“Your Highness.” Su Bei walked in and reported to Li Mo, “We’ve gone over the entirety of the Farsighted King’s manor and some of his other villas, but Miss Yun was nowhere to be found.”

Li Mo clenched his fists tightly: the reason he had locked Li Sheng up was because he knew that someone like him, who had masterminded a rebellion in secret for over a decade, would value his life over anything else. And as long as he had Li Sheng’s life in his hands, Yun Ruoyan would be safe.

“Li Sheng, It looks like you’ve grown fond of my dungeon,” Li Mo murmured icily. “One more day. If I don’t see Yun Ruoyan by then…!”

Su Bei had sent out word that the Slaughtering King would exchange Li Sheng for Yun Ruoyan, and Li Mo had expected a more timely response from Li Sheng’s men. He couldn’t help feeling concerned for Yun Ruoyan’s safety, and his expression turned even colder.

Li Sheng sat by the corner of his cell. Ever since entering the cell, he hadn’t said a single word. By this time, he was certain that Wei Hai had run off with Yun Ruoyan. Wei Hai, if I see you again, I won’t spare you!

When Li Mo saw Li Sheng remain stubbornly silent, he turned to leave.

“Li Mo,” Li Sheng called out from behind. “If I’m not wrong, that brat Wei Hai has likely hidden Yun Ruoyan somewhere. He won’t send Yun Ruoyan back tomorrow.”

Li Mo whirled around, his eyes like icy beams. “You’d entrust your affairs with a boy who might betray you?!”

“I was careless this time,” the Farsighted King replied, somewhat upset himself.

“In that case, look forward to your funeral.”

“Wait!” Li Sheng stood up from his corner and walked up to the bars separating him from Li Mo. “I know a few places where Wei Hai could have hidden Yun Ruoyan. I’ll bring you there to search for him!”

“What are you planning on doing?” Yun Ruoyan stared warily at Wei Hai. Although she was now cured of the red-mist spider’s venom, she found that she had been inflicted by another type of poison when she tried to circulate her spiritual energy.

It seemed similar to the paralytic poison that Rong Yueshan had used, but was even stronger. Rong Yueshan’s poison had still allowed her a small degree of movement, but this poison made it so that she could do nothing but speak.

Yun Ruoyan was curled up in a heap by the side of the cage, a docile lamb who could do nothing about her slaughter drawing ever closer.

“Don’t worry.” Wei Hai stretched his lips wide in a smile. “Before I figure out the secret of your constitution, I won’t kill you. For the moment, I just want a little blood of yours.”

Wei Hai walked up to Yun Ruoyan, cut her finger open, and stored some of her blood in a white porcelain bottle. Then, he suddenly sniffed ravenously. “How fragrant your blood smells… it’s so concentrated that it’d be hard to miss it.” Wei Hai brought his head closer to her body. “What sort of creature are you, truly? No human would have such an exotic fragrance!”

“I’m not a creature,” Yun Ruoyan replied coolly. “I’m a human, the second daughter of the Yun family!”

In truth, there was a possibility that Yun Ruoyan was descended from demonic dragons, but this wasn’t a suspicion that she would share with Wei Hai.

“Even if you won’t admit it, I can figure it out for myself. If your blood’s this fragrant, then it has to be something good—maybe even better than a spiritual pill!”

Wei Hai held the porcelain bottle under his nose, as if he had never smelled something so wonderful before, as if he had to restrain himself from drinking it there and then.

If she could move, Yun Ruoyan would have frowned in repulsion. Based on Wei Hai’s description, Yun Ruoyan was certain that he was likely a magical beast like Li Furong. Based on his substandard cultivation, he had probably ingested the same type of pill to boost his transformation capabilities as well.

But was Wei Hai a black-armored lizard, or some other species of beast entirely? Yun Ruoyan didn’t particularly care; what she was more concerned about was the fact that Wei Hai was looking at her as though her body were a gleaming pile of treasure.

“You’d better not try anything funny with my blood,” Yun Ruoyan warned. “I’ve been poisoned since my birth, while I was in my mother’s womb. The poison was the reason I have this birthmark on my face, and it’s possible that this fragrance you smell came from this poison as well.”

Wei Hai blinked, then laughed. “Don’t try to trick me. The Farsighted King’s manor has quite a detailed record of you. It’s true that you’ve had your birthmark since you were little, but your little story about this poison is too far-fetched to believe.”

