"Who on Earth are you?"
Yu Youhan's phoenix eyes were cold and stern.
Her left wrist felt a faint heat—this man in front of her could actually resonate with the "red silk"!
That instant, she even felt like she was facing her Heart Demon once again!
"This servant is wholeheartedly loyal to Your Majesty, with no second thoughts, and hopes Your Majesty can see through to the truth..."
Chen Mo's voice was strained as he spoke.
A crushing pressure came bearing down on him, and he felt like a tiny boat in the vast ocean, about to be engulfed by the waves at any moment!
"Enough."
"If you won't speak, then I will see for myself."
Yu Youhan's pupils shone bright as jade, radiant beams piercing through.
Under the divine light, Chen Mo's body began to unravel like layers of silk, with colorful threads continuously pulling out.
Threads crisscrossed like tangled vines.
These were the "Fate Threads," recording everything of a person's past.
Among these myriad threads, a black line suddenly burst and disintegrated, then reformed, its color becoming fainter until it disappeared completely.
"Resurrection from the dead, life is unpredictable."
"Sure enough, there's a trick."
Yu Youhan's eyes narrowed, a murderous intent already kindled.
The Chen Family was an important chess piece for her to balance the court and Jianghu.
If she killed Chen Mo, the Chen Family would surely turn against her, which would be like cutting off her own arm...
But even so, she wouldn't allow this variable to continue existing!
"Die."
Her eyes blazed with azure light!
Suddenly, her wrist burned hot, and a strand of red silk appeared out of thin air.
This time, it was not an illusion of light and shadow but turned into a solid entity, binding her tightly in an instant!
"What is this?!"
Yu Youhan felt her body weaken, void of strength, even her Primordial Qi completely sealed!
The azure light enveloping Chen Mo dissipated, and he fell from the air, landing on the ground with a "thud."
"?"
Chen Mo looked up, his expression freezing in an instant.
He saw that the previously murderous Imperial Consort was now bound up like a zongzi.
The red silk wrapped around her neck, chest, armpits... threading through her inner thighs, knotting at her waist, perfectly outlining her proud curves.
The shame, it was too humiliating!
Their four eyes met, wide-open in shock.
"So it's you!"
"You are the Heart Demon of this Empress!"
Yu Youhan bit down on her silver teeth.
Though unclear about the reasons, she was certain that this man was the demon from her nightmares!
Thinking of the humiliations suffered previously, her desire to kill was even more intense.
However, as if the red silk responded, it suddenly tightened, and an inexplicable throbbing made her phoenix body tremble slightly!
"Dammit, what on Earth is this thing?"
"Your Majesty..."
The voice of the Female Officer sounded.
Yu Youhan paused her breath, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes.
Her attention had been elsewhere, failing to notice someone entering.
Now, footsteps were almost upon her, and if someone were to walk past the curtain, they would see her in this wretched state!
"No, this won't do..."
In this dilemma of neither advancing nor retreating, Yu Youhan felt herself lighten as she was lifted in a fireman's carry.
Chen Mo's deep voice came from beside her ear:
"Your Majesty, please pardon my offense."
The Female Officer lifted the curtain, only to see the empty Phoenix Throne, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Where did Her Majesty go?"
"There seemed to be a disturbance in the Primordial Qi just now... What happened?"
...
In the inner chamber.
Chen Mo carefully placed Yu Youhan on the bed.
Then he quickly stepped back several paces, bowing his head: "In dire times, one must act beyond norms; for this offense to Your Majesty, this servant begs for forgiveness."
Under the urgent circumstances, if others had seen Consort Yu in such a state, he probably would have been chopped up into dumpling filling...
"That being said, what exactly is going on?"
"The Jade Locks contain the palace... this is exactly like a game scenario."
In the game, Chen Mo wouldn't hesitate to bind her.
But in reality, facing this cold-blooded and cruel female demon, he dared not even take a second glance.
"Dog-like lackey, I'll kill you..."
Before Yu Youhan could finish speaking, the red silk suddenly tightened.
"Mmm~"
Her eyes were hazy, and she couldn't help but whimper softly.
This red silk seemed to act upon the Divine Soul, and the throbbing from the depths of her spirit made it impossible for her to resist.
"..."
Chen Mo hung his head low, pretending to hear nothing.
Yu Youhan regained her composure and gasped for breath, speaking sternly, "Aren't you going to release me now?"
"Just now you wanted to kill me, and now you want me to untie you..."
Chen Mo inwardly scoffed, but didn't dare to disobey.
He walked to the bedside and reached out to untie the knot.
But no matter how he tried to untangle it, the red silk only wrapped tighter and tighter.
Waves of throbs washed over her like a tide, Yu Youhan's cheeks flushed, her breaths were fragrant, and her legs rubbed together unconsciously.
"Dog-like lackey, you must be doing this on purpose..."
"This humble one wouldn't dare."
Chen Mo was drenched in sweat.
He genuinely couldn't untie it!
Suddenly, Yu Youhan's body stiffened, her swan-like neck stretching straight, her phoenix eyes slightly unfocused.
Then the red silk itself scattered, turning into mist and vanishing without a trace.
She lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling, silent for a long time.
"Empress, are you alright?"
Chen Mo tentatively spoke.
"Get lost."
Yu Youhan waved her hand dismissively.
Chen Mo's vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself outside the Imperial City.
"..."
"Ah, what is this all about?"
Chen Mo sighed.
Before entering the palace, he had imagined many scenarios, but the way things unfolded was completely unexpected.
Not only did he not receive a reward, but he also nearly lost his life.
"She's indeed a demoness, her mood swings are so unpredictable; seems like this thigh isn't so easy to cling to..."
...
Haitang Pond.
The entire pond was built from Spirit Jade, with mist hovering over the water and rare and exotic plants floating on the surface.
Yu Youhan was soaking in it, washing her jade-like body.
The palace servant by her side found it peculiar.
The Empress's body was unblemished and untainted by dust; she simply enjoyed bathing.
But today, she seemed to scrub with unusual vigor...
"I... actually..."
Thinking of what had just happened, Yu Youhan's breathing became a bit erratic.
As the Great Yuan Imperial Consort, the supreme powerhouse who looked down upon Jiu Zhou, when had she ever been so disheveled?
What surprised her even more was that the "Heart Demon" that had tormented her repeatedly in nightmares, had actually appeared before her eyes alive and real!
"He's just a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, I could crush him to death with a flick of my hand."
"But the moment I harbor hostility towards him, that red silk would appear automatically..."
"What if I didn't do it myself, but sent someone to kill him instead?"
As soon as the thought arose, a burning sensation came from her wrist, and she quickly dismissed the idea of "killing by proxy."
And she had a faint premonition—
If Chen Mo died, she might never get rid of this "red silk" again!
"Until a solution is found, I have to ensure he stays alive..."
Yu Youhan felt extremely frustrated.
To undo the silk one still needed the bondsman, and from what just happened, the key obviously lay with Chen Mo.
"Summon someone."
"What does the Empress command?"
The female officer came in, bowing.
Yu Youhan raised her hand and two beams of light flew out, hovering in front of the female officer.
"Deliver these two items to the Chen Mansion as 'rewards' for Chen Mo."
The female officer took them.
A Jade Scroll and a Token.
Seeing the purple token carved with the image of a phoenix spreading its wings, the female officer's pupils contracted, her expression one of shock.
"The Purple Phoenix Order?!"
"The Empress is actually bestowing such an item upon him..."