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Chapter 105: Chapter 80: I am the Demon Sect Saintess, the Most Unscrupulous

Absolute silence.

Which meant something was definitely being covered up.

A frosty smile touched Gu Xiangzhu’s lips. ”It seems Guardian Song is plotting something big!”

After so many years as colleagues, she knew this old ”friend” of hers all too well.

’Come to think of it, she had been careless in this matter herself.’

’She had assumed the Alchemy of Wine was in the bag, which was why she’d vied for the position of First Dharma Protector, only to pull out at the last second.’

’Given Guardian Song’s cunning, he would have undoubtedly sensed something was amiss. Connecting that to the events of the Gongdan Conference, he had probably already figured out what happened.’

’Making a move at this particular time meant he was most likely targeting Zhao Ci.’

’If he could extract the Alchemy of Wine with a Soul Search, any risk would be worth it.’

But...

’This course of action... it’s far too brazen!’

’The men of the Imperial Clan Court were no pushovers. Harming Zhao Ci under their noses would be far from simple.’

’Such a move was tantamount to a blatant provocation of the Court, yet he seemed certain the Emperor wouldn’t dare to retaliate.’

’But she was the one who would have to bear the consequences, in her guise as Princess Consort Jing.’

’Truly... what a loathsome man!’

Lady Yue sounded concerned. ”Saintess, how should we respond to this?”

Gu Xiangzhu said coolly, ”Rest assured. I have my own way of handling this.”

”But...”

Lady Yue gritted her teeth. ”Saintess! There is something I must say, though I don’t know if it’s my place.”

Gu Xiangzhu’s delicate brows shifted slightly. ”Speak your mind.”

Lady Yue took a deep breath. ”I still believe that a Soul Search, poisoning him to force a confession, or turning him into a puppet are the most practical options. Even if we anger the Emperor, we hold the promise of longevity as bait. I’m certain he wouldn’t dare do anything to us. In this matter with Zhao Ci, you are being far too merciful!”

Gu Xiangzhu scoffed. ”Using such crude methods on someone so interesting would be an utter waste. Only by making him submit to me completely will he become an unparalleled asset!”

”But... can you truly do it?”

”Everything is under my control! I don’t want to hear that from you ever again!”

”Yes!”

Lady Yue’s expression tensed. She could only nod in assent. After reporting on a few other matters, she vanished from the mirror.

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head. ’A bunch of brutes. All they know are those crude methods of control, yet they dare to call me merciful? Besides, do they really think Zhao Huan is some kind of pushover to be trifled with?’

But...

A flicker of suspicion entered her mind. She and Guardian Song had been colleagues for over twenty years, at each other’s throats ever since the time of the Demon Monarch.

After entering the palace to establish a source of wealth for the Demon Sect, she had contended with him for so long that she knew his methods inside and out. She could usually analyze the motives behind any of his actions with ease.

Just as he had guessed that she’d withdrawn from the contest for First Dharma Protector because of her setback with Zhao Ci.

But there was one thing she didn’t understand.

While the animosity between her and Guardian Song had been simmering for ages, they were still one step shy of open warfare.

If he made his move now...

A fierce struggle between them would be inevitable.

Unless they could both get what they wanted, the Demon Sect would inevitably suffer from internal conflict. If she cut off his financial lifelines, his own position would be jeopardized.

And yet, he was still determined to act.

’What on earth is giving him this confidence?’

’And who is backing him?’

Gu Xiangzhu mulled it over for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it. Or perhaps, a suspicion had already formed in her mind, but she was afraid to confirm it.

After wrestling with the thought for a moment, she decided to put it aside.

She glanced at the unfinished mushrooms on the table.

Steam was still rising from them.

So she called for Yunzhu to bring a bowl of white rice.

’That boy.’

’His cooking skills were getting more and more refined.’

~~~~

Fourth update, for a total of 19,000 characters.

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