“Hey, you,” Feng Yulian pulled up a chair and sat down, ordering me around, “go fetch me a basin of water, I need to wash up.”

Xiang Wan looked up at Shi Di, and when he nodded, she found a basin of water, turned around, and was about to leave the room.

"Hey, where are you going? The water's right there. Are you some kind of idiot?"

Xiang Wan silently turned around and went to the back to get water. There was something else going on inside the room; there was running water flowing down from one side of the wall, dripping into a pool, and then flowing out from the other side.

The pool water was crystal clear, and something seemed to be slowly moving at the bottom. As soon as Xiang Wan placed the basin in the water, countless slender worms, with pointed heads and thin tails, swam rapidly to the surface, their bodies a vibrant red as if they were about to burst into flames. Startled, Xiang Wan quickly released her grip, and in a moment, the worms swam back to the bottom of the pool.

What on earth is this thing? It looks really creepy. Did Feng Yulian know what was in it when she asked her to fetch water? Or was she doing this on purpose, trying to kill her?

Xiang Wan silently stirred the water in the pool with her dagger, quickly picked up a worm, and put it in the basin. To avoid being noticed, Xiang Wan quickly drew a circle around the bottom of the basin with her dagger. After filling it with water, the worm lay dormant at the bottom of the basin, and it was not easy to spot unless you looked closely.

She did all this in the blink of an eye when Shi Di walked in. Xiang Wan hurriedly picked up the basin, and as she passed him, she swayed and nearly knocked it over. Some water spilled out, wetting his clothes. Xiang Wan quickly put the basin down, pulled up her sleeves, and began to wipe the wet areas. Shi Di shoved her hand away, somewhat annoyed, and said, "Aren't you going to get out of here?"

Xiang Wan nodded quickly, picked up the basin of water, and walked out. Just as she was about to step out of the room, she glanced at Shi Di and saw him lift his mask and place it on his forehead, leaning down to look at the pool of water.

Feng Yulian was getting impatient. When Xiang Wan came out, she ordered, "Take the towels off that shelf, wring them out, and give them to me."

Xiang Wan silently took the towel down, turned her back to Feng Yulian, and swirled it in the water a couple of times. The insect clung to it. Xiang Wan then used the corner of a dagger to wrap the insect carefully, gently wrung out the water, and turned to hand it to Feng Yulian.

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you."

Feng Yulian took the towel, wiped her face haphazardly, and tossed it to Xiang Wan. She silently turned around and examined the towel closely; hmm, it was no longer there.

Shi Di stayed in the inner room for a long time. When he came out, he had changed into clean clothes, but the style was exactly the same as before. He looked up at Feng Yulian, then stared at her for a long time as if he had seen something interesting. He then glanced quickly at Xiang Wan before walking towards Feng Yulian.

"Lian'er, tonight's operation depends on you."

As he spoke, Shi Di secretly pinched her waist, which made Feng Yulian playfully scold him. She replied repeatedly, "Don't worry, with Lian'er here, I will definitely not fail in my mission."

“But,” Feng Yulian stared at Xiang Wan again, “what about her? We can’t leave her as a threat, can we?”

"Don't worry, she wouldn't dare disobey."

"Yes, Lian'er believes you."

Feng Yulian put her veil over her head, turned, and went out the door. Shi Die sat in the chair she had been sitting in, his arms crossed over his chest, looking at Xiang Wan without saying a word.

Xiang Wan guessed that Shi Di must have found out about releasing the insects and now wanted to interrogate her. Shi Di usually presented a peaceful and approachable image when interacting with the original owner of this body, but in reality, he was extremely autocratic and had an unusually strong desire for control. Those around him were initially deceived by his kind exterior, but after spending time with him, they would realize that he couldn't tolerate the slightest disobedience from his subordinates. Since they stayed by his side out of a desire to repay a debt of gratitude for being saved, they naturally wouldn't violate his taboos.

Without a word, Xiang Wan knelt on the ground, bowing her head and silently admitting what had just happened, but her inherent stubbornness kept her back ramrod straight. Shi Di liked to make decisions unilaterally, but he also loved loyal and principled people the most. Xiang Wan's actions were aimed at his preferences, and he didn't believe he would continue interrogating her.

"You're quite clever," Shi Di chuckled, then asked, "You saw those bugs just now, didn't you?"

Xiang Wan nodded decisively, her back still ramrod straight.

"You saw it and still dared to steer the conversation towards her?" Shi Di pointed at his knee and roared, "Are you tired of living?"

Feigning anger, he gave her a stern warning followed by a sweet treat—a common tactic for managing subordinates. Xiang Wan, of course, wouldn't refuse him. She shook her head, stubbornly turning her head to the side.

After a long while, Shi Di burst out laughing: "Interesting. I've been here for so long, and this is the first time I've seen someone with such a strong personality."

The voice moved closer to her ear, the breath brushing against her earlobe behind the veil, "Since you want to follow me, I'll give you a chance."

Xiang Wan tilted her head slightly, then turned back, staring at Shi Di's mask, and nodded.

"Follow me. If you can accomplish this, you'll be my assistant from now on. No one will dare to bully you here anymore."

Xiang Wan suddenly looked up, and seeing that Shi Di's gaze seemed genuine, she nodded repeatedly, which made Shi Di chuckle. He stood up and gave her a series of orders to prepare things.

The first thing he did was to order her to fill a glass bottle with water and put a few worms in it. The second thing he did was to have Xiang Wan cut her finger and drip her blood into the bottle.

In front of him, Xiang Wan had no choice but to bite her fingertip and let a drop of blood drip in.

The insects, initially lying quietly at the bottom of the bottle, began to thrash wildly upon seeing blood, then started devouring each other. The one with the pointed mouth, as if suddenly possessed, opened its massive maw, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. With each opening and closing of its mouth, the number of insects dwindled, their size increased, until only one remained. This single insect was a composite of the many that had appeared before, its size changing from hair-thin to finger-thick, its color shifting from a translucent pale red to a blood-red hue. Its ferocious head features became apparent: beneath its round mouth were countless inverted sharp teeth, and its eyes circled around its mouthparts like a ring of tiny red pebbles. Xiang Wan lightly tapped the glass bottle, and the insect violently rammed against the spot she touched, displaying extreme savagery.

Xiang Wan picked up the glass bottle, placed it at head height, and moved it in front of Shi Di, her questioning intent quite clear.

"If you dare to betray it, the day it dies will be the day you die."

Shi Di took the bottle, said those words, and turned to walk into the inner room.

Xiang Wan didn't believe that an insect could determine a person's fate, but she was still very curious about what Shi Di wanted to do.

She followed him to a hidden door in the inner room, and what she saw inside shocked her beyond measure.