“I’m telling the truth, believe it or not. But if there’s a record of me, then you surely know that I’m a daughter of the Yun family, Yun Lan’s own daughter. How could I be a creature of any sort?”

“No, no, no.” Wei Hai shook his head repeatedly. “According to the records, you’re not Yun Lan’s birth daughter.”

“What? What did you say?!” Although Yun Ruoyan had recently become more suspicious of her birth, her own mild suspicion was incomparable to having someone assert that as a fact.

“The Farsighted King’s records claim that you’re not from the Yun family. You’re a bastard child, born out of wedlock!” Wei Hai repeated.

Suppressing her shock, Yun Ruoyan laughed coldly. “Are you trying to trick me? Your joke’s not funny at all!”

“It’s no wonder that you wouldn’t believe me,” Wei Hai replied. “But the report’s authentic. The Farsighted King’s been plotting his rebellion for decades, and he’s uncovered and kept careful track of the secrets of all the noble families in the capital. The records for something as major as having illegitimate children are particularly detailed, because such information can easily be exchanged for some sort of benefit from those families.”

Perhaps because Yun Ruoyan and Wei Hai were the only two people in the mountain cave, Wei Hai was particularly talkative. As a result, Yun Ruoyan was able to extract more information from him, which she corroborated with her own knowledge of her birth.

Allegedly, eighteen years ago, a Young Master Long began to reside in the Yun manor. This man was particularly mysterious, and even the Farsighted King’s spies hadn’t been able to uncover his origins. Young Master Long had stayed in the Yun manor for over half a year, during which time he got to know quite a number of the scions in the capital.

Among these scions was Yun Ruoyan’s mother, Lin Yuemei, as well as her father, Yun Lan. Allegedly, Young Master Long had fallen in love with Lin Yuemei at first sight, and they had promised themselves to each other relatively quickly on. However, Lin Yuemei’s father, Lin Zainan, hadn’t approved of their relationship, and they could only meet with each other illicitly. Their common friend—Yun Ruoyan’s supposed father, Yun Lan—helped stop their secret from being discovered.

Later, after Lin Yuemei found out that her father was planning on marrying her off, she and Young Master Long became so anxious that they adopted Yun Lan’s questionable suggestion of having him set up a marriage with Lin Yuemei instead.

Although the Lin and Yun families didn’t get along with each other, Yun Lan and Lin Yuemei were certainly compatible in status, and both parties had stubbornly refused to marry anyone else.

Without any other choice, their elders could only agree to this marriage. According to plan, the night that Yun Lan and Lin Yuemei were to be married, Young Master Long would elope with Lin Yuemei. When the day came, however, Young Master Long never showed up. In fact, it seemed as if he had vanished entirely from the world.

Lin Yuemei believed that Young Master Long had changed his mind at the last minute, and was so upset that she actually consummated the marriage with Yun Lan, giving birth to Yun Moxiao.

A few years later, however, Young Master Long showed up once more in front of Lin Yuemei, explaining why he had suddenly vanished. It turned out that Yun Lan had always liked Lin Yuemei, but Lin Yuemei had only had eyes for Young Master Long. As a result, he had planned Young Master Long’s disappearance, and the latter had fallen into his trap. Yun Lan then manipulated the grieving Lin Yuemei to loathe Young Master Long, causing her to begin a relationship with Yun Lan instead.

After Lin Yuemei found out about Yun Lan’s treachery, she was so upset that she eloped with Young Master Long on the spot. At the time, Yun Lan was able to keep Lin Yuemei’s disappearance a secret because she tended to remain in her own cottage, without interacting with anyone else.

As Yun Lan hid his wife’s disappearance from the public eye, he fervently began searching for her in secret. However, the two of them had vanished without a trace.

Just as Yun Lan was about to lose all hope, Lin Yuemei suddenly returned to the Yun family, pregnant with child. This child was none other than Yun Ruoyan.

“Thus, you’re neither a daughter of the Yun family nor of Yun Lan himself—you’re a bastard child born to your mother and this mysterious Young Master Long!”

“Ridiculous!”

Wei Hai stood up and headed to the entrance of the cave. “Now that you’ve landed in my hands, you’re all but dead to the world. I might be talkative, but I’m quite honest, and there’s no reason to lie to someone who’s about to die. What I’ve told you was all present in your records.”

Wei Hai stilled for a moment, then continued, “There’s also a report on this Young Master Long, but even I didn’t have enough authority to view it. The only reports in the Farsighted King’s manor that I can’t view are the ones containing sealed information, so your father’s origins must be mysterious indeed.”