Impossible.

Regardless of how arduous the process, fortunately, the antidote was obtained.

However, when Chang Wan arrived back in her room, she didn’t hear the system issue her reward.

She frowned, “007, where are my point rewards?”

The system’s reply was direct and swift: “The antidote doesn’t count; you must detoxify the male lead first.”

Chang Wan glanced at the mission title; it indeed required her to detoxify the male lead.

Looking at the large, bright green antidote, about the size of a tangyuan (sweet rice ball) in her hand, Chang Wan looked towards the huge vermilion wardrobe in her room.

The storage bracelet had no air; if the male lead stayed in it too long, he would suffocate. Chang Wan didn’t know the various spells the original owner knew.

Moreover, she was afraid that if she left, disciples might come to clean her room or search the premises. Since the wardrobe was large enough, she resorted to the most cumbersome method—

She wrapped him up and hid him inside the wardrobe, locking it.

Strangely, although the wardrobe was large, it didn’t contain many clothes, only a few simple, plain-colored women’s long robes, looking quite ascetic. Chang Wan tidied up casually and cleared out a large space.

It seemed the original owner also disliked dressing up.

Luckily, after she left, it seemed no one came.

The male lead, injured like that, probably hadn’t woken up yet.

Chang Wan unlocked the wardrobe. The moment she pulled the door open by a sliver, she was met with a pair of bloodshot eyes!

Before she could react, a lean and strong arm instantly pulled her into the wardrobe!

“Clang!”

The wardrobe door was slammed shut from the inside!

In the small, suffocating space, pressed tightly together, Chang Wan’s mind went blank for an instant. In the next second, a pair of hands clamped onto her neck!

A pleasant yet icy voice sounded next to her ear, like the most compassionate Buddha, yet carrying demonic cruelty.

“Repaid a hundredfold.”

The sensation of being instantly deprived of breath was unpleasant. In the darkness, Chang Wan struggled desperately. But at that moment, fierce knocking erupted from outside the wardrobe door!

Someone was coming!

Chang Wan’s eyes snapped wide open, and she struggled desperately!

She, the radiant, flower-like eighteen-year-old, had just received her excellent scores from the college entrance exams and officially left high school. She hadn’t even begun to embrace her bright future when she inexplicably arrived in this world—

The amount of suffering she endured and the blood, sweat, and effort she expended in that world were equal to how much she looked forward to her future.

Her prime years, a promising future, how could she—

How could she inexplicably die here!!

Die in a half-finished, lousy, unfinished book!

Chang Wan hadn’t fully adapted to the Spirit Solitude cultivation base of this body. She couldn’t see anything clearly in the dark, but Chu Changqing could clearly see her eyes.

Bright as fire, radiant as stars.

Those beautiful light chestnut eyes were not submerged in darkness and despair, nor did they hold the hatred she often displayed before. Instead, they held a kind of flame.

Intense and fierce, a sharp, persistent refusal to give up even at death, like the tip of a needle, like a wildfire, like the lone wolf he once saw in the wilderness being chased by a tiger, only to eventually kill the tiger back.

The flame in this woman’s eyes was like a seed of fire.

That seed of fire quietly fell into his eyes and sank into his heart.

It made him subconsciously ease his grip slightly…

He not only wanted to strip off her beautiful skin.

But he actually also wanted these beautiful eyes.

The girl struggling below didn’t notice his action; it seemed she bumped into something.

“Click.”

Chang Wan started; she seemed to have touched a mechanism… Her right foot, which could previously press against the wall, now kicked into empty space—

The wall was empty??

Both of them were stunned for a moment. In the next instant, Chang Wan gritted her teeth and suddenly rolled hard to the right. The two of them tumbled into the suddenly revealed secret passage!!

Behind the secret passage was a cold, damp staircase. Chu Changqing had let go of her neck at some point. Chang Wan suppressed her fear, shoved the antidote into her pocket—given the life-threatening danger even without administering the antidote, if she fed it to him and died on the spot, she didn’t want the system reward, whatever, she was done caring!

