Sheng Li looked as if victory was within her grasp, gazing down at Tao Lengshuang with a superior air. "If I were you, I'd be on my knees begging me. Your attempts at provocation are useless against me."
"A lowly creature like you wouldn't understand how much His Majesty wishes to be rid of your man. If I report this to His Majesty, I'll receive not only rewards but also wealth and status."
This was the first time Tao Lengshuang had seen Sheng Li acting normally. In the past, she had only encountered the arrogant, irritable, and abnormal Sheng Li. The normal Sheng Li now, she had to admit, had her wits about her.
"Do you think you'll be able to leave this place after discovering such a significant secret?"
Just as Sheng Li was about to retort that this was merely a dilapidated place and she could easily leave, she felt a chill on her neck.
Looking down, she saw a sharp, cold sword pressed against her throat, ready to slice it open at any moment.
In that instant, she dared not even tremble. She stood rigidly, afraid that the sword would sever her neck the next second.
"You… Tao Lengshuang, I am the only daughter of the Sheng family. If you dare treat me like this, my parents will not let you off." She threatened, her voice laced with feigned bravery.
Tao Lengshuang smiled sarcastically, gazing at her with a casual posture, her tone drawn out. "Oh dear, I'm so scared, so very scared. Please do let General and Madam Sheng come to settle the score with me, after you've become a ghost."
Hearing this, Sheng Li burst into tears, her nose running. She looked utterly pathetic, with no trace of her earlier arrogance and rudeness.
"No, no, no! Tao Lengshuang, you can't do this, you can't treat me like this."
She had not yet achieved her desires and could not die.
Tao Lengshuang let out a cold scoff, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Now that your life is in my hands, you still dare speak to me like this. Do you think I truly won't dare to kill you?"
As she spoke, a hidden guard nicked Sheng Li's skin with the sword, drawing a trickle of blood.
The pain made Sheng Li collapse to her knees with a thud, kowtowing desperately. "Spare me, please spare me. I'll never do it again. I promise I won't tell anyone about your man. Please let me go, I don't want to die."
Once she left this place, she would deal with Tao Lengshuang slowly. By then, she would make sure this lowly creature Tao Lengshuang would suffer a fate worse than death.
Sheng Li's eyes, unable to conceal her malice and scheming, were clearly seen by Tao Lengshuang, who understood the consequences of letting Sheng Li go so easily. "Have you perhaps forgotten the medicine I made you take last time?"
Sheng Li shivered, her body going weak as she collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. "You… what are the harmful effects of that medicine? What are the harmful effects?"
Her cries grew louder and sharper with each word. "Tell me, tell me!"
Since the medicine hadn't shown any effects, she had forgotten that Tao Lengshuang had forced her to take it.
Tao Lengshuang looked at her as if she were already dead, speaking slowly and deliberately. "This medicine will not make you feel any pain, nor will it cause you any discomfort. Its sole purpose is to make you progressively fatter and uglier throughout your life."
Combined with the medicine she had previously given Sheng Li, no one in this world, except herself, could detoxify Sheng Li.
One of the things Sheng Li cared about most was her appearance and figure. Upon hearing this, she collapsed in despair, covering her face. "No!! Tao Lengshuang, I won't tell anyone about your man. Please give me the antidote, please."
She couldn't become uglier or fatter. She had to regain her looks and figure.
Tao Lengshuang produced a packet of medicine and, as if bestowing a favor, tossed it in front of Sheng Li. "This medicine will temporarily prevent you from becoming fatter and uglier. You'll need to take it once a month."
"If you do anything you shouldn't, reveal Mo Lingxi's identity, or bring trouble and danger to us mother and son, then this medicine… will be gone, and you will become increasingly ugly."
She then pointed at Sheng Li's face. "Haven't you noticed yourself becoming uglier and fatter recently?"
Sheng Li truly hadn't. Ever since she developed a face full of pimples and gained weight, she had smashed all her mirrors, deceiving herself into believing she was still beautiful and slim.
Hearing Tao Lengshuang's words, she clutched her face even tighter, refusing to admit it. "Impossible, no, I'm not ugly!"
"I'm not ugly, I'm still beautiful, and my figure is still good…"
She repeated this incessantly, occasionally letting out a foolish laugh.
Tao Lengshuang felt no sympathy for Sheng Li, knowing full well that such a person would do anything for beauty and a good figure.
She let Sheng Li thrash about, sending another hidden guard to inform Mo Lingxi of Sheng Li's situation. Now that the mastermind had resorted to this tactic, it meant they would become even more unscrupulous.
After seeing the guard off, Tao Lengshuang narrowed her eyes, contemplating how to use Sheng Li to investigate the mastermind or lure them out.
As she was thinking, she was suddenly startled by a sharp scream, causing her brow to twitch.
"Sheng Li, why are you screaming in my house?" she snapped at Sheng Li impatiently.
Ignoring the sword at her neck, Sheng Li knelt and walked towards Tao Lengshuang, looking at her as if she were a savior. "You must have a way to help me regain my looks and figure, right?"
In her past life, Tao Lengshuang had encountered countless men and women like Sheng Li and knew that such people would do anything for beauty and a good figure.
"Perhaps I do have a way, and I could even make you more beautiful than before. But why should I help you?"
Sheng Li's eyes were filled with madness, her voice slightly high and agitated. "Help me, help me, please help me. As long as you are willing to help me, I am willing to do anything for you."
Tao Lengshuang looked at her coldly. "Do you think you can do more than my hidden guards? Furthermore, you are a selfish, malicious person. I would never trust you."
Sheng Li shook her head vigorously, clasping her hands in supplication. "Please believe me this time, please believe me. As long as you help me regain my looks and status, I will truly do anything for you."
Tao Lengshuang's lips curved upwards, a peculiar glint flashing in her cold, beautiful eyes. "How about this: if you can find out who A Jin's master is, or clarify why he is helping you, I will help you restore your figure."
"If you can capture A Jin's master, I will help you regain your looks and figure."
Sheng Li readily agreed, promising to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, but asked Tao Lengshuang to help her regain her looks and figure first.
Tao Lengshuang, not being foolish, had no intention of helping Sheng Li first. She handed her another packet of medicine. "This medicine will slightly improve the pimples on your face. You'll need one packet every half a month."
"When you have accomplished this task, then I will help you regain your looks and figure."