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

Now it was Zhou Jinghuai's turn to remain silent.

Shen Mu looked at him without speaking, then continued...

"This Yi Sisi ordered a dose of Thirteen-Flavor Poison to kill Xu Zhizhou, but she didn't expect that I would arrest Xu Zhizhou and put him in the Jinyiwei prison before she could."

Zhou Jinghuai frowned and said, "Why didn't you just use Yi Sisi to kill Xu Zhizhou? Why go through all this trouble to make him the murderer who burned down Mingyue Palace in front of the Emperor of Nanyang?"

He really didn't understand Shen Mu's actions, after all, his behavior and conduct were not like Shen Mu's, and he would have many schemes.

On the contrary, they prefer to be straightforward and unrestrained.

"Do you really trust Yi Sisi?" Shen Mu's expression darkened as he looked at Zhou Jinghuai.

Back when Yi Sisi left the Thirteenth Courtyard, his men had already told him everything that had happened in their courtyard.

Yi Sisi kept saying that she was the daughter of the prefect of Jiangnan. She went to the capital to clear her father's name but was sold into Zuixianlou by thieves. That's how she accidentally met Xu Zhizhou, the vice minister who framed her father.

He felt that this matter was too strange.

Poisoning doesn't necessarily require the kind of poison that Thirteen can concoct to achieve a colorless, odorless, and undetectable effect. Buying a packet of poison in the capital city of Nanyang is quite easy.

Zhou Jinghuai frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Shen Mu leaned against the edge of the table, taking a slow breath.

“That Yi Sisi took advantage of the fact that your key was stolen and deliberately had Thirteen switch the poison.”

"What kind of poison are you talking about? One used to poison Xu Zhizhou?"

"Anyway, that's what she told Thirteen, and I don't think Thirteen really cares whether it's true or not. I just think that poison isn't something you can't buy on the black market, so why would she specifically target Thirteen, whom she's only met once?"

Shen Mu's words made sense, because ever since Thirteen moved out of the Third Prince's residence, he had sent several people to monitor her. That day, Yi Sisi knelt on the ground begging her, just for an antidote.

That's really too strange.

Thinking of this, his eyes grew increasingly cold. He had a vague premonition that Yi Sisi's target might be Thirteen.

"So that's why you arrested Xu Zhizhou before Yi Sisi poisoned him?" Zhou Jinghuai seemed to only now understand Shen Mu's actions, and his face darkened.

He will not allow anyone to hurt Thirteen now.

Shen Mu casually picked up a handkerchief from the table, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and then shifted to a more comfortable position.

"That's only one reason. After all, I was thinking about the provocation that Duke Anguo had made a few days ago, so it would be good to cause him some trouble."

Zhou Jinghuai frowned as he looked at the vengeful Shen Mu, his tone softening slightly as he spoke.

"I think you're the most insidious one. They just wanted to recruit you, but you kicked them when they were down. Everyone who sees you should call you an ancestor."

Shen Mu tilted his head and listened to Zhou Jinghuai's words, then chuckled lightly twice.

"I wouldn't dare be your ancestor, General Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinghuai's face stiffened, and his originally bright and gentle handsome face suddenly turned gloomy. He didn't want to recall his 'ancestor' either.

That was a war between the realms of gods and demons five hundred years ago, which the realm of gods called the "War of Cangjue".

The four divine emperors of the divine realms perished one after another, with only the Demon Lord Chongming, who instigated the war, surviving. Therefore, the people of Xichen were instilled from birth with the idea of ​​killing Chongming, the mastermind behind the "War of Cangjue".

Their former emperor of Xichen sacrificed himself to suppress the divine artifact alongside the emperor of Yongle Divine Realm.

Thinking about this, Zhou Jinghuai felt a strange restlessness and anxiety. He wanted to kill the Demon Lord as soon as possible, but he didn't want to miss out on Thirteen again.

After all, it had been over a hundred years since he last missed her.

"It was just a joke. Are you alright?" Shen Mu's words pulled Zhou Jinghuai back to reality. Zhou Jinghuai looked up at Shen Mu and slowly shook his head.

"I'm fine, I was just wondering why Chongming hasn't shown up yet." He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and felt a little thirsty from thinking so much.

"Now that Mingyue Palace has burned down, if Chongming doesn't show up soon, we should find an opportunity to capture his junior brother." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Shen Mu's eyes, even though he was somewhat restrained at the moment.

However, dealing with the Demon Lord was still a piece of cake for him.

"Perhaps, we still need to rescue Thirteen first." Zhou Jinghuai secretly made up his mind and prepared to take Qingfeng to the Third Prince's residence first.

Shen Mu remained silent, his hands, which were supporting him on the edge of the table, began to tremble. He quickly turned his back and braced his legs against the corner of the table to maintain his balance.

Hao Jing, who had been standing in the shadows, noticed Shen Mu's body trembling more and more, and quickly stepped out to speak to Zhou Jinghuai.

“Young Master Zhou, time is of the essence. I don’t think Thirteen can stay in the dungeon any longer due to his injuries. You should go and come back quickly so we can make a decision.”

He could more or less guess what Shen Mu was thinking; perhaps she was putting on a brave face because she didn't want Zhou Jinghuai to worry.

Zhou Jinghuai nodded to Hao Jing, a rare hint of approval in his eyes. He had always thought that among Shen Mu's men, Hao Jing was the most unreliable.

“You’re right. I’ll go see the Third Prince first, and we’ll discuss it again when I get back.”

After saying that, he walked out of the dark room.

No sooner had Zhou Jinghuai stepped out of the room than Shen Mu collapsed, exhausted. Fortunately, Hao Jing reacted quickly and caught Shen Mu, preventing her from falling directly to the ground.

Since they are no different from ordinary people in the mortal realm, how could fifty strokes of the cane be cured in just three to five days?

"Sir, are you alright?" Hao Jing frowned, noticing the faint blood seeping from Shen Mu's back; he must have aggravated his wound again. He had always opposed Shen Mu forcing himself to get out of bed to see Zhou Jinghuai.

That's it, all that rest and recovery these past few days has probably been for nothing.

But the most despicable one is still that thirteenth! What an ingrate!

After taking Shen Mu's only life-saving medicine, instead of showing any gratitude towards Shen Mu, she shamelessly made him do chores for her all day long.

Thinking back on these days, he would sneak into the Pei residence late at night to treat Pei Sui Sui's illness.

I've lost a lot of weight!

Hao Jing snapped out of his daze and noticed that Shen Mu's lips were a little pale. He quickly helped him into the inner room of the dark chamber. Inside, there was a soft couch, which he had prepared in the past few days, thinking that Shen Mu would definitely come here to handle official business.

I never expected it would come in handy today.

Shen Mu lay on the soft couch, finally feeling a bit better. He looked up at Hao Jing and asked...

"How's the matter I asked you to handle?"

"Everything has been arranged, and we are just waiting for your instructions."

After Haojing finished speaking, he looked puzzled and asked Shen Mu, "But I don't quite understand what you mean. Is it just to help Thirteen get out of trouble?"

Haojing really couldn't understand why Shen Mu seemed to have become a completely different person ever since the Emperor's birthday celebration.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Shen Mu treated Shisan in a very special way sometimes, and at other times he treated him like any other person he knew, always regarding him as a brother.