"Miss, it seems Ye Feng was indeed placed here by Prince An."
Ye Lanshan responded softly, "Mm, I know."
Ye Yuan asked, "What do we do now?"
Sitting in the pavilion, Ye Lanshan had regained her usual calm composure: "Hold steady for now, to avoid alerting the enemy."
"Baby, it looks like we're truly safe." Yue Yinuo stroked her belly with maternal affection, looking very serene.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Ye Lanshan pushed the door open and walked in.
"I'm feeling great, and the baby is healthy too. Look, he's even kicking me." Yue Yinuo smiled, touching her belly.
As if relieved, Ye Lanshan let out a long sigh: "That's good. Can you tell me about Prince An? After all, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory every time."
"My father is a very cunning man. He always uses others to do his dirty work, so he's never been caught red-handed. But he's overly arrogant, believing that anything he orchestrates is foolproof."
"Yet once, he failed—defeated by your grandfather and father. He couldn't accept it, and he vowed revenge on the Ye family."
"So he planned to use the Ye family's hand to ascend the throne, then wipe out the Ye family, proclaiming to the world how despicable and ambitious they were."
"That's why he sent you to seduce Ye Suzhe to achieve his goal. Then I have one question: was it you who had the poison placed on me?" A glint of murder flashed in Ye Lanshan's eyes.
"Poison? What poison? My father only told me to persuade Suzhe to help him rebel. He never arranged anything else for me." Yue Yinuo looked somewhat bewildered.
If it wasn't her, then who? The Ye family had no such potent poison. Aside from Prince An, who else could have it?
In truth, the poison had been given by Prince An, but it wasn't Yue Yinuo who administered it—it was Ye Siyu.
Forget it, forget it. Let's not dwell on this. I'll go back and focus on improving my mystic power first. She stood up and said, "If that's the case, I'll take my leave."
"Mm." Yue Yinuo sat on the bed, a hint of worry in her eyes. Was there someone else involved in that plan that I didn't know about? If so, would the Ye residence truly remain safe? If the Ye family fell, what would happen to the child?
Ye Lanshan was completely unaware of Yue Yinuo's concerns. Even if she knew, she'd probably just brush it off with a dismissive smile, for Ye Lanshan had never failed before.
"Miss, Eunuch De is here." A maidservant knocked on the door.
Ye Lanshan replied, "Alright, I understand."
"By imperial decree: The legitimate daughter of the Ye family is hereby appointed as Princess Tian'an, effective today. In three days, she shall depart to the Ye Kingdom for marriage."
"Marriage?" Ye Lanshan frowned. "Wasn't it supposed to be three months before going to the Ye Kingdom?"
"The Ye Kingdom is pressuring our Yue Kingdom. His Majesty had no choice but to move the date forward."
"Fine, I understand. Give me the decree." Ye Lanshan reached out and took the imperial edict Eunuch De handed her.
Eunuch De watched Ye Lanshan walk back and sighed. Alas! May Miss Ye save the Yue Kingdom from its crisis.
"One wave after another—what a nuisance." Ye Lanshan looked up to the heavens and lamented, "Heavens! What did I do to offend you? I just wanted to become an immortal—was that so hard? And you struck me with lightning, sending me to this godforsaken place, forcing me to start cultivating all over again. Fine, I'll start over, but then you pile all these troubles on me."
She paused, then pointed at the sky and cursed, "You'd better hope I never catch you, or I'll make you see why flowers are so red!" After venting, she finally felt relieved.
Rumble. Clouds quickly gathered above her head, so dark and heavy they seemed ready to drip with water.
Ye Lanshan's eye twitched as she stared speechlessly at the clouds. I just cursed you a bit—can't you, as the Heavenly Dao, be a little magnanimous?
But the clouds couldn't hear her inner complaints. A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm shot straight toward her.
Ye Lanshan dodged the strike, but unexpectedly, the lightning seemed to have eyes, chasing after her.
"Lanshan!" Ye Luotian immediately ran toward her, but before he could reach her, the lightning had already struck.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the bolt hit Ye Lanshan.
No sooner had the first strike landed than a second followed, then a third and a fourth.
The lightning was so powerful that even the sturdiest bluestone in the Ye residence was blasted into a large crater.
"Lanshan~! Why am I so cursed? I just got out, and now you're gone! Heavens, are you trying to end my bloodline?" Ye Luotian wept bitterly, tears streaming down his face.
"Cough, cough. Heavens, I'm not done with you!" Ye Lanshan struggled to crawl out of the pit.
Ye Luotian stared at the blackened figure emerging from the hole, rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken, then immediately grabbed Ye Jinlin: "Quick, quick—check if my granddaughter is alright."
While Ye Luotian was frantic with worry, Ye Lanshan stood up as if nothing had happened: "Grandfather, I'm fine. See for yourself." She spun around to prove she was unharmed.
Ye Luotian asked anxiously, "Are you really okay? If you're hurt, don't hold back—tell me."
Ye Lanshan said, "I know, I'm really fine." Then she glanced at the black soot covering her body with some disgust: "Grandfather, I'm going back to wash up. We can talk about anything later."
"Ah, this child." Ye Luotian shook his head with fond indulgence.
As Ye Lanshan scrubbed herself in the bath, she couldn't help feeling frustrated. Why do others only get two lightning strikes when advancing to Great Mystic Master, while I get three? Even if the Heavenly Dao wants revenge, this is too much.
And why did I get an extra strike when I advanced to Mystic Master too? It just doesn't make sense.
While Ye Lanshan was brooding, a drama was unfolding at the Ye residence.
Ye Emperor Ye Changbai pointed at Ye Yutian and said, "This time, you must marry Ye Lanshan."
"Are you that eager to see me dead?" Ye Yutian's tone was icy, nothing like how one would speak to family.
"You—how can I make you believe I'm not trying to harm you?"
"Hah, right. You didn't personally kill me, so should I thank you for your mercy back then?" Ye Yutian sneered, watching Ye Changbai look away. "Feeling guilty?"
Ye Changbai stubbornly explained, "That was really an accident. I had no idea it would happen."
Hearing Ye Changbai's excuse, Ye Yutian laughed. Though he smiled, the coldness in his eyes never faded.
Ye Changbai knew Ye Yutian didn't believe him, so he could only walk away dejectedly: "Whether you believe it or not, making you marry Ye Lanshan is definitely not meant to harm you."