After being captured by Shen Yao, the Skyreach Tower assassin had already resigned herself to her fate, since she'd never heard of an assassin being captured by the target's household and making it out alive.
At most, there might be a difference in how much suffering she would endure.
But lying on the ground, listening to the flirtatious exchange between the two in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a flare of anger.
Don't I have any dignity?!
I'm a fifth-rank assassin, for heaven's sake. Can't you two stop flirting as if no one else is here?
"Princess Mu certainly has impressive methods!" The assassin laughed coldly. "You've even managed to hook up with a constable from the Six Bureaus. I'm afraid no one in Heyang City knows about your relationship yet. You were waiting for me tonight?"
After seeing Shen Yao, she realized she had fallen into a trap that had been prepared long in advance. With someone who understood the Crown Prince's vindictive nature so well, she had probably been secretly plotting for a long time!
"The Crown Prince sent you?"
Mu Qinglan played with the crossbow bolt in her hand, asking indifferently.
"Hah! You guess!"
"What does Madam Lou say? Does she also think I'm weak and easy to bully?"
The assassin was startled. How did she know Madam Lou's name? This name was top secret even within the Crown Prince's mansion! Unless she was fifth-rank, there was no way she could have learned this name.
But now... the other party had so casually mentioned this name?
Was it a coincidence?
Or... was there a traitor among them?
"What are you talking about?"
She remained stubborn, but her heart had already begun to waver.
"Madam Lou is the Crown Prince's chief advisor, isn't she? Most of the Crown Prince's dirty schemes with the demons come from her hand. There are even many of her people in your Skyreach Tower, mobilizing you Crown Prince loyalists to work for the demons' benefit."
"Nonsense!"
The assassin shrieked, her heart trembling, instinctively refuting: "Madam Lou would never do such a thing!"
"So you don't deny knowing that Madam Lou is a demon? Do you know what crime it is to collude with demon with the intent to usurp the country?" Mu Qinglan's tone was as cold as ice.
Being reprimanded like this, the assassin realized she had misspoken.
How did I let that slip!
She regretted it in her heart. Shocked and angered that this girl, not yet fully grown, had such cunning rhetoric, she had no way to counter and could only refute:
"You have no evidence."
Not far away, the gray-haired girl with her eyes covered, pressed to the ground, raised her head in surprise.
The Crown Prince... and demon?
"Yes, you've covered your tracks well. I have no evidence."
Mu Qinglan put down the hand crossbow, her tone much gentler, no longer carrying that aggressive aura from before: "But you've misunderstood one thing... I don't need evidence for revenge."
"You, you...!"
After being led into revealing information, and then suddenly hearing such a gentle tone, the assassin felt a fatal sense of unease rise in her heart.
"How shall we deal with her?" Shen Yao stepped forward and asked.
"Kill her."
"Would you like to do it yourself?"
"Yes."
Mu Qinglan hadn't looked at the assassin once from beginning to end.
A fish in a barrel, why bother with a glance? Her guilt about killing these assassins who wanted her life was about the same as stepping on an ant—completely nonexistent.
Only the future boss beside her could stir up a bit of interest.
But just a bit.
Though [Dessert Candle] was strong, in Mu Qinglan's view, obedience was more important.
If this little assassin truly refused to submit, she wouldn't mind sending her on her way—her plans could be helped with her inclusion, but would just be a bit more difficult without her.
"Take a deep breath..."
Mu Qinglan raised the hand crossbow, speaking in a tone that could almost be called gentle: "Pain is normal. Soon it won't hurt anymore."
Swoosh—
With the sound of the bowstring cutting through the air.
A corpse fell to the ground, then was dragged away by servants.
Unnoticed by others, a faint white light rose, slowly floating, and finally all of it entered the white-haired girl's body. She glanced at it—a full 63 experience points.
"What about her?" Shen Yao glanced at the gray-haired girl.
"No hurry."
Mu Qinglan looked at the girl lying quietly on the ground. If not for her confirmed identity, an ordinary person would hardly imagine that such a teenage girl would be a Crown Prince's loyalist.
It was also hard to imagine that she would slaughter the entire Crown Prince's mansion in the future.
Since she would betray the Crown Prince's mansion in the future, perhaps it was worth trying to bring her under her command, Mu Qinglan thought.
The only question was why she would betray him.
For a loyalist trained for years to become so angry, it was probably related to the past... Was there an issue with how she was taken in by the Crown Prince?
Mu Qinglan thought perceptively.
She remembered that this little assassin in the game was called Zhu Yan, but unfortunately her background was mysterious, with very little related plot, so Mu Qinglan didn't know the specific situation. However, now that she knew the name, she could have her people investigate.
Let's try first.
"You heard everything. The Crown Prince is colluding with demons to usurp the country. How did he educate you loyalists? For the country? To eliminate evil? Revenge? Gratitude?" Mu Qinglan asked seemingly casually. "There must be one reason."
"You are a scourge of the capital. Eliminating you needs no explanation," the gray-haired girl said calmly.
"What about the Crown Prince? Isn't a traitor to the country more serious than I am?"
"His Highness... may have his own reasons."
The gray-haired girl said after a few seconds of silence.
"Interesting. The Crown Prince's collusion with enemies is blameless, but I who have done nothing am guilty? How ridiculous."
"..."
The gray-haired girl said nothing.
Mu Qinglan's lips curled slightly upward, knowing that it would probably be impossible to win over this little assassin in a short time. But she wasn't disappointed. Failure was normal; years of loyalist education wouldn't be easily broken down. Her trump card was still to come.
Once she uncovered her past, she hoped her mouth would still be as stubborn as it was now.
If it remained that stubborn, she could be stubborn in the netherworld.
The mortal world had no room for such a stubborn mouth.
True, she wouldn't kill the innocent, but she also had no interest in nurturing a tiger that might turn on her. Could an assassin who wanted to kill her be considered innocent?
Mu Qinglan waved her hand disinterestedly, and so the servants, following Mu Qinglan's initial instructions, removed the blindfold and locked her in the deepest part of the dungeon.
Before leaving, she still stared at Mu Qinglan with cold, hateful eyes.
As if she couldn't wait to come over and eliminate this public menace.
"Remember to feed her fasting pills."
Mu Qinglan watched as the little assassin was taken further and further away, feeling somewhat curious.
Curious about how many days she could endure.
Though being locked in the dungeon involved no physical torture, several consecutive days of life without daylight wasn't something a human could endure. To make a deep impression on her, Mu Qinglan had specifically instructed that her hands and feet be bound, making her lie on her back on a comfortable bed.
This series of measures combined could be called torture.
In her previous life, foreigners had conducted experiments where most people couldn't stay in a completely dark room for more than three days without experiencing mental breakdown.
This would also give the little assassin time to reflect on her offense against her.
She had heard of even more advanced methods.
No sound, no sensation, no light, no sleep.
But Mu Qinglan wasn't that heartless and wouldn't go to such extremes.
The reduced version was enough for her to suffer.
She wondered what this expressionless little assassin would feel when she saw her again after a few days? Would she still be as resistant as now? Or would she become an obedient little dog?
Mu Qinglan smiled maliciously.
She looked forward to it.