In the game, there was no way to defeat this fifth-rank demon in the early stages, so the dropped items were unknown to Mu Qinglan.
But she was quite familiar with this elite monster.
In the game's plot, the assassin had fully displayed her personality during her brief alliance with the player.
And what left the deepest impression on Mu Qinglan was—after each successful assassination, she would record the entire mission in detail, even noting the methods used for the assassination.
This record, if discovered by anyone other than Mu Qinglan, would bring quite troublesome consequences.
Because she didn't know exactly what method the assassin had used to assassinate her.
Nor did she know if this method could be replicated.
And she couldn't explain how she had escaped from the assassin's method.
So no matter what, this diary containing key secrets couldn't fall into others' hands.
It could only be destroyed.
But before destruction, Mu Qinglan still needed to see what method the assassin had used last night, which would also help her take precautions to avoid being assassinated again.
Mu Qinglan opened the notebook and began reading line by line.
"To assassinate the princess of Prince Qi's mansion, the Demon Saint bestowed upon me a drop of his heart blood, saying, 'Though supplements are good, excess is harmful.'"
"Taking advantage of the absence of that fourth-rank steward from Prince Qi's mansion, I dripped the great one's blood essence in the backyard."
"I should know the result by tomorrow."
Mu Qinglan's eyes flickered.
She finally knew exactly how she had died last night. Even with shadow servants watching in the room, she had still died silently in her sleep.
So it was the Demon Saint's blood essence!
They really spared no expense.
With her knowledge of the game, she naturally knew the extraordinary nature of the Demon Saint's blood essence.
In fact, it was one of the quite high-tier materials in the game. When used, it could increase one's affinity with a certain power related to the corresponding Demon Saint to some extent, and was extremely precious.
Mu Qinglan also finally knew where the destiny trait named [Shadow Affinity] on her panel came from.
—It was a gift from the poison.
However, after learning about this, Mu Qinglan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because once she completed her Transcendent Awakening, this kind of "poison" would no longer threaten her, unless fed directly into her mouth.
And with the help of the player panel, Transcendent Awakening would certainly be much easier.
That's what comes with being a player.
"What are you looking at?"
Behind her, a calm and somewhat cold voice suddenly sounded.
Shen Yao saw Mu Qinglan flip through the notebook a couple of times and then fall into deep thought, which made her curious. After some internal debate, she finally asked.
"It's nothing, just learned about the method the assassin used last night."
Mu Qinglan didn't turn around. After closing the notebook in her hand, she responded indifferently: "They put in quite a lot of effort."
"Do you need my help?"
Shen Yao frowned slightly, offering to share the burden.
"That won't be necessary," Mu Qinglan shook her head slightly, smiling, "I won't be taken down by the same move twice."
"As you say."
Shen Yao didn't speak further.
Seeing that Shen Yao had nothing more to say, Mu Qinglan instead brought up another topic: "How are things going over there?"
"Everything is as you predicted."
The black-haired girl answered with some admiration.
"Secretary Li has confessed and submitted to the law. He's just waiting for the Ministry of Justice to open court. The demon assassin found in his courtyard is solid evidence; no one can escape punishment."
"Remember to assign more people to guard him well. Don't let him die mysteriously."
After casually mentioning this, Mu Qinglan no longer paid attention to the matter.
For the sake of secrecy, that Crown Prince who had colluded with the demons would definitely not let him live, no matter the cost.
And she didn't yet have the ability to uproot the Crown Prince's forces.
So, given that Li Xin's death was already a foregone conclusion, all Mu Qinglan could do was annoy him as much as possible.
After all, even for the Crown Prince, agents placed in the Six Bureaus were quite precious.
Losing them would be quite painful.
"I've already given instructions. There won't be any accidents."
Shen Yao said confidently.
It was evident that she was very confident in the protective measures she had left in place.
