Linlang’s body stiffened, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
Su Yunmo narrowed her own gaze.
Lin Yuning looked up, her expression one of confident victory. “Su Yunmo, until the very last moment, no one knows the outcome. The one who laughs last is the winner.”
She closed the carriage curtain and coldly commanded, ‘Return to the manor.’
The coachman turned the carriage around, passing Su Yunmo’s carriage.
Watching them drive away, Su Yunmo frowned. “Linlang, has anything happened in the Southern Border recently?”
Lin Yuning’s words didn’t seem like baseless speculation. Su Yunmo had a feeling she had received some important news.
Linlang lowered her head. “Reporting to Master, your subordinate knows nothing.”
Su Yunmo pursed her lips. “Do you not know, or do you not want to tell me?”
Linlang’s expression changed drastically. She immediately jumped down from the carriage and knelt on one knee, raising three fingers. “Your subordinate swears that she has never done anything detrimental to Master. I implore Master to see the truth.”
A crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle.
Su Yunmo said with some helplessness, “I didn’t say you did anything wrong by me.”
Linlang’s loyalty was beyond doubt. Su Yunmo didn’t suspect her of betrayal; she merely thought she might have unspoken difficulties.
“Never mind, never mind. I was just asking casually. You don’t need to take it to heart. If there’s nothing, then there’s nothing. Let’s return to the manor first. We shouldn’t be seen here by others.”
“Yes.” Linlang breathed a sigh of relief, got back into the carriage, and continued driving.
The carriage returned to the General’s manor.
After arriving, Su Yunmo ate a little something and then buried herself in her medicinal prescriptions, continuing her research from last time.
Linlang guarded the door. Seeing Su Yunmo engrossed in refining medicine and not calling for her for a long time, she sent other maids from the courtyard to watch and then left the General’s manor.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuning had already returned to the Prince Lian’s manor.
She dismissed all the servants and sat alone in her room, sulking.
“Su Yunmo, last time’s matter is not over. After some more time, I will return all the grievances I have suffered!”
The door opened from the outside.
Lin Yuning, with her back to the door, didn’t turn around. She snatched a teacup from the table and hurled it. “Didn’t I say I wanted to rest? No one is allowed in!”
“Your Highness, rest assured, no one can get in.”
The familiar voice made Lin Yuning freeze. She quickly turned around, her eyes wide with shock. “How is it you? How did you get into the manor?”
Linlang closed the door with a flick of her wrist. “I was previously taken care of by Your Highness and stayed in the manor for so long. If I didn’t even have the skill to enter the manor, wouldn’t that mean I was wrongly valued by Your Highness?”
Lin Yuning knocked over the teapot in front of her and stood up, backing away in panic. “Guards, quickly, guards!”
There was no response from outside.
Linlang walked into the inner room. “No one will come. Your Highness knows my abilities very well. There’s no need for me to say more.”
Lin Yuning’s face turned ashen. “What do you want? I warn you, this is Prince Lian’s manor. If you lay a hand on me, you will lose your life too.”
Linlang stood two steps away, looking at her coldly. “Originally, according to what you did to Master before, I should have killed you now. But since Master has not given the order, I can spare your life for now.”
She extended her hand towards Lin Yuning. “However, the things I entrusted to you before, Your Highness should return them, shouldn’t you?”
Lin Yuning was momentarily stunned. “What things?”
A sharp glint flashed in Linlang’s eyes, and with a flick of her wrist.
*Crack!*
The porcelain on the table shattered.
A shard of porcelain cut Lin Yuning’s arm.
“Ah!” she cried out, clutching her arm and shouting, “I’ll return it to you! I’ll return it to you right now!”
Linlang said coldly, “You’d better be quick. I don’t have much time.”
Lin Yuning took out a string of beads from under the bed and threw them over. “I’ve returned it to you. Hurry and leave!”
Linlang caught the beads with a raise of her hand and remained standing in place. “There’s one more thing. What did you mean by ‘nightmare’ before?”
Lin Yuning shook her head and retreated. “I don’t know.”
Linlang narrowed her eyes and slightly tilted her wrist. The short knife in her hand flashed with a cold light.
Lin Yuning instinctively clutched her stomach, her face a mask of panic. “I really don’t know. My father said it. He said he knew long ago that you would come to pick up Su Yunmo, and that the road to the Southern Border was also nearing its end. I don’t know anything else.”
A look of gravity crossed Linlang’s eyes.
“Ah!” A maid’s startled cry came from outside.
Hearing the sound, Lin Yuning also started shouting, “Guards! Quickly, guards, someone has broken into the manor!”
Footsteps soon echoed from outside the courtyard.
Linlang retracted her short knife and jumped out the window.
By the time the servants arrived, Linlang had already been far from the manor.
Lin Yuning, terrified, collapsed onto the bed, clutching her stomach in lingering fear. She gritted her teeth and angrily declared, “All the maids and servants who were close to Linlang in the manor before, sell them off! Not a single one is to be kept!”
Damn Su Yunmo, damn Southern Border people, you all wait for me!
When Linlang returned to the manor with the string of beads, Su Yunmo was still in the alchemy room and hadn’t come out.
A young maid stood by the door, looking somewhat worried.
Linlang walked over. “Did Master call for me?”
The maid shook her head. “Miss hasn’t called for anyone, but she seems to be in a bad mood. She knocked something over once and has been sighing.”
“You can go down now.” Linlang dismissed the maid and gently knocked on the door. “Little Master? It’s very late. Please rest and eat something.”
“I’m not eating. Don’t bother me.” A muffled voice came from inside.
Linlang sighed and pushed the door open.
The little dumpling was lying on her back on the floor, surrounded by scattered herbs. The alchemy furnace was still lit, and she was covered in soot, her face smudged with black and white.
“The floor is cold. Why are you lying on the ground?” Linlang quickly went forward and lifted her from the floor.
The little dumpling, like a cat, was picked up softly, her limbs dangling listlessly.
Linlang placed her on a chair and knelt on one knee before her. “Little Master is still troubled by the matter of the Rebirth Flower?”
Su Yunmo glanced at her and let out a long sigh.
As expected, the medicinal ingredient was not so easily replaced.
Linlang took out the string of beads from her embrace and handed it over. “Look, this is what your subordinate brought from the Southern Border. Every person in the Posuo tribe wears one, as a symbol of identity.”
“Furthermore, only those who are assigned a mission and are qualified to serve by Master’s side are allowed to carry this.”
“Although your subordinate cannot cultivate the Rebirth Flower, these beads are polished from Rebirth Flower seeds. Master, do you think this can be of any help?”
Su Yunmo’s eyes snapped open. “Rebirth Flower seeds?!”
She took the string of beads and quickly used a small knife to scrape some powder from it, placing it into a small porcelain bottle.
There was medicinal liquid in the small porcelain bottle.
She shook it, then poured it out. The blue liquid inside gradually turned transparent.
“It’s this!” Su Yunmo patted Linlang’s shoulder heavily.
“Well done. Go and tell the kitchen that I will eat here tonight. Also, I have something important to do tonight, and no one is to disturb me!”