The Price of Betrayal

The declaration startled the three women into silence. For a moment, they were utterly speechless, unsure if He Suosi truly intended to relinquish power or was merely employing a strategic retreat.

Chang Jiaren, who had remained silent until now, was the first to recover. She probed cautiously, “If handing over the authority truly proves impossible, merely providing resources would also suffice.”

He Suosi’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of indignation in their depths. “How could that suffice?! In the past, I shamelessly embezzled and abused my authority, truly shaming myself before all of you. Today, I shall relinquish my control!” He mused inwardly, ‘As for whether the real Pei Nishang will be furious to death when she returns, what does that have to do with me?’

Liu Jiaren appeared profoundly shaken. Her eyes, like misty mountains shrouded in rain, grew even more hazy and sorrowful. Her delicate lips, resembling dew-kissed petals, parted to utter a single sentence:

“You’ve gone mad.”

He Suosi, his face etched with sincerity, pressed down on her slender shoulders. “After the incident half a month ago, I realized that you all are my true sisters. For years, I served the Immortal Monarch… alas… I naturally haven’t ceased to revere him, but my heart has truly turned to ashes.”

His words seemed to strike a chord deep within the three Jiaren‘s hearts. They froze for a moment, and soon after, their expressions, too, turned somber.

When they looked at He Suosi again, their animosity had significantly lessened, replaced by a thread of sympathetic pity.

Liu Mi reflected that while Pei Nishang had treated them unfairly over the past few centuries, her devotion to the Immortal Monarch had been beyond reproach. Yet, for one minor transgression, the Monarch had dealt such a heavy blow. Though Yuan Zhigong currently provided for her sustenance, a touch of disdain could not help but blossom in Liu Mi’s heart. Consequently, her already meager good impression of Yuan Zhigong diminished further, while her perception of Pei Nishang, surprisingly, began to shift.

The person before them truly seemed to have undergone a profound awakening, so naturally admitting to “shamelessly embezzling and abusing authority.” At the very least, she had unequivocally acknowledged her mistakes.

Despite possessing the face of a delicate white flower, Liu Mi had always been straightforward and open-minded. She promptly declared, “You… you truly haven’t had it easy. So be it, then. As long as the allocations are distributed according to regulations next month, I shall not pursue the matter further—but you must certainly make some form of amends.”

Upon hearing this, Han Jiaren paused, startled. Having followed Liu Mi here as backup, she glanced at her a few times before adding, “Then, then I won’t pursue it either.” She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at how brilliant Pei Jiaren‘s tactic of strategic retreat was. In the current situation, if Liu Mi agreed, she couldn’t possibly refuse.

Chang Hui, naturally, was quick to concur. She smiled, “Pei Jiaren is indeed more familiar with these matters. Regardless of what others may say in the future, we will certainly support you, Sister.”

This statement explicitly declared their stance, indicating a desire to form an alliance. He Suosi was somewhat surprised, unsure if Chang Hui truly meant it.

However, he mused, he wasn’t particularly interested in forming cliques himself.

Yet, their intentions were good. Although He Suosi desperately wanted to hand over the administrative mess, the current atmosphere made it seem impossible. He could only force a radiant smile and accept their goodwill.

‘In any case, as long as I can escape, this mess won’t be my responsibility anymore.’

As this thought crossed his mind, his smile grew increasingly genuine.

However, the moment the three women departed, He Suosi’s smile vanished, his eyes gradually clouding with a deep, menacing glint.

‘Could the person who instructed Zhuyu to drug me be one of these three?’

In a flash, dusk descended. The cerulean sky gradually softened to a silvery gray, layers of magnificent orange-red staining the heavens. Wisps of clouds unfurled like fish scales.

The high walls of the eaves were already draped in a faint blue-gray, and the lanterns beneath them had been lit. As night slowly crept in, a cool breeze stirred.

When Zhuyu closed the courtyard gate and turned around, she found Pei Nishang seated on the railing of the covered walkway. She wore an orange-red silk blouse, which, blending with the deepening night, took on an odd shade of purple. Her wide sleeves billowed in the night breeze like the tails of goldfish, as if she could drift away at any moment.

“Oh, Zhuyu, you’re back.” As if hearing her, He Suosi tilted his head, his tone light, his eyes curving slightly. “I suddenly crave soup. The kind you last brewed for the Immortal Monarch. Could you please brew another pot for me?”

Perhaps due to the sudden drop in temperature, Zhuyu noticed her hands and feet felt unusually cold.

‘Why did she bring up the soup? Has she discovered something? How could she have discovered it?’

Despite the turmoil in her heart, Zhuyu feigned composure. “Mistress is too willful! How can soup be brewed in such a short time? Please don’t make things difficult for your servant.”

Her mistress, usually so unpredictable in her moods, now displayed an incredible gentleness. Her dark eyes seemed to hold the shattered starlight of a pond. “We are cultivators, aren’t we, Zhuyu? Before you are my servant, you are a cultivator first. You know how to quickly brew a pot of soup, don’t you?”

Though her tone was gentle, both her words and her gaze brooked no argument. Cold sweat gradually seeped from Zhuyu’s back.

At that moment, He Suosi added, “But, you are indeed my servant, aren’t you?”

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but when Zhuyu came to her senses, she found herself kneeling on the ground. The dampness from the earth permeated her knees, yet her heart felt colder still. Her face was pale, and her trembling lips were unable to form words.

He Suosi spoke calmly once more. “Zhuyu, go and brew the soup. Quickly.”

An aroma gradually wafted from the small kitchen.

The sky had turned utterly black, and the lanterns on the eaves swayed precariously in the night wind, casting an unstable glow. He Suosi remained seated on the railing, using the flickering lamplight to… peel and play with his fingernails.

