Mu Yunjin and Huaying walked toward the market street, chatting and laughing along the way. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Chu Li and Huang Yan had just entered the imperial prison of the South Courtyard Kingdom’s palace.

Yun Lianqing happened to be in the palace as well. Upon meeting Chu Li and Huang Yan, he decided to join them to visit his “old friend” Chu Qing.

Inside the prison, Chu Qing was confined alone in a death row cell. His hands and feet were restrained by iron chains, and even his waist was wrapped with several loops of chains. His hair was disheveled, his clothes tattered, and his appearance altogether wretched. The noble air he once carried as a prince had completely vanished.

When the three arrived at the door of the death row cell, they didn’t enter but merely observed Chu Qing from outside.

Chu Qing seemed to sense their presence and slowly raised his head. Upon seeing Chu Li standing outside the door, his eyes filled with venom.

“If it isn’t the esteemed Prince Chen,” Yun Lianqing glanced at Chu Qing, his voice laced with mockery.

He clearly remembered their encounter at Wind Moon Cliff, when he had lost his powers after mistakenly entering a swamp. At that time, Chu Qing had deemed him worthless and had even tried to take his life.

Now that the villain was before him, he naturally wanted revenge.

“Heh…” Chu Qing let out a light chuckle. In his current situation, he had nothing much to say.

…

…

When he had painstakingly escaped from the secret prison of North Border, he thought that his fate wasn’t sealed yet, that heaven had deliberately given him a chance at rebirth. How could he have known that this rebirth would be so short-lived?

Now, besides self-mockery, there was only self-mockery left.

Fate was something he had to accept.

“You still have the nerve to laugh. Someone like you, after escaping from that secret prison, instead of hiding in some remote place to live in seclusion, chose to create an epidemic to poison innocent civilians. If heaven doesn’t punish you, who else would it punish?” Yun Lianqing said disdainfully.

“Stop wasting words. Kill me or torture me as you wish,” Chu Qing couldn’t listen to such talk. For him, living a humble life in seclusion in the mountains was worse than a quick death.

Hearing this, Chu Li let out a smile. “You and Rong Min are truly birds of a feather. Your words before death are the same.”

“So what do you want?” Chu Qing looked directly at Chu Li, his eyes boiling with killing intent.

“Why don’t you end yourself, just like Rong Min? How about that?” Chu Li’s words were spoken lightly, as if discussing a trivial matter.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes, staring at Chu Li. “And if I refuse?”

“Are you being deliberately difficult? Do you want us to do it ourselves?” Huang Yan couldn’t stand it anymore and interjected.

This time, capturing Chu Qing was largely thanks to the Dark Spirit Beast; otherwise, it would have been quite challenging for him alone.

“Heh…” Chu Qing chuckled lightly again.

“If you don’t want to do it yourself, this prince won’t force you,” Chu Li’s lips curled into a smile as he opened the door of the death cell.

After opening the door, Chu Li looked at Huang Yan.

Huang Yan understood and walked out of the prison.

Upon seeing Huang Yan leave, Chu Qing suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Before long, footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside the prison, accompanied by some faint sounds.

These sounds grew closer, causing Chu Qing’s heart to pound with apprehension.

“Do you know how many people died from the epidemic in Lone Mountain City?” Chu Li looked at Chu Qing.

Hearing this, Chu Qing merely opened his mouth but didn’t speak.

“The epidemic spread for five days, killing thirty-two people, with another one hundred and seventy-five currently taking medicine to sustain their lives.”

Chu Li’s gaze fixed on Chu Qing, his tone growing increasingly solemn. “Therefore, this prince has prepared thirty-two gifts for you.”

As he finished speaking, Huang Yan emerged from the side, opened the death cell door, and threw the basket he was carrying at Chu Qing’s feet.

Instantly, red snakes, each about the length of a finger, crawled out from the basket.

Seeing these red snakes, Chu Qing’s eyes revealed a hint of terror. He looked at Chu Li in disbelief. “Chu Li, you…”

“When we were in the Tianshen Continent, Yunjin was once bitten by this kind of red snake and suffered greatly. Today, this prince would like to see just how formidable these little red snakes are, to have injured my Yunjin,” Chu Li said with a slight smile.

“Hiss…”

As Chu Li spoke, the little red snakes, which had been starved for days, quickly crawled up Chu Qing’s body. Chu Qing let out a muffled groan, his face turning increasingly ashen.

“The venomous fangs of these red snakes have been removed. Although there’s still residual venom, it’s not potent enough to kill you in the short term. Since you chose not to end yourself, enjoy this grand gift here,” Yun Lianqing gloated, finding it particularly amusing to watch Chu Qing tremble all over, trying to shake off the red snakes.

“Let’s go.” Chu Li was not inclined to watch any further and headed outside the prison.

Huang Yan and Yun Lianqing had wanted to watch a bit longer, but seeing Chu Li leave, they followed.

As the three walked farther away, agonizing screams suddenly emanated from the death cell…

…

Mu Yunjin and Huaying walked around the market for a while, and when passing by a pharmacy, Huaying wanted to buy some ginseng slices and other dried medicinal herbs, so they went in together.

Inside the pharmacy, two men were inquiring about medicine. The leading man was dressed in a brocade robe, holding a folding fan, with his chin raised, presenting the image of a young noble. The other man, seemingly his servant, was speaking with the shopkeeper.

