“Did that medicine really work?”

The short-haired maid beside them, who’d treated Mu Nanyan with open hostility, looked startled. When she glanced at Mu Nanyan again, her eyes held a more complicated look.

Mu Nanyan paid no attention to her gaze, of course. The Demon Emperor’s recovery had been exactly what she expected.

What was strange was that the Demon Emperor hadn’t flown into a rage and ordered someone to drag her away and behead her. The Demon Emperor was almost too calm.

In the original story Mu Nanyan knew, the Demon Emperor was hopelessly lovestruck. After Long Aotian won her over, there were basically no more scenes of her involving herself in the Demon Clan’s affairs.

She spent every day either wrapped up in Long Aotian’s sweet talk or doing everything she could to clean up his messes.

With the Demon Emperor’s help, Long Aotian’s fortunes took off, rising at an astonishing pace.

In a short time, he used the Demon Emperor’s power to bring an end to the rival factions vying for control of the continent. With a whole host of legendary figures—the Demon Emperor, the Blood Emperor, the Elven Princess, the Human Princess, and more—as his think tank, he built a world of universal harmony.

He himself barely did anything. He just followed the system’s instructions and sweet-talked the girls around him.

Everyone thought they’d found happiness because Long Aotian had guided them there.

But in reality, Long Aotian had simply gathered countless talented people (that is, beautiful and charming noble young ladies of peerless beauty) and put them to work behind the scenes. That was how things had turned out that way.

In other words, the poison could no longer threaten the Demon Emperor. The story’s course had changed.

The Demon Emperor no longer being lovestruck meant she wouldn’t be so easily fooled by Long Aotian. And if Long Aotian couldn’t fool her… then everything else was just wishful thinking.

“It definitely worked, but one dose isn’t enough. To fully cure Her Majesty the Demon Emperor, she’ll need to take the medicine several more times.”

Mu Nanyan knew very well that Long Aotian’s poison wouldn’t be easy to cure. On the way here, Liya had checked her over again, still worried.

The poison had indeed been contained, but it hadn’t been completely eradicated.

It was like a beast held down by force, locked in a cage for the moment. It hadn’t stopped struggling.

Given the chance, it would still burst out and run rampant again.

“What do you mean? Oh, I get it. You brought this antidote so you could buy yourself more time, didn’t you?”

“Oh? And what would my reason for doing that be?”

Mu Nanyan was perfectly calm. Faced with the questions and hostile stares of countless demons, she was almost too calm.

Even Alisha couldn’t help frowning. She began to study Mu Nanyan with caution.

“First of all, I’m the Demon Emperor’s empress, a position she personally bestowed on me. As the Demon Clan’s empress, I could enjoy all the wealth and splendor I wanted.”

“Why would I risk being killed just to prolong my life with such an extreme method? Why not simply stay in my lane and be a pretty ornament?”

Mu Nanyan’s voice rang out with conviction, every word carrying weight. Everyone present was stunned.

Alisha stared at Mu Nanyan in disbelief, wondering what on earth this woman was trying to do.

But when she thought it over, Mu Nanyan’s actions really were full of suspicious details. If she truly were an assassin, she wouldn’t have needed to go to such lengths to marry into the Demon Clan.

After all, judging by her skill at making poison, she had plenty of easier ways to do it than becoming the Demon Emperor’s empress and then poisoning her.

She wouldn’t have needed to work so hard to win Her Majesty the Demon Emperor’s favor. Besides… she was the empress, the empress personally appointed by the Demon Emperor. Would Her Majesty have given her that title without immense trust and affection?

What’s more, even after being poisoned and before losing consciousness, Her Majesty the Demon Emperor hadn’t entrusted anyone with urgent state affairs or said anything about needing help. Instead, she’d ordered us not to execute Mu Nanyan.

That said a lot.

Alisha’s tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. As she looked at Mu Nanyan, a frightening idea took shape in her mind.

“Could this be a bitter-meat ploy that Her Majesty the Demon Emperor and Mu Nanyan are putting on together for the Divine Clan…?”