After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

As Madam Liu screamed, the lanterns hanging at the entrance of the inn went out.

In the darkness, that incredibly eerie face loomed closer. Through the crack in the door, it met the gaze of the person inside. Her head was positioned at an unusual angle, her eyes unfocused, radiating an aura of death.

The scene was so horrifying that everyone ignored her twisted limbs and focused their attention on her head.

"Mrs. Liu, are you sure this woman outside is your brother's wife?"

"It's her, it's definitely her! We've been sisters-in-law in the Liu family for over ten years, we'd recognize each other even if she turned to ashes." Madam Liu trembled as she looked at the face. "A monster! She's been turned into a monster by the Black Goddess. Cui'er, it must be because of Cui'er! Cui'er is not even five years old yet, she wasn't chosen as a sacrifice by the Black Goddess, the Black Goddess is furious. We're all going to die, we're all going to die."

Seeing the door being slammed shut, the innkeeper panicked: "Isn't the sacrificial day not yet here? Who is Cui'er? And what's with these offerings? Good heavens, my door can't hold up any longer!"

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.

The guards immediately drew their swords, aiming at the "monster." The innkeeper was startled and huddled together with his servants. Liu Ying, quick-witted and agile, pulled Madam Liu to her side. The Crown Prince immediately protected Lu Zhiyuan.

The "monster" that burst through the door sniffed around like a dog, and upon smelling the scent, pounced on Madam Liu. In the nick of time, Madam Liu pushed Liu Ying aside and shielded her with her own body.

Lu Zhiyuan took out a silver needle and pierced the acupoints on the "monster's" body. Upon touching its dark skin, the needle bent. Hesitating, the "monster" pounced on Madam Liu, attempting to bite her neck. Madam Liu tried to block with her hand, but it was bitten, drawing blood.

Lu Zhiyuan drew her dagger and plunged it into the "monster's" neck. The dagger sank an inch, but the "monster" didn't budge; instead, it bit down even harder. Lu Zhiyuan's dagger was specially made, comparable to the sharpest bone-breaking knife in a butcher's hand. She gestured for everyone to back away, then gripped the dagger tightly and sliced ​​open the "monster's" neck.

The "monster" seemed to feel no pain and continued to bite Madam Liu's hand without letting go.

Despite her fear, Madam Liu mustered all her strength and used her free hand, along with her knee, to push the "monster" away. A piece of her hand was torn off, exposing the bone underneath.

Due to inertia, Madam Liu stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground. She tried to get up again, but fear made her weak and unable to muster any strength. Lu Zhiyuan, in one swift motion, severed the "monster's" head. Contrary to expectations, there was no blood splattering; instead, the blood they saw resembled sticky, thick snot flowing from the "monster's" cut.

The head and limbs are separated, yet they can still move independently.

Worried that the blood might be unusual, the Crown Prince walked up to Lu Zhiyuan and asked, "A-Yuan, are you injured?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head, threw a dagger, and pinned the writhing head to the ground. The twisted limbs were subdued by the guards and then covered with a burlap sack. Sticky, thick blood clung to the sack, staining it a dark reddish-black. One of the guards, with sharp eyes, pointed to something on the sack and said, "Insects, there are insects on the sack."

Sure enough, wriggling, dark red worms were found in the blood. There were many worms, densely packed together, so tiny and so similar in color to the blood that, without close inspection, one might mistake them for the blood of a "monster" that had undergone a mutation, resulting in blood that was both sticky and thick.

As expected, Madam Liu's sister-in-law wasn't a monster, but rather someone whose body had been controlled by these insects after death. It's impossible for a living person to contort their body like that and still move freely. These insects were even more bizarre than those encountered before, and it's possible they were the work of the Southern Chu people.

Since its founding, the Northern Liang Kingdom has been at odds with the Southern Chu Kingdom. For nearly a century, countless Southern Chu spies have infiltrated the Northern Liang. These spies are similar to assassins, operating on a single-line of communication. Once their contact is captured or killed, they become rootless drifters in the Northern Liang. To survive, some conceal their identities as spies and live as ordinary citizens, while others join the Northern Liang, becoming retainers or subordinates of various officials. Still others operate independently, remaining loyal to the Southern Chu.

Among these spies, many were skilled in using Gu poison, which consisted of all sorts of strange and unusual insects.

When she was an assassin, Lu Zhiyuan had some contact with people, but she had only come into contact with less than one ten-thousandth of them.

No one knows if these insects will parasitize other bodies like those strange insects from years ago, so just in case, it's best to burn them.

“Madam Liu, as you can see, your sister-in-law was hollowed out by those strange insects and turned into a monster. I need to check your wound. If there are insects, they need to be treated as soon as possible. In severe cases, we may lose this hand.”

Madam Liu gritted her teeth and handed over her hand.

Upon examination, no small worms or suspected parasitic eggs were found in Madam Liu's wound. Just to be on the safe side, Lu Zhiyuan still administered both oral and topical deworming medication to Madam Liu.

After disposing of the corpses, they sprinkled insect repellent powder inside and outside the inn. Once they confirmed there were no insects, they split into three groups. Liu Ying went to the Liu family with two guards, the Crown Prince and Madam Liu stayed at the inn waiting for Zuo Yi and Lu Yun, while Lu Zhiyuan went to the Zhang family alone.

The darkness before dawn carried a strong stench of blood.

Lu Zhiyuan ran into Lu Yun outside the Zhang family's gate.

The Zhang family's main gate was tightly shut, looking as if no one lived there. However, the inner courtyard was bustling with activity. Master Zhang leaned against a soft couch, with five beautiful women kneeling around him. The women's clothing was thin, revealing glimpses of their bodies. Just as Master Zhang closed his eyes and opened his mouth to eat grapes, several silver needles pierced through the air, piercing several acupoints on his body.

When Master Zhang opened his eyes, he found that the maids who served him were also frozen in place, frozen by silver needles commonly found in clinics.

Two more people appeared in the room: a man exuding a cold aura who looked menacing, and a woman wearing a cloak, half her face hidden by the hood, making her features obscured.

Based on his extensive experience in judging people, he determined that the woman was in the prime of her life and possessed unparalleled beauty.

Master Zhang became agitated, making "ah ah" sounds. Lu Zhiyuan looked back, and Lu Yun stepped forward, removing a silver needle. Master Zhang immediately felt his breathing become easier and shouted sternly, "Who are you? Do you know where you are? Offending me is the same as offending the government and the Black Lady. Offending the government will lead to death, but offending the Black Lady will lead to even greater death. If you know what's good for you, release me now."

"Black Lady, is this what you mean?" Lu Zhiyuan tossed a porcelain bottle to Lu Yun, who unscrewed the stopper and poured the contents onto Master Zhang.

His expression visibly changed. Not out of fear, but out of excitement, his eyes gleaming.

Master Zhang's reaction led Lu Zhiyuan to conclude that this insect was spread through a special channel, unlike anything she had seen before. She gave Lu Yun a wink, and Lu Yun used a silver needle to prick the insect and brought it to Master Zhang's mouth.

Master Zhang's expression changed slightly, and he pursed his lips tightly.

"Fool, you think you can get away with just by keeping your mouth shut?" Lu Yun grabbed his jaw and twisted it forcefully, dislocating his jaw and opening his mouth.