Leaving Behind a Chess Piece

"Did you come here seeking a way to undo the Blood Immortal Curse?" Rather than answer her, Jiang Lan questioned her in return.

Blood-red mist curled around him, concealing his face. Though his expression was supremely calm, there was little color in his features, as if he had already reached the limit of what he could force himself to endure.

In the original plot, Song Youwei was not only exceptionally gifted and powerful, but also cunning as a demon. She was one of the Protagonist Lin Fan's beautiful confidantes, serving as something akin to his strategist.

Later, when the Protagonist Lin Fan cleansed the world and destroyed the Blood Immortal Sect, Song Youwei provided him with tremendous help, thoroughly washing away the earlier persona of a demonic woman who bewitched people's hearts.

If his strength had permitted it now, Jiang Lan naturally would not have let her off so easily.

Song Youwei froze. The Blood Immortal Curse was known only to the higher-ups of the Blood Immortal Sect. Ordinary disciples and sect members were not qualified to come into contact with it.

Yet this incomparably mysterious young man before her knew even that.

Suddenly, her beautiful eyes widened, and her lashes trembled softly. She seemed to have guessed something... No wonder he had appeared in this underground palace.

"It seems nothing can be hidden from you, Young Master."

"To escape the Blood Immortal Sect's control, the only way is to find a method to undo the Blood Immortal Curse. And this place should be a former site of the Blood Immortal Sect..." Song Youwei said softly.

"I can help you undo the Blood Immortal Curse, and I can spare your lives." Jiang Lan's expression was indifferent as he interrupted her.

Song Youwei looked at him in astonishment, only to see that a small white porcelain bottle had appeared in Jiang Lan's hand.

"Eat it," Jiang Lan said.

"What is this?" Song Youwei's gaze fell upon it, her voice trembling faintly.

"The Heart Devouring Pill. Its effects are similar to the Blood Immortal Curse, but unlike the curse, only I possess its antidote. If you do not take the antidote within three months, you will die with ten thousand ants devouring your heart," Jiang Lan said calmly.

Song Youwei fell silent for a moment, then raised her clear yet seductive eyes and asked, "Then why should I eat it? Even if the Blood Immortal Curse is undone, I will still be controlled by someone else. Why not simply continue suffering the erosion and torment of the Blood Immortal Curse..."

"Do you have a choice now?"

Jiang Lan smiled faintly, though there was little emotional fluctuation in the depths of his eyes. "I do not like wasting time. I will give you only three breaths to consider it. With every breath that passes, I will kill one person behind you..."

Song Youwei's expression changed, her clear, lovely eyes filled with anger.

A flush of blood rose along her fair, slender neck, beautiful as a white swan's, dyeing it with streaks of crimson cloud-like color.

"Miss, you absolutely must not agree to him..."

The girl behind her, her hair styled in a maidservant's bun, spoke with a trembling voice.

"Three..."

Jiang Lan's gaze swept over and landed on the girl.

Song Youwei immediately sensed blood-colored mist beginning to weave through the void. Her expression changed once more. Clenching her silver teeth, she forcibly suppressed the countless unwillingness in her heart and said, "I... agree."

If the Blood Immortal Curse had not acted up and caused problems with her body, leaving her strength far from its peak, how could she have been so passive, so coerced by another...

She had clearly been the vicious demonic woman in the eyes of the world, someone people avoided like snakes and scorpions. Yet who could have imagined that she would fall to the point of being threatened and manipulated by someone else today?

"Those who know what is good for them always live a little longer."

Jiang Lan casually tossed the white porcelain bottle to her.

Song Youwei opened the stopper and immediately caught a rich, fragrant scent. It seemed to ease her injuries slightly throughout her entire body.

She was even somewhat stunned, almost suspecting that this was not the so-called Heart Devouring Pill at all.

But when she saw Jiang Lan's casual, indifferent expression, her heart tightened again.

Naturally, she could not possibly believe that Jiang Lan would be so kind as to let her go easily. After all, she had indeed thought of shifting disaster onto him after sensing his aura earlier...

Then Song Youwei braced herself and swallowed the pill inside. Yet she felt nothing strange. Instead, an indescribable comfort spread through her, and even her injuries seemed to have improved considerably.

It even resembled the healing pill she had taken before, the Pure Spirit Pill.

But the more it was like this, the more uneasy Song Youwei became.

"Rest assured, no one will be able to detect anything unusual. Not even the higher-ups of the Blood Immortal Sect will know that you have taken the Heart Devouring Pill. Before it acts up, you may even treat it as a healing Pure Spirit Pill."

Jiang Lan seemed to know what she was thinking, his tone exceedingly casual. "And I will not undo the Blood Immortal Curse for you right now..."

Naturally, he did not possess any Heart Devouring Pills, nor could he currently undo the Blood Immortal Curse on Song Youwei.

But that did not stop him from intimidating her. The smarter a person was, the more cautious and suspicious they naturally became.

"You..."

Anger surfaced in Song Youwei's beautiful eyes. She secretly ground her silver teeth, while her exquisite, curvaceous body trembled in waves.

She had not expected Jiang Lan to be so shameless, to go back on his word.

Jiang Lan glanced at her, then said with seeming interest, "Do not rush to be angry. I will naturally fulfill what I promised you. Your master should be Blood Fiend Granny, correct? It should not be difficult for you to ask her for more antidotes to the Blood Immortal Curse."

"In the end, whom can the antidotes you save each time actually rescue?"

Song Youwei's expression changed. Fear appeared in her eyes as she asked in a trembling voice, "Who exactly are you?"

Why did Jiang Lan even know her master?

"You may regard me as the benefactor who spared your life, or as the person who will bring you good fortune." Jiang Lan continued looking at her with interest. "Because I can also help you... kill your master."

"Kill my master..."

Song Youwei suddenly stood there in a daze, her mind even going blank for a moment. Jiang Lan actually knew that she wanted to kill her own master.

"You do not naively think that once I undo the Blood Immortal Curse for you, you will be able to escape the Blood Immortal Sect's control, do you? You cannot even kill one Blood Fiend Granny, yet you still dream of breaking free from the Blood Immortal Sect. How laughable." Jiang Lan smiled faintly, his tone making no attempt to conceal his mockery and coldness.

To be honest, he had no interest in dealing with the Blood Immortal Sect.

However, Song Youwei was still somewhat useful to him at the moment. Perhaps she might truly bring him considerable benefits in the future.

Song Youwei took a deep breath and composed herself, pulling herself back from that succession of violently turbulent emotions.

"I wonder, Young Master, what must I do for you to help me..."

She was not foolish. She had merely been too shocked earlier. Now that she had recovered, she understood that Jiang Lan had said so much and forced her to swallow the Heart Devouring Pill because he surely had some purpose of his own.

"When you become interesting enough for me to help you, I naturally will," Jiang Lan said casually.

It was still necessary to leave behind such a chess piece. Even if she could not be used now, she would be useful someday.

A look of astonishment appeared in Song Youwei's beautiful eyes as she silently pondered the meaning of Jiang Lan's words. Then she asked, "How should I contact you in the future, Young Master?"

The moment those words left her mouth, regret rose in her heart. Was that not practically asking Jiang Lan directly about his identity? He had concealed his true face so thoroughly; he certainly did not want anyone to know his origins or identity.