Meanwhile, Miji and Mirin—two young maidens working under concubine Yulan's authority—were locked in a fervent debate.
They had been tasked with a monumental job—feeding Yang Yaohu and Shu Nian'er aphrodisiacs, and throwing them together in a room. Yes, they had done a phenomenal job and they were 100% certain of success.
Yet, news was that Shu Nian'er had been found clearly innocent.
How could they catch her in the middle of the act when there was no act to begin with?
Yet, that could not be further from the truth.
They had fed that Yang Yaohu kid a powerful aphrodisiac. Shu Nian'er was fed something even more powerful. What had happened, then?
"What do you think actually happened? Is he dead? Did he escape? I at least hope he is dead!"
"Damn you Mijin," Mirin gritted her teeth. "Yang Yaohu cannot die, he is the son of a Duchess. Our plan was never to kill him, but to incite hostility between the emperor and the Duchess—Miss Yulan must be pissed."
"We need to find him!"
"That bitch Shu Nian'er, what did she do!"
Upon sobering from their initial bout of hysteria, the two maids inferred that Yaohu had just not died. If he had died, his mother would have already done something drastic. People at the Duchess' level could easily notice if a close relative died, after all. Even if she were thousands of miles away.
"What should we do…" Mijin asked with worry. "We need to do something. Do you think Miss Yulan would protect us if Concubine Yulan fights back?"
Mirin bit her nails. "Knowing Miss Yulan, she won't even look at us. She will just dispose of us—we are nothing but pawns."
That was indeed the core issue.
The concubine they served was infamous for her cruelty. To provoke her wrath was no different than courting death.
"There is only one thing left to do..."
"Find him, get him to Miss Yulan before things could get worse! Understand what is going on and smooth things over!"
At the fifth rank of the Intermediate Warrior Realm, Mijin—the slow beauty—and Mirin—the clever beauty—were not just beautiful vases with silky white hair. They could snap an average tree in one punch.
Thus, they never thought they could have any issue in silently dealing with a low-ranked mortal like Yang Yaohu.
If they could find some treasures, memory manipulation was not impossible.
It would make his thinking essentially drop by at least 50 points in IQ.
How could he act against them then?
And with him on their side, how could they not prove Shu Nian'er guilty?
And it was okay if they manipulated and destroyed his memory.
Honestly, with a boy like him—someone even his mother barely understood—who would notice?
Maybe not even him.
Simultaneously, they dashed toward the vast courtyards at a speed of nearly a hundred meters per second. They had to be involved in the search themselves—the people already on the search team were far too incompetent.
...
With all that had happened lately—being killed, bedding a president's wife, meeting a God, reincarnation, and escaping a scheme—Yaohu was just starting to feel awake.
The sleep with Nian'er in his arms had done good.
Yet, he did not get the chance to enjoy his peace.
As he walked down the corridor, face covered and senses sharp, something in him—an instinct sharpened by years of sneaking into people's homes—made him stop.
"Hm, something is amiss."
[What is?]
Yaohu's blue eyes darted to the side and he dodged a pin at the very last moment.
It flashed past his eyes like a bullet.
A needle?
[Oh no!]
Fwoosh!
Another needle.
Bad angle, I can't dodge—I am done for if there is poison in it…
Thinking that, he jumped on instinct, and to his surprise—he jumped high enough to dodge the needle easily.
Damn, I can jump this high?
Not the time to think about that.
No hesitation.
Yaohu blasted in through a window and sprinted in the first direction he saw, away from the many watchful eyes that may be close, moving at about eighty to ninety meters per second.
From their smell and weapons, they are definitely women.
But…
"What is the enemy's cultivation level?"
[Fifth Rank Intermediate Warriors. More than one enemy.]
Damn.
No need to worry, though.
If they were men, Yaohu might've shouted and drawn a crowd.
But women?
Kek.
"You might not know it, but every assassination attempt a woman has tried has ended up as a love confession to me!"
At the Intermediate Rank, warriors could move at nearly a hundred meters per second and had arm strength pushing five hundred kilograms.
Naturally, the higher the rank, the higher those numbers climbed.
Yaohu had just broken into the first rank of Intermediate Warrior. Compared to the two women chasing him, he was slower. Much slower.
They were already close to that hundred-meter-per-second mark.
It wouldn't take long for them to catch up.
"Tch. We've been played. The duchess's son is clearly Intermediate Rank. No wonder things went wrong—the aphrodisiac shouldn't have worked!"
"Doesn't matter. Once we wipe his memories, he's just another puppet."
The gap closed fast.
Yaohu was pushing himself, but they were gaining with every step.
Then, just as they got within arm's reach—he stopped.
Spun.
Slipped between them, past them, and moved backwards.
Yet, he did not keep running.
Instead, he unleashed the full power of his bloodline.
The air thickened.
A sharp, dark pressure rolled off his body—heavy, malicious.
His control had grown along with his cultivation.
And with it, his bloodline abilities had sharpened into real weapons.
Against women of the same realm, if their ranks weren't too far ahead, he could fight them—maybe even win.
Something invisible exploded outward from his body. It was soft, seductive, beautiful.
It hit both Mirin and Mijin like a wave.
They froze. Eyes wide.
The confidence they'd carried flickered.
Then it happened—
A seductive heat flushed through them. Unfamiliar. Unwanted. Dangerous.
Titilating.
Their cheeks turned a soft red, their steps faltering.