Liya looked a little anxious. She closed her eyes again, her lashes trembling faintly.

“It really is suppressing the poison, and it’s working so fast. She only just took it, didn’t she? And the dose wasn’t even that large…”

Liya opened her eyes and looked at Mu Nanyan. Now she was beginning to believe that Mu Nanyan had made the poison afflicting the Demon Emperor.

This antidote worked faster than any potion anyone knew of.

Liya had only meant to test it a little, just to see what would happen. She hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise.

“It really works!”

For some reason, a little joy stirred in Liya’s heart. It wasn’t just because the Demon Emperor might finally be saved. There was something else behind it, too.

Deep down, she felt that if this really was the case, then perhaps Mu Nanyan wouldn’t have to die.

“If you take a few more doses according to this formula, you should recover.”

Mu Nanyan wasn’t completely sure, but even though the stuff tasted awful, its benefits to the body were obvious.

She wasn’t sure why, but her body did feel a lot lighter. Her chest, though, felt a little tight—like someone had pressed a couple of things against it.

Mu Nanyan looked down at her chest. Ever since she’d crossed over, she hadn’t had a chance to take a proper look at herself.

Mu Nanyan had a fantastic figure: curvy, with a slender waist and long legs. She was the quintessential mature, alluring big-sister type, with an air of sensuality and maturity down to her bones.

Her chest was especially eye-catching. Looking down from Mu Nanyan’s point of view, she couldn’t see the style of her shoes at all.

Making the dumplings and cleaning the stove had worn Mu Nanyan out. Only now did the discomfort in her chest make itself known…and it had become even more noticeable after she drank that medicine.

“There’s no time to waste. Bring the stuff and come with me.”

“Go? Where?”

“To the Demon Emperor’s bedchamber!”

“Huh? Now?”

…………

Inside the Demon Imperial Palace, countless figures hurried from room to room.

Medicines of every kind were scattered everywhere. You could even find a valuable antidote potion just lying in the hallway.

But none of them were any use to the Demon Emperor now.

Even the Demon Clan’s best doctors had tried everything, but nothing could improve the Demon Emperor’s condition.

The Demon Emperor’s bedchamber was packed with people. A beautiful young woman with delicate features and a lovely figure watched the imperial physician anxiously.

Through the thick red gauze curtains, the imperial physician solemnly took the Demon Emperor’s pulse using a silk thread. The Demon Emperor lay motionless in bed, her condition impossible to make out through the heavy curtains.

But judging from the physician’s grave expression and the Demon Emperor’s barely perceptible breathing, things didn’t look good.

“I’m sorry, Her Highness Princess Alisha. I truly did everything I could.”

The imperial physician released the thread used to take the pulse, his face full of sorrow and his voice heavy.

At those words, the girl named Alisha’s eyes widened. She collapsed straight onto the floor.

Her long, snowy-white hair was already a complete mess. Her delicate face was haggard, with dark circles clearly showing beneath her eyes.

Ever since something had happened to the Demon Emperor, Alisha, her eldest daughter, had stayed by her side. She’d been doing her best to keep the Demon Clan running as usual while one piece of terrible news after another came her way.

She was already emotionally exhausted. At that moment, she wished she were the one lying in bed, poisoned.

“P-please, think of something. You’re the Demon Emperor’s most trusted physician… The Demon Clan can’t go on without her. You have to find a way.”

“There is one possibility, but it’s only a legend.”

The imperial physician shook their head. Ordinary methods could no longer treat the Demon Emperor. Now they could only rely on something beyond reason.

“A legend? Please, don’t joke about this.”

“They say there’s a potion made from a highly poisonous medicinal herb that can cure all kinds of difficult ailments and dispel every negative effect. Even effects deadly enough to take someone’s life can be undone with ease.”

The imperial physician’s words brought a troubled look to Alisha’s face.

“How could such a thing exist? If it did, it would change the balance of the entire world.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m so despairing.”

The imperial physician shook their head. Their sigh was even louder than Alisha’s.

“At this point, only a medicine capable of changing the balance of the world can save the Demon Emperor.”

“…”

Those words were as good as a death sentence for the Demon Emperor.

The entire room fell into a deathly silence. Tears the size of beans slid down Alisha’s delicate cheeks, pattering audibly onto the carpet.

But her grief hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds when a commotion broke out outside the door.

“Princess Liya, why did you bring her here?”

The sharp cry made Alisha furrow her brows. The Demon Emperor was already at death’s door—how dare anyone make a racket here?