Chapter 21

At the moment when they were forced to raise their hands and shakily step out of the latrine, Yu Zhengzheng’s calves trembled twice.

It wasn’t from fear, but from holding in her need to pee.

The Yan Prince’s residence security system was ridiculously poor—getting kidnapped while using the restroom? At least let someone finish their business first!

Yu Jiangjiang’s tears streamed down her face as she sobbed intermittently: “Who are you? Please don’t kill me! My father is the head of Mount Penglai!”

Yu Zhengzheng took a deep breath. Right now, even if her father were Li Gang, it wouldn’t help. Practicality was what mattered now.

She straightened her unimpressive chest and said, “Two brave men, are you after money or… something else? If it’s money, you can take it from me. If it’s… something else, look to her instead. I’ve got nothing to offer.”

Yu Jiangjiang stared at her in disbelief, clearly not expecting such shamelessness. Yu Zhengzheng returned her gaze with a resolute look.

What are plastic sisterly bonds for if not to throw your sister under the bus?

The icy blade pressed twice against the back of her neck, making Yu Zhengzheng hiss in pain: “Hey, we can talk this out…”

A man walked in from outside the latrine, sneering. “So, you’re the lapdogs of that old thief, the Ghost King?”

Hearing this, Yu Zhengzheng immediately thought of Shanshui’s warning.

Her voice trembled. “Y-You’re the Seventh Prince of the South Sea?”

He froze briefly. “How did you know?”

Yu Zhengzheng said, “You’ve got horns on your head… No, dragon horns.”

The atmosphere froze for a moment. He carefully tucked the three-inch dragon horns into his hair and, with an icy glare, barked, “I’ll ask you one more time: are you the Ghost King’s lackeys?”

Yu Zhengzheng thought this Seventh Prince might be a bit unhinged. If he wasn’t sure of their connection to the Ghost King, why kidnap them from the latrine?

As the epitome of adaptability, she unhesitatingly replied, “No!”

The Seventh Prince sneered. “I don’t believe you.”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

If you don’t believe me, why bother asking?

He bent down, his calloused fingertip brushing against her ankle. “There’s his mark here.”

Yu Zhengzheng was dumbfounded. “What mark?”

The Seventh Prince shot her a glance. “This chain seals his aura. With this mark, it’s clear you belong to him. This aura is eternal. If you leave his side, countless people will come to kill you.”

She was even more bewildered. “Why would anyone want to kill me?”

Irritated, he replied, “You’re his person. They can’t kill him, so they’ll take it out on you.”

Her last shred of hope flickered in her eyes. “How do I remove this chain?”

The Seventh Prince sneered. “His mark can only be removed by him personally.”

Yu Zhengzheng was utterly despondent, her expression twisting in despair.

There was no way he would remove this chain for her.

That damn pervert. No wonder he wouldn’t let her wear a tracking bracelet that day—it was all part of his scheme.

If leaving him meant facing endless assassination attempts, that bastard had really outdone himself.

Had she known he would treat her like this, she would have let him freeze to death back in the Luan Hall.

The Seventh Prince straightened up, pointing his sword at her chest. “He killed my father, the Dragon King, but I can’t kill him. I can only kill you two to console my father’s spirit in heaven.”

With that, he didn’t even give Yu Zhengzheng a chance to speak. With a slight movement of his wrist, the blade pressed forward.

He shouted, “In your next life, be a better woman!”

One would have expected a gruesome, bloody scene, but no matter how much force he used, the blade couldn’t pierce the white robe Yu Zhengzheng wore. Instead, the sharp blade ended up with a notch.

The Seventh Prince: “…”

Yu Zhengzheng wasn’t hurt, but she was scared out of her wits.

In that life-or-death moment, she completely forgot that the white robe she was wearing was made of dragon silk, impervious to blades and weapons. She thought she was about to die.

The Seventh Prince scrutinized her robe and sneered. “That old thief must really care for you, giving you such a priceless treasure.”

Perhaps because of this robe, his resolve to kill her strengthened. He took a new sword handed to him by his subordinate, this time aiming for her neck.

Her face turned pale, and her breathing quickened. “Don’t kill me. I can tell you how to kill him.”

The Seventh Prince paused, his murderous gaze locking onto hers. “Why should I believe you?”

