Collecting Interest

"If you want to go, go. Just remember to take someone with you. It'll be a hassle if you get lost alone."

Jiang Yourning had just calmly finished speaking when someone knocked on the door.

It was Jiang Wanrong's young maid, Xia He.

"Sixth Miss, Fifth Miss gave me permission to look around Huayin Temple. I'm afraid I'll get lost on my own. Could I borrow Sister Chun Tao for a while?"

Just as she was getting sleepy, someone came along with a pillow.

Jiang Yourning couldn't help smiling as she waved Chun Tao off.

"Go on, hurry!"

"Thank you, Miss!"

Chun Tao bowed to Jiang Yourning, then happily left with Xia He.

"My sister's acting a little strange today."

Jiang Yourning held her chin and looked out the window, but within two seconds, she gathered her wandering thoughts.

"Oh, why bother worrying about all that? I finally have no one around. I need to see if there's anything good I can use to collect a little interest from that damned lunatic."

Jiang Yourning rummaged through the System Shop with all her might.

She noticed that its merchandise had been getting stranger and stranger lately.

Apart from all kinds of food, everything consisted of bizarre props.

There were pills to make you fierce as a wolf all night, pepper spray that made you cry with one squirt, medicinal powder called "Squeeze for Better Health"...

Shameless!

Utterly shameless! This lousy system needed a thorough investigation!!!

After fiddling around and browsing for quite a while, Jiang Yourning finally chose a sticky note called Today Is Also Cute.

Stick it on the body, and it took effect in one second.

And so...

Once again-again-Jiang Yourning generously bought an Invisibility Cloak, swaggered out of the courtyard, and followed her memory to the monastic lodging where Chu Haoze was staying.

When she reached the courtyard outside his lodging, Jiang Yourning caught a dark figure at the corner of the wall out of the corner of her eye and froze.

Huh? This person's wearing a night infiltration outfit in broad daylight. Is there something seriously wrong with them?

But the direction they just came from... am I too late? Did this good Samaritan already off that damned lunatic?

The dark figure stumbled, nearly falling flat on her face.

Jiang Wanrong looked around but saw no sign of Jiang Yourning, and she frowned in confusion.

Had she misheard?

No, that couldn't be right. Who else in this world would talk like that besides her hopelessly stupid little sister?

Forget it, forget it. Whatever happened, I still need to go in and take a look. If he isn't quite dead yet, I'll give him another stab.

Jiang Yourning swaggered inside and found Chu Haoze leisurely sipping tea as though nothing had happened.

What the heck? Was that person in black just playing around?

They came here but didn't lay a hand on this damned lunatic? Do they have some special fetish and came to steal his undies?

Not far away, Jiang Wanrong, who was searching everywhere for Jiang Yourning, flushed scarlet.

What on earth was her sister saying?

Was she that kind of sick pervert?

She wanted to go farther inside, but heard people approaching from around them.

With no other choice, Jiang Wanrong immediately left.

Her sister's words were crude, but the reasoning wasn't wrong. Wearing this night infiltration outfit around Huayin Temple in broad daylight was far too conspicuous.

She had to change back into her original clothes before returning to find her.

As Jiang Wanrong left, Jiang Yourning crept step by step behind Chu Haoze, who was recuperating from his serious injuries, and viciously slapped the sticky note in her hand onto him.

Bam!

Caught completely off guard, Chu Haoze slammed headfirst into his teacup.

"Who's there?"

There was no one around. Chu Haoze spun around in a flash.

A dagger suddenly appeared in his hand and swept through the air as he scanned his surroundings, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Good thing I'm still under a meter and a half tall. Otherwise, that slash might have shaved my scalp clean off.

Jiang Yourning held her breath and patted her little chest in relief.

Within two seconds, Chu Haoze realized something was wrong.

The chilly sensation around his legs made him hastily look down.

The next second.

He saw that his trousers had fallen down at some point.

The clothes on his body seemed to have suddenly become loose.

"What skulking scoundrel dares make a fool of this prince!"

The instant Chu Haoze said this, his vicious expression froze.

What had happened?

Why had his voice suddenly turned into a little girl's, lilting like a lark?

His expression stiffened, and Chu Haoze suddenly noticed that beneath his loose clothes, his chest seemed a little fuller too.

He reached out and pressed it, his entire face contorting.

Chu Haoze swiftly moved his hand downward.

A cool breeze swept over the hill, and there was nothing...

Empty, empty, utterly empty~~~

The sudden shock left Chu Haoze unable to catch his breath, and he fainted on the spot.

"Hmph, you little punk. Even if I can't kill you, I can still mess you up!"

The effect was pretty darn good. Twenty points for a twelve-hour duration-enough to give that damned lunatic a bitter cup to swallow.

Jiang Yourning clapped her hands in satisfaction.

Just as the thought of drawing a blade arose in her mind, Jiang Yourning heard movement outside.

Someone was coming.

"That annoying protagonist halo~"

Jiang Yourning sighed, stuffed another pill into Chu Haoze's mouth, then slowly left.

On the way back, Jiang Yourning simply took off the Invisibility Cloak and even began humming a little tune.

"Today is a good day~ everything your heart wishes for comes true~

Today is a good day~ beautiful scenery everywhere~ hey-ho~ oh~~~"

Jiang Yourning was visibly in such a good mood that even the filthy little stray dogs running around Huayin Temple looked handsome and charming to her.

After changing her clothes and rushing out, Jiang Wanrong ran into Jiang Yourning along the way.

She saw her little sister sitting in a pavilion, smiling as she fed the dogs.

In an instant.

Most of the unease in her heart vanished.

Still, she didn't hurry over to chat with Jiang Yourning. Instead, she ran off to check on Chu Haoze.

Although she had no feelings for the Seventh Prince, he was still of royal blood.

He could die tomorrow, the day after, or even sometime later-just not today, while they were here.

At that thought, Jiang Wanrong felt a headache coming on.

She had already poisoned the Seventh Prince. The poison initially hid itself without showing mountain or water, but one bout of chills would be enough to take half his life. Afterward, it would sweep into his heart meridians, and even the King of Heaven himself wouldn't be able to save him.

Her sister had complained about the Seventh Prince several times, but had never actually acted.

Who could have imagined her sister would pull something like this today?

The thought of telling her sister that she could hear her inner voice flashed through Jiang Wanrong's mind. But the instant it appeared, her head swam, and when she looked ahead again, she had forgotten what she had just been thinking.

"Strange. What was I going to do?"

Jiang Wanrong hesitated.

Seeing several people hurry out of Chu Haoze's courtyard ahead with complicated expressions, Jiang Wanrong's heart lurched.

He couldn't really be dead, could he?

She hurried over, but just as she drew close, she heard something, and her expression froze.

Standing outside the courtyard, she glanced inside.

Although the stone table obscured part of Chu Haoze's body as he lay on the ground, his clothes still made him recognizable.

And those strange sounds were coming from Chu Haoze.

Jiang Wanrong was completely reassured.

With that crackling, popping racket playing like music, there was no way he could be dead.