Chapter 1771 - 831: Exposed

Chapter 1771: Chapter 831: Exposed

Until the last ray of light at the horizon was swallowed by the dusk.

Hong Mingyue’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"Lan Chuchu, if I were truly insane, would you be satisfied? Too bad, I will never grant your wish."

Hong Mingyue changed from her previous state of rage and madness.

It turns out that her abnormal behavior in recent days was all an act.

As soon as the creature appeared, Hong Mingyue began to suspect Lan Chuchu.

These days, she noticed that people around were closely monitoring her.

Hong Mingyue discovered that Lan Chuchu was truly a woman with deep scheming; she didn’t tamper with the food because she knew Hong Mingyue was pregnant. If Hong Mingyue’s unborn child was harmed, Xi Jiuye would first be dissatisfied.

Instead, she tormented Hong Mingyue mentally.

She wanted everyone to think Hong Mingyue was a madman, so after giving birth, Hong Mingyue would have no more value.

However, Lan Chuchu severely underestimated Hong Mingyue.

She thought Hong Mingyue was like those other shameless women, possessing only beauty without brains.

What she didn’t expect was that Hong Mingyue was battle-hardened.

Her experiences over the years had numbed her heart; not only could she face man-eating monsters, but even if she had to eat humans, Hong Mingyue wouldn’t flinch.

After seeing through Lan Chuchu’s plot, Hong Mingyue didn’t expose it.

She knew well that she was alone and weak in the Northern Territory Divine Palace, and Xi Jiuye did not love her.

Under such circumstances, she could only seek to protect herself.

Writing letters and raging were all her means of disguise.

However, Xi Jiuye’s indifference made her feel increasingly coldhearted.

"Trying to drive me mad with such means is a pipe dream. I refuse to believe I can’t find that creature."

Hong Mingyue walked to the window.

Outside, the plum blossoms bloomed fiercely, and the snow piled up year-round without a trace.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she casually closed the window.

At night, the Northern Territory Divine Palace was lifeless.

Outside the window, only the occasional sound of snow falling from the plum branches could be heard.

At this moment, a shadow flickered to the window.

With just a push, the window was opened.

The shadow carried a freshly slaughtered human corpse, whose warmth hadn’t dissipated, and the blood had already congealed.

Glowing eyes glared at the slightly raised quilt on the bed.

A sound of tearing flesh and bones rang out, and the person on the bed abruptly sat up.

"Who!"

The voice echoed in the room, with Hong Mingyue’s hair disheveled as she quickly lit the lamp.

She called out a few times but received no response from the maids.

"Those wretched fools," Hong Mingyue muttered.

She climbed out of bed, and everything in the room remained as usual, with the window securely shut.

Except for the strong stench of blood, everyone would have thought it was a nightmare.

Hong Mingyue walked to the window and pushed it open forcefully.

Outside on the snow, everything was flat and smooth, with no signs of someone having walked across it.

Hong Mingyue sneered twice, and the sky started to brighten faintly.

At this moment, a faint yellow line suddenly appeared on the pristine snow.

The line passed through the plum grove, extending forward.

With a wave of her sleeve, the lights in the room went out, and in the dim morning light, Hong Mingyue pursued the footprints toward the depths of Plum Garden.

The snow outside wasn’t ordinary; it had been sprinkled with Divine Trace Powder, a unique inheritance from the Beiqing Pill Palace.

Divine Trace Powder appeared colorless and tasteless, but as soon as someone walked over it, even without touching the snow, traces would be left behind.

These traces wouldn’t show at first, only gradually becoming visible after two hours.

That’s why Hong Mingyue waited for a while before starting to track.

Hong Mingyue swiftly headed toward the depths of Plum Garden.

Plum Garden was vast, and Hong Mingyue’s dwelling was just an isolated corner.

She hadn’t paid attention to the other parts of Plum Garden before, but as she walked through layers of plum blossom forests, the faint yellow line finally led her to a well.

The well looked long abandoned, weighed down by several hundred-pound stones.

The stones hadn’t been moved; moss grew around, with no sign of anyone hiding.

Hong Mingyue couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Could the Divine Trace Powder be faulty?

Hong Mingyue was uncertain.

Just then, Hong Mingyue’s eyes froze. On a stone at the well’s mouth, she saw a piece of torn cloth.

It was part of someone’s clothing!

The cold smile on Hong Mingyue’s lips grew wider.

"I must see what kind of monster is in the well."

Hong Mingyue’s palm landed on a boulder, and with a surge of her Primordial Power, those stones instantly turned to powder.

Once the stones were removed, the well mouth was exposed to the air.

A damp, rancid odor wafted from the well.

Hong Mingyue frowned slightly.

Looking down the well, it was deep, and she couldn’t discern the scene below.

But could such a place really hide a person?

Could it truly be some kind of monster?

Hong Mingyue turned away distastefully but couldn’t resist the curiosity bubbling within.

She planned to enter the well to investigate.

Just as Hong Mingyue was about to descend, a hand suddenly grasped her shoulder.

"Who is there!"

Hong Mingyue was startled; turning around, she saw a female Alchemist cloaked.

With the morning light, Hong Mingyue saw her face and was suddenly taken aback.

"Who are you that dares to stop me," she demanded.

From the woman’s attire, Hong Mingyue judged she wasn’t someone of importance and was about to scold her when she saw the woman’s face.

The woman’s face was covered in unsightly patterns, resembling a toad.

Hong Mingyue was shocked and leaped away to avoid the woman’s grasp.

"I am the Jade Hand Poison Master, invited by the Divine Consort. Miss, a few poisonous beasts of the Jade Hand are raised down there, which might harm your unborn child."

The Jade Hand Poison Master said calmly.

Lan Chuchu wanted the Jade Hand Poison Master to remove the poison of Desire of Love, claiming that postnatal frailty required rest, so she kept the Jade Hand Poison Master.

It was unclear what method she used to persuade Feng Gu Divine Emperor.

The Jade Hand Poison Master preferred quietness, so her residence was arranged near a courtyard by Plum Garden.

On idle days, the Jade Hand Poison Master visited Plum Garden to collect snow for refining elixir pills.

The Jade Hand Poison Master had stayed in the Northern Territory Divine Palace long enough to hear about various matters.

The identity of the pregnant woman standing before her was known to the Jade Hand Poison Master.

"Poisonous beasts?"

Hong Mingyue was somewhat skeptical.

The Jade Hand Poison Master uttered a short whistle.

From the ancient well, something crawled out.

Upon closer look, it was a quadruped lizard. The lizard was fiery red, its skin wrinkled, clearly poisonous.