Those who commit crimes rarely confess honestly, but the Hudaosi isn’t known for kindness.
Whether you admit guilt or not, their first step is always to arrest you.
When Hua Jian awoke in the middle of the night, Second Lord Chai of the Chai Clan had already spilled everything in the Hudaosi’s prison.
You want to learn the Great Memory Restoration Technique of the Hudaosi? Once you do, no one can keep silent after that.
Of course, Hua Jian didn’t know any of this at first.
It wasn’t until the next morning that she learned the whole story from Linglong.
The incident was actually very simple.
Second Lord Chai, to make his restaurant more prosperous and gain more returning customers, had some northern spices added to the dishes served in his restaurant.
These spices tasted exquisite and were quite addictive, which was the real reason why his restaurant was thriving.
After eating his food, every other place seemed bland by comparison.
With his restaurant booming, Second Lord Chai secured his footing in the Chai Clan, gathering loyal subordinates.
On the very day the Chai Clan Leader died unexpectedly, Second Lord Chai became one of the strongest contenders for the position.
But perhaps due to his many misdeeds catching up with him, at this most crucial stage in the struggle for clan leadership, his restaurant welcomed a rather special guest.
After eating there, this guest’s entire demeanor changed.
What’s more, the peculiar fragrance emanating from this guest sent the whole restaurant into a frenzy, ultimately exposing Second Lord Chai’s schemes.
Now, whether he can ever walk out of the Hudaosi’s prison is uncertain, let alone competing for the clan leader’s seat.
“So that’s why that stuff tasted so good—it was laced with drugs?” Hua Jian sucked in a sharp breath after Linglong’s explanation.
She’d seen news like this in her previous life: heartless restaurant owners adding Molike Shell to their food.
Never had she imagined she’d become a victim herself in this life.
This was a renowned restaurant in Tianbei City! And it was owned by someone from the Chai Clan!
Wow, there’s just no way to guard against this.
“Even I fell for it. How come you’re fine?”
“I have a strong resistance to these things. It would be strange if I got affected.”
Linglong pointed to her own eyes, reminding Hua Jian that she wasn’t exactly human.
The Dragon Race has a high resistance to such abnormal states.
Besides, she hadn’t eaten much, and at the time, Hua Jian hadn’t released anything more dangerous, so enduring it wasn’t a big deal.
Just as the two were talking, the Lingcaifeng Master—who had disappeared for a whole day—walked in from outside.
Clearly aware of yesterday’s events, she entered holding a bag of pitch-black, aromatic spices—the very ones that had sent Hua Jian into Zhizui State.
“Hua Jian, come with me for a moment.” The Lingcaifeng Master beckoned to Hua Jian.
“Ah? Okay.”
Following the Lingcaifeng Master outside the room, Hua Jian saw Fenghua Venerable standing there as well.
It seemed something important was about to happen.
Soon enough, she realized what it was.
The Lingcaifeng Master wanted to test the reaction between these spices and Hua Jian, and determine just how much Hua Jian could ingest before entering Zhizui State.
You could call it a limit test, so Hua Jian would have an idea how to estimate her limits in the future, and not end up clueless after getting dosed.
While Hua Jian was doing the experiment, things were getting lively on the other side of Tianbei City.
Two girls from Wanhuagu were at their wits’ end with the sudden turn of events.
Second Lord Chai’s abrupt downfall had completely ruined their original plans.
Originally, with the pressure from Second Lord Chai, the current Chai Clan Eldest Young Master would have been under enormous strain, making it highly likely he’d accept Wanhuagu’s cooperation proposal and join hands to take down Second Lord Chai.
But now, even before they could act, Second Lord Chai had already fallen. All the Blacklist Material they’d collected was now useless.
“Senior Sister, what should we do now? Without a competitor, the Chai Clan Eldest Young Master will take the seat with ease!”
Huan Rui wailed, clutching the now-worthless Blacklist Material.
She’d spent so much effort organizing this Blacklist Material, and now it was all for nothing!
Huaxinyuan leaned back in her chair, tapping her forehead absentmindedly.
The current situation was far beyond her expectations.
In these circumstances, the Eldest Young Master might not obediently cooperate.
Here in Tianbei City, she couldn’t use overly extreme methods; the Hudaosi was present, and being too reckless would only get them arrested.
“That person won’t do. We need to find a new candidate for the clan leader’s seat—someone easy to control. But who?”
Names of various eligible candidates flashed through Huaxinyuan’s mind, but she dismissed them one by one.