Then she grabbed the first step, halting her downward roll. The male lead, poisoned and injured, had also exerted some force while subduing Chang Wan. He hadn’t held on, rolling to the bottom, then silence after a series of thumps.

Chang Wan knew the male lead was in danger.

But she hadn’t expected him to be in such danger.

She touched her aching neck, hissed in pain, her eyes tearing up. If she hadn’t touched that mechanism just now, she probably would have gone to see the Virgin Mary.

However, the situation didn’t allow her to linger. Surviving death wasn’t the end; she could still faintly hear people clamoring outside the wardrobe.

“…Truly misfortune never comes singly.”

Chang Wan had no time to worry about the male lead at the bottom, whether he was alive or dead. She coughed a couple of times, got up in a sorry state, and staggered out of the secret passage. The clamor outside grew louder, and Chang Wan finally made out the words—

“Elder Chang, if you don’t open the door, don’t blame me, Xia Du, for being impolite!”

Poisoning? What was that about? He wasn’t polite about poisoning? Poisoning her? If he was poisoning her, why shout so loudly? Was he afraid the whole world wouldn’t know? Did this person perhaps have a problem with his brain…

Wait, this voice was… the Elder Xia from before??

…

The grey-robed disciple who knocked several times without a response could only bow his head to report to the old man behind him, “Elder Xia, Elder Chang, she…”

The old man snorted coldly, “If she weren’t guilty, why hide away? Kick the door in for me!”

As soon as the old man’s voice fell, the beautiful carved door was suddenly pulled open from the inside with a loud bang!

The young man preparing to kick the door in instantly met the eyes of the young woman behind the door, was startled, and stumbled back, landing heavily on his backside.

The old man couldn’t stand seeing his disciple make such a fool of himself in front of Chang Wan, so he violently kicked the man away, “Get out of the way! Useless thing!”

The old man looked frail, but this kick carried immense force. The disciple was sent flying over ten meters, hitting his head on the ground. The sight made Chang Wan’s teeth ache.

However, the corners of her lips curved into a smile, “Elder Xia, visiting late at night, what is your business?”

The old man was hunched over, looking sharply at the young woman before him.

The young woman was late, yet she didn’t seem to think anything was wrong. She wore a high-collared black dress, her dark hair falling down, further highlighting her fair skin, large eyes, and vibrant red lips, bright eyes and white teeth.

She was a rare, heaven-blessed genius in Qingzhou, possessing a pure Wood Spirit Root, cultivating to the Spirit Solitude stage at seventeen. She had brought her frail younger sister and defected from her human family to step into the world of cultivation, encountering no bottlenecks on her path to immortality.

Truly a favored child of Heaven.

Yet, she particularly hated the Demonic Race.

But… was it really so?

Or perhaps…

He definitely wouldn’t mistake the demonic energy that flashed past from that little scoundrel.

—What business?

Xia Du gave a cold laugh, “I suspect you are harboring a fugitive!”

Chang Wan’s heart jumped, but her expression remained unchanged, “Empty words, whatever you say is what you mean?”

“Heh heh, stop pretending!” Xia Du sneered and waved his hand, “Go in and search!”

Chang Wan was so angry she almost laughed. She stepped forward and slammed the door shut, her face icy cold, “Who dares to enter?”

The original owner’s persona was arrogant and severe; she couldn’t lose her imposing manner no matter what!

For a moment, the disciples present hesitated and dared not advance.

“Such behavior, could it be guilt?” Xia Du smiled venomously, “I’m telling you, Chang Wan, even if you want to hide the person and torture them slowly, you must consider the sect’s reputation!”

Chang Wan: ‘…’

‘Hide him and torture him slowly? Am I that twisted in your eyes?!’

Chang Wan didn’t take the bait, “I said there’s no one inside, so there isn’t!”

“Whether there is or not, we’ll know after a search!”

“What if you don’t find anyone?” Chang Wan stared at Xia Du, forcing a smile, “What will you do if you don’t find anyone?”

