"Are you close with her?" Grace asked, eyeing him sideways.
Evan Xiao: "Yeah."
"How close?"
"We've known each other for years." Hundreds of years, actually...
Grace shot him a look, then turned to Bianca Whitefan. "Miss Whitefan, you can ask for something else—I might consider it. But this particular condition? No way! I'll think of another solution."
"In the Blue Moon Kingdom, I'm the only one who can remove her curse talisman," Bianca said calmly.
"If someone could put the talisman on her, I believe someone else can break it too," Grace replied. "There's no way you're the only Rune Master in the whole kingdom, Miss Whitefan! Goodbye!"
With that, Grace turned and walked away.
Essence blood is not something you should ever give to a Rune Master lightly.
Because with your essence blood and birth details, they can make your life a living hell!
The condition Miss Whitefan proposed was way too sinister—Grace would never agree to it.
"Grace!" Evan Xiao called out behind her.
But she ignored this traitor—didn't even look back—and went to call her aunt, leaving just like that.
After she left, Evan Xiao frowned and asked Bianca Whitefan, "Why do you need the blood of a Zhu Family woman?"
Bianca didn't answer. She pulled out a pouch from her chest, and from it, two blood-red talisman papers—half-burned.
"Aren't these the talisman papers that got struck by lightning during Leon Zane's divination?" Evan asked.
He and Leon Zane had brought them to the palace for her together.
Bianca nodded. "Your Highness, when you two came to see me that day, I was worried someone might be eavesdropping, so I didn't say much. But now... I think we've finally found hope!"
"What do you mean?" Leon Zane came over too.
"Your Highness, cousin, the person we're looking for... is most likely in the Zhu Family!" Bianca said, her eyes shining with excitement.
Leon Zane: "What makes you think so?"
"Ordinary people don't have enough spiritual pull to summon lightning. Except for... the Divine Race!" Bianca declared.
Leon Zane's eyes lit up too. He suddenly looked at Evan Xiao. "Your Highness, I remember you told me that Grace Wan actually knows the secret technique for grafting Spirit Roots! Could she be the one we're looking for?"
"It's very likely her," Bianca replied. "Maybe her marriage to Minister Zhuo is what's putting her in danger—hence the blood divination and the lightning strike."
"That's great! We've finally found her!" Leon Zane exclaimed.
"But it's also possible it's not her," Bianca cautioned. "Maybe... Grace Wan becoming a legitimate wife is what's putting someone else in danger."
"So you want to test the bloodline of the women in the Zhu Family?" Evan Xiao asked.
Bianca nodded. "If it's Grace Wan, fine. But if not, then the person we're searching for is probably still in the Zhu Family."
"But that's not easy! Is there no other way besides testing bloodlines?" Leon Zane asked.
Bianca shook her head.
Evan Xiao thought for a moment, then asked, "So what about the talisman you planted in Colin Gu's body? What's it for?"
"That's a kind of proximity rune," Bianca explained. "If the person we're looking for gets close to Colin Gu, I might be able to sense it."
"That's perfect!" Leon Zane brightened. "So, we'll split up—I'll figure out how to collect blood from the Zhu Family, and you keep a close watch on Colin Gu in the palace."
"Alright!" Bianca agreed.
"By the way, when Colin Gu woke up in your palace that day, how did he react?" Leon Zane asked, clearly amused.
Bianca's expression turned complicated. "He threw up."
"Pfft!" Leon Zane burst out laughing, looking quite pleased. "My disguise technique is pretty good, huh?"