Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Concubine Bai (2)

Who could he even blame?

He looked at the woman kneeling before him.

As much as he wanted to find something to blame and vent his anger, he knew this woman still had a lot of value left to use.

After all, with her former identity and outstanding beauty, he had managed to secure many ’allies’ within the royal court by using her.

With his anger having nowhere to vent, he closed his eyes and spoke coldly.

“…I understand. Return to your position for now. You’ve been gone long enough.”

Hearing this, Bai Lingyu felt a wave of relief….only to freeze at his next words.

“And prepare yourself well. I will be meeting a few old friends of mine tonight… and they wish for you to be present.”

Her lips twitched.

She knew exactly who those “old friends” were…..they were her still surviving admirers from the past.

Men who once pursued her when she was still the famous flower of the capital and forced to give up once she become the former emperor’s favored concubine.

They were especially excited to see her again, the she now young, beautiful, ….and reduced to a mere slave.

“…I understand.”

She rose silently and left.

Once she was gone, Prime Minister Mu stand there in dazed for a while before finally muttered with gloomy face,

” What do you think? Now that Fen Ziyan will soon return to the sect. We no longer have any more chance… and the time for that ritual draws near.”

A strange voice, neither male nor female echoed from another corner of the room and replied back to him.

“…Do not worry. I still have another way.”

Prime Minister Mu’s gloomy expression brightened instantly upon hearing this.

” Really!? But how?”

The voice just chuckle softly.

” I didn’t wish to use this method but since it has come to this…”

Then the tone turned cold and ruthless.

“… I’ll make her return on her own free will.”

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Bai Lingyu now has returned to a beautiful courtyard and entered a lavishly decorated room.

Two maids were already waiting.

Seeing those two, she just ignored them completely.

She knew they were merely spies placed by her master.

“Concubine Bai, please allow us to help you wash up.”

The maids gestured toward a large wooden bathing tub at the back, which had already been prepared with steaming water and scattered red petals.

Bai Lingyu just nodded casually and began undressing.

Soon,

Her voluptuous naked body was revealed as she stepped into the warm water, sinking in slowly.

The maids worked then methodically, washing her body with practiced care….as if preserving an object of value rather than serving a woman.

Afterward, the maids dressed her in a beautiful purple hanfu and guided her toward the mirror.

Sitting before the mirror, the maids skillfully applied light makeup and styled her hair.

With a final jade hairpin placed into her now neat bun hair—

The graceful Concubine Bai Lingyu, once hailed as the most beautiful woman in the capital in the past, shone once more.

Looking at her beautiful reflection, Bai Linyu smiled mockingly with her red lips.

’In the end… I still came back to this palace. Oh, Fen Hong… did you ever imagine that one day I would kneel beneath this roof again and this time as a concubine to your son? Heh… Fate truly delights in mocking people.’

Then her smile slowly faded.

Her eyes turned icy, and seem to filled with hatred buried for years.

’Even if it costs me everything… I swear I will make sure to burn your precious dynasty to nothing but ash.’

Just then, one of the maids interrupted her train of thought and handed her a scroll.

“Concubine Bai, you have been absent for some time. It would be wise to take a walk outside and show your presence, so as not to attract suspicion. And this is your to do list for today.”

Bai Lingyu just nodded, and go through the scroll.

Her eyes paused briefly at one reminder—

Tonight: Master’s meeting.

She scoffed softly and continued reading as the maids resumed combing her hair—

Unbeknownst to her—

A gaze had been observing every movement she made, from beginning to end.

“…”

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Inside the tea shop, Li Feng slowly opened his eyes.

The surface of the warm green tea before him rippled faintly, then settled.

A trace of amusement flickered across his face, followed by something colder… and sharper.

“So that’s how it is,” he murmured.

Through the star spiritual connection, Bai Lingyu’s emotions flowed faintly back to him.

Her resentment, humiliation, buried rage, and a hatred so dense it was almost tangible.

A hatred that seem to had fermented for many years … but he didn’t care about that.

Li Feng lightly tapped the edge of the teacup with his finger.

“Prime Minister Mu…”

He had asked Fen Ziyan during their trip back about all the prominent figures who inside the palace, knowing that Bai Lingyu would be arriving.

And that old man seemed to match the description of the Prime Minister of the Fen Dynasty

Even though he didn’t know what had happen next after Bai Lingyu left the room.

At the very least, he had identified the true mastermind behind everything.

A faint smile curved his lips.

“Hmph. I don’t know why he want to capture her but as long as senior sister doesn’t return, all his plans are useless,”

Then he sneer,

“I just need to cure her poison and let her talent soar … or grow strong enough myself and visit him personally.”

And he was confident he could accomplish both.

After all, he had a reliable system backing him.

It was only a matter of which would be completed first.

With another mystery resolved, Li Feng drained the tea in a single gulp and rose to his feet.

