After reading through the part of the Yun family dossier which pertained to her, Yun Ruoyan sat on the floor in silence, her circumstances and surroundings all but neglected. The dossier had verified her hypothesis regarding her identity, and it had explained quite a number of her strange experiences.

She wasn’t Yun Lan’s daughter, and no trace of Yun blood ran in her veins. This explained Yun Lan’s indifference to her and her achievements, and why she had been treated so poorly despite supposedly being the direct female heir to the house.

The grudges she had harbored toward Yun Lan dissipated like smoke in the wind. 

If I’m not his daughter, what obligation does he have toward me? None at all. 

Yun Ruoyan scoffed at herself, but she did remember being the object of Yun Lan’s affection at a young age. 

Was that just because I was my mother’s child, if nothing else? But once she passed, I’m sure that tenuous affection must have faded…

However, the confirmation that she possessed half a demonic dragon’s bloodline was still immensely shocking to her. After having been human for so many years, it was really quite hard for her to accept that she… wasn’t.

Besides, weren’t the demonic dragons members of the demon race? A thousand years ago, the demon race had been driven to extinction by the combined efforts of the silver dragons and humans. If she bore the demonic dragon bloodline, would she have to become enemies with humans and the silver dragon clan? To fight against, rather than with, her friends, family, and lovers?

“Mistress,” Qiuqiu’s voice rang out then, more somber than she had ever recalled it being. “No matter what, you’ll always be my mistress.”

“Thank you, Qiuqiu.” Yun Ruoyan smiled wanly. “Even if there’s no longer a place for me in this world, at least I know that you’ll be here with me.”

“Mistress, it’s not just me. Li Mo’s feelings toward you aren’t a lie, and I’m sure he would choose to be with you as well.”

“But isn’t he a member of the silver dragons? As a descendant of the demonic dragon clan, we were fated to be enemies from birth.” Yun Ruoyan buried her head between her knees, the complicated emotions warring amidst her heart more profound than she could express.

“Mistress, if you don’t reveal the secret behind your parentage, would anyone ever find out? Don’t worry about these things—you’re still you, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.” Yun Ruoyan blinked, her thoughts clearing up. “What do those demonic dragons have to do with me, anyway? Why do I have to go against the entire continent on their behalf?”

But the moment she thought these thoughts, a red light suddenly flashed through her mind. “As a descendant of the demonic dragons, if you dare resist your responsibility for the clan, you’ll be cursed by your ancestors’ wrathful spirits!”

That voice was tinged with such immense anger that Yun Ruoyan’s head felt as though it would explode with pain.

“

I

 am the master of my own destiny!” Yun Ruoyan cried out, even as she cradled her head. “Neither the demonic dragons nor the silver dragons, neither spirit or demon, human or beast—no one will ever dominate me again in this world!”

Her sudden outburst, the result of two lifetimes’ worth of oppression, sent the figment of demonic aura in her mind reeling.

“Mistress, what’s the matter?” Qiuqiu’s voice rang out once more. “Is that demonic eye doing something again?”

“Don’t worry, Qiuqiu, I suppressed it.” Yun Ruoyan wiped at the sweat beading on her forehead. “My life is mine alone to live. I won’t let anyone threaten me.”

“Mistress, no matter what you ultimately choose, I’ll still follow you,” Qiuqiu reaffirmed.

Yun Ruoyan closed the dossier and replaced it on the bookshelf.

“Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. Here’s the key to the archives.” After leaving the archives, Yun Ruoyan handed the ‘十’-shaped key to the Farsighted King.

“Compared to your saving my life, Miss Yun, this is nothing worth mentioning.” Li Sheng smiled as he took back the key. “However, I hope you’ll keep what you found, as well as the existence of the archives itself, a secret.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Yun Ruoyan replied immediately. Neither Li Mo nor the current emperor of the Li kingdom, Li Xiu, knew about the Farsighted King’s archives, and it was clear how important Li Sheng deemed it and to what extent he had attempted to keep it a secret.

Furthermore, despite how many secrets those archives contained, Li Sheng had handed her the key with only a simple request to not look at what was irrelevant to her. Even if she 

had 

saved Li Sheng’s life, surely she had to reciprocate his trust.

By the time she had finished with the archives, the sun was already high in the sky, and it seemed like it was almost noon. Li Sheng had already taken a bath, changed his clothes, and shaved. No trace of the prisoner could be seen on his person, neither his attire nor bearing.

No ordinary servant would have been able to tell the difference between this Li Sheng and the demon who had taken his place for a few years.

“Your Highness, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving with Physician Ceng now.” Yun Ruoyan glanced out the window.