Yu Zhengzheng’s trembling hand hung limply at her side. Forcing herself to stay calm, she raised her pale face and said earnestly, “Because of this mark.”

She compelled herself to maintain composure. “I can’t escape. You can kill me anytime, but the chance to kill him is once in a lifetime. Don’t you want to give it a try?”

The Seventh Prince hesitated.

She could see he was considering it and continued, “You’re the Dragon King’s son. Surely you can make it rain in the human world. During a thunderstorm, his divine powers weaken. If we work together, you’ll have a chance to deal him a fatal blow…”

The Ghost King once swore by the name of the gods that he would lose his divine power during a thunderstorm.

Using clever wordplay, she played a game of semantics with the Seventh Prince, carefully wording it so that she didn’t outright claim the Ghost King would lose his powers, only that they would weaken. This subtlety ensured her continued value to him; if he wanted to kill the Ghost King, he would have to keep her alive and work with her.  

As for what would ultimately happen to the Ghost King, that would depend on his own fate. He was the one who had wronged her first, bringing disaster upon her, so he had no right to accuse her of betrayal.  

The Seventh Prince contemplated for a moment before pulling out a porcelain bottle from his storage bag. He tipped out two brown pills and forced one into Yu Zhengzheng’s mouth, then made Yu Jiangjiang swallow the other.  

“This is the Hundred-Day Death Powder. Without the antidote, your bodies will rot away, and you will die within a hundred days. If you help me kill the Ghost King, I will spare your lives,” he said coldly, his expression fierce. “Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”  

Yu Jiangjiang was so terrified that she couldn’t even speak, tears streaming down her face.  

Yu Zhengzheng, however, remained relatively calm. She had already anticipated that he might poison her when she brought up the subject.  

In any case, being poisoned was better than dying on the spot. Surviving the immediate threat came first; she would find someone to detoxify her later. She refused to believe that only he had the antidote.  

The Seventh Prince, cautious as ever, was still not entirely at ease even after poisoning them. After some thought, he said, “Give me a fake identity. I’ll stay by your side to ensure you don’t try any tricks.”  

Yu Zhengzheng twitched the corner of her mouth. He was overestimating her. How was she supposed to create a new identity for him out of thin air?  

Though grumbling internally, she reluctantly agreed. The group spent more than half an hour in the latrine discussing his new identity.  

Since the Ghost King had never met him, there was no need for drastic disguise; he only needed to conceal his dragon aura.  

Perhaps they were too engrossed in their conversation to remember they were still in the latrine. When a palace maid came in and saw several sword-wielding men in black, she screamed and fled in panic.  

The maid’s screams alarmed the guards, forcing the Seventh Prince to order his subordinates to retreat. Then, grabbing both women, he leaped onto the latrine roof.  

As they reached the courtyard, Ziyu emerged with a sarcastic tone. “I was just about to go fishing you out of the latrine, and here you are, returning on your own.”  

Ziqian stifled a laugh. “Exactly. You’ve been gone nearly an hour. Anyone would think you both fell in.”  

Originally, the two only disliked Yu Zhengzheng, but after Yu Jiangjiang was bitten by a snake the other day, they began to hate her too.  

Ignoring them, Yu Zhengzheng pointed to the Seventh Prince and said, “This is my aunt’s second uncle’s third daughter-in-law’s grandson.”  

Xiao Yuqing looked baffled. “So, he’s a distant relative?”  

She nodded. “He’s my cousin. He ran away from home recently to live among humans. I just happened to run into him in the palace.”  

After a pause, she added, “He’s a bit rebellious. I’ll need to keep him by my side these days to educate him on behalf of my aunt’s third uncle’s eldest daughter-in-law’s younger sister.”  

Xiao Yuqing blinked in confusion. “Didn’t you just say second uncle’s third daughter-in-law?”  

“It doesn’t matter,” she cut him off. “What matters is that I need to educate him properly.”  

Xiao Yuqing: “…”  

Shanshui set down the chicken she was holding, took out a small notebook, and asked the Seventh Prince, “What’s your name?”  

Since this was an assessment mission, having an outsider involved was inconvenient, so she needed to record his information to report to her master.  

The Seventh Prince replied honestly, “My surname is Wei.”  

Shanshui pressed further. “Wei what?”  

The Seventh Prince hesitated. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because my father’s surname is Wei too?”  

Shanshui: “…?”  