He walked out of the tea shop without another glance back.

Of course, he didn’t forget to pay as a few spirit stone remained on the table.

For a humble tea shop like this,

That few spirit stone would be enough to sustain it for months.

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Li Feng, now having arrived at the familiar Wei Alchemy Hall, paused at the entrance and look at the bustling scene inside.

Cultivators and wealthy merchants moved in and out without pause, carrying jade boxes, storage pouches, and bottles of pills.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of medicinal herbs and lively voices.

Just by standing there, Li Feng could feel how much more prosperous the place had become compared to before.

He adjusted his robes slightly and stepped inside.

The moment he entered, several clerks noticed him.

Their expressions shifted from polite indifference, to surprise and finally to restrained excitement.

“Alchemist Li?”

All the new clerks had already been informed about him.

…. The alchemist behind Wei Alchemy Hall.

Some of them had never even seen him in person, and recognizing him only from the portrait Madam Wei had shown them during their training.

Whispers quickly spread through the hall.

Even customers who had been busy inspecting pills began to gossip.

“It’s him… the one working with the Wei family.”

“He’s back already?”

“I heard he’s someone on the verge of breaking through to become a Master Alchemist…. at such young age.”

With his powerful senses, their whispers reached Li Feng as clearly as praise sung aloud.

He merely smiled faintly, hands clasped behind his back and walked deeper into the hall as if the attention meant nothing to him.

After all—

This place technically belonged to him.

’Hehe… not to mention the hall’s Madam is mine too~’

Just then, a familiar young clerk hurried over with a bright smile.

“Ah, Sir Li! You’re back!”

Li Feng recognized him and returned the smile.

“Yes, I’m back. Is Madam Wei here? I have some important matters to discuss with her.”

The young clerk nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! Madam Wei is currently upstairs in her study. Please, this way.”

Under the guidance of the young clerk who now carried himself more like a manager.

Li Feng soon arrived before the familiar door.

He turned to the clerk and waved a hand dismissively.

“You may return to your duties. I’ll be having an important meeting with Madam Wei.”

The clerk nodded with a smile and respectfully took his leave.

Once everyone had gone, Li Feng glanced at Goldie beside him and gave him a knowing look.

A ’You know what to do’ look.

“…”

_

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Wei Meilin who still as beautiful and seductive as ever can be seen sitting behind her work desk, and seem to be reviewing a stack of documents.

This time,

Instead of her usual purple qipao, she was dressed in an intricately designed black qipao that accentuated her sharp elegance and mature allure.

The black qipao clung to her figure like a second skin, highlighting her ample bosom and the full curve of her hips below a slender delicate waist.

It perfectly outlining her form that was both graceful and irresistibly seductive.

Yet right now, her brows were slightly furrowed as she murmured to herself.

” I didn’t expect the demand for flawless-grade pills to be this high… at this rate, our stockpile will run out far earlier than planned.”

She had already implemented a strict pre-order system.

Both to maintain scarcity and to prevent their reserves from being exhausted too quickly.

Even so, once news spread, the rush only intensified.

As more and more buyers poured in.

Some had even traveled from neighboring city just for a chance to secure a single bottle.

Wei Meilin let out a soft sigh and leaned back in her chair.

The motion caused the tight black fabric across her huge chest to stretch subtly, as the generous flesh beneath it pressing forward with quiet insistence.

“…When will Li Feng return?” she murmured.

As long as he was back, all her current problems would vanish.

She had already prepared a massive supply of ingredients, all waiting for him to refined her another batch.

….But that wasn’t the only reason she was eager to see him.

She remembered Captain Shan’s words from a few days ago about Li Feng.

It seems Li Feng wasn’t just talented in alchemy….he was far more capable and powerful than she had initially assumed.

Her beautiful purple eyes narrowed slightly.

’…I need to bind myself to him while he’s still interested in me.’

Right now, her instincts as both a businesswoman and a woman were screaming at her not to hesitate.

In the past, their relationship had been purely transactional and mutual benefit with clear terms.

But now—

She wanted more.

She wanted to become his real women.

But she know becoming one of his women was still a distant, almost unrealistic goal.

Even so…

For now, she would be satisfied with just becoming his mistress.

After all—

Every great dream begins with a humble start.

Wei Meilin who was still smiling at the thought of a bright future ahead when—

Knock.

Knock.

The sound of knocking from the door broke her thought.

She straightened immediately, smoothing her qipao and composing her expression before speaking.

“Come in.”

Her voice returned to its usual cool, authoritative tone.

Creak—

The door slowly opened.

And no one stood there.

Wei Meilin tilted her head slightly, a faint frown forming between her brows as she wondered if someone was playing a prank on her.

Before she could speak again—

A warm, rough palm suddenly settled on her delicate shoulder.

And her body stiffened as a familiar, shameless voice brushed past her ear.

” Oh? Were you calling for me, Madam?”

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