Chapter Forty-Eight: The Heartbreak Pill

“Sis!” Without thinking, Chu Wenyan shook his head. “I can’t leave you here by yourself!”

Chu Bing snorted, dragged over a chair, and sat down with her legs crossed. “You staying here would only cause me trouble!”

Chu Wenyan lowered his head, feeling aggrieved, like a loyal dog abandoned by its master—pathetic and pitiable.

Chu Bing sighed helplessly, reaching out to ruffle his hair, her voice softening a little. “Wenyan, I’m not saying you’re a bother. It’s just too dangerous for you to follow me. Both of us siblings can’t be in danger together. To put it bluntly, if we both die, what would our father do?”

She patted Chu Wenyan’s shoulder, her words earnest and heartfelt.

Chu Wenyan frowned, considering her words, then suddenly gripped her hand tightly, looking up at her with burning eyes. “Then why don’t we both go back together?”

Chu Bing was momentarily speechless...

Apparently, this stubborn boy wasn’t so easily persuaded!

She curled her fingers and knocked hard on Chu Wenyan’s head. “That’s settled. You go home, I’ll stay here!”

She still had to complete her system’s task: to turn Li Haoran into a martial arts master.

After several punishments, Chu Bing dared not challenge the system’s authority even a little.

Chu Wenyan wanted to protest, but was suppressed by Chu Bing’s force.

Late at night.

Chu Wenyan was fast asleep. Chu Bing, dressed in black, slipped out of her room.

The night was dark and the wind high—perfect for a bit of fun.

Light-footed, she leapt onto the wall, darted across rooftops, and finally paused above the county magistrate’s courtyard.

A pair of servants patrolled the yard. Chu Bing held her breath, waited until they left, then teleported straight onto the roof of the magistrate’s bedroom.

She pried off a tile and peered through the faint firelight, glimpsing the scene inside.

Pink gauze curtains swayed, and within came the seductive moans of a woman.

Chu Bing sneered, curled her finger, and sent a burst of energy straight into the curtains.

The sounds within abruptly ceased. The magistrate, bare-chested, crawled out. “Who’s there?”

Behind him was the Ninth Concubine, Yun Xin, wrapped in an outer robe, her hair loose, fragrant shoulder half-exposed, impatiently calling out, “My lord, it’s the middle of the night. Who could possibly be here? You must have misheard.”

The magistrate’s beady eyes scanned the room. Finding nothing suspicious, he reluctantly returned to bed.

Soon, the bed was again filled with breathless, heated sounds.

Chu Bing, grinning wickedly, beckoned with her finger.

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

The bed collapsed!

“Who is it? Show yourself!” The magistrate and Yun Xin struggled out of the ruined bed, furious, searching everywhere.

Seeing the chaos had reached its peak, Chu Bing lazily dropped down from the roof.

“No need to search. I’m right here.”

The adulterous pair started, eyes wide with fear as they stared at Chu Bing. “You? Chu Bing, what are you doing here?”

Chu Bing toyed with a dart in her hand, gazing at the fat magistrate with a smile that was not a smile. “Did you send people to smash my shop today?”

A flicker of panic crossed his face, but he forced himself to sound tough. “Yes, I did. The food in your restaurant was poisonous, people died, and I was acting for the public good…”

“Shut your mouth!” Anger flared in Chu Bing’s heart, and her dart flew straight past the magistrate’s face, embedding itself in the wall behind him.

The magistrate’s complexion turned ghostly pale, his knees went weak. If not for Yun Xin supporting him, he would’ve collapsed then and there!

“You—you’re defying the law! Chu Bing, this is attempted murder against an official! Guards! Guards!” Yun Xin’s legs trembled as she screamed for help.

Servants, hearing the commotion, rushed to the doorway.

“My lord, madam?”

Chu Bing’s eyes hardened. Her wrist flicked, and she teleported behind the magistrate, pressing a needle to his neck. “You know what you need to do, don’t you?”

A cold touch pressed against his throat.

The magistrate raised his hands, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I do!”

He cleared his throat and deliberately shouted to the men outside, “Nothing’s wrong! The madam and I are just playing around. Move along!”

The servants responded and their footsteps faded into the distance.

Chu Bing snorted coldly, her icy gaze sweeping over Yun Xin nearby.

Yun Xin’s face turned ashen. Memories of being beaten into the ground by Chu Bing flooded back. She instantly dropped to her knees. “I was wrong! Chu Bing, I was wrong…”

Chu Bing scoffed, withdrawing her gaze to the trembling magistrate, who seemed as if his life hung by a thread.

She shook the needle in her hand. “Why did you smash my shop?”

Li Haoran had said he’d settled things with the magistrate, and the man wouldn’t harass her anymore, their past grievances wiped clean. Yet, after only a few days, the magistrate had already gone back on his word!

Could something have happened on Li Haoran’s end?

Chu Bing frowned inwardly.

The magistrate hurried to explain, “I—I was out of my mind! After Third Young Master Li returned, he was put under house arrest. His father declared he couldn’t leave for half a year. I thought, after six months, Li Haoran might not even remember who you are, so…”

So he intended to strike first, eliminate her, and even if Li Haoran came out half a year later, he wouldn’t recall her existence?

Chu Bing let out a cold laugh, pressing the needle harder so its tip punctured the magistrate’s skin, making him scream, “Stop, stop! I promise I will never trouble you again!”

As if she’d believe that!

Chu Bing rolled her eyes inwardly. She’d seen enough of this corrupt official’s double-faced tricks—smooth words up front, treachery behind. She trusted him not at all.

This time, she would leave him with a lesson he’d never forget.

Her eyes gleamed, and she suddenly produced a black pill from her pocket, shoving it into the magistrate’s mouth.

“You—what did you make me swallow?” The magistrate stared in terror, clawing at his throat, trying to vomit, retching convulsively.

Chu Bing laughed in triumph. “This is called the Severed Intestine Pill. Anyone who takes it must swallow an antidote every month, or their meridians will break and they’ll die in agony.”

She lowered her voice, whispering in the magistrate’s ear, “Right now, you must feel your body burning, your chest aching fiercely, don’t you?”

“And by the way, ordinary doctors can never detect this poison—only those who’ve been afflicted notice their bodies changing…”

With each word, the magistrate’s body shuddered.

In the end, he nearly collapsed, tears streaming as he gazed at Chu Bing. “Chu—Chu…”

A pungent stench rose from him.

Chu Bing glanced down, saw the puddle on the floor, and stepped back in disgust, putting distance between herself and the magistrate.

“From now on, if you dare trouble me again, you can wait for death on your own!”