I sat to one side and asked, "Tell me first—besides making me your cauldron furnace, what other demands did your master have when she sent you to follow me? Don't take me for some ignorant young man. I've made it this far because I know exactly what you're trying to do by staying at my side. And even if you don't tell me, if I want to, I have plenty of ways to make you speak the truth."
Hualing looked at me miserably. "She told us to serve Martial-uncle well and find opportunities to send word to Master about what you do each day..."
"What else?" I asked again. That was obviously only the basics. How could I underestimate the ruthless beauty Miya?
Hualing hesitated, then said, "She told us to find some leverage over Martial-uncle, or create some leverage if necessary, so Master could keep you in check and make you completely become Master's... person."
"A puppet, you mean." I sneered. Hualing nodded.
"Heh heh. Looks like I've just escaped the Horse-Racing Residence and walked straight into the Cave of the Spider Queen." I smiled without any warmth. Then I took out a jade tablet, copied a cultivation method that would alter her cultivation, and handed it to Hualing. "Since you want to be my cauldron furnace, you naturally need to be compatible with me. This is a dual-cultivation heart method that complements my cultivation art. From today onward, cultivate this method step by step until your meridians have been altered enough to meet my requirements. Of course, you don't have much time. In one month, I'll inspect your progress personally. If you fail to meet the requirements, I'll send you back to your master."
Hualing hurriedly nodded. Of course, this cultivation method wasn't what I had claimed. It