Preparations

Yunxi smiled faintly without denying it. That had indeed been her plan, but she had not expected the Ice Soul Cicadas Bing Li cultivated to be so unique, leaving her no choice but to settle for the next best thing. Still, she was confident she could persuade Bing Li to agree.

Bing Li stared at Yunxi for quite a while before she finally said,

"Your Excellency, you intend to use Sheng Xia to keep the Su brothers in check, then plant an Ice Soul Cicada inside her body. It would be like driving a nail into the Su family—if the Su brothers ever planned anything detrimental to you, you would receive the news firsthand."

Yunxi stroked Lili's head and corrected her,

"It would not be me receiving the news firsthand, but you. So? Are you willing to give it a try?"

Bing Li called herself Know-It-All, so naturally she hoped for more sources of information. Yet she had her own concerns as well. Rubbing her hands together, she said,

"To join forces with Your Excellency is something I could only wish for. But the Su brothers are no pushovers. If they discover that something has been done to Sheng Xia, I fear..."

Yunxi understood what she had left unsaid and explained unhurriedly,

"There is indeed a risk in doing this, but the risk does not lie with you or me. It lies with the last trace of Sheng Xia's divine soul. The reason the Su brothers came begging this Venerable One so humbly is because they understand that if Sheng Xia is sealed away again, they will not be able to preserve that final wisp of her divine soul.

"And I have become Sheng Xia's last lifeline. Aside from wanting to take my mother away from the Su family, I