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Jingrui walked in the thick silence. Her limbs tensed as the night threatened to engulf her.

The inky sky was devoid of stars and moonlight, making it hard to see the path ahead. She walked beside Yuetong and passed through several palaces until at last, they arrived at the towering Stardust Palace resided by Yihuai.

Jingrui gulped as they walked through the gold and marble arches into the barren palace. "Are you sure this will work?" Jingrui mumbled, and her voice echoed in the dead silence.

"As long as you follow my plan, it will," Yuetong snapped as they strode towards Yihuai's quarters. "No one will suspect you, I've always taken maids with me when I came here in the past. Besides, Yihuai hates keeping guards and maids to patrol his palace as he loves his nights to the most romantic and secluded time with his harem."

Jingrui nodded as she stared ahead at the lit quarters. Their footsteps taunted the night, and she kept her voice low. "How long can you lure Yihuai away?"

"A few hours if he doesn't suspect anything," Yuetong replied, and she paused her steps right in front of the quarters' door. "Now, I'll recap the plan. Yihuai lusts over me for my body, and as long as I use enough of my charm, he should be restrained. Then you will sneak in through the window of his chamber and find the antidote. The faster the better."

Jingrui nodded. "Are you sure you will be fine?"

Yuetong snorted. "Are you underestimating me, maid? I grew up with Yihuai, and he has always been my suitor. No matter how evil he is, I don't think he will hurt me. The problem is not me, but you. You will need to be stealthy enough as the quarters are only on the other side of a curtain from the chamber. If, for some reason, you ruined the plan, the last resort would be for you to pretend to hold me hostage, then we might have a chance to leave alive." With that, she flipped her long hair behind her back. "Don't you dare fail me."

Jingrui's heart was heavy as she watched the Goddess confidently enter the lit quarters. After she had disappeared, Jingrui took stealthy steps towards the chamber's window. The room wasn't lit with candlelights, so Jingrui was certain no other presence was inside.

As she pushed the window open, her foot crunched against twigs and leaves. She winced as the sound pierced into the haunting silence. To her luck, she didn't alert anyone. Sighing, she climbed through the window and into the warm room.

Adjusting her eyes to the darkness, she took in the spacious chamber. A large bed made of the finest sandalwood radiated its soft scent. Several curtains stood, breaking the section between the chambers and the quarters, similar to Prince Zhanying's room.

Soft flickering light emitted from behind the curtains, where Yuetong was luring Yihuai. Jingrui could hear their faint conversation within the silence, but she couldn't grasp what they said. Swallowing hard, she crouched before a large shelf and pulled open the top drawer which was full of contraception herbs inside. Jingrui held in her sneeze and quickly shut it.

Roaming through the drawers, it took her several minutes before she found the right one. The bottom drawer on the left was lined with jars of scarlet liquid and crystal boxes filled with centipedes and scorpions. She shuddered as she watched the centipedes begin eating the scorpions, merging their toxins to create jincan. She had never thought Yihuai would be into such a practice.

The jars of scarlet liquid were all identical, and she grabbed one before shoving it under her sleeve. She could sense that a powerful poison would be useful for her survival in the palace.

At the furthest corner of the drawer laid a translucent bottle filled with a substance that glittered like diamonds. She reached for the bottle and pulled it out. Tentatively, she plucked the cog off. A strong herbal smell entered her nose. Jingrui may not be knowledgeable, but she knew enough that such herb could be nothing but a cure for poisons.

She pushed the drawer closed and shoved the antidote into her sleeve.

As she was about to leave, Yuetong's voice pierced through the silence. "Yihuai, how many times must I tell you, it's probably just the sound of cats. Why must you be so alert? Aren't you going to play me?"

Her voice trailed off into the silence, but only a few moments later, her scream filled the air. "You are hurting me, Yihuai! Stop dragging me!"

"If you want to have sex with me, we do it in the chambers!" Yihuai growled, and Jingrui heard his heavy footsteps heaving her way.

Her breathing quickened, and she turned to the window. But before she could jump out, a large hand slammed onto her shoulder and spun her around. She came face to face with the half naked Yihuai. Against the moonlight, Yihuai's eyes were slit like that of a snake.

"So, it's you, little beasty. Are you here to join me and Yuetong's pleasures?" He smirked, eyeing her up and down.

Jingrui's stomach churned, feeling like a captured prey. Before Yihuai could touch her, she rushed past him and towards Yuetong.

If, for some reason, you ruined the plan, the last resort would be for you to pretend to hold me hostage.

Summoning a knife, she pressed the blade against Yuetong's neck. "Leave me be, or I'll kill her," Jingrui hissed at Yihuai.

Yuetong breathed hard as she forced out tears. "Y-Yihuai, save me."