Li Sheng coughed lightly, as though he were trying to restrain himself from saying something.

“Your Highness, is something the matter? Could there perhaps be some relationship between Physician Ceng and the snake demon?”

After all, Physician Ceng had been brought into the manor three years ago, near the time at which the snake demon had likewise been introduced to the manor. 

“No, not quite,” Li Sheng replied. “I only recruited Physician Ceng at the request of one of my concubines, who learned that he was particularly skilled at treating female ills. He has nothing to do with that odious snake demon.”

“In that case, Your Highness, is there some other problem?”

“It’s like this,” Li Sheng explained. “I was locked up by that snake demon for three years, and he’s culled quite a number of my loyal subjects during this period of time. Furthermore, he’s even gathered a veritable army of demons working under him to further my plans, so although I’ve recovered my identity, I don’t currently have anyone able to deal with these demons, and I don’t think I can handle them on my own. If you’re willing, Miss Yun, I’d be honored to have you stay and help me exterminate them.”

Li Sheng had been a seventh-rank blademaster before his confinement, but his physique and cultivation had both declined dramatically in captivity. Even if he were still in peak condition, the demons working in the city would be able to overwhelm him by sheer numbers alone.

Yun Ruoyan thought it over for a moment. “I apologize, Your Highness, but I have an urgent matter in the capital that I need to handle. If it’s alright with you, I can definitely come back after I’m done dealing with my affairs.”

“I should be able to delay for a few months by stating that I’m going into seclusion to prepare for a breakthrough. Miss Yun, I await your help.”

Yun Ruoyan and Li Sheng worked out a plan: he would claim to be in seclusion for two months, and she would finish her affairs and help him to exterminate the remaining demons in the city before those two months were up.

“However, I’ll have to deal with that heart-ripping demon preying on the innocent townsfolk immediately.”

Li Sheng told her that the demons working for “him” were mostly situated in the mansion right by his manor, and that particular demon was likely to be there as well. However, given how many demons were living in the mansion, it would be a dangerous task to try to assassinate that particular demon in broad daylight.

“I can summon a few subordinates over to help you,” Li Sheng suggested.

“No, that won’t do, Your Highness,” Yun Ruoyan immediately objected. “If you take part in this, it might cause some of the demons to suspect that something’s wrong. It’s best if I go at it alone.”

They discussed their plans all through the afternoon. By the time Yun Ruoyan was prepared for the mission, it was already nighttime. Yun Ruoyan glanced at the dark skies, the waning crescent moon hanging in the air, occasionally covered up by a few wispy clouds and plunging the land into darkness for moments at a time.

Dressed entirely in black, she waved to Li Sheng, who stood behind her, before jumping off the second-story window as though she were a swallow.

Because the Farsighted King’s guards were all subordinates of the snake demon, Yun Ruoyan couldn’t leave the Farsighted King’s manor directly. In the same way as she came, she snuck by the patrolling guards and scaled the northern wall, heading directly to the neighboring mansion.

Perhaps because of the darkness, the mansion that had seemed so benign during the day was now suppurated with demonic aura, so thick that Yun Ruoyan felt as though she might choke on it. She had originally planned on scaling the wall and jumping into the mansion directly, but the density of the demonic aura caused her to change her mind.

Instead, because the mansion wasn’t particularly big, Yun Ruoyan decided to walk around its outer boundary and try to find a region where the demonic aura was weaker. As she got close to the front gates of the manor, however, she suddenly saw three men walking out from it.

Yun Ruoyan hurriedly dashed for the shadows as she observed them from the distance—coincidentally, one of those three men was the target she was looking for.

“Brother Zhang, what’s the special occasion? Why are you taking us all out?” a chubby man was talking to him.

“I brought His Highness three maidens’ hearts today, and he allowed me to take quite a bit of money from the treasury. Of course I’d treat my friends and brothers, wouldn’t I?”

“In that case, I’ll thank you for your generosity in advance.” The other man walking by his side was dressed up like a scholar, but he spoke with as much a feminine affectation as the imprisoned snake demon.

“Brother Chang, you’re in rather high spirits today, aren’t you? Could it be that you’re actually going to frequent a brothel with us? You might be able to do it, of course, but would it even be enjoyable for you? Haha!” The fatty laughed at his own words.

The scholar simply scoffed, pursing his lips and holding his fan between his face and the fatty’s, disdaining even the thought of looking at him.

“I do know a good place,” her target finally spoke. “A new brothel just opened up on Hongliu Street, and it boasts both a repertoire of beautiful, skilled women and delicate young boys, just the thing for both of you. Well?”

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