If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The rain stopped in the latter half of the night.

The sky remained overcast. Thick clouds hung over the capital like an unyielding block of lead.

Qin Shuang didn't sleep all night.

She sat by the window, her clothes still damp from last night's rain, the chilling coldness seeming to seep into her very bones.

The tea on the table had long since gone cold.

Wang Zhong has not returned yet.

As dawn broke, Qin Shuang's faint hope was gradually extinguished.

She knew that Wang Zhong would never dare to linger outside for so long if he couldn't see the Emperor.

Has the Crown Prince... really come to this?

The fact that the emperor's trusted eunuch could be stopped from making his announcement indicates that an invisible net had already been laid around the Eastern Palace. Anyone attempting to approach would be trapped and unable to move.

She stood up.

She walked to the copper basin stand and splashed cold water on her face. The icy touch cleared her muddled mind.

She looked at her slightly pale face in the mirror.

Can't wait any longer.

Wang Zhong's failure has proven that the usual path is not viable.

Since she couldn't get any messages through the Emperor, she had no choice but to try and catch him in the trap.

Whether it's life or death, you'll only know by trying.

Qin Shuang changed into a flying fish robe, and her embroidered spring knife hung at her waist. The cold scabbard against her skin gave her a sense of calm.

She didn't bring anyone with her.

Too many people can actually make things difficult.

The Eastern Palace.

Located on the east side of the imperial city, it was a secluded little world. Red walls and yellow tiles, under the gloomy sky, exuded an indescribable deathly aura.

The guards at the gate had been replaced by the Crown Prince's personal guards. Each of them stood ramrod straight, with sharp eyes and an unapproachable, cold demeanor.

As soon as Qin Shuang approached, two guards with crossed halberds blocked her way.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on duty; unauthorized personnel should stay away." Qin Shuang's voice was calm as she revealed her waist token.

The head guard glanced at them, his expression unchanged. He simply repeated, "His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that no guests be received today. Please leave."

"Has Your Highness been feeling unwell lately?" Qin Shuang did not back down, but instead stepped forward, looking directly at the other person.

"This has nothing to do with the Embroidered Uniform Guard." The guard's tone was curt. "Lord Centurion, please don't put us in a difficult position."

"What I mean is," Qin Shuang said, emphasizing each word, "His Highness the Crown Prince may have been bewitched by a sorcerer and is no longer of his mind. I have urgent matters to report, matters concerning the very foundation of the nation. If I delay, can you bear the responsibility?"

These words already carried a threatening connotation.

The guard's expression finally changed. He tightened his grip on the halberd.

"Lord Centurion, you can't just say things like that. We only know that we are carrying out His Highness's orders. Please leave." There was already a hint of murderous intent in his voice.

Qin Shuang looked at him, then at his companions behind him. Their eyes held a pure numbness. They only obeyed orders, not reason.

She knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

Qin Shuang suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, yet it carried a resolute air.

"Okay. I'm leaving."

She turned around, seemingly intending to leave.

Just when everyone thought the battle was over, she suddenly shifted her feet, twisted her waist, and like a weightless shadow, flashed through the narrow gap between the two halberds.

The guards reacted swiftly, shouting angrily as their halberds swung around and stabbed towards her back.

Qin Shuang didn't turn her head, and drew her sword with a backhand motion.

"clang!"

A crisp sound.

The Embroidered Spring Blade precisely parried the tips of the two halberds, sparks flying. Using the force of the parry, she darted three zhang away, landing silently like a cat.

"Stop her!"

"Anyone who trespasses into the Eastern Palace will be killed without exception!"

Shouts of battle erupted. More guards poured out from both sides of the palace walls, their swords drawn, gleaming coldly.

Qin Shuang didn't linger in the fight. She had only one goal.

She kept a low profile, moving swiftly along the shadows of the palace walls. The subtle patterns on her flying fish robe almost blended into the darkness. The embroidered spring knife in her hand transformed into arcs of light, deflecting incoming swords and blades, refusing to engage them head-on.

She knew the layout of these palaces by heart.

She quickly shook off most of her pursuers and slipped into the depths of a bamboo forest.

Passing through this bamboo grove, you'll reach the main hall of the Eastern Palace, Chongzheng Hall. The Crown Prince handles state affairs and spends most of his daily life here.

Qin Shuang leaned against a bamboo stalk, trying to calm her rapid breathing. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

That was incredibly dangerous. A slight misstep could have resulted in serious injury.

