Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

"..."

Xie Qiao was so frightened by Shen Mu's words that she froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do.

Shen Mu remained calm and composed.

"Not to mention you, even I had to admire the depth of the Emperor of Nanyang's cunning when I first learned about this. If Shen Zhizhi hadn't entrusted the Eighth Prince to her care back then, how could she have become the Empress Dowager?"

Xie Qiao's heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't hide the panic on her face.

"Childhood sweetheart becomes foster mother? This..."

He looked up at Shen Mu, his little face flushed red, and even after a long time, he still couldn't figure out the relationship between them.

It was far too complicated for him!

Seeing this, Shen Mu subtly withdrew his gaze and said...

"There's nothing he can't do, only things you haven't thought of. Otherwise, why would he have been able to stand out among all the princes?" His tone was extremely calm, as if he were recounting something perfectly ordinary.

If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor of Nanyang is currently obsessed with immortality and has lost his mind...

Based on his methods in his youth, he might very well have been able to ensure Nanyang's prosperity for a hundred years.

After Xie Qiao finally left, Shen Mu turned around and went back into the inner room.

Thirteen lay quietly on the couch, her eyes closed. Her weak face was pale and lifeless, her lips slightly white.

Shen Mu sat on a round stool by the bed, watching her quietly, which made him think of his past.

He was born in a demon forest teeming with magical beasts. His birth details are unknown, and he was born with heterochromia, so he was unexpectedly sent to the demon realm's arena.

This is a place filled with bloodshed and violence, where everyone who comes to the arena can gamble with their lives for money.

It's just that they're gambling with the lives of these imprisoned 'monsters'.

He was thrown into the midst of that group of 'monsters', and every day he woke up to find himself in the arena, fighting against ferocious monsters.

If you win, you get the only food for the day.

If you lose, you naturally become food for the monsters that day.

He thought he would live on numbly like this, but he never expected that the figure on that day would become his salvation.

Thinking of this, Shen Mu slowly stood up and walked straight to Thirteen's bedside.

He now wanted to confirm whether Thirteen was carrying that thing.

Shen Mu slowly raised his hand, just as he was about to confirm, when a panicked voice behind him broke the silence in the room.

"grown ups!"

next morning

A girl in a pale yellow dress stood in front of the courtyard gate, looking somewhat lost.

She seemed to think for a long time before sending her maid to knock on the door and pay her a visit.

A short while later, the courtyard gate was opened, and an elderly man with gray hair slowly walked out.

The maidservant hurried forward and chatted with the old man for a few words. Then, the old man shook his head at the maidservant and slowly closed the door again.

"Miss, the people in their household said that Thirteen hasn't returned since last night."

Aru hurriedly returned to Pei Suisui's side and shook her head at her.

"Didn't come back all night?"

Pei Suisui couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Her expression gradually became anxious. When her sister took her out of the palace yesterday, she lost all contact with Thirteen.

Although her sister kept telling her that she would send people to keep an eye on the palace, she still couldn't rest easy after not sleeping all night. So she sneaked out of the mansion early in the morning to find out if Thirteen had returned safely.

Hearing what the servants of the Thirteenth Mansion said made her, who had just calmed down, gradually become uneasy again.

Where exactly is Thirteen?

"He didn't go home all night. Could he really still be staying in the palace?"

She muttered to herself, glancing uneasily at Aru. Standing there, somewhat at a loss, she frantically fiddled with the handkerchief in her hand.

If something were to happen to Thirteen, she would never be able to get over it!

Aru naturally knew that her master was worried about Thirteen, so she quickly stepped forward to comfort her.

"Miss, don't worry. Didn't you say yesterday that you sought out Commander Shen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to rescue her? With Commander Shen there, she will definitely be safe."

Upon hearing this, Pei Suisui paused, her bright eyes brimming with tears that seemed about to fall.

"Yes, and Lord Shen too. Let's go find him and ask about Thirteen's whereabouts!"

How could she forget Shen Mu? Yesterday, before she was forced to kneel by Consort An, she had begged him to save Thirteen.

Now that Thirteen has suddenly disappeared from the palace, Shen Mu must know something.

Perhaps it was he who brought Thirteen out of the palace.

"Let's go find Lord Shen now!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Suisui was about to pull Aru away when suddenly everything went black and she fell backward.

"Miss!"

Seeing that her mistress had fainted, Aru hurriedly caught her in her arms.

Unfortunately, she was also too thin to withstand the force and fell to the ground with Pei Suisui.

At this moment, Aru was so frightened by Pei Suisui's fainting that her face turned pale. Ignoring the pain from falling to the ground, she hurriedly lowered her head to check on her young mistress's body.

Fortunately, Pei Suisui fell into her arms and was not seriously injured.

Just as Aru was about to call a servant to help the young lady into the carriage, she looked up and saw the man already standing in front of them.

She couldn't hide her shock.

"It's you……"

Pei Mansion

Pei Nanyue led A Meng to her sister's residence to find her.

Following behind Pei Nanyue, A Meng carried a bowl of medicine with a slightly bitter smell.

That was medicine that Pei Nanyue had personally brewed for several hours. It was a prescription she had specially ordered from the family physician because she felt sorry for her younger sister who had been caught in the rain yesterday.

As soon as she arrived at her sister's residence, she noticed that the house was too quiet.

Pei Nanyue's heart tightened, and the further she went in, the more uneasy she felt.

She only confirmed it after walking through the entire courtyard.

My younger sister has run away again!

Pei Nanyue suddenly felt a splitting headache. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she glanced at A Meng behind her.

"Did Aru tell you that the Second Miss was going out of the manor today?"

Ameng and Aru are sisters. If Aru were to accompany the second young lady out of the manor today, Ameng would surely know.

But standing behind her, Ah Meng, holding the medicine, shook her head blankly.

"She didn't mention it to me; I'm afraid the Second Miss left in a hurry and didn't have time to tell me." Seeing Pei Nanyue's expression growing increasingly cold, she quickly explained on behalf of her sister.

"Young Miss, please don't be angry. I'll go and find out if the carriages in the manor are still there. If they aren't, I'll ask how many people the Second Miss took with her when she left the manor."

After saying that, A-Meng carefully placed the medicine on the stone table in the courtyard and hurriedly ran out of the courtyard.

In the Pei family mansion, sometimes the eldest daughter's status is even higher than that of the master.

Especially regarding matters concerning the second young lady.

If she guessed correctly, it must have been the second young lady who suddenly decided to go out today.

Otherwise, given Aru's personality, she would definitely have asked someone she knew to pass on a message to her before leaving.

After all, both sisters obeyed the eldest young lady's arrangements and were always there to watch over the second young lady.