At the foot of Sanqing Mountain, outside the city.
The spectacle had reached its climax.
"The gods descend!""Pure water turns to blood!"
With a dramatic shout, Mystic Xuanji tossed a talisman into a porcelain bowl.Before the crowd's eyes, clear water bloomed into a shocking crimson.
The believers collapsed to their knees, heads pounding against the ground, sobbing and begging for mercy.
"A herd of idiots."
From the edge of the crowd, Iris let out a soft, scornful laugh.
She didn't even bother waiting for Prince Chen's order.
Reaching out, she took the jar of vinegar prepared in advance from a guard's hands—and strode straight onto the altar.
"Who dares defile the sacred platform?!" Xuanji roared.
Iris didn't waste a word.
"Watch carefully," she said. "This is your divine power."
With a flick of her wrist, she poured the entire jar of vinegar into the so-called blood water.
No chanting.No ritual.
In front of hundreds of stunned eyes, the vivid red liquid faded instantly—washing out into a cloudy, sickly yellow.
Dead silence.
Then—
"What—what just happened?!""It changed back?!""Does the gods' power fear vinegar?!"
"This is called an acid–base indicator," Iris said flatly, tossing the empty jar at the frozen Daoist's feet."Turmeric turns red in alkali. Acid reverses it. Basic chemistry. Even schoolchildren know this."
Xuanji's face drained of color.
"You—you demon woman!" he shrieked. "Witchcraft!"
"Take him."
The command was cold.
Prince Chen stepped out from the shadows. In an instant, iron-armored guards surrounