"I'll go to this trap myself." Shen Qianmo smiled faintly, glancing at Xuan Lou, who wanted to accompany her to the Li Kingdom's palace. Seeing the worry on Xuan Lou's face, Shen Qianmo remained calm, but her dark eyes held a hint of seriousness and entrustment. "You have more important things to do."
"Tell Jingyan for me that no matter what he sees or hears, he shouldn't care. Just believe me, I'll be fine." Shen Qianmo's eyes suddenly lit up dramatically the moment she mentioned Situ Jingyan, and the smile on her lips inexplicably warmed.
Xuan Lou frowned. Shen Qianmo was clearly risking her own life. They hadn't even gone to the palace yet, and they didn't know if her scheme would succeed. Shen Qianmo had already sent him to tell Situ Jingyan this. Wasn't she clearly putting herself at risk?!
What if it fails?! If Nalan Rong really captures Shen Qianmo, are we just going to let Situ Jingyan stand by and watch Shen Qianmo die right in front of him?!
"I'll be fine." A faint smile spread across his lips, like a spring breeze caressing one's heart. It was neither ostentatious nor bloodthirsty, yet this faint smile seemed to be a comfort, a vow. It was so subtle, yet it carried a strong sense of conviction.
Xuan Lou frowned deeply, his words filled with concern, "You know, if something happens to you, he certainly won't be able to go on living."
Upon hearing Xuan Lou's words, Shen Qianmo's dark eyes seemed to melt into a pool of spring water, soft and full of affection. She knew, how could she not know? Therefore, even for Situ Jingyan's sake, she would never allow anything to happen to her.
She knew that once she entered the palace and was caught up in the game, Nalan Rong would not allow anyone to pass on the information. After all, only by revealing the trump card at the end can a decisive blow be achieved; otherwise, things would inevitably get complicated. At this time, only Xuan Lou had the ability to break through Nalan Rong's layers of defense, which was why she did not allow Xuan Lou to enter the palace with her.
"I know." The tone was calm, yet firm.
"Alright. Be careful."
Leaving Xuan Lou with a reassuring expression, Shen Qianmo headed towards the Li Kingdom's royal palace. She wore a smile the entire way, as if she weren't going to a trap, but simply to have a drink.
The royal palace of the Li Kingdom. Nalan Rong fiddled with a table full of sandalwood, a sinister glint in his eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he toyed with the wine cup in his hand.
"Rong. Are you sure you can do this?" Behind Nalan Rong stood a woman in black. This woman was the same one that Shen Qianmo had seen playing the zither at Nalan Rong's residence the day before yesterday.
Nalan Rong smiled ruthlessly, dipped her finger in the wine, brought it close to her nose, and laughed, "This Dissolving Power Powder is colorless and odorless, and it's not a deadly poison, so she definitely won't be able to detect it."
"But I met her at your former residence yesterday, and I had a feeling she seemed to have sensed something." The woman in black frowned, recalling the scene of her meeting with Shen Qianmo that day. She felt that there was something unknown hidden in Shen Qianmo's dark eyes. Perhaps it was a woman's innate sensitivity, but she felt that this was not right.
"Shadow. Don't worry. Everything will be alright. Once Shen Qianmo is poisoned by this Dissolving Power Powder and his cultivation is completely destroyed, he will be under my control. Even if his Tianmo army marches to the capital of Li Kingdom, we won't have to worry." Nalan Rong smiled, her tone filled with a sense of triumph and smugness.
Upon hearing Nalan Rong's words, the woman in black was about to say something more when she suddenly vanished in a flash, her voice drifting out, "She's here."
As soon as the woman in black finished speaking, Shen Qianmo strolled leisurely into the royal palace of Li Kingdom and swaggered to Nalan Rong's current bedchamber.
"Your Majesty the King of Li is so kind, I am truly touched." Shen Qianmo smiled playfully and languidly, her dark eyes also filled with laughter.
Seeing Shen Qianmo's languid demeanor, Nalan Rong couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips. "That's because the Empress of Tianmo has graced us with her presence. Please, have a seat. This is all the finest agarwood."
Shen Qianmo's expression remained unchanged. He casually picked up a jar of agarwood that had already been opened, brought it close to his nose, and slowly a smile appeared on his lips. His eyes seemed to hold a deep meaning as he looked at Nalan Rong.
Nalan Rong's eyes remained unchanged, but his hands, hidden under the table, clenched tightly together until his knuckles turned white. Had Shen Qianmo sensed something amiss? If so, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he would have no choice but to subdue him by force.
Although putting the dissolving powder in the wine was practically foolproof, Nalan Rong still made a backup plan just in case. Thousands of assassins were lying in ambush around the palace. Today, she would spare no effort to capture Shen Qianmo alive!
He wasn't unfamiliar with Shen Qianmo's martial arts skills. But the thousands of assassins lying in ambush around the palace were no ordinary opponents! Moreover, if one person couldn't defeat him, what about a hundred? If a hundred couldn't defeat him, surely a thousand experts couldn't capture Shen Qianmo?!
He was determined to succeed today. Even if Shen Qianmo discovered the problem with the wine, he was determined to capture her. With this in mind, Nalan Rong's expression became calm.