She wiped away the sweat, and her eyes sharpened again.

She crept along the wall and silently made her way to the window of Chongzheng Hall.

The hall was very quiet.

Only a peculiar fragrance wafted out from the cracks in the window. The scent was faint, yet incredibly intoxicating; after inhaling it for a while, it even made one feel slightly dizzy.

Qin Shuang felt a chill run down her spine.

She immediately held her breath, dipped her finger in saliva, and quietly poked a hole in the window paper to look inside.

Upon seeing this, her pupils suddenly contracted.

The hall was dimly lit, with incense burning in a censer. Wisps of smoke curled and rose.

Crown Prince Li Hong was sitting cross-legged on a soft couch.

He wore only a loose white silk robe, his hair was casually draped over his shoulders, his face was pale, but his lips had an unnatural red tinge. His eyes were vacant and vacant, staring unblinkingly at the person opposite him.

There was another person sitting opposite him.

a woman.

A Taoist nun.

The nun wore a clean blue Taoist robe, her long hair tied up with a simple wooden hairpin. She looked very young, with exquisite features and a cool, aloof demeanor, like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs.

She is Wuchen.

Qin Shuang immediately matched the woman's face with all the recent rumors circulating in the capital about the "mysterious Taoist nun".

This is the woman.

Li Hong has recently become obsessed with "discussing the Dao," often staying indoors and even skipping the morning court session. It turns out, he's been spending time with her.

"Your Highness," Wuchen's voice was soft, like a mountain spring, yet it carried a strange allure, "all things in this world are illusory. Fame and fortune are nothing but fleeting clouds. Only the spirit can transcend the mundane and attain eternal freedom."

Li Hong nodded blankly, a silly grin spreading across his face: "Immortal Master is right. I used to live such a tiring life. I spent my days looking at those memorials and listening to those ministers arguing, which made me very upset. Now, after hearing your words, I realize that I have been wasting my time."

"It's not a wasted time," Wuchen smiled slightly, a smile that was indescribably gentle, "It's just that Your Highness has not yet seen through the illusion. If the mind is enslaved by the body, one will feel weary. If one can let the mind take the lead, the body is merely a temporary dwelling."

"The heart is the master... the heart is the master..." Li Hong murmured to himself, seemingly savoring the profound meaning of these words.

Qin Shuang was outside the window when she felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

This is hardly a discussion of principles.

This is clearly instilling a heretical doctrine that turns black into white! How can a crown prince abandon his responsibilities to pursue some so-called "spiritual transcendence"?

This will destroy the very foundation of the Great Jing!

She couldn't hold back any longer.

"Bang!"

With a kick, Qin Shuang drew her Embroidered Spring Blade and, like a falcon, vaulted through the window, landing steadily in the hall.

"You sorcerer, how dare you bewitch the Crown Prince!" Her voice was icy, carrying the murderous aura unique to the Imperial Guards.

The two people inside the hall were startled by this sudden outburst.

Li Hong suddenly snapped out of his daze and, upon recognizing Qin Shuang, his infatuated face instantly contorted with rage.

"Qin Shuang! How dare you! Who gave you permission to barge in?" He pointed at Qin Shuang, trembling with rage. This place was his sacred ground, his only place of peace, and this woman had barged in so violently.

Qin Shuang ignored him; her gaze was fixed on the Daoist nun named Wuchen.

She saw a fleeting, chilling glint in Wuchen's eyes. It wasn't surprise, but rather... disgust. Like looking at an insect that had invaded one's garden.

That one glance made Qin Shuang's heart skip a beat.

Such deep eyes.

"Your Highness!" Qin Shuang forced down her unease, rushed to Li Hong, and knelt on one knee. "I have a memorial to present! This woman's origins are unknown, her words and actions are mysterious, and she is likely not of our kind. Your Highness has been spending every day with her, and your health is deteriorating, your spirit is weakening. This is certainly not the behavior of a righteous person! I beg Your Highness to immediately arrest her and hand her over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation!"

She spoke earnestly, laying out all the pros and cons.

She hoped to awaken a sliver of reason in Li Hong, the crown prince.

However, she was wrong.

Upon hearing this, Li Hong flew into a rage.

"Insolence!" He kicked over the incense table in front of him, and the incense burner rolled to the ground and shattered. The fragrance that filled the room instantly became thick and murky.