“Not find anyone?” The old man sneered. The little demon’s aura just came from this room; he was absolutely certain!

He said gloomily, “I will not fail to find him, Elder Chang.”

“Very well then.”

Chang Wan slightly lifted her chin and mimicked his tone, speaking coldly, “We are both Elders, so there’s no need to make a scene too unpleasant. How about a bet?”

“If I don’t find anyone… you are old, so I won’t ask you to kowtow to me; I’m afraid it would shorten your life.” Chang Wan gestured with her chin towards the clumsy disciple who had been kicked by Elder Xia and hadn’t gotten up yet. “You can kowtow ten times to that disciple.”

“If you agree, you can search my small residence at will; I absolutely won’t stop you.”

Elder Xia’s face soured, but he had extreme confidence in himself, “What if I find him?”

Chang Wan rolled her eyes at the sky, “Then I will kowtow to you.”

‘The one with bare feet doesn’t fear the one with shoes—I’m not afraid of you.’

Elder Xia smiled mockingly, “No need. Elder Chang kowtowing to this old man, this old man cannot accept it. Let’s just stop the medicine for your poor little sister for three years; let her suffer a fate worse than death.”

Chang Wan’s heart jolted upon hearing this—Poor little sister? What was that? Did this body have hidden plot points??

…

She couldn’t even take care of herself right now; how could she have time to worry about a hidden plot point and a hidden character in a book!

In any case, her imposing manner must not falter now; if it did, she would lose!

“Fine,” Chang Wan looked at the crowd of disciples behind Elder Xia, suppressing the unease in her heart, and said casually, “Elder Xia, you all heard what you said.”

Elder Xia saw Chang Wan’s indifferent attitude, his eyes growing even colder.

Chang Wan’s heart worried about the hidden plot points of the original owner that suddenly appeared, but her face remained unconcerned as she stepped aside, “Search away. But you must remember what you said.”

“Hmph!”

Elder Xia flicked his sleeve, “Go in and search!!”

Chang Wan crossed her arms, standing at the door, and said lazily, “You can search, but if any of you have ill-intentioned eyes and touch my things randomly… if I find out…”

The disciples going in to search lowered their heads obediently.

The system quietly asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being searched and discovered?”

Chang Wan rubbed the cold sweat on her palm, her expression still indifferent, but she quietly told the system in her mind, “Of course, I’m afraid!”

System: “…If you’re afraid, why let him search!”

Chang Wan feigned fearlessness, “So what if they find something? I don’t have to kowtow.”

It was just a bit unfair to that cheap little sister who popped up out of nowhere.

But she hadn’t anticipated the setting of a sister when she made the bet.

System: [But you will be charged with harboring a criminal.]

A criminal charge? She had already rolled through the gates of hell to this extent; was she afraid of a mere charge?

Chang Wan’s hand unconsciously touched her collar; it was faintly painful. She felt a lingering fear and gritted her teeth, “Anyway, the unluckiest one will be Chu Changqing.”

Besides… it wasn’t certain they would find anything.

Elder Xia looked at Chang Wan from the side and sneered, “You are quite calm.”

“I have nothing to hide, so why shouldn’t I be calm?” Chang Wan retorted, then glanced at the disciple nearby who still hadn’t gotten up, mocking him coldly, “Elder Xia had better consider which posture is most comfortable for kowtowing. I’m afraid if you’re old and you injure yourself, my sin will be great.”

“You!”

Just then, someone came out from inside and cautiously said to Elder Xia, “Elder Xia… we didn’t find anyone.”

Chang Wan’s expression didn’t change, but her heart relaxed slightly. Seeing Elder Xia’s greatly changed face, she felt a sense of relief.

‘Stinky old man, you’re about to be unlucky, aren’t you?’

However, her relief hadn’t fully set in, and Elder Xia hadn’t had time to erupt in anger, when another commotion was heard from inside, “We found something!!”

Chang Wan’s heart shot up to her throat.