewhat cruel to the lineage of the Grand Princess.

“I knew this day would come. But those people are innocent, and he probably won’t just stand by and do nothing.”

After the meal, Luo Jingqian left through the secret passage.

Han Cuiyin was bored and looked at the main room, lost in thought.