Foot massage?
Looking at the jade-white feet resting across his lap, Chen Mo froze for a moment.
Could this be the reward the Noble Consort was giving him?
He was moved... but didn't dare move a muscle!
Seeing that he hadn't made a move for a while, Yu Youhan raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you massaging them?"
Could this dog slave think Her Highness's feet were dirty?
Chen Mo fell silent for a moment, then cautiously asked, "I won't just put my hands on them, only for Your Highness to cry 'Indecent!' and have a bunch of guards rush in and tear me limb from limb, will I?"
"..."
Yu Youhan said coolly, "If I wanted to kill you, would I need to go to all that trouble?"
Well, that made some sense.
At her words, Chen Mo hesitated no longer. He reached out and took her bare feet in his hands.
They felt smooth and delicate, soft as boneless silk. Her toes were translucent, as if carved from fine jade.
The Noble Consort's body was immaculate, untouched by dust. Her feet were perfectly clean, and they carried a faint, delicate fragrance.
It made him want to...
Hiss!
Chen Mo swiftly banished the distracting thought.
A man shouldn't—not for now, at least!
Yu Youhan's body shuddered. She fought the urge to kick him flying.
Ever since what had happened last time, she had been trying to figure out how to escape Red Silk.
Red Silk had first taken physical form because of Chen Mo, and he had been the one to undo it. If she wanted to break free of its restraints for good, she would likely have to start with him.
This contact was an experiment.
But she soon regretted it.
Chen Mo cradled her feet as though they were precious treasures, pressing their soles and lightly scraping between her toes...
At the same time, heat flared at her wrist. A stirring from deep within her soul rose up, accompanied by a tingling, ticklish ache in her soles. Yu Youhan couldn't help letting out a soft moan.
"Mmm~"
"Your Highness?"
Chen Mo froze and looked up, wondering if he had imagined it.
Yu Youhan turned her head, lips slightly parted.
"Continue."
"Yes."
This time, Chen Mo put even more effort into it. He kneaded with his palms and worked with his fingers, bringing out every technique he had learned from the foot-massage specialists in his previous life.
Yu Youhan's breathing grew slightly uneven.
She silently activated the Heart-Clearing Mantra, trying to suppress her distracting thoughts, but the sensations coming from her body only grew clearer.
To take her mind off them, she asked, "Did you handle Yan Xun's case?"
As he massaged her feet, Chen Mo nodded. "I discovered that Yan Xun was secretly keeping Barbarian Slaves, so I provoked him a little. He really took the bait... The other side also had a sixth-grade Occultist. Thanks to Centurion Shen stepping in, we didn't let the criminals escape."
Yu Youhan nodded.
The operation had come at just the right time.
It had not only stopped the losses in time and forced Yan Peizhi to back down, but, if handled well, it could also let her turn the tables on the Imperial Empress Faction!
"Yan Xun is only a minor figure, not worth mentioning. What matters is who else this can implicate..."
"I've already found out."
Chen Mo pulled three items from his robe.
They were a signed confession, a thick ledger, and a black, round stone engraved with intricate patterns.
Yu Youhan looked faintly stunned. "What are these...?"
"Yan Liang has already confessed."
"This ledger records every detail of the transactions, including the routes used to bring Barbarian Slaves into the city."
"As for this Image Recording Stone..."
Chen Mo smiled. "Your Highness will understand once you've seen it."
Image Recording Stones were artifacts made by Artifact Refiners. Once infused with True Essence, they could automatically record the scenes around them.
Yu Youhan picked up the round stone, unconvinced. She sank her mind into it, and images appeared before her one after another.
Before long, her expression turned serious.
After watching all the footage, she took a deep breath, a bright glimmer passing through her eyes.
This thing was incredibly valuable!
If all the officials and nobles implicated in it were exposed, it would likely cause an earthquake in Great Yuan's officialdom!
"What a wonderful surprise!"
"I wonder what the Imperial Empress will think when she sees this?"
A cold smile tugged at Yu Youhan's lips.
But she had no intention of exposing it right away. A trump card was most intimidating when kept in her own hands.
The Imperial Empress Faction had lost this clash completely!
And the greatest contributor...
Yu Youhan looked at Chen Mo, her gaze complicated.
Though this dog slave had left her in such a state that sometimes she wanted to kill him on the spot... she had to admit that as a subordinate, he was extremely useful.
"What reward do you want this time?"
Yu Youhan asked.
Having learned from last time, Chen Mo put on a grave expression, looking utterly loyal.
"Serving Your Highness is my honor. I ask for nothing in return!"
Yu Youhan gave a cold snort. "You certainly know how to flatter."
Even he couldn't be as slippery as Her Highness's feet...
Chen Mo happily massaged her dainty feet.
Yu Youhan raised her slender hand. A green pill appeared out of thin air, filling the air with a refreshing fragrance.
"Open your mouth."
Chen Mo did as he was told.
Yu Youhan flicked a finger. The pill flew into his mouth and instantly turned into a wave of heat that coursed through his body.
A vigorous force of life burst within him. The hidden injuries left by his past training healed completely, and his True Essence flowed more smoothly!
His blood surged like a dragon, and his body's toughness rose by more than one level!
Yet Chen Mo absorbed less than a tenth before reaching his limit. The remaining life force was stored away in the vital points of his body.
"This is the Nine-Turn Green Essence Pill. It contains vital essence and can make flesh grow over bare bones."
"After this, you'll likely become a thorn in the side of the enemy faction. They'll have no choice but to target you in secret. This may save your life at a crucial moment."
Though Yu Youhan spoke as casually as if discussing the weather, Chen Mo understood how precious the pill was.
He straightened and said, "Thank you for Your Highness's generous reward."
Yu Youhan's expression remained cool. "Just make sure you stay alive."
Until she had broken free of the restraints, she truly couldn't risk this fellow losing his life...
"I wonder if this vital essence can affect things outside the body?"
As he pressed her feet, Chen Mo sensed the vital points within himself.
After several tries, he really did manage to draw out a wisp of it.
He infused that wisp of essence into his fingertips...
Yu Youhan's expression changed abruptly!
The tingling sensation she had barely been able to endure was instantly magnified several times. Red Silk at her wrist became scorching hot, and a powerful surge of feeling swept over her like a tidal wave!
Her legs stretched straight, the arches of her feet tensed, and all ten toes curled as her body trembled slightly.
"Your Highness?"
Chen Mo stared, stunned.
"Get out."
Yu Youhan came to her senses and kicked him out of the great hall.
Then she leaned weakly against the chair, her phoenix eyes veiled in mist, a flush spreading from her jade cheeks down to her neck.
"Damn it, not again... That wretched dog slave!"
"Guards! I want a bath!"
Outside the great hall.
Chen Mo was completely baffled.
He'd been massaging her just fine. Why had she thrown him out again?
Her reaction just now had seemed...
"No, that must've been my imagination."
"It was only a foot massage. It couldn't possibly have been that intense."
Chen Mo shook his head.
Just then, a familiar figure passed by in the distance.
"Chief Xu?"
The figure in white stiffened at the sound.
Chen Mo walked over to her and smiled. "We meet again, Chief Xu. Are you still angry with me?"
Xu Qingyi's mouth twitched. Her voice sounded as if she were forcing the words out through clenched teeth. "I'm not angry. Not at all."
"By the way, about the matter I asked you to look into last time..."
"You mean that Kuixing Sect disciple named Ye Xiao?"
"I sent people to the Kuixing Sect, but there's no record of anyone by that name. Are you sure you remembered it correctly?"
Xu Qingyi asked, puzzled.
"No record of him?"
Chen Mo froze.
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