Bodyguard Chen Tianjing’s suggestion was met with enthusiastic agreement from many. Though nothing had happened yet, the eerie atmosphere made everyone eager to leave as soon as possible. The sight of Anjiya’s condition just moments ago had been terrifying.
“Don’t worry, the Blood Seal Curse doesn’t attach itself randomly. As long as you don’t touch the mushrooms, you’ll be fine. And the ones already picked—eating them won’t cause any harm.”
“How can you say something like that? Do you even understand? These are parasitic mushrooms! Who would dare eat them? Even if they’re technically safe, just the thought of them being connected to the Blood Seal is disgusting.” Xue Ruoqing’s face was pale with anger. Suggesting they eat something so revolting was beyond inconsiderate.
“Uh…” Liu Ying felt awkward. The mushrooms themselves weren’t the problem, but associating them with the curse was like being offered a cookie that had fallen into a toilet—no matter how clean it might be, no one would want to eat it.
Well, she hadn’t thought that through earlier.
“Ruoqing, don’t be like that. She’s the one who saved Anjiya,” An Leiya nudged Xue Ruoqing, who only snorted and turned away. “Fine, I’ll let it go since she did save Anjiya. But we’re throwing out all the mushroom soup. At least we hadn’t started eating yet.”
“Should we leave?” a maid asked nervously.
“There’s no need. Since Xia Qiu understands these creatures, we don’t have to go. Besides, traveling at night is too dangerous,” Yang Xiyan emerged from Anjiya’s tent. “Anjiya’s fine now, just a little hungry.”
“Go get some food. I’ll check on Anjiya. And remember, no one is to go near the mushroom-picking area. The Demon Beast Island is full of dangers—stay in the camp and don’t wander off,” Xue Ruoqing ordered before entering the tent.
Inside, Anjiya lay weakly in her sleeping bag, her pale face forcing a smile. “I’m sorry, Lady Ruoqing. I just wanted to treat everyone to something special. I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“Treat? Treat? I told you to stay in the camp, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what happened! Be thankful this is just a training zone—the dangers here aren’t fatal. And if it weren’t for that girl spotting it in time, you’d be in real trouble.”
“You’re such a fool, but you’d never admit it. Why not just relax and enjoy yourself? From now on, stay in the camp, understand? Even training zones can be deadly.”
“I won’t scold you while you’re sick. I’m going to find Zi Ye.”
Anjiya didn’t dare say a word under Xue Ruoqing’s scolding, shrinking into herself obediently.
There was indeed a generational gap between them and the three young ladies, especially Xue Ruoqing, whose temper wasn’t the best. But her concern was genuine.
Come to think of it, Xia Qiu had warned them not to go north earlier. Anjiya hadn’t listened, and without her intervention, things could have ended horribly. The thought of living the rest of her life with that parasite made her skin crawl.
Xia Qiu was truly impressive—she had recognized the problem at a glance. Over the past few days, she had given off the aura of an incredibly capable older sister. Despite appearing around the same age, there was something undeniably mature and commanding about her. Just meeting her gaze made Anjiya’s heart race. At first, she thought it was just because of Xia Qiu’s height, but as they spent more time together, she realized it was something else entirely.
That kind of poise wasn’t something an ordinary upbringing could instill—it had to come from an elite family. Yet, unlike Yang Xiyan and the other purebred noble young ladies, Xia Qiu had a warmth to her, like an approachable older sister, while still maintaining an air of nobility.
Education was different too. Yang Xiyan and her peers received the upbringing of noble young ladies from ancient times, only attending school later in life and being exposed to modern facilities. One could say they were half-ancient people.
The final decision was to rest for the night and leave early the next morning, heading north into the restricted zone to dispose of all the mushrooms. Thus, the tense night passed without incident.
………
By the next day, everyone woke up surprisingly early.
Anjiya had also awakened and seemed to be in good health. Liu Ying instructed her to take care of herself before leaving, bidding farewell to Zi Ye and the others before her departure.
The two young girls appeared reluctant to see her go, and Liu Ying seemed accustomed to it. Compared to men, she seemed to attract more attention from women—though there were plenty of male admirers as well.
After saying goodbye, Liu Ying resumed hiding behind them. She hadn’t intended to reveal herself in the first place, but her shock at peeping on their bath had left her too stunned to react, leading to the awkward encounter with Zi Ye and the other girl.
Now, things had returned to the way they were. She would simply follow from behind.
The night before, she had given Yang Xiyan some hints, so the girl should be on guard. That would save Liu Ying some trouble. If she weren’t around, the others would be exposed even faster.
She needed to find the mastermind and see if they were connected to the one who had sealed her away.
………
And so, Liu Ying followed them for another week.
