Yang Zhen said nothing, staring at her for a long while before suddenly letting out a cold laugh. “An impressive method indeed—controlling a person’s mind with a single talisman.”
Hong Ning smiled. “Even without my spiritual power, I’m not so easily bullied.”
Without another word, Yang Zhen turned and left.
The next day, Hong Ning lifted the enchantment from Zhong Wencai. Yang Zhen interrogated him personally, finally piecing together the full story, which turned out to be much as Hong Ning had predicted.
It all started when Zhong Wencai arrived at the manor to seek refuge with relatives. During a visit to a temple outside the city, he happened to see Lady Wang offering incense. Struck by her beauty, he became infatuated, though he had no idea who she was. He brooded over it that night—only for “Lady Wang” to come to him of her own accord.
—
On the bustling street, the two walked at a leisurely pace.
Hong Ning glanced around, frowning. “I never expected Xihe Street to be this big.”
Given Yang Zhen’s status, ordering a citywide search would have been easy. But doing so risked alerting the enemy, wasting all their efforts. Moreover, the demoness had borrowed Lady Wang’s appearance. Neither of them had seen her true face—there was no way to search for someone who didn’t actually look like Lady Wang.
While Hong Ning was deep in thought, Yang Zhen dismissed the fox-woman’s words entirely. “Xihe Street was just something she made up on the spot. Didn’t you say demons fear human presence? If she really is a demon, why would she live in the city?”
He stopped walking. “Now that you’ve broken Zhong Wencai’s enchantment, when she comes for him tonight, she’ll surely notice. How do you plan to deal with that?”
Hong Ning replied casually, “At most, he’ll just fall under her spell again.”
Yang Zhen sneered, “A woman’s heart is truly the most ruthless.”
If this continued, Zhong Wencai’s vital energy would be completely drained, and he would die.
Hong Ning chuckled. “We are in no position to provoke that demon for now. If Your Highness can’t bear it, perhaps you could find some ginseng and deer antler to help him recover and buy him a few more days. Or, if you’re feeling especially generous, you could take his place. Given Your Highness’s imposing presence, I’m sure the demoness wouldn’t be too displeased.”
Yang Zhen’s face twitched. “A proper lady should know shame.”
Hong Ning spoke seriously, “I may be powerless, but I’m not careless. A man under enchantment would reveal everything without hesitation—that’s what I was worried about. Now, not only have I broken the spell, but I’ve also erased the demonic aura she left on him. The best course of action now is to hide him away or have him quietly leave Zhongzhou City. If we do that, she won’t be able to find him.”
Yang Zhen frowned. “If he leaves, we’ll have no way to track the demoness anymore.”
Hong Ning raised an eyebrow. “Your Highness doesn’t seem all that soft-hearted after all.”
Yang Zhen’s expression turned cold. “A disgrace like him deserves no sympathy.”
Hong Ning said, “He had improper thoughts because he didn’t know who Lady Wang really was.”
“If he had known,” Yang Zhen said icily, “do you think he’d still be alive?”
Without another glance at her, he turned and ordered his guards, “Back to the manor.”
Knowing that he had gone back to make the necessary arrangements, Hong Ning smiled and continued her search.
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