The frantic preparations for Sung Haoyu's father's wedding were in full swing. There was little time left, and the grand ceremony was to take place in just two days. For May herself, however, this was the least important thing, and she was only interested in what Nadine wanted from her.

  How the hell did Nadine find out about Senlin and Wang Wang?

  She didn't know her very well, but it seemed that she had some kind of secret, and now, for some reason, she had decided to play her trump card.

  That same evening, when she arrived at the estate, Nadine visited her in her room. She gave her the location of the meeting she was supposed to go to. There was only one small problem: Niu Pin was following her, and he couldn't be persuaded to leave her side. May already knew that the green-haired girl would certainly not be happy about this.

  May finally arrived at the meeting place. It was the west wing of the estate. Nadine was sitting at the very end of a long dining table. The room was spacious, but there was only one long table, which was watched over by numerous portraits hanging on the walls.

  “You were supposed to come alone,” Nadine said flatly, noticing the man standing behind her. She had seen him before with May, but she hadn’t been aware of his identity.

  So you don't know everything. May thought, which gave her courage, as Nadine was not as clever as she pretended to be. She doesn't know about my bodyguard, even though she had plenty of time to figure it out.

  “I can wait outside the door,” said Niu Pin, bowing his head. He knew that the young woman at the table was Hua Tang’s second disciple, so he had no problem leaving May alone with her.

  “Yes, do that,” she replied coldly, but still clearly dissatisfied.

  Niu Pin left through the same door he had entered. From that distance, he wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop even if he wanted to. Assuming, of course, that he didn’t have any hearing enhancement abilities.

  May actually hoped that he would eavesdrop on them in this particular case. He would surely report Nadine's behavior to Hua Tang. However, she didn't expect that to happen.

  “I'm sorry I didn't come alone,” May said, testing her reaction. “But he wouldn't let me wander around a unfamiliar estate by myself.”

  Nadine frowned and snorted in irritation. She looked at May with contempt for a moment. Only after a moment did she reply, “There's nothing we can do about it now. Sit down,” she said, pointing to one of the chairs.

  It was a clear show of power. She sat in the main chair, reserved only for the most important people. May, on the other hand, was told to sit in a chair on the side, showing that she didn't have much say here. May didn't care about such minor details, however, so she decided to play along with her games for now.

  “You said you wanted my help with something related to alchemy?” She got straight to the point as soon as she sat down. She also activated [Dim Eye of Truth] to check if anything had changed since the last time.

  “I see you're getting down to business right away...” She replied with a brief smile. “Hmph. Fine, I wasn't going to drag this out any longer than necessary anyway. I'll give you information about your friends if you can solve a certain problem.”

  Her words echoed in his mind, and he sensed no falsehood in them, confirming that she was telling the truth.

  “So if I fail, you won't tell me anything? Even if you know how important it is to me?”

  “Why should I tell you? If you fail, forget about getting anything out of me. That's my bargaining chip.”

  May snorted and cursed her in her mind. Using her friends' lives for her own gain was a low blow. But she understood that as long as she had this information, even if she failed now, she could still use this card against her in the future. The very thought made her sick.

  “So?” May finally replied, tired of looking at Nadine. “Will you finally explain what this is all about?”

  “Here you go,” she said, handing her a piece of paper.

  She began to read it. It looked like a patient's record card from some doctor and described the condition of a woman named Xuan Haoyu. It took her a few minutes to read it all, most of the information was unnecessary. She did learn, however, that the woman had been stabbed with a poisoned dagger containing a poison known as Crimson Hag.

  “You want me to find an antidote...?” May asked, confused. “I'm afraid that's beyond my abilities.”

  She knew relatively little about poisons. Could Nadine have misjudged her abilities?

  “Almost the complete antidote has already been developed. Xuan Haoyu was the most powerful person in the clan. Therefore, the clan spent a lot of money to hire the best specialists who could cure her.”

  “But they failed,” May added with a sigh.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “True. They didn't succeed,” she agreed. “However, their progress was enormous. In the end, they encountered one small problem that they couldn't overcome, which ruined the chance of curing her.”

  “If no one managed to solve it, then this problem doesn't seem so small,” May sighed.

  “Xuan Haoyu blocked the flow of her Qi energy in order to survive, which prevented the Crimson Hag from spreading. That's how she surived assasination. She was given an antidote that removed most of the poison,” Nadine said. “However, for some reason, it seems that the poison affected her meridians, causing the flow of Qi energy to remain blocked.”

  “So it's not the poison itself that's the problem,” May replied. “It sounds like a medical problem, not an alchemical one.”

  The girl pushed herself away from the table with her hands and sighed loudly. Then she ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at the ceiling. She shook her head and looked at May.

  “That's where you're wrong. Crimson Hag Poison passes very quickly from the blood to the Qi. It's not very dangerous in the blood, but in the meridians? Deadly, and worse, incurable,” she replied. “The antidote removed the poison from the blood.”

  “But not from the meridians.”

  “That's right. She survived by blocking her Qi flow, but the poison got there nonetheless, she replied. “Many people have tried and failed, so I don't have high expectations of you. However, you have already performed a miracle once, so I decided to take a chance.”