"Qin Shuang, I think you're the one spreading heresy! I discussed the Dao with the immortal to understand the mysteries of heaven and earth and seek the path to immortality! How could I be suffering from physical deficiency? I feel better than ever before!"

He pointed to his face and roared at Qin Shuang, "Look at me! How perfectly fine I am now! It's you! It's you vulgar people who, with your foul air, disturb my peaceful cultivation! Guards!"

He roared towards the outside of the hall, "Drag this madwoman out! Lock her in the imperial prison! Let her reflect on her actions!"

The guards outside the hall rushed in.

Qin Shuang's heart sank little by little.

It’s over.

The crown prince's mind has been completely controlled.

She had given up all hope for Li Hong.

Just as she was about to take action and forcibly abduct Wuchen, her gaze met that of the "celestial envoy" once again.

This time, it was Wuchen who took the initiative to look over.

She remained seated, her posture unchanged. A faint, compassionate smile even graced her face.

She simply looked at Qin Shuang quietly.

It was just that one glance.

Qin Shuang felt as if she had been thrown into an icy abyss.

All sounds around us disappeared.

The sounds of guards' armor, the crown prince's angry roars, the wind outside the window... all disappeared.

The whole world became deathly silent.

What she saw was no longer a pair of eyes.

It was a void. A void deeper than eternal night. There was no light, no stars or moon, no emotion whatsoever. Only pure, ancient, seemingly timeless coldness and deathly stillness.

In that instant, her mind was violently pulled in.

She felt herself falling, falling endlessly.

Her strength, her will, her pride, everything about her as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was rapidly stripped away and dissolved in this void.

She felt like a naked child standing before a towering god, so insignificant that she was less than a speck of dust.

A feeling of suffocation came over me.

She tried to struggle, but couldn't move. She tried to shout, but no sound came out.

Even the hand holding the embroidered spring knife began to go numb and become unresponsive.

What... what kind of look is that?

Is this... the Celestial Envoy's method?

Is it possible that a mere gaze is enough to render a top expert like her utterly powerless to resist?

fear.

An unprecedented, soul-deep fear, like wildly growing vines, instantly entangled her heart.

This is even more terrifying than facing thousands of troops on the battlefield.

Because it was an incomprehensible, irresistible, absolute crushing force.

Just when Qin Shuang thought she was about to be completely swallowed up by this power, the jade pendant that Zhou Yang had given her for self-defense suddenly emitted a faint warmth.

That warmth was like the last straw a drowning person grasped at.

Qin Shuang's mind jolted violently, as if she had been forcibly pulled out of that void abyss.

"Bang!"

She felt as if she had been shoved hard.

He staggered backward a few steps and bumped into the guard behind him.

"Drag her out right now!" Crown Prince Li Hong's roar rang in her ears again.

This time, the sound was so real.

Two guards immediately stepped forward and grabbed Qin Shuang's arms, one on each side, as if she were a chick.

Qin Shuang did not resist.

She was panting heavily, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and the back of her clothes was completely soaked.

She was roughly dragged out by the guards.

As she was being dragged out of the main hall, she mustered all her strength and looked back one last time.

Inside the main hall, incense smoke wafted through the air.

The Daoist nun named Wuchen had already looked away. She was picking up a freshly peeled lychee and carefully tearing off its red skin with her slender fingers, bringing the glistening flesh to Li Hong's lips.

Like a child, Li Hong opened his mouth and happily ate it.

The rage from before was gone from his face, replaced only by pure fascination and satisfaction.

The scene was extremely bizarre.

And on the face of this "celestial messenger" remained that compassionate smile for all living beings.

It was as if that silent duel had never happened at all.

Qin Shuang's heart sank to the bottom.

She was dragged out of the East Palace and thrown onto the stone pavement outside.

The cold ground sent a shiver down her spine.

She struggled to her feet, looked up at the tightly closed vermilion gate, and the two gilded characters "Eastern Palace" on it.

The gate separated two worlds.

Outside the door, the sky was overcast, a downpour was imminent, and reality was crumbling.

Inside the door lies an inverted illusion, a place of fallen souls, and the smiling face of a devil.

Qin Shuang slowly gripped the knife at her waist.

The cold touch of the knife hilt finally gave her trembling hand a sliver of strength.

She raised her head, letting the cold raindrops hit her face.

This time, there was no anger or anxiety in her eyes.

All that remained was a resolute determination mixed with coldness and unwavering resolve.