Although Nalan Rong had many thoughts running through her mind, it only took a moment to truly recall them. In that instant, Shen Qianmo had already withdrawn her gaze, a smile playing on her lips. She took a sip and praised, "Indeed, it is top-quality agarwood."
Nalan Rong saw Shen Qianmo drink the wine, and a glint flashed in her eyes.
Shen Qianmo's eyes remained unmoved, but a cold laugh rippled through her heart. She knew perfectly well what had been added to the agarwood, and thankfully, she had brought the antidote for the dissolving poison with her.
Even before entering the palace, she had guessed that Nalan Rong might use a martial arts-dissolving powder. After all, to threaten Situ Jingyan with her, she first needed to control her, and the best way to do that was to cripple her martial arts skills. Therefore, the martial arts-dissolving powder would inevitably be used.
Once the Dissolving Power Powder is ingested, there is no cure. One's internal energy will gradually dissipate, and what accelerates this dissipation is alcohol! Therefore, when the Dissolving Power Powder is combined with agarwood, it will almost immediately take effect upon ingestion.
However, she had deliberately looked at Nalan Rong to distract him, and in that instant, she had already put the antidote into the wine jar and drunk it along with the wine.
With her brows furrowed slightly, Shen Qianmo pretended to be under the influence of the dispelling powder, and looked up in surprise, staring intently at Nalan Rong with disbelief in her eyes.
"How is it, Empress Tianmo? What do you think of this agarwood wine?" Nalan Rong smiled smugly at Shen Qianmo's reaction, her tone carrying three parts mockery and seven parts smugness.
A cold smile flickered across Shen Qianmo's face, but she put on a gritted-teeth expression, glanced coldly at Nalan Rong, and uttered two words in an icy tone, "Despicable!"
“Despicable?” Nalan Rong raised an eyebrow, his narrow eyes filled with the same wickedness as when they first met, and the smile on his lips was extremely wicked. “Since ancient times, all's fair in war.”
A flash of disdain crossed Shen Qianmo's dark eyes, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips. "I wonder what His Majesty the Prince of Li is up to by giving me the Dissolving Power Powder?!"
Nalan Rong's expression remained unchanged, ignoring Shen Qianmo's sarcasm. With a smug smile, she said, "I've heard that Emperor Tianmo and Empress Tianmo have a very deep affection for each other. Emperor Tianmo even drove away Princess Anya of Linwei for Empress Tianmo's sake, thus missing out on a marriage alliance with Linwei. I wonder if Emperor Tianmo is willing to cede half of his kingdom for Empress Tianmo's sake?!"
Half the country?! What a huge appetite! Shen Qianmo sneered inwardly. Remember this: unfortunately, you can't swallow half the country. If you don't have the ability, don't covet such a vast empire. Sometimes, having too much ambition isn't a good thing.
Or perhaps, a person's cunning is also related to their magnanimity. Nalan Rong is intelligent, that much is undeniable, but if you use too many schemes, you will eventually fail.
"Your Majesty the King of Li is so naive!" She was mercilessly sarcastic. What she was trying to portray was the resentful feeling of being controlled, so the more scathing the better. Besides, she already disliked Nalan Rong, so this was a perfect opportunity to mock her.
"Whether I'm naive or not, Empress Tianmo will soon find out." Nalan Rong gave what she thought was an elegant smile and left with a smug look on her face.
Shen Qianmo's eyes were icy cold as she looked at Nalan Rong with annoyance. Sensing the faint aura behind Nalan Rong, Shen Qianmo raised a ruthless smile.
It was definitely that aura. It was the same aura of the woman in black she had encountered that day. Originally, she hadn't wanted to use such methods, but since Nalan Rong insisted, she would naturally play along; she couldn't just suffer this loss for nothing!
"Empress Tianmo. Please!" An arrogant man walked in, his face full of smug satisfaction. He looked at Shen Qianmo, and when he saw her face clearly, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes. He stared at Shen Qianmo with lustful eyes, as if he was about to drool.
A cold glint flashed in Shen Qianmo's eyes, and the chopsticks on the table flew swiftly toward the man. Without using internal force, the chopsticks lacked staying power, and the man dodged them with a clumsy dodge.
"You." The man seemed somewhat annoyed, looking at Shen Qianmo with a face full of hatred.
Shen Qianmo glanced at the man with disdain, her eyes filled with icy coldness, and said in a chilling tone, "If I hadn't lost my inner strength, I would have taken your eyes today! There's no need to stare at me so angrily. You should know my status. If anything goes wrong, not only you, but the entire Li Kingdom can't afford to pay for it!"
His cold tone, full of threat and domineering, made the man who had just been acting like a smug little man look at Shen Qianmo with a newfound respect. Although he still gave a cold snort out of politeness, he dared not show the slightest disrespect when looking at Shen Qianmo.
"We shouldn't underestimate Shen Qianmo." Nalan Rong, who hadn't gone far from the palace gates, heard Shen Qianmo's words and a sly smile appeared on his lips. However, after what had just happened, he was even more certain that Shen Qianmo had indeed been poisoned by the "Power-Dissolving Powder" and had lost all her martial arts skills; otherwise, how could she have so easily let that guard go?!
"Send Mo Yi to replace him and keep an eye on Empress Tianmo. If anything goes wrong, he'll be beheaded!" Nalan Rong glanced at the guard beside her, her tone icy, her narrow eyes filled with murderous intent.