Ren Mingyue's Jealousy Scheme

Seeing that she finally stopped resisting, Wang Hao sat down behind her and pressed his palms against her back.

Even through the fabric, he could feel her body tense up instantly.

"Relax."

"Easy for you to say!"

"The more tense you are, the harder it will be to force out the Yin energy. You'll only suffer more."

Yun Meng closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

His palms were warm, but the astral energy was extremely Yang and steady.

The insidious Yin energy that had invaded her meridians was quickly forced into a state of agitation, darting around wildly through her pathways, causing her to sweat on her forehead and her fingertips to tremble from the pain.

"Cry out if it hurts."

"Who's going to cry out!"

"Quite the backbone."

"Shut up..."

For once, Wang Hao didn't continue teasing her.

He knew when to be serious.

Despite his shameless words, when it came to healing, his hands were incredibly steady, combing through her meridians inch by inch, forcing the stubborn Yin energy into one spot.

Yun Meng had originally been on guard, wondering if he would take the opportunity to mess around.

But gradually, she discovered that although this man had a mouth that begged to be slapped, his control over his palm power was terrifyingly precise.

There was restraint within the fierce power, and a sense of proportion beneath the dominance.

Just like him.

He looked crazy, but actually calculated every step clearly.

Thinking of this, Yun Meng's heart suddenly fluttered again.

"...I really am poisoned."

She cursed herself in her heart.

"Otherwise, why would I think this scumbag is somewhat reliable."

A moment later.

"Pfft—"

Yun Meng suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The black blood fell into the copper basin, actually emitting a faint "sizzle" and carrying a rotten, fishy stench.

Wang Hao withdrew his palms.

"Alright, you won't die."

Yun Meng rested for a good while before she had the strength to open her eyes, her voice still weak: "You're the one who won't die... Can't you speak properly?"

"I can." Wang Hao sat opposite her and poured her a cup of warm water, "I can also negotiate terms."

Hearing this, Yun Meng's eyelids instantly twitched.

Here it comes!

She knew it!

This bastard wouldn't save her for nothing!

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much." Wang Hao smiled harmlessly, "Doesn't your Illusory Sea Immortal Sect have a lot of connections in the Eastern Wasteland Sea Region?"

"From now on, set up a batch of maritime intelligence relay stations for the Great Zhou."

"You don't need too many people, just enough to transmit messages, have a place to stay, and keep an eye on the movements of the Eastern Wasteland islands."

"Don't even think about it!" Yun Meng instinctively refused, "How could the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect—"

"I saved your life, and the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect even sent you as a concubine."

"That was what you were supposed to—"

"And I protected your foundation."

"..."

"Moreover." Wang Hao leaned forward slightly, looking at her, "Do you think I'm taking advantage of you? You're wrong. I'm giving you an opportunity."

Yun Meng sneered: "An opportunity?"

"Your Illusory Sea Immortal Sect is far overseas, seemingly transcendent, but in reality, it's the easiest to be used as a neutral buffer zone by various parties. It may seem glorious now, but once the world truly descends into chaos, you will be the first to be forced to take a side."

"Rather than being forced to choose then, it's better to proactively make a deal with me now."

"I want your intelligence network."

"I'll give you the qualification to place your bets early."

Yun Meng was stunned.

She had wanted to curse him for being shameless.

But thinking about it carefully, these words... actually made some sense.

The Illusory Sea Immortal Sect had seemed to keep itself out of trouble all these years, but which of the evil factions, merchant alliances, and hidden sects in the surrounding sea regions wasn't secretly testing the waters? Once the Great Wasteland's power structure underwent a massive shift, the overseas regions would absolutely not be spared.

Wang Hao watched the change in her expression, feeling very satisfied in his heart.

Dealing with this kind of proud and intelligent woman, you couldn't just blindly push her.

You had to make her feel that she wasn't forced to bow her head, but was making a deal where "she actually wasn't losing out."

After a long while, Yun Meng bit her lip and said softly: "I can only promise to be the middleman and try my best to push for it after returning to the sect."

"Acceptable." Wang Hao nodded, "I've always been reasonable."

Yun Meng almost laughed out of anger.

You, reasonable?

You're talking about dictatorial terms!

Wang Hao stood up: "That's good, rest for now. There are still six old geezers outside waiting for me to call their names."

"You're still going?" Yun Meng asked instinctively.

"Of course."

Wang Hao turned back, glanced at her, and smiled wantonly and arrogantly.

"I've already hacked one to death."

"If I don't conveniently scare the remaining few, wouldn't that be a waste of my appearance fee?"

After saying that, he turned and left.

The tent flap was lifted, the wind rushed in, and then it quickly fell back down.

Yun Meng stared blankly at the tent door, only slowly leaning back against the couch after a good while.

Exhaustion, lingering fear, shame, frustration, and a trace of something strange that she didn't even want to admit to herself, were all mixed together in a chaotic mess. Even though they had shared that one night, this was a completely different feeling.

She closed her eyes and cursed softly.