Yihuai cracked his necks and knuckles. He didn't seem affected by Yuetong being taken hostage. Instead, his eyes were cold and calm. "Pretty sluts, teaming up together, aye?"

"W-What are you saying? Oh, save me, Yihuai." Yuetong went pale as she femininely pretended to faint.

Menace took over Yihuai's chiseled face. "S-S-Save me, Yihuai," he mimicked Yuetong's voice and rolled his eyes. "You want me to save you, Yuetong, but do you even need saving when it's obvious that you and her teamed up together? All this time, I've always been nice to you, haven't I? I gave you everything you wanted even though I know you had sex with me for benefits."

Yihuai let out stiff laughs as he scanned Yuetong up and down. "I've loved you for how many millennia, just for you to betray me like this? Do you know how long it took me to plan all this out? I never expected that you would tell this little beasty my whole scheme, nor did I expect that you would plan against me to save that bastard prince!"

"H-How did you know?" Yuetong's face was drained pale.

Yihuai sneered. "Hedges have eyes and the walls have ears. I own Heaven, what is there that I do not know?" He clenched his fists, his eyes growing dark. "I already knew that you were up to something when you rushed out of the dungeon after I told you that the blade was poisonous. I simply sent people to follow you and guess what happened. You betrayed me!"

Yuetong blinked the tears in her eyes away, knowing there was no point pretending anymore. The plan had already been shattered, and even the last resort would no longer work. Instead, a fearless fury ablazed in her. "That's because you tricked me to do your dirty work. You poisoned the blade! You promised me that you would let Zhanying off as long as I make this maid shatter Zhanying's heart!"

Yihuai's nose flared as he tried to keep in his rage. He lowered his voice, "I'll give you one last chance to take back those words, Yuetong. I won't hold anything against you as long as you leave this little beasty here with me tonight. Let Zhanying rot in his palace, and marry me."

Yuetong's body trembled and she shook her head slowly. "I will never marry you." Her voice was hard and rigid. "Someone as despicable as you, in my life, I won't even give you a strand of my love. Nothing within you can compare to Zhanying. Since young, apart from the crown on your head, you are no better than a mortal animal. You've trampled on several girl's innocence, including mine, and you have slaughtered so many people that I've lost count. My dignity, you have forcefully taken it, and I will never, in this lifetime, marry a cold-blooded beast like you! I hate you Yihuai! I hate you from the core of my heart—"

Yuetong's voice was caught in her throat, and her mouth hung agape. Jingrui's eyes widened when she felt Yuetong's body suddenly lose its strength. Yuetong slumped against Jingrui, and blood gurgled out of her lips.

Yihuai stood, fuming while he clutched his sword in his shaking grip. The glinting metal penetrated through Yuetong's gut, dripping blood onto the marble floor.

"I told you, didn't I? I'll only give you one last chance." Yihuai cracked his neck, and he pushed the blade further into Yuetong's stomach until Jingrui felt the blade poke into her skin. She bit her lip and let go of Yuetong, unable to withstand the jabbing pain. Her knife dropped along with Yuetong's strengthless body.

"G-Goddess." Jingrui covered her mouth with her palms and dropped to the floor beside Yuetong. She held her up, shaking her. "Goddess," she called.

Blood was gurgling from Yuetong's lips as she tried to get up. Wincing, she looked up towards Yihuai figure, her pale hand reaching for him. There were tears in her eyes as she tried to muster up her words. "Curse you." she choked against the blood in her mouth. "I curse you," she spat, her words filled with bitter hate, and her breathing became heavy. "I hate you."

Yihuai looked at her, unable to move. His eyes opened wide, and his hands shook as he realised what he had just done.

Yuetong sniffled as she clutched onto the wound on her stomach and turned to Jingrui. The tears in her eyes trickled down her cheek. "I hate you too, you worthless maid. I hate you for failing this simple plan, and I hate you for taking my Zhanying away from me. Only I deserve to take care of him." She coughed, and a laugh ground out of her throat. "But now, I can't take care of him anymore . . . And will never be able to take care of him again. . ." A sigh parted her lips as she glanced out the window at the night sky. She laughed again, this time filled with a subtle relief. "So, you better take care of him for me, little wretch. Take good care of him for me. Live and save him."

Jingrui felt a lump in her throat as she nodded.

Yuetong smiled and sniffled. "Can you promise me something?"

Tears brimmed in Jingrui's eyes, and she nodded again.

"Can you make him visit me with the most beautiful flowers?"

Jingrui pressed her lips into a thin line and gave her an affirming nod.

Yuetong smiled as tears slid down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes. Her body began to fade. Soft sparkles emitted from her body, casting soft hues within the dark room. Gracefully, the specks drifted out the window, and into the night sky like the most enchanted twinkling stars.

The dark night was filled with beautiful speckles of light, and Jingrui clutched her heart, letting her tears fall into the pool of blood.