  Suddenly, May began to ask herself a question that had been swirling secretly in her mind for a long time during this conversation. She finally decided to pose it when she finished speaking.

  “And why do you care about healing this woman?” she asked, not understanding why she wanted to heal her. She didn’t seem to be close to the lady or related to her.

  “That’s none of your business,” she replied coldly.

  “If I’m going to work with you, it is my business,” May retorted. “I have no intention of getting involved in any shady business, so be clear, or forget it.”

  May’s words clearly didn’t sit well with her.

  "Oh...? So you would abandon your dear friends if I didn't tell you? Don't make me laugh."

  "You're wrong. Tell me what you know, or our cooperation is over. Furthermore, I’ll reveal everything to Hua Tang. I suspect he doesn't know about your duplicity, does he?"

  Nadine shot her a sharp look and clenched her fist. She mulled over the words, then, having reached a decision, let out a heavy sigh.

  "So be it, then; consider this a gesture of my goodwill. If I cure her, it will be a major... no, a massive achievement in the eyes of the Haoyu clan. Worthy of a future successor..."

  May frowned. "A clan successor? You don't mean to tell me..."

  "Yes, I intend to take over this clan," she replied nonchalantly.

  "But... I thought that wasn't supposed to be possible. I mean, don't get me wrong, but from what I know, you have no connection to them," May said. Even her last name was different, so even if she was under their protection, it was still questionable.

  In this world, blood ties were paramount, especially within the clans. Nadine Albrecht might have been the adopted daughter of the Haoyu clan leader, but she hadn’t even taken their name. Even if the clan leader agreed, the other members would surely protest, especially since he had a true son of his own blood, Sung.

  "It was impossible," she replied with a smile. "But if I manage to cure that old wench, I'll have a real path to becoming the true heir. Don't trouble yourself with the details; that's no longer your concern."

  "You mean, when I cure her... But fine, I'll see what can be done," May replied.

  Even though she disliked Nadine, she had no objection to healing a woman. Even if it ultimately gave Albrecht a chance to become the clan leader, it meant nothing to May anyway, she was an outsider. On the other hand, she could save a life and, in the process, gain information about her friends.

  "Excellent. In that case, I'll show you to your patient," she said, rising from the table.

  "So soon?" May asked, surprised.

  "Yes. We don't have much time, do we? The sooner you get to work, the better. And to start, you must see the patient first." Without waiting for May, Nadine headed toward the door. May hastily stood up and ran after her.

  Niu Pin silently followed them without saying a word. However, he kept a considerable distance. No one commented on his presence. May was secretly glad that Hua Tang had assigned him to her; she really felt safer with him around.

  Nadine walked quickly, but it did not escape May's notice that she frequently glanced back and to the sides, as if she were afraid of running into someone or being spotted. It didn’t seem like a good sign. Nonetheless, she didn't comment and set off on the long journey behind Nadine, wandering across three different staircases and through countless rooms.

  "Why don't you try making the medicine yourself?" May finally asked, slightly bored by the silent trek through the building. Truth be told, she already somewhat expected the answer, but she had no better idea for a conversation starter.

  “Don't make me laugh. The best alchemists couldn't do it, and I could?” she replied. “Of course, I tried, but to no avail. This requires the highest alchemical abilities... Or someone capable of performing miracles.”

  May didn't answer, so they continued their journey to the patient in silence. Suddenly, a question popped into her head that she hadn't thought of before.

  “Nadine... Did you decide to become Hua Tang's disciple in the hope that he would cure her?” She asked uncertainly, hoping that the question wouldn't offend her.

  Contrary to her expectations, she was not insulted, and even revealed something shocking.

  "In a way... I originally took up alchemy in order to treat this woman... And then I found out that the sect's best alchemist was looking for a disciple. Well, it's not hard to guess what I decided.“ She replied calmly. ”I was also hoping that Hua Tang would come here... But even if he were here, he probably wouldn't help me anyway."

  “Really? You're his apprentice,” May replied.

  “More like an addition to you. But never mind, I don't hold it against you. Hua Tang, you, and alchemy are just means to my end, so as long as I can achieve it, I don't care if I'm in your shadow or not.”

  Her monologue threw her off rhythm a little, but she quickly regained her composure.

  “Ahem, so your goal is to take over the Haoyu clan?” she asked.

  “Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong,” she replied angrily. “Besides, the time for chit-chat is over, we're at our destination.”

  They arrived at a peculiar location within the estate. It was isolated from everything else and appeared to be neglected. It was a rather strange place for someone who had once been the most powerful person in the entire clan. There was not even anyone there to safeguard it. May touched one of the tables standing against one of the walls. There were traces of dust on her fingers.

  Nadine opened the door.

  May covered her nose as she was hit by a nasty smell that was impossible to describe. She reluctantly went inside and noticed a woman in bad shape. She could hardly believe she was still alive, her skin seemed to be rotting.

  “Nadine... When exactly was she poisoned?” she said, moving closer and seeing snow-white skin covered with rough patches, like paint peeling off a wall. The woman looked like a living corpse.

  “I don't know, long before I was born. Twenty? Maybe thirty years?”