Be Obedient Perfume

[Shangguan Niao was angry that Duke Dingguo paid her no attention, so she simply feigned illness and hid in her own courtyard, refusing to see anyone. She had no idea what had happened outside.]

Shen Yuxi's gaze settled on the maid.

A faint smile curved her lips, and her voice betrayed neither pleasure nor anger. [Since Shangguan Niao prepared such a generous gift for me, it's only fair that I return it.]

The system rarely saw Shen Yuxi like this and knew its host was truly angry.

[System, I remember the shop has a "Be Obedient" perfume. With just a light spray, anyone who smells it will lose their autonomy and fall under someone else's control.]

[Yes. Each spray lasts two hours.]

[That's enough.]

Shen Yuxi spent two hundred thousand points in the shop to buy a bottle of Be Obedient Perfume in a pink bottle.

"Heavens, just what kind of monster is Lord Little Shen's system? There's actually a perfume in this world that can control people's minds?"

Everyone froze, their faces showing varying degrees of bewilderment.

"Perfume" was an entirely unfamiliar word to them, but putting it together with the conversation they had vaguely heard between Shen Yuxi and the system, they formed a rough guess.

This so-called "perfume" was probably something similar to the scented powders and balms women commonly used, only more miraculous than ordinary fragrances, capable of actually "controlling people's minds."

"Holy shit, could I buy a bottle from Lord Little Shen? I'll pay any price."

The voice brimmed with undisguised longing. The speaker was a young master from a wealthy aristocratic family, and he gazed at Shen Yuxi with burning eyes.

His eyes gleamed with gold as he looked at Shen Yuxi. If he had not had his reservations, he would have already snatched it by force.

Human nature was greedy, especially when faced with a miraculous treasure that seemingly allowed one to control others, something ordinary people could never get their hands on.

The desires deep in their hearts would instantly be stirred, becoming impossible to suppress.

Once someone spoke up, the others could no longer hold back. A low buzz of discussion erupted, their voices full of greed and urgency.

"Exactly! If I had a bottle of perfume like that, wouldn't I be able to make the person I love utterly devoted to me? I'd pay any price!"

"I'm not greedy. I'd be happy if Lord Little Shen could spare me just a tiny bit."

Voices rose one after another. Most of the gazes that had held shock and apprehension now gleamed with greed.

Their eyes clung to Shen Yuxi in unison, like hungry wolves eyeing their prey, burning and eager.

Xue Min was extremely perceptive. Seeing all the desire-filled eyes around her, she knitted her brows tightly.

A bunch of people who don't know their own limits.

The system excitedly offered another suggestion, its voice full of encouragement and a faintly bloodthirsty anticipation.

[Host, didn't you just get the Mystic Fire Ring? That ring can burn individual enemies or scorch a wide area. Why not use that prancing clown Shangguan Niao to test its power?]

At this point, the system's voice grew even more vicious, even its electronic tones taking on a note of relish.

[We won't burn anywhere else, just her face! Let her taste what it's like to be disfigured too! Let her scream in agony under the searing flames and wail without end! Let her watch the face she's so painstakingly cared for be devoured by fire bit by bit and reduced to charcoal!]

"That's terrifying. Why is Lord Little Shen's system so savage?"

Hearing the system's words, many people immediately felt a chill run through them.

Merely imagining being burned by raging flames made them shudder as though they could feel it themselves.

They absolutely must not provoke Lord Little Shen, or they might very well meet such an end.

In an instant, those who had been hoping to approach Shen Yuxi and steal the perfume abandoned the idea.

Their lives mattered more.

Shen Yuxi curled her fingertips slightly, seeming to feel the scorching heat emanating from the Mystic Fire Ring.

An almost imperceptible trace of hesitation flashed through her eyes.

[Host, don't go soft! Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself! Shangguan Niao wants you dead. Are you really going to show her mercy?]

[We'll be careful. No one will trace it back to you.]

The "no one" the system referred to: "..."

Sorry, we already know.

While no one was prepared, Shen Yuxi secretly took the Be Obedient Perfume from her sleeve, aimed it at the maid kneeling before her, and gave it a light spray before swiftly withdrawing her hand.

She thought no one had noticed her little movements, unaware that everyone had seen them perfectly clearly.

They all cast curious looks at the maid.

Could a mere wisp of perfume really be so miraculous?

The maid caught a sweet, cloying scent. She briefly lost focus, then immediately returned to normal.

Lowering her voice, Shen Yuxi asked doubtfully in her mind, [System, will she listen to me now? She looks no different from a normal person.]

Weren't people under mind control supposed to have blank eyes and vacant expressions?

That was how novels always described them.

Utterly speechless, the system said with exasperation, [Host, I'm a high-tech creation, not some cheap, low-grade drug or dark art!]

[Control that leaves people with vacant eyes and stiff movements is the lowest form there is. It's riddled with flaws at a glance, and anyone with the slightest discernment can see through it. How can they even have the nerve to call that control?]

The system gave a disdainful snort. [Be Obedient Perfume doesn't impair mental clarity, disrupt emotions or expressions, or change outward behavior.]

[The controlled person still has their own thoughts and normal expressions, and can speak fluently. They look no different from anyone else.]

[There's just one difference: as soon as the person who sprayed the perfume gives an order, they'll obey unconditionally, without resistance. Once they wake up, they'll remember nothing that happened while they were under control.]

[Now that's top-tier, invisible control, unnoticed by gods or ghosts. Even the most skilled imperial physician won't find anything amiss.]

[Wow, premium goods really are something! Amazing!] Shen Yuxi raised her thumb high.

"Ahem..."

"Take me to the side hall to change my clothes," Shen Yuxi told the maid.

"Yuxi!" Xue Min called out worriedly.

"Why don't I come with you?"

"No need. I'm only changing my clothes. I can manage on my own."

Realizing that her presence would make it difficult for Shen Yuxi to act, Xue Min nodded.

"All right. Hurry back, then."

Watching Shen Yuxi's figure gradually fade into the distance, the wife of the vice minister of war leaned close to Madam Shen and asked quietly, "Madam Shen, aren't you going with her?"

The vice minister of war's wife liked Shen Yuxi from the bottom of her heart. If not for her, her husband would still be sleeping with a piglet in his arms.

She had hit him and scolded him back then, but Wen Xingyuan had stubbornly refused to change. Who would have thought that just a few words from Lord Little Shen would make Wen Xingyuan give up his pig addiction on his own?

Wen Xingyuan's wife was delighted.

Now, every night, Wen Xingyuan willingly slept in the same bed as her.

She was the only one he could hold.

No piglet came between them as husband and wife anymore.