Mu Qinglan didn't speak, just smiled. Whether there would be any accidents would be known by tomorrow. This Constable's understanding of the power of those behind the scenes was still somewhat lacking.
But it was fine; she would learn.
"That's good."
Mu Qinglan pinched the corner of the notebook and tossed it: "Then let's clean up the last evidence of our assassin lady. We've been out for so long; I'm getting a bit tired."
"Understood."
Shen Yao responded softly.
As she spoke, a layer of frost instantly covered the notebook still in mid-air, crystal clear under the sunlight, and then at the moment it hit the ground, it shattered into ice powder, making it impossible for anyone to piece back together.
It's hard to imagine what kind of destructive power such an ability would have if applied to a human.
And from now on, this ability would be used for Mu Qinglan.
"I'll escort you back."
○
On Phoenix Avenue, in a carriage without any decorations.
Though the exterior was unadorned, the interior was fully equipped, with elegant decorations and a pleasant fragrance. When moving, one could hardly feel any jolts.
Shen Yao sat inside the carriage, feeling somewhat emotional.
When she went out with this princess, she still harbored some distrust.
Because Mu Qinglan's plan was too simple and childish, like the sudden fancy of a child only a few years old, full of absurdity from beginning to end.
Shen Yao had already prepared to be scolded by her master.
But unexpectedly...
Shen Yao sighed lightly.
Appearances can truly be deceiving. This child, who looked so weak, could come up with such schemes—those layers of nested plans, those perfectly targeted weaknesses, directly manipulating that demon assassin and the traitor in the palm of her hand.
So impressive that it made her somewhat dejected, making her wonder if she had been wasting her years.
Otherwise, how could she be so far behind a little sister so much younger than herself?
Thinking this, Shen Yao propped her chin with one hand and gazed at the delicate sleeping face of the girl opposite her.
—In an unguarded state, the girl's detachment had completely dissipated, leaving only that undisguised paleness and those delicate, fragile, pretty features.
She's quite cute when asleep.
Shen Yao couldn't help but grumble internally.
Why would such a cute little sister want me to call her master?
What a quirk.
Although she wasn't as averse to it now, it was still quite embarrassing, so better not to mention it if possible.
But fate didn't comply with her wishes. Just as these thoughts flashed through Shen Yao's mind, the sleeping girl opposite seemed to have some kind of telepathy, her eyelids moved slightly, and then she woke up somewhat drowsily.
She saw the black-haired girl opposite and seemed to be visibly startled.
Then she remembered who this was.
Why they were together.
Naturally, she remembered more things, such as... that title she had been obsessing over.
Thinking this, Mu Qinglan curled her lips slightly and, under the restless gaze of the black-haired girl, tilted her head slightly, narrowed her eyes, like a white cat that had just woken up, and said in a lazy tone:
"How does Miss Shen feel about my friendship now?"
"...Very... very impressive."
Shen Yao stammered. Her previously ice-cold gaze seemed to have shattered, and now she somewhat dared not look at her.
"Then, Miss Shen, how have you considered my suggestion about changing how you address me?" Mu Qinglan chuckled lightly, her laughter striking the girl's heart, stirring waves.
Change, change how I address her?
These words made Shen Yao's already uneasy heart beat violently.
She raised her head and looked at the girl opposite. Through the warm fragrance in the carriage, she could see that behind the girl's lazy and weak expression, there was clearly an extremely mischievous smile.
As if waiting to see her embarrassment, yet she had no way to counter.
Mu Qinglan's promise to her had undoubtedly seized her lifeline, and calling such a cute girl "master," although extremely embarrassing for Shen Yao, was not yet completely unacceptable.
So, should she call her that?
Should she address this girl in front of her with that title?
Her breathing gradually quickened, her thoughts began to jumble, and the collision between rationality and sensibility turned this usually calm constable's mind into a complete mess.
Finally, driven by a feeling in her heart that she couldn't quite articulate, the girl mumbled her lips.
She called out softly:
"Master..."