“Ling? Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to stay in the Purple Ethereal Palace and just clean my room regularly?”
Yun Fei jumped from Aunt Qing’s head onto the platform and met the eyes of the little maid, who was bowing her head and clutching her hands tightly.
Yun Fei’s gaze was as sharp as a blade.
“I… I… the Sovereign told me to come. She told me to assist you in your mission… Your Highness, please rest assured, I won’t hold you back! I promise to complete whatever you ask of me with all my heart and soul!”
As she spoke, Ling seemed to gather her courage and lifted her head.
Her pitch-black eyes were filled with determination.
Tsk… what on earth is Mother doing?
She clearly knows this girl is untrustworthy, yet she sent her here… isn’t this just making things harder for me?
“Sigh~ Fine, fine. Since it was her command, I won’t say anything more… However, take this and eat it right now in front of me.”
Sometimes, Yun Fei truly admired her biological mother for her repeated attempts to hinder her actions.
Her mother called it “training,” but in Yun Fei’s eyes, she was simply nitpicking and trying to make her life difficult.
“Th-this is…”
Ling took the pitch-black pill Yun Fei handed her and swallowed hard, looking up to observe Yun Fei cautiously.
“This is the Mind Puppet Pill. You should understand what I mean by now.”
Yun Fei revealed the name of the pill openly. She was satisfied to see Ling’s face turn pale and then flush as she heard it.
“Heh… I can feel fluctuations of Spiritual Power on you. Although they are very weak, my constitution is unique. Such a slight difference cannot escape my nose. I don’t care if you’re a spy sent from the Profane Realm; since you’ve become my maid, you must be loyal. Do you understand?”
Yun Fei chuckled softly.
As she stared at Ling, Purple Phantom Fire flickered in her eyes, both beautiful and mesmerizing.
“I… I understand! I promise! I have nothing to do with the Profane Realm! I am loyal to Your Highness!”
Ling grit her teeth and, without any further hesitation, swallowed the pill in one gulp.
Yun Fei watched the scene in a daze, her hand twitching as if she wanted to stop her, but she ultimately lowered it.
Her original intention was only to scare her before taking the pill back.
However, this girl seemed quite stubborn.
This was a Mind Puppet Pill, yet she just ate it like that!
As the name suggested, the Mind Puppet Pill allowed the one who refined it to exert mental control over the user, turning them into something like a puppet.
Consuming it meant that one’s life might no longer be under their own control.
And the person who had refined this pill was none other than Yun Fei herself.
Whatever.
I’ll just treat it as surveillance; consider it a final layer of insurance.
Yun Fei sighed softly.
“Go and rest. Remember what you said. If you betray me… I already have information on your mother. You should know what I will do.”
Ling’s eyes widened upon hearing this, and her legs began to tremble slightly.
“Your Highness… I know I can’t escape it… if I confess everything now… will you spare her life?”
Yun Fei paused in her tracks as she was leaving, looking at the young girl with interest.
“Oh? Interesting… In all these years, this is the first time I’ve encountered someone who confesses so quickly. Speak, then. I’m listening.”
Yun Fei led Ling to a corner, where Ling knelt on both knees and explained the whole situation.
“Two years ago, I was gathering herbs at the Southern Border to make a living, but I unexpectedly encountered Void Monsters. At that critical moment between life and death, a man from the Profane Realm saved me. While I was injured, he went to great lengths to care for me, which made me develop feelings for him. I gathered the courage to confess to him, but he said that since the Profane and Demon Realms had been at war for many years, a relationship between us would be criticized by others. Just as I was feeling regretful, he told me that if I could infiltrate the Royal Palace and provide him with intelligence, he would be willing to ignore the world’s criticism and accept my confession. So…”
“Heh…”
Hearing such an answer, Yun Fei couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
In the end, it was just a budding girl’s heart leading an innocent and pure maiden astray~
“Magic Mirror, was she lying?”
Although Yun Fei’s years of experience told her, based on Ling’s expression, that she was likely telling the truth, she still consulted the Magic Mirror she had specifically brought along.
As a side note, since she didn’t know how long it would take before she could return from the Profane Realm, Yun Fei had brought along all the rare treasures she had saved up over the years.
She called it “necessary for self-defense”~
“Ohoho~ My dear Young Master~ According to my rigorous judgment, your maid did not lie~ Tsk, tsk, tsk.
However, in all my thousands of years, I’ve never seen such a romance-addled mind who is willing to sell out her own home and country for the sake of unrequited love~ Ohoho~”
Hearing the Magic Mirror’s words, Ling lowered her head in shame, even though she wasn’t sure what kind of entity it was.
“Magic Mirror… your mouth really is a bit too much. I’ll have to find some time to carve and fix that mouth of yours.”
Yun Fei couldn’t help but palm her forehead.
Although the Magic Mirror saw through everything and spoke her mind, it still created a bad atmosphere.
This girl who was momentarily blinded by a romance-addled mind might not necessarily deserve to be burned at the stake of psychological torment.
After all, she had only just entered the Royal Palace and hadn’t been able to access any valuable intelligence yet.
Her actions were still in the attempted stage.
“Your Highness, you mentioned that you detected the aura of Spiritual Power on me… it should be because of this.”
Seeing that Yun Fei didn’t seem intended to lash out, Ling gathered her courage.
Hoping to make up for her mistakes, she took a small buckle accessory from her bosom.
There was indeed a slight fluctuation of Spiritual Power on the accessory.
“This is what that man gave me. He said that if I kept this on me, scouts would periodically find me by following its location to exchange information.”
“Oh? Let me see.”
Yun Fei took the buckle from Ling and examined it for a moment.
“Spiritual Power Locator? The craftsmanship is quite exquisite, and the concealment is decent. But unfortunately, you ran into me. Under my watch, such small tricks cannot hide from my Fiery Eyes. Take it and keep it safe.”
“Huh? Your Highness… why are you giving it back to me?”
Ling hurriedly caught it and asked Yun Fei with a confused look.
“Why? Your brain really has been turned to mush by your fantasies of happiness. Don’t you even understand this? If someone finds you using this thing later on, I will know immediately through the feedback from the Mind Puppet Pill. Then I can follow the trail and find them. During this time, don’t let the cat out of the bag. If you leak any secrets to them, whether intentionally or accidentally, your end won’t be pleasant, you know~” The corners of Yun Fei’s mouth curled upward as she leaned in and whispered into Ling’s ear.
Her bone-chilling tone made Ling’s body tremble slightly.
“Keep that in mind~” With that, Yun Fei strode away, leaving Ling sitting on the floor in a daze.
“Has Your Highness resolved the matter?”
When Yun Fei returned, she sat back down on Aunt Qing’s head and closed her eyes cross-legged.
“Of course. It was just some little fleas from the Profane Realm. They’ve got some nerve trying to scheme inside the Royal Palace; I’m not going to indulge them.”
Yun Fei snorted softly, completely unconcerned.