"Bastard..."

As she cursed, her consciousness finally couldn't hold on anymore, and she fell into a deep sleep.

In the hazy state of sleep, she seemed to still be on that chaotic battlefield.

Heavenly lightning struck down, and killing intent shattered.

Someone pulled her into their arms, forcefully dragging her back from the gates of hell.

And so, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a very soft murmur unconsciously escaped her lips.

"...Wang Hao..."

Outside the tent.

Wang Hao, who had already walked far away, suddenly paused in his steps.

With his astonishing hearing, he naturally heard it.

The next second, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

"Tsk."

"Curses fiercely, but the heart is quite honest."

Wei Zhongxian stood to the side with his head bowed, pretending not to have heard anything, but his heart was already blooming with laughter.

Done.

Another one.

How is His Majesty fighting a war?

He's fighting and conveniently packaging the people and factions together to take them in.

And right at this moment, another scout rushed over.

"Your Majesty!"

"Miss Ren requests an audience, saying she has an important secret report!"

Wang Hao narrowed his eyes.

Ren Mingyue?

Coming at this time, it was most likely not just a simple report on the battle situation.

He smiled faintly.

"Bring her here."

"Perfect."

"I also want to see what kind of act this noble lady of the Ren family is prepared to put on for me today."

The night grew darker.

The bloody battle during the day ultimately ended in a massive victory for the Great Zhou side.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance had come aggressively, but retreated more pathetically than anyone.

The seven known Skysoaring Realm experts had six tied down by the Wang Family Ancestor, and the other hidden old monster was hacked into charcoal by Wang Hao with one strike of his pagoda. The remaining rogue cultivators and miscellaneous soldiers who had come to pick up scraps, shout slogans, and freeload, either died or fled, leaving their "Crusade against the Tyrant" banners scattered all over the ground.

After the battle, the morale of the entire Great Zhou camp was sky-high.

And among the three routes of troops, the most outstanding performances didn't come from those already famous grandmasters, but from the three women: Shen Xue, Yun Meng, and Ren Mingyue.

Shen Xue was calm and forceful, advancing the right wing the most steadily.

Yun Meng fought the fiercest, almost turning the left wing into her personal show, though she was almost killed by a sneak attack at the end, becoming the most thrilling turning point of the entire battle.

As for Ren Mingyue—

Her cultivation wasn't the strongest, but she managed the center line flawlessly. Xiao Chen and Rong Xiaotian, two troublemakers who looked hard to handle, were forcibly ordered around by her, following her rhythm perfectly.

On the surface, this was her declaration of loyalty.

But in reality, she wasn't happy at all.

Very unhappy.

Inside the side tent of the central army, the candlelight flickered.

Ren Mingyue sat alone in front of the mirror, slowly and methodically removing her hairpins. Her expression was gentle, but there was an indescribable chill in the depths of her eyes.

During the day today, everyone saw it.

Wang Hao personally took the field, played the hero saving the beauty, and with one arm around her waist, dragged Yun Meng back from the hands of the Skysoaring old monster.

Afterward, he even personally carried her—or at least supported her—back to heal her injuries.

Later, with no news coming from Yun Meng's side for a long time, all sorts of wild speculations began to spread through the camp.

Things like, "Fairy Yun was heavily injured, and His Majesty watched over her all afternoon."

Or, "His Majesty looks at Fairy Yun in a different light."

There were even more outrageous rumors claiming that after this battle, Yun Meng was going to be "brought into the harem to serve as the main consort."

The more Ren Mingyue heard, the more annoyed she became.

She knew that these words were mostly just subordinates adding oil to the fire.

But she was still annoyed.

What bothered her wasn't who Wang Hao touched or who he saved.

Rather—she suddenly realized that on Wang Hao's chessboard, she might no longer be the most special person, even though the Wang and Ren families had been close allies for a millennium.

This was dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Because her greatest value had never been her cultivation base, nor her background, but her "sense of propriety, ability to read people, competence in handling affairs, and grasp of the big picture."

If she lost her position of being "favored" and "relied upon," then what did she have left to compete with the others?

"That vixen Yun Meng is all brawn and no brains, and she has a venomous tongue. Aside from being a bit daring in a fight, what's so good about her?"

Ren Mingyue pursed her lips, her heart sour with intense jealousy.

"Not to mention Shen Xue, who is just a block of ice."

"Wang Hao would have to be blind to actually like their types."

Thinking this way made her feel a little better.

But soon, another thought popped into her mind.

"No."

"For a man like Wang Hao, it's not a question of who he likes."

"He only cares about who is valuable, who is more useful, and who is worth his time to manipulate and control."

At this thought, Ren Mingyue suddenly sat up a little straighter.

She understood.

She couldn't just wait passively.

She had to take the initiative.

Since Yun Meng had reaped a wave of benefits today by relying on her "injuries" and his "life-saving grace," then she would cut in from another angle—a battlefield of romance.

What were noble ladies best at? Inner-court scheming.

