Tanya Lu nodded. "Alright. You guys go ahead! It’s rare to get a few days off, but it’s never actually relaxing! Today, let me take care of my sister. You all go have some real fun for once!"
Thanks, Little Aunt! We’re heading out.
Tanya nodded.
She glanced once at High Goddess Vivian Lu’s room, but didn’t even go inside—instead, she headed straight for the pharmacy.
Sure enough, when she arrived, Quentin Lian was busy brewing medicine, personally tending the fire and looking totally absorbed.
Tanya walked over and called out, "Brother-in-law."
"You came." Quentin Lian looked at her. "I heard you haven’t been feeling well these past few days?"
"Yeah, not too great," Tanya replied.
"Your complexion really isn’t good," Quentin said. "You don’t have to exhaust yourself here. Just go rest. There’s plenty of us to handle things."
"Brother-in-law, I’m actually worried I might be coming down with something. Could you check my pulse for me?" Tanya asked.
Quentin Lian didn’t suspect a thing. After checking the fire, he said, "Alright, I’ll check your pulse."
Tanya nodded and held out her arm.
Quentin took her pulse, frowning slightly. "You…"
Just then, a tiny black bug crawled out from Tanya’s sleeve, turned into a streak of shadow, and shot straight toward Quentin.
Tanya’s breathing and heartbeat nearly stopped as she watched the shadow dart toward Quentin’s lowered wrist, her face perfectly calm.
As long as it got inside, this man would be hers.
And this beautiful Peach Blossom Haven would be hers too.
She’d been obsessed with owning all of this for so long, and today she could finally make it happen…
But suddenly, a layer of golden light flared around Quentin. The shadow hit it, instantly reverted to its true form, and fell to the floor.
Quentin immediately sensed it, cast a spell to capture the bug, and demanded, "What is this thing?"
"Huh?" Tanya froze for a moment, then feigned panic. "I have no idea! Brother-in-law, you don’t know what it is either?"
"It crawled out of your sleeve. You’re asking me what it is?"
"I don’t recognize it!" Tanya protested, looking completely innocent. "No clue where it came from. Wait—is this bug poisonous?"
"The bug itself isn’t poisonous." Suddenly, Lucy Luan and Ethan Lu dropped their invisibility and appeared in front of them.
Tanya’s expression changed slightly. "What are you two doing here?" she demanded.
Lucy revealed the Taiching Clarity Charm she’d been holding.
She’d been crouched invisible right next to Tanya, recording every detail of the Hex Worm crawling out of her sleeve with the Clarity Charm.
"Ah! What is that bug, anyway? How did it crawl out of my sleeve? So creepy!" Tanya kept pretending.
Seeing her like this, Lucy was so furious she couldn’t help herself—she struck Tanya with a palm, sending her flying to the floor.
Tanya clutched her chest, coughed up blood, and cried, "Brother-in-law, help! Lucy Luan’s lost her mind!"
"Lucy! What’s going on?" Quentin asked, totally confused.
"Tanya! Tell everyone yourself! What have you done?" Lucy demanded, pointing at her.
"I don’t know! I didn’t do anything! What is that bug, Lucy—are you trying to frame me for something?"
These days, High Goddess Vivian Lu had recovered enough to walk around. Hearing the commotion, she came over and asked, "What’s going on here?"
"Mother Goddess." Lucy supported her. "I’ve found the one who killed our baby sister!"
"What!" High Goddess Vivian Lu looked at Tanya lying on the ground. "Don’t tell me…"