Lacey Shen, a Flower Blooming in a Pool of Blood (1)

Gavin Wang was still floating on cloud nine from that kiss he got from Sherry. His whole brain was fuzzy, totally spaced out—this little romantic adventure had hit him so hard, he couldn’t even think straight.

“Gavin, these traps are wild!” Right now, Ivy honestly felt like her parents must be blessing her from above, because the whole trap layout had changed. Listening to Gavin’s explanation, she realized these mechanisms were a hundred times nastier than last time.

Basically, every single step could kill you.

Cao Wan’er really is paranoid—last time’s risky move probably only worked once.

But now that Gavin’s here, Ivy didn’t have to worry so much—she could stop blindly charging ahead. Otherwise, all these dense traps would’ve made her suffer big time.

“Sherry, be careful—just follow my steps. There’s a set pattern here.” As soon as he finished, Gavin started going three steps left, one step right, repeating the sequence as he walked forward.

Ivy didn’t say a word, just quietly memorized Gavin’s instructions—she knew this was absolutely crucial.

In the long, long corridor, apart from Gavin counting steps, there was no other sound. It wasn’t Ivy’s first time here, but this time, every step felt suffocating—her heart was so tight she could barely breathe.

Seeing how much stricter the setup was compared to last time, she didn’t even want to imagine what her sister was going through now!

After what felt like an eternity, Ivy thought she’d walked for a whole century. Finally, a white light appeared ahead, Gavin stopped, and in the distance—it was still that place, still that corner of the lake.

But this time, it was different. Last time, the sight was heart-wrenching but still showed a trace of life. Now, the scene before Ivy made her tears fall uncontrollably.

Far away, on that tiny round platform, a woman lay motionless, so thin she was all bones. Her clothes had long since fallen to tatters, scattered around her. Dried blood was everywhere. Her golden tail was stripped bare—no gold left, only mangled flesh and skin rotting away...

She looked like a pitiful flower blooming in a pool of blood—a blood-flower blooming not just in the lake, but in Ivy’s own heart...

“Sherry, don’t look—” Gavin’s heart ached seeing the tears pouring down Ivy’s face like beads of water.

“Is... is she still alive?” Ivy choked out, her vision blurring with tears at the sight before her.

“No idea. She hasn’t moved in days. Eh, forget her—dead or alive, what does it matter?” Gavin waved dismissively, clearly not caring about the woman’s fate.

But his indifference made Ivy’s heart twist painfully. Her hands clenched at her sides, fists tightening without her noticing.

“How do we get over there?” Ivy’s voice was sharp, even though she was trying hard to keep it steady.

“What’s wrong, Sherry?” Gavin finally noticed the anger radiating off the person beside him and was a little confused.

At his words, Ivy took a deep breath to force down her rage, tears falling freely. “She looks so pitiful. I just want to see her... please?”

Ivy’s voice was so soft, trembling a little, making her sound like a gentle, fragile girl who couldn’t bear to witness suffering. That gentle plea made the skeletal woman on the distant platform stir, ever so slightly.

She’d heard Ivy’s voice. She tried to lift her head, but after all the abuse from Cao Wan’er and days without food, she could only lie there, unable to move. Her bony fingers, always drooping over her head, twitched and slowly, painfully, lifted—only for a couple seconds before dropping again, completely exhausted.

Seeing this, Ivy couldn’t help but burst into loud sobs. This kind of emotion needed no acting, no hiding. Even if it made people suspicious, she couldn’t hold back anymore—her tears fell like broken pearls, making anyone watching ache for her.

“Don’t cry, Sherry. I told you not to look, but you insisted. I knew this would happen.” Gavin thought Ivy was just scared by the scene, and his heart twisted up—she really was too kind and innocent.

“I want to see her. Please, take me to her?” Ivy tugged at his sleeve, her voice almost begging.

She knew now wasn’t the time for impulsiveness. Last time, so much happened at this distance—she had to hold back, had to endure.

“Calm down, Sherry. I know you’re kind, but we really can’t get any closer,” Gavin sighed. “Look, the swords have been replaced, and they’re all smeared with deadly poison. If you step wrong, you’re done for—even with my martial arts, it’s way too far. The Crown Prince said the traps have been changed, so who knows what could happen if we try to jump across.”

“Really?” Ivy looked at him through tears, searching his face for honesty.

“I swear, I’m not lying. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be this thin. Sure, the beatings are bad, but it’s also because I can’t always throw food far enough. She used to be able to grab it, but now the blades are all poisoned—if I miss, she goes hungry.”

Listening to him, Ivy saw the scattered food all around. She was so far away, but could still smell the rot. Gavin had said it—if he missed, she starved. Seeing all that food lying everywhere, she could imagine how many times he’d missed.

“Are you sure you don’t know?” Ivy turned her head, eyes no longer hiding the killing intent.

Gavin’s heart skipped a beat—her sharp gaze made his scalp tingle, and his lips trembled as he stammered, “Sherry...”

“If you really don’t know, then keeping you here is pointless.” With a flick of her finger, Ivy immobilized him instantly.

Gavin realized she’d hit his pressure point—now he couldn’t move at all. Only now did he sense that something was seriously off.

Seeing his sudden look of terror, Ivy knew he’d guessed the truth. She curled her lips coldly, then—shua!—ripped off her human-skin mask.

The face beneath was breathtaking, but Gavin gasped not for her beauty—he was stunned because she looked exactly like the half-dead ‘madwoman’ on the platform.

Sister!

Monster!

Suddenly, Gavin’s eyes went wide. The ‘monster’ left in the Serpent Realm—had Silver Consort really failed to kill her? And now she was standing here, alive?

For a moment, Gavin felt like he’d lost his mind, doing something so stupid. Seeing her fierce gaze, a sense of doom welled up inside him.

“Your eyes already told me you recognize me. You’ve been trying to erase me all this time, haven’t you? Too bad—I’m the cockroach you can’t kill. Let me tell you before you die: this empire will never fall into the hands of that dog mother-and-son pair!”

Gavin’s eyes blinked desperately, clearly wanting to plead for his life—but Ivy didn’t care to listen.

“I promised myself: anyone who hurts my family will pay double. You... I’m going to use you—” Ivy narrowed her eyes, voice icy. “Didn’t you say there were no stepping stones on the way? Well, you’ll make two!”

With that, she drew his sword from his waist and, without hesitation, slashed him fiercely across the middle. In an instant, Gavin was cut in half at the waist—blood sprayed everywhere, the scene both terrifying and gruesome.

His death was so sudden, Gavin’s eyes stayed wide open, as if refusing to close even in death.

At that moment, Xiska Mon flew in from the darkness. He didn’t say a word—seeing the skeletal woman lying lifeless in the distance, he instantly understood why Ivy was so furious.

Ivy kicked Gavin’s corpse—thump, thump—sending both halves onto the blades, turning them into stepping stones.

The moment Gavin’s body landed, countless invisible silver needles shot out like rain, striking everywhere. Next came clouds of boiling, white-smoke oil pouring down—a scalding downpour, like a torrential storm but burning hot.

“Are they trying to boil pigs?” Xiska Mon couldn’t help but comment at the gruesome scene.

The two halves of Gavin’s corpse were instantly soaked in the boiling oil, blistering up—proof of just how scalding and deadly that stuff was.