Some lacked qualifications, others had the wrong temperament—none were suitable for manipulation.
Then, a certain name popped into her mind, and her eyes brightened. If it was her, all parties would accept it!
That nearly invisible Chai Clan young lady, a friend on good terms with Hua Jian and Linglong—Chai Xianyun!
She had no foundation in the Chai Clan. Raising her up would be a task Wanhuagu would gladly accept.
Moreover, with her friendship with Hua Jian, she could make herself known among the righteous factions—a perfect choice!
Yes, it was decided!
“Huan Rui, organize the Blacklist Material and deliver it to Hua Jian later,” Huaxinyuan instructed, her mind made up.
She knew more than Huan Rui did and was well aware of which side Hua Jian was on.
Giving the Blacklist Material to Hua Jian was tantamount to handing it over to the righteous.
And since Chai Xianyun was so inconspicuous, there was virtually no dirt on her.
Compared to other candidates, she was astonishingly clean.
Though she’d never received any training to be clan leader, that’s what Wanhuagu’s outside support was for.
Wanhuagu would definitely help her manage the Chai Clan flawlessly!
“Just tell her this when the time comes…”
“Mm-hm… Eh?!” Huan Rui suddenly realized something wasn’t right as she listened. What Huaxinyuan was saying didn’t sound entirely proper.
“Senior Sister, why does it feel like you’re…”
Huan Rui looked at Huaxinyuan in confusion. Weren’t they fellow disciples? Why use this kind of bait to lure Hua Jian?
Seeing the confusion on Huan Rui’s face, Huaxinyuan gave her a sharp chop to the head.
“Remember, Wanhuagu counts as part of the Magic Path. Among the Magic Path, benefits come first. Don’t assume just because someone’s a fellow disciple, they’ll help us unconditionally.”
“If you want her help, you have to give her something. That’s true for her, and it’ll be true for everyone else you meet in the future.”
……
“Linglong, help steady Hua Jian. She might collapse at any moment.”
Linglong hurried forward to support the swaying Hua Jian.
Smelling that rich Flower Fragrance again, she knew Hua Jian must’ve entered a state similar to intoxication.
However, this time, Hua Jian had been forewarned.
She managed not to embarrass herself, barely staying upright and keeping her gaze clear.
She could still describe her feelings in fairly coherent sentences.
In her own words, it felt like she’d drunk a lot of alcohol—her head fuzzy, her thoughts spilling out unfiltered.
Other than that, there didn’t seem to be any effects.
“Now, try sparring with Linglong,” said the Lingcaifeng Master as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Wait! How come you’re ordering my Linglong around? Is she your disciple from Wanling Sect?”
Fenghua Venerable instinctively protested.
It was one thing to order Hua Jian—after all, she wasn’t a Yaochi disciple yet—but Linglong was different.
Linglong was the bona fide Saintess of Yaochi. The Lingcaifeng Master’s attitude really made no sense.
“So what do you propose? Should we go ourselves? Or just grab someone from Hudaosi at random?”
The Lingcaifeng Master snorted and countered Fenghua Venerable.
Honestly, who here would object? Other than you, you little worrywart, everyone else is happy with this arrangement.
Would Linglong object to helping Hua Jian? Would Hua Jian object to sparring with Linglong?
Of course not. Their strengths were quite close; it’d be good for both of them. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
“Can… can we use any technique?” Hua Jian’s cheeks flushed, a hint of excitement in her voice.
In this state, all her usual caution was gone, replaced by pure daring.
Even fighting Linglong, she didn’t feel a bit afraid.
“Illusory Dream Flower—”
Just as the Lingcaifeng Master was about to ban Hua Jian’s strongest move, Fenghua Venerable interjected.
“No restrictions—use your full strength and all your abilities.”
The Lingcaifeng Master looked at Fenghua Venerable in surprise, not understanding why she’d make such a decision.
Even with Linglong’s Dragon Race blood, she couldn’t withstand the Illusory Dream Flower’s power.
Wasn’t this sending Linglong to her doom?
“Linglong, I’ll report the result of this match truthfully to the Sect Leader. If your performance isn’t satisfactory, don’t blame me for not putting in a good word,”
Fenghua Venerable ignored the Lingcaifeng Master and spoke to Linglong instead.
Linglong nodded earnestly. Only then did Fenghua Venerable glance at the Lingcaifeng Master, her eyes filled with disdain.
‘When it comes to fighting, you’re an amateur!’
The technically skilled Lingcaifeng Master rolled her eyes but made no further objection to Fenghua Venerable’s decision.