After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

Three days later.

It was the anniversary of the late empress's death.

After leaving the Princess's residence, Zhao Huining accompanied the Emperor to a Taoist temple to offer incense.

The royal procession marched grandly through the streets.

Countless people scattered.

They dared not offend the royal family.

Sang Che leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on the emperor's entourage. The butterfly that had flown back three days ago was now dead.

There was not a trace of life in the air.

Sang Che knew that someone had tampered with the equipment.

Her fingers intertwined, and the colorful butterfly reappeared on Sang Che's shoulder, slowly landing and affectionately facing its owner.

Her long, black braid, adorned with silver ornaments, swayed gently with her owner's movements.

Sang Che gently and carefully soothed the restlessness of the Gu worms. She lowered her head, teased the butterfly with her fingertips, and gave it careful instructions.

"Good boy, be careful."

"Someone is watching you."

Don't make me sad anymore.

This butterfly followed Zhao Huining, and Sang Che knew that Zhao Huining wouldn't notice, but... whether the emperor had any capable people around him, Sang Che could only take a gamble.

Zhao Huining was cautious.

When she was away from the palace, in order to avoid the emperor's guards searching the princess's residence, she would definitely bring Ah Shui, this "little treasure" that could not be seen in the palace, with her to feel at ease.

With so many checkpoints and such a tight net, it's really not easy to find a single clue through the gaps.

To this end, she fiddled with an exquisite dagger and cut her fingertip.

Crimson blood seeped out, and Sang Che began to feed the colorful butterfly.

The divine blood was extracted.

Sang Che sighed. Ah Shui really owed her a lot. She wondered if Ah Shui would say something like "I'm so happy here that I don't want to go back to my hometown" after he was rescued.

It sensed that its master was preoccupied with worries.

Little Tooth popped out from Sang Che's sleeve at this moment, wagging its tail lightly, its intention to volunteer was obvious.

It was obvious that they wanted to lend Sang Che a hand.

"You shouldn't get involved, Little Tooth. Just keep an eye on Huaixi for me."

Assigned to "guard the house" by its owner, Little Tooth was slightly disappointed. Its red snake head lay listlessly against Sang Che's wrist, its body limp, its frustration evident.

Sang Che smiled slightly, his fingertips tracing the outline of Xiao Ya'er's scales as he gently stroked Xiao Ya'er's snake body.

She said, "Little Tooth, what are you upset about now?"

"Huaixi is the most precious thing to me. I'm entrusting her to guard me because I trust you."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you."

The little red snake, whose head was not large to begin with, was easily coaxed into a happy mood by its owner with just a few words. It straightened its body, flicked its tongue, and smiled with its eyes narrowed.

Hearing this all the while, Yin Huaixi, whose teeth ached from listening, pushed open the door and went out. When she saw Xiao Ya'er, she had long since let go of her previous resentment towards Xiao Ya'er.

This guy was just a bit unpleasant to look at, but he did save her and Sang Che from danger in the rainy night and lured away the imperial pursuers.

As long as it doesn't bare its teeth at her, it's a good snake.

"Ah Che, the Princess is not at the Princess's residence today. Is there an opportunity for us?"

Sang Che had already gathered a lot of information by going to the first floor of the inn this morning. She knew that the Princess would stay at the Taoist temple for three days to pay respects to the late Empress.

Regardless of where Zhao Huining has hidden Jiawan, this is a great opportunity for her and Sang Che.

Hearing Yin Huaixi's question, Sang Che turned around, casually handed over the butterfly in her hand, and softly replied, "Yes."

The wound on her fingertip was concealed subtly by Sang Che under her long sleeves. She kept one hand behind her back, as usual, making it impossible for anyone to tell that anything was different.

Sang Che approached Yin Huaixi step by step, while saying the information that Yin Huaixi wanted to know, making it impossible for Yin Huaixi to take her eyes off Sang Che.

