Changed Fate

Chapter 25 - Lessons in Spycraft

The prince raises his eyebrows. "Why wait?"

"Because," he stresses, suddenly seeing the difference between him and his father. "Enchantress has the most say in this situation, and I am only tasked with finding the anomaly. Interrogation is way out of my clearance. We'll see how this thing unfolds at the banquet."

His mentee grins, all sharp and toothy and bloody. "Finally," he rasps in a way that somehow makes Xiaoyu a bit iffy, knowing Jormungandr's history with repressed bloodshed, and prays that his palace doesn't take the brunt of the damage.

::

Demon Realm was fine. Really. It had to be. Nat survived the Red Room. This was nothing.

Despite her initial impression on him, Hong Cexui proved to be a tolerable fella, keeping her entertained and actually taking time out of his incredibly busy clan lord assistant schedules to mentor her about the ways of cultivation. Something about the ways of immortality and to shed her mortal body. Whatever that was. She wasn't really an avid practitioner of religion - KGB reprogramming and child assassins and all.

"Qing Qiu has given us a great opportunity to witness the royal presentation of their royal grandson, and Bai Feng Jiu's heir," Bai Feng Jiu, the elusive, if the rumour mill was anything to be believed. And also one of the main characters of the scandal of the age from her past marriage with Donghua Dijun and that whole shitshow with Ji Heng. "We will depart for Qing Qiu tomorrow, and you will come with me."

"Is there something you need me to do?" she raised an eyebrow, not bothering with the pleasantries.

"Qing Qiu possesses one of Miao Hua's drops of blood, although the location is unknown. I only need you to locate the blood and report back to me," he answered sternly, unnaturally serious. Everything related to their prime leader always made them serious. The whole loyalty thing was kind of cringe, but weirdly heartwarming. "Can you do that?"

She almost felt offended. "No need to be worried for a simple recon."

Hong Cexui's expression turned confused, and Natasha was wise to keep herself mum.

Righttt, modern terms to ancient people equals to no good translation. Nearly half a century of living in this place never really seemed to beat that out of her.

She loosened her shoulders, the plan already forming in her head. Hong Cexui looked expectant, so he was probably waiting for her input. Well shit, she paused for a moment, sighing, wondering why he can't just trust her, considering she got the Lingbi Stone singlehandedly from the mortal realm for them. But perhaps, that was the baggage with being so morbidly mortal to them.

"I'll sneak inside the deeper parts of the Fox Hole. When I find something, I'll alert you."

Hong Cexui looks at her as if he was pained.

That was, by far, one of the worst plans she's had since she had come out of the Red Room. You don't just sneak in without a modicum of how you're gonna sneak in and say contact when you're not even sure how you're gonna contact someone in an era without comms.