She would let Shen Xue know that Yun Meng was receiving special care, let Yun Meng know that she herself wasn't just a decoration to Wang Hao, and then let Wang Hao see her "sensible," "wronged," and "uncontested yet heartbreaking" side.

As long as she controlled the tempo well, it wasn't impossible for her to turn the tables and take a bite out of them.

"Men, after all."

Ren Mingyue smiled lightly, her eyes rippling with charm.

"Isn't this exactly what they fall for the most?"

A moment later.

She went to see Shen Xue first.

The two stood by a dimly lit corridor outside the camp. Ren Mingyue, elegant and graceful with a gentle expression, spoke with a perfectly measured tone of lament.

"Miss Shen, thanks to you stabilizing the right wing today, the battle might not have gone so smoothly otherwise."

Shen Xue glanced at her and said indifferently, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Ren Mingyue didn't get angry; she merely sighed softly.

"It's nothing major, really. I just feel a bit sorry for you."

Shen Xue's brow twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, you risked going to His Majesty to tell him about the Night Fiend, and today you personally went into battle. No matter how you look at it, you are one of the people who contributed the most. But on His Majesty's end..." Ren Mingyue hesitated, as if she couldn't bear to continue.

Shen Xue's expression turned a bit colder. "What does whatever happens on his end have to do with me?"

"Naturally, it has nothing to do with you," Ren Mingyue said softly. "I just heard that after Miss Yun was injured, His Majesty personally treated her wounds and didn't let anyone in. Word outside is that Miss Yun has truly caught His Majesty's eye this time."

She paused deliberately at this point to observe Shen Xue's expression.

"At first, I thought such talk was utterly absurd."

"But then I thought about it, and a hero saving a beauty is the easiest way to soften someone's heart. Not to mention, Miss Yun is naturally striking and radiant, with a very likable personality..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Shen Xue's voice had grown cold.

Ren Mingyue hurriedly shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just afraid you'll be taken advantage of."

"After all, you've done so much, yet you never fight for credit or speak up. In the end, it only benefits those who make a fuss and cry out."

Having said her piece, she bowed, knowing exactly when to retreat.

"I've spoken out of turn."

"Please don't take it to heart, Miss Shen."

She turned to leave, but the corners of her lips secretly curled into a very faint smile.

This knife might not draw blood right away.

But as long as it was stabbed in, that was enough.

Afterward, she went to Yun Meng's side.

By then, Yun Meng was already awake, though her complexion was still a bit weak from her injuries. The moment she saw Ren Mingyue walk in, she instinctively became alert.

"What are you doing here?"

Yun Meng had witnessed how formidable she was—not in terms of cultivation, but her sheer cunning and ability to manipulate situations, having wrapped the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess around her little finger in the palace.

Ren Mingyue carried a bowl of soothing soup, smiling gently. "Sister Yun had quite a fright today, so I came to see you."

"Who is your sister?"

"Miss Yun," Ren Mingyue smoothly corrected herself. "Don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything else. It's just that seeing His Majesty so worried about you during the day made me think that, in his heart, you are ultimately different from the rest."

Yun Meng was stunned for a moment, then exploded: "Who... who is different from the rest in his heart?! Stop spouting nonsense!"

Ren Mingyue acted as if she was startled by her reaction and quickly said, "Alright, alright, I misspoke."

"It's just that everyone outside is saying so, so I thought..."

"Thought what?"

"I thought that between you and His Majesty, there was once again..." Her face flushed slightly, as if it were too embarrassing to say out loud.

Yun Meng's face almost turned green.

"Once again my foot!"

"That bastard only healed my injuries to force me to agree to do something for him!"

A gleam flashed in Ren Mingyue's eyes, but her face appeared even more innocent. "I see. Then I was mistaken. I was just worried that if you really caught His Majesty's eye, Miss Shen might not be too happy about it."

Yun Meng instantly frowned. "What does this have to do with Shen Xue?"

"After all..." Ren Mingyue said softly, "Last night Miss Shen had a secret talk with His Majesty late into the night, and today she coordinated with His Majesty's arrangements at every turn. There are people outside saying that she is the one he trusts the most."

As soon as those words fell.

Yun Meng's expression instantly became subtle.

Last night, a secret talk late into the night?

Coordinating with his arrangements at every turn?

Trusted?

She instinctively felt displeased, but she forced herself to keep up appearances. "Whether she is trusted or not, what does it have to do with me?"

Ren Mingyue laughed inwardly, but quickly tried to make amends verbally. "Naturally, it has nothing to do with you. I spoke out of turn. Get some good rest, and please don't let these idle gossips trouble your mind."

After saying that, she set down the medicinal soup and drifted away gracefully.

The whole series of maneuvers was as smooth as flowing water and drifting clouds.

She sowed discord without leaving a trace, stopping exactly at the right point, and completely cleared herself of any involvement.

If it were anyone else, they might have truly been dragged into a messy drama by her.

Unfortunately.

The person she was going to see tonight was Wang Hao.