Lan Jun occasionally glanced toward the small kitchen, asking worriedly, “Mistress, she hasn’t run off, has she?”

He Suosi shot Lan Jun a look. “If she ran, she ran. We’re not bandits, are we, to abduct women by force?”

Lan Jun paused, then stammered an explanation. “Lan Jun didn’t mean that. Lan Jun meant…”

“Alright, alright, I was joking.” He Suosi waved a hand. “Where could she run off to? Could she possibly escape this sect?” He added silently, ‘Even I can’t escape.’

With this thought, Lan Jun had a sudden realization. “Precisely! Lan Jun was foolish.” After speaking, she looked at He Suosi with admiring eyes.

“…” This, surprisingly, made He Suosi feel a little awkward. He turned his head to look at the cooking smoke rising from the small kitchen.

Unconsciously, he spoke, “Lan Jun, why would Zhuyu want to poison me? Did she discover that I’m not Pei Nishang?” If that were the case, then wouldn’t he be in the wrong? She was loyal to her true master; what right did he, an imposter, have to criticize?

Lan Jun answered earnestly, “I doubt it, Mistress. Lan Jun has spent day and night with Zhuyu and doesn’t believe she discovered anything—moreover, even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to poison you.”

He Suosi chuckled. “Ah, I didn’t mean to let her off. I just feel that if she was merely loyal to her master, scaring her like this isn’t very honorable.”

Lan Jun stated, “Then Lan Jun is certain: she did not discover it.”

He Suosi let out a wry laugh, rendered speechless.

At that moment, the stove in the kitchen was extinguished, the cooking smoke dissipated, and a rich aroma permeated the small courtyard.

When the slender figure slowly emerged from the darkness, one might have suspected she would collapse the next second. Yet, though her hands and feet trembled, the young woman walked step by step, her gait so heavy it suggested she was walking toward an execution ground.

Upon reaching He Suosi, she knelt directly on the ground, holding a soup bowl above her head. Her long sleeves slipped back, revealing arms like lotus roots, yet marred with scorch marks from rushing the cooking process with spiritual fire.

He Suosi’s gaze swept over the various shades of scalds. He took the soup bowl, sniffed it with a look of enjoyment, then subtly furrowed his brow. “It’s missing an ingredient. Why doesn’t it smell as fragrant as last time?”

Zhuyu’s fingertips trembled. She stammered, “Nothing is missing.”

He Suosi handed the soup bowl to Lan Jun. Once Lan Jun took it, he leaned down and hooked Zhuyu’s chin.

“Lying.” He pinched the young woman’s small, rounded jaw, gazing directly into her tear-filled eyes. “Naughty. Must I do something to you before you tell the truth?”

Zhuyu gasped, deeply inhaling, as if even breathing had become difficult. “It—it is missing an ingredient. It’s missing a type of purple perilla. But the kitchen ran out! It wasn’t that your servant was unwilling to add it.”

He Suosi released the young woman’s chin. Seeing Zhuyu attempt to lower her head again, he used the tip of his foot to hook her chin instead, forcing her to look up.

He looked at Zhuyu, a puzzled expression on his face. “Purple perilla? Which purple perilla? It should be purple-edged perilla, right? The herb from the Taiping Medical Canon that tastes sweet, is alluring, and cannot be used as medicine?”

Zhuyu let out a low whimper from her throat. She regretted it immensely, only wishing to save her life.

“Let me think again. That day, that Jiao gauze underdress… I only later learned it was Jiao gauze, a very precious fabric, wasn’t it? It’s a pity you preserved it so well, only for it to be stained with blood. When I received it that day, it still carried a floral scent. Very pleasant. Let me think—I can’t recall it. Zhuyu, tell me, what was that floral scent?”

Zhuyu sobbed. “It was… it was Love Grass.”

He Suosi withdrew his foot, scratched his face, and looked toward the pitch-black courtyard. “Yes, Love Grass. It grows high in the mountains, blooms in July, moves without wind, and its fragrance is strangely alluring. The person behind you is very knowledgeable in alchemy. They knew that when mixed with purple-edged perilla, it becomes the most potent aphrodisiac.”

Zhuyu finally broke down, collapsing to the ground and weeping uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please spare me this once! I truly won’t dare again.” Her eyes were unfocused, clearly in utter despair.

He Suosi had initially intended to grab her hair and display more demonic cruelty, ensuring she regretted her betrayal. But at this moment, he found himself unable to do it. He ceased his theatrics and merely finished what he had to say.

“It’s not over yet, is it? A flower cannot bloom for a hundred days. You even managed to obtain Venerable Luo Guanjing’s prized poison in the tea. The Immortal Monarch knows you have such a good relationship with him, right?”

Zhuyu crawled forward, embracing He Suosi’s leg. “I’m sorry, Mistress. I’m sorry. Your servant deserves death. Your servant was deluded. Your servant, your servant…” As she spoke, she remained dazed for a moment, then suddenly reacted and began to slap herself.

The blows were deliberate and heavy. In just a few moments, her face was already swollen. Coupled with her disheveled hair and the wounds on her arms, her state was truly wretched.

It must be said, this tactic had some effect on He Suosi. He finally felt a touch of compassion and reached out to stop her. “Another ploy?”

Unable to slap herself, Zhuyu began to kowtow, hitting her forehead against the stone until it was bloody and bruised. Before He Suosi could utter the rest of his words, she had already fainted.

He Suosi stared blankly.

Lan Jun cast an inquiring gaze at him.

He Suosi thought for a moment, then finally waved his hand. “Tie her up in the room, splash her with water to wake her, and continue with… uh, interrogation!”