“Young man, the medicine you’re asking for is prohibited. My pharmacy doesn’t dare sell it,” the shopkeeper said, his face showing difficulty as he spoke softly to the servant.

Though the voice was low, both Mu Yunjin and Huaying heard it.

Prohibited medicine?

The two exchanged glances, their thoughts focusing on the young noble.

“Shopkeeper, stop making excuses in front of Master Xu. Young Master Zhang told my master that you sell that kind of medicine here. Stop wasting time and quickly sell that ‘Tender Fragrance’ to my master,” the servant tapped the counter, warning the shopkeeper.

After hearing the name “Young Master Zhang,” the shopkeeper nodded knowingly and quickly bowed to Master Xu. “So you’re a friend of Young Master Zhang. Please wait, I’ll get it right away.”

Master Xu snorted lightly, folding his fan. “Be quick. If you ruin my plans, I’ll burn this pharmacy down!”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The shopkeeper hurriedly left.

After the shopkeeper left, the servant attentively walked to his master’s side, revealing a smile and lowering his voice. “With that medicine, master will surely have his way with Miss Yuchun tonight!”

“That little tramp threatened this young master earlier, saying she’d report to the authorities if I acted improperly towards her. Today, once I make her consume that ‘Tender Fragrance,’ she’ll beg for this young master’s favor!” Master Xu chuckled coldly, as if already successful.

Nearby, Mu Yunjin was slightly startled when she heard the servant mention the name Yuchun, unsure if it was her sensitivity or something else that made her think of the Miss Yuchun she had just met.

Regardless of whether it was the same Miss Yuchun or not, it was clear that the young noble before her was not buying the medicine for any good purpose.

Huaying lightly tapped Mu Yunjin’s shoulder, then, with a flash, she darted in the direction the shopkeeper had gone.

After chatting, Master Xu and his servant looked toward Mu Yunjin. He then scratched his head, thinking that he had seen two women earlier, but now there was only one. Had he been mistaken?

As he pondered, Master Xu suddenly noticed Mu Yunjin’s graceful figure and her peerless beauty. His eyes immediately lit up, and his gaze roamed up and down her body.

“Wonderful, wonderful! This is truly a rare beauty!” Master Xu exclaimed, then walked closer to Mu Yunjin.

Sensing Master Xu approaching, Mu Yunjin instinctively frowned. How could she encounter such trouble just by coming to buy medicine at a pharmacy? No wonder Chu Li didn’t allow her to go out casually.

“Miss, you look unfamiliar. You’re not from the imperial city, are you?” Master Xu walked behind Mu Yunjin, then took a deep breath, inhaling the faint floral fragrance emanating from her.

Mu Yunjin ignored him and called to a young pharmacy assistant to prepare some ginseng.

“Miss, do you want to buy ginseng? As it happens, I have several thousand-year-old ginseng roots at home, extremely nourishing. Why don’t you come back with me, and I’ll give you one, how about that?” Master Xu moved to Mu Yunjin’s side, leaning on the counter, scrutinizing her face.

The more he looked, the more Master Xu felt his soul about to fly away. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful woman.

Moreover, she seemed to be a cold beauty, which was interesting. He liked it!

Seeing that Master Xu was trying to chat her up, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but turn her gaze toward him. “Your family has a thousand-year-old ginseng?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Why don’t you come with me?” Master Xu nodded repeatedly, excited.

“Then do you also have ten-thousand-year-old turtles? That’s also nourishing. Why don’t you give me that as well? Preferably one that looks like you—ugly and lecherous. That would be truly beneficial,” Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, smiling at Master Xu.

Upon hearing this, the smile on Master Xu’s face froze. His expression darkened as he pointed his fan at Mu Yunjin. “You wretched woman, refusing kindness and inviting punishment. You should ask around about this young master’s reputation. Believe it or not… Ow!”

Halfway through his words, the hand holding the fan was forcefully twisted by Mu Yunjin, breaking the bone.

“You, you…” Master Xu clutched his wrist in pain, his face contorted as he looked at his servant. “Teach this insolent woman a lesson!”

Upon hearing this, the servant had barely taken half a step forward when he was swept away by a gust of wind from Mu Yunjin’s sleeve, falling unconscious against a pillar nearby.

At this moment, Huaying emerged from inside, dragging the pharmacy shopkeeper and holding a large jar. She looked at Mu Yunjin. “Master, I’ve checked. These are all prohibited drugs, commonly known as aphrodisiacs.”

“Ha, we just wanted to buy some ginseng, and we stumbled upon a black-hearted pharmacy. We’ve been doing quite a few good deeds lately,” Mu Yunjin curled her lips, scanning Master Xu.

After a pause, she crossed her arms and looked at Master Xu. “The Miss Yuchun you mentioned earlier, who is Yuchun that?”

“…” Master Xu was in so much pain he was about to faint. Recognizing that Mu Yunjin was not someone to be trifled with, he dared not answer.

“Gone mute?” Seeing he wouldn’t speak, Mu Yunjin took out a dagger she carried and played with it in her hand.

Master Xu shrank back in fear, trembling as he said, “It’s a woman who sells pastries on the west street.”

Sells pastries?

Could it be that Yuchun?

“Master, what should we do now?” Huaying asked.

“Force some of this prohibited drug down each of their throats, then dump them at the entrance of the magistrate’s office…”