One night, as she leaned against a large tree to sleep, dark clouds gathered overhead, lightning flashing ominously. The towering jungle, already dim, became nearly pitch-black.
Rain poured down in a relentless torrent, the air bitingly cold. Fortunately, the dense foliage shielded her from most of the downpour, leaving only scattered droplets pattering down.
“Whoo-whoo-whoo—” The hoot of an owl roused Liu Ying from her meditative rest. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her dark pupils gleaming in the darkness as a centipede crawled onto her thigh.
Flicking the centipede away, she stood on the tree branch. Her pitch-black eyes shimmered with a golden, arcane magic circle as she peered through the thick mist of the night toward the source of the hooting. Beyond the obscuring darkness, she spotted several figures ahead.
With a light tap of her jade-like foot, her figure darted forward like a ghost, swift and soundless. Under the cover of the storm, she landed on a nearby tree without making a single noise.
There were three people—two women and one man.
Xue Ruoqing in black, An Leiya with a hood, and a man bearing a crescent moon insignia—Liu Ying recognized it immediately. It was the school emblem of Yang Xiyan’s fiancé.
An Leiya: “How are things on your end?”
The man: “Everything’s ready. Tuoba has already reached the target location unnoticed. We’re just waiting for your Yang Xiyan now.”
Xue Ruoqing: “Any abnormalities?”
The man: “Nothing out of the ordinary. I checked Dream Valley—the lovegrass is all there. We can bring them together without anyone noticing. By the time Tuoba realizes, it’ll already be a done deal.”
“Good. In two days, we’ll bring Yanyan there and leave her alone to guard the campsite. Make sure Tuoba Yichen arrives at the same time,” Xue Ruoqing said.
“Understood.” The man nodded before vanishing in a flash.
After he left, Xue Ruoqing and An Leiya exchanged a long look before lowering their heads.
“Hey… don’t you think we’re betraying Yanyan like this?”
“Ruoqing, this is a decision made by both families. As subordinates, we just need to comply. Besides, doesn’t Yanyan like Tuoba? Recently, Tuoba has taken a liking to another woman. If we don’t use this method, he might abandon Yanyan,” An Leiya said with a complicated expression.
“This Tuoba Yichen—Yanyan is so beautiful, a perfect young lady who’s well-read and refined. What about her isn’t good enough for him? I don’t understand what’s wrong with his head that he can’t see it,” Xue Ruoqing fumed.
“He’s a super genius, received all kinds of elite education, and almost entered Tian Xingzi. He’s different from us. It’s like those TV dramas where the protagonist always abandons his stunningly beautiful fiancée for some plain, ordinary heroine.”
“Have you seen Tuoba’s new partner?”
“Yes. A delicate, fragile boy who looks very girlish—nowhere near Yanyan’s league. He used to be straight, chasing Yanyan like crazy, but now he’s given up. It’s infuriating.”
“His feelings don’t matter, but if Yanyan loses this marriage opportunity, her future is uncertain. Plenty of wealthy and powerful men are eyeing her, but they’ve held back only because of the Tuoba family’s influence,” An Leiya continued.
“Being beautiful is a curse sometimes,” Xue Ruoqing sighed.
“It’s mainly her heritage. She’s a descendant of the divine race. Many want to marry her to strengthen their own divine bloodline and revive their families. Otherwise, why would the Tuoba family force their son to marry Yanyan?”
“I hope Yanyan won’t blame us.”
“She won’t. She’ll be grateful to us,” An Leiya patted Xue Ruoqing’s shoulder. “Once it’s a done deal, Tuoba Yichen’s personality won’t allow him to abandon Yanyan. She’ll get the man she loves, and both families will benefit. It’s a win-win-win-win situation.”
………
After comforting each other, the two quickly left.
Liu Ying watched their retreating figures, her brows furrowed. She didn’t approve of their methods. Even if it was for love, such underhanded tactics were unacceptable—it was all for their own interests, just disguised with an excuse.
Listening to their conversation, she understood. In ancient arranged marriages, there were often children who resisted, even fleeing their families to elope with their lovers or choosing death together.
If the child was a powerful mage, the consequences could be catastrophic.
To solve this problem, great families would plant a certain aphrodisiac herb in a secluded spot, giving it a romantic name like “Love Grass.” Then, they’d guide the intended couple there, letting nature take its course.
This method was a hundred times better than drugging or forced marriage. Innocent children would never realize it was orchestrated, believing it was just a chance encounter during an adventure. The ancients had no choice but to comply, only realizing they’d been deceived when it was too late.
Historical records of various families showed this method had a high success rate. While there were failures, they were negligible.
Liu Ying had only learned of this strategy by chance and thought it had died out in modern times. She never expected it still existed—it was downright sinister and absurd.
Right now, she wasn’t in a good mood.