Bai Xifeng snatched the parchment from Baishe's hand, her eyes scanning the list with growing horror. The list seemed to go on forever, detailing hundreds of separate toxins, each one more sinister than the last.
"Are you honestly telling me that every single one of these is currently coursing through my veins?" she asked, her voice tight with disbelief.
"I am," Baishe replied solemnly. "And you must realize that purging them will be an arduous journey. The process will be excruciatingly painful... and incredibly costly."
"What? Did you say costly?" Bai Xifeng's heart skipped a beat, but not out of fear of pain. "Pain I can handle! I can grit my teeth through agony! But expensive? NO! That is where I draw the line!"
She was practically vibrating with indignation. She was essentially a penniless noble; she didn't have a single copper coin to her name, let alone the fortune required for high-level detoxification.
"It is the nature of the craft," Baishe explained calmly. "To neutralize such rare and ancient poisons, you will eventually require herbs and catalysts that are worth more than some of the estates in this capital."
Bai Xifeng felt like weeping, but her pride kept the tears at bay. She had only just arrived in this world, and she was already facing a financial crisis. The "Old Hag" who ran the household held the purse strings with a death grip, and the original Xifeng had been left with nothing but scraps.
'They owe me years of back-pay,' she thought, her eyes narrowing as she began to formulate a plan. 'If the Bai family won't give me what is rightfully mine, I'll simply have to extract it from them.' A predatory smile spread across her face. There was no need for complex diplomacy. She would simply embrace her inner rogue. Phase one: ask nicely. Phase two: if they refuse, threaten them into submission. After all, she was now a walking biohazard with a giant python as her jewelry; she had all the leverage she needed.
"Fine. I'm going out to handle some 'business,'" Xifeng announced before willing herself out of the mirror world.
The moment she manifested back in her room and stepped outside, she was met by a flustered Xiao Li.
"Young Miss! You're finally out! The Second Madam has sent word, she is summoning you to her courtyard immediately," Xiao Li informed her, her voice laced with worry.
"Huh? And for what purpose?" Bai Xifeng asked, her tone bored and dismissive.
"Well, Third Young Miss, perhaps you should go and find out for yourself." A sharp, unfamiliar voice cut in.
Xifeng turned to see a maid she didn't recognize, likely one of Han Yunru's personal servants. The woman stood with her chin tilted up, radiating a subtle arrogance that set Xifeng's teeth on edge.
"She wants to see me? Then let her walk her own two feet over here," Bai Xifeng said coolly, leaning against the doorframe.
The maid gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Usually, whenever Han Yunru summoned her, Bai Xifeng would drop everything and run, desperate for even a shred of approval. Today, the girl before her seemed like a completely different person.
Xifeng smirked. She remembered the original owner's tragic motivation. Orphaned at a young age, the poor girl had been so starved for motherly affection that she allowed Han Yunru to manipulate and mistreat her just to feel a fleeting sense of "family." Han Yunru had weaponized a child's grief for years, and the rest of the household had simply watched it happen.
"Third Young Miss, I must insist that you come with me to the Second Madam's courtyard." The maid urged, her tone shifting from arrogant to desperate. She knew that if she returned empty-handed, she would be the one to suffer Han Yunru's explosive temper.
"Are you naturally stupid, or just temporarily deaf?" Bai Xifeng snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I just told you, if she has something to say, she can say it here. Why should I be the one to do the walking?"
"But... but the Second Madam expects... " The maid started to argue.
Xifeng stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She didn't just look at the maid, she peered through her, projecting a cold, murderous intent that she had honed in her previous life.
"Get lost," Xifeng hissed.
The maid flinched, but her stubbornness won out. She had served Han Yunru long enough to think herself superior to the "useless" Third Miss. She dared to stare back, her expression hardening as she tried to stand her ground.
"Third Young Miss. I will not leave without you. Please, go to the Second Madam's courtyard at once."."
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. It breaks my heart when someone steals my hard work. Can you consider reading it on the original website for those who read my novel on another website besides w e b n o v e l .c o m, as your support to me? Thank you, from, your shameless author, ZerahNeko***
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