"You don't want this?" Lily Bai pulled it back. "Then I'll head home first."
"Stop." Leo Li blocked her path.
"Is there something else, Young Master Drake?"
"Is she really dead?"
"She's really dead! This is a life-or-death matter—who would joke about this? The messenger who delivered the Divine Edict said if she didn't die, I'd have to drink the poison myself! That stuff is terrifying. I just put one drop in the wine, and she died instantly."
Leo Li said nothing, staring at the barrier with a deep frown.
"Young Master Drake?" Lily Bai tilted her head and called out. "What's wrong with you? Can I leave now?"
"You can't leave yet," Leo Li said. "Hand over the entry talisman."
Lily Bai handed him the talisman.
He passed it to the two Palace Guards behind him. "You two, go in and check."
The Palace Guards turned pale with fear and dropped to their knees. "Y-Young Master Drake, we can't! That's... White..."
"Why are you so scared?" Lily Bai looked genuinely confused. "She's really dead! Even if she wasn't, what's so scary? She's just a regular woman, and she's chained up!"
"Shut up, what do you know?" Guard A snapped at her angrily.
Lily Bai pouted, feeling wronged. "I'm telling the truth! Why are you so mean to me?"
The two Palace Guards: "..."
"Go in!" Leo Li tossed them the entry talisman. "That's an order."
With no choice, the two guards nervously took the talisman and entered.
They quickly came back out, both of them excited. "Young Master Drake, she's really dead!"
"See? I didn't lie, did I?" Lily Bai spread her hands at Leo Li, looking pure and honest.
Leo Li frowned and asked the two guards, "What's the situation inside?"
Guard A: "It's freezing in there! Then you have to walk through a winding tunnel, and there's running water. Once you go in—"
"Who asked about that?" Leo Li barked at him. "I want to know about the person!"
Guard A: "She... she's lying on the ground, not breathing at all."
"Did you check her?"
The two guards exchanged glances and stammered, "We... we can tell the difference between dead and alive! No need to check, right?"
"Useless!" Each of them got slapped, and Lily Bai winced in sympathy.
The two, after being hit, just hung their heads in silence, wearing the look of 'I'd rather die than admit she's alive.'
Ever since the barrier returned to its original state, the Celestial Empress has been plagued by nightmares.
She dreams of Bianca Whitefan slaughtering the Celestial Palace.
Or she dreams of walking down a corridor and Bianca Whitefan suddenly appears upside down, grinning at her.
Or she dreams of lying in bed as Bianca Whitefan strangles her, demanding she return her daughter...
So, having Lily Bai poison Bianca Whitefan gives them all a bit of hope.
After all, Lily Bai looks exactly like Lucy Luan. Bianca might be wary of others, but not of her! What if it actually works? Then their biggest threat would be gone!
"Young Master Drake!" Lily Bai was getting impatient. "Are you done yet? I need to hurry back!"
Leo Li knew he couldn't just report back—he had to check for himself.
So he told the two guards, "Watch her. I'm going in to check."
The guards nodded and kept a close eye on Lily Bai.
Leo Li entered the barrier.