She added, "The unusual commotion at the Princess's residence has long aroused the Emperor's suspicion. Today, he intends to take advantage of the late Empress's memorial day to send his guards to turn the Princess's residence upside down and find the secret the Princess is hiding."

Upon hearing Sang Che mention the word "secret," Yin Huaixi instantly understood.

It seems the emperor wasn't deaf or blind; he was aware that Zhao Huining was becoming uncontrollable, so he kept things from him and was on guard.

The siblings' quarrel would be entirely beneficial to them; if the emperor were truly preoccupied with his own affairs, he would certainly not pursue such a trivial matter concerning the Yin family.

However, if the emperor's guards were to find Jiawan's hiding place...

But for Jiawan... that might not be so lucky.

Zhao Huining remembered that Jiawan from Fengming Mountain had saved her life and prevented her from becoming a drug user, so she would show mercy and take good care of Jiawan.

But the imperial guards didn't care about such things; they were focused on getting the "secrets" the emperor needed.

But they're capable of using any underhanded or dirty tricks; otherwise, the origin of the phrase "extermination of nine generations" wouldn't have come from nowhere.

Yin Huaixi moved closer to Sang Che, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Ache, we can't let the Emperor bring Ashui into the palace. If we do, you won't be able to take Ashui out of the capital no matter how hard you try."

Having spent time in the palace, how could Sang Che not understand its power?

She nodded slightly: "Of course I know you're right."

"However, to infiltrate a Taoist temple and gather information, you'll need some connections."

Yin Huaixi was delighted to hear this.

Having spent so much time with Sang Che, how could she not understand why he specifically mentioned that sentence?

Yin Huaixi reached out and pressed her hand on Sang Che's shoulder. She moved closer to Sang Che, her red lips almost touching his earlobe, stirring his heart.

"Ah Che, you're being mysterious again. If you know anything, just tell me directly, okay?"

Enjoying Yin Huaixi's initiative, Sang Che squinted and gently shook his index finger.

"Huaixi, you're so smart, even if I don't tell you... you can probably guess what my plan is."

Yin Huaixi pushed Sang Che's shoulder with her hand and said speechlessly, "Fine, don't tell me then."

"I don't care to ask."

Anyway, things will work themselves out. When it's time to take action, Sang Che will have to come to her and tell her everything.

Sang Che: "Huai Xi, aren't you really going to ask me?"

Yin Huaixi: "..."

"Ah Che, I asked you, are you going to tell me?"

Sang Che: "Speak."

"Just ask me, and I'll tell you anything."

She stood upright, the silver ornaments hanging on her dress swaying slightly, as if butterflies were truly fluttering about.

"Huaixi, you want my heart? I'll give it to you."

...

The carriage bumped along.

Jiawan's speech was silenced by acupressure, so she couldn't even whimper. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her legs were together.

She was wrapped in a fur coat, and two female guards, each holding a long sword, sat beside her. Their faces were cold and meticulous.

Panting heavily, Jia Wan leaned against the corner, knowing that these two people were definitely sent by Zhao Huining to spy on her.

She looked out through the half-lifted carriage curtain and saw a Taoist temple shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing amidst the green hills and clear waters.

She wondered what kind of flowers were blooming along the road, but their faint, delicate fragrance was much more pleasant than what she had experienced at Zhao Huining's residence for the past few days.

The physical exhaustion swept over her again, and just as Jiawan was about to close her eyes, a colorful butterfly appeared before her like a shadow.

As in previous years.

Sang Che raised his hand and called to all the insects flying in the forest, then smiled smugly at her and said, "Ah Shui, you should be more diligent."

"If you can unleash the full potential of divine blood like I have, you will be able to completely control the people you want to control and the things you want to do."

"Otherwise, you'll become someone else's prisoner."

Lost in thought.

Sang Che's innocent face was gradually replaced by Zhao Huining's serious and handsome face.

Jiawan gasped for breath, breaking out in a cold sweat.