Yu Zhengzheng, seeing how clueless he was, quickly whispered a reminder, “She’s asking for your full name.”  

“Oh,” he said, nodding. “My name is Wei Shengjin.”  

Yu Zhengzheng repeated it aloud, but the words came out as “Hygiene Pad.”  

She froze. “???”  

Their awkward moment was interrupted by approaching footsteps.  

King Yan arrived with his guards, apologetic. “I’ve just returned from the palace. I heard intruders entered the estate. Be vigilant and guard the cargo well.”  

Yu Zhengzheng tested him. “What kind of intruders? Did you catch them?”  

The king didn’t hide the truth. “They were likely after the heirloom, but we didn’t capture them. They might return tonight.”  

Xiao Yuqing caught the key term. “Heirloom?”  

King Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly distressed. “It’s called an heirloom, but it’s just a letter. Passed down for over a thousand years by our ancestors, it somehow got rumored to be a treasure map.”

“For years, thieves have come to the manor at night. No matter how many guards I deploy, it’s useless. I’ve been away for years, and now they’re even bolder—breaking in during daylight.”

Seeing King Yan’s troubled expression and knowing only three days remained for the evaluation, Xiao Yuqing decided to cut to the chase, fearing delays would cost them the task.

After a moment’s thought, he bowed and said, “To be honest, Your Highness, we came for that heirloom.”

King Yan nodded slightly. “I had already guessed as much.”

Xiao Yuqing was taken aback. “Then earlier—”

King Yan laughed heartily. “I was testing to see if you were the thieves.”

Xiao Yuqing asked, “And if we were?”

King Yan continued smiling. “Then I’d kill you all.”

A heavy silence fell over the air, leaving Xiao Yuqing at a loss for words.

King Yan patted his shoulder. “I believe you’re honorable. Giving you the heirloom isn’t impossible, but I need a favor from you in return.”

“My son acted foolishly and sent the daughter of an old family friend to a brothel. Now she’s demanding a divorce. If you can reconcile the two, I’ll give you the heirloom.”

The task sounded simple, but it was anything but.

The ninety-ninth princess consort came from a family of generals. Having suffered such humiliation and injustice, she was unlikely to let it go easily.

And Nangong Tianba was mentally unstable, prone to outbursts. Getting him to live peacefully with the princess consort was harder than scaling the heavens.

Still, no matter how challenging, it was better than searching for the heirloom like finding a needle in a haystack.

Xiao Yuqing nodded in agreement. King Yan gave a few instructions, mentioning that there would be a poetry gathering outing the next day. Both Nangong Tianba and the princess consort would attend, and they must find a way to reconcile the two.

After King Yan left, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

The Seventh Prince followed Yu Zhengzheng into her room and handed her a porcelain bottle. “When he returns, put this in his drink and trick him into drinking it.”

Yu Zhengzheng bit her lip. “What is this?”

The Seventh Prince sneered. “It suppresses divine power and paralyzes nerves, rendering him powerless and ready for death.”

“Do as I instructed, and I’ll handle the thunderstorm issue.”

Yu Zhengzheng silently took the bottle, feeling uneasy.

At the end of the day, she couldn’t be like the Ghost King—cold and indifferent, even when killing.

But it was too late to say anything now.

The two sat idly in the room for an hour. Watching the sun set, the Seventh Prince grew impatient. “Why isn’t he back yet?”

“Don’t play games with me. The poison in you—if you don’t take the antidote—will make you suffer excruciating pain daily.”

Yu Zhengzheng glared at him through gritted teeth.

Unbelievable. Slow-acting poison, too?

He’d gone this far and still needed to monitor her closely. Could he even be called human?!

Ignoring her glare, the Seventh Prince reminded her, “Two hours left. Without the antidote, the effects will begin.”

She took a deep breath, her gaze falling on the communication bracelet on her wrist.

If he could contact her, couldn’t she contact him?

Yu Zhengzheng hesitated before cautiously tapping the bracelet twice.

The bracelet had only one contact. Unsure if it was him, she decided to try calling.

The red light flickered every few seconds, resembling the beeping of a phone.

She didn’t know how many times it blinked, but no one answered. Lowering her gaze, she covered the red light with her fingers, as if trying to avoid something.

Just as she was about to hang up, a familiar voice came through the bracelet.

His voice was slightly hoarse, tinged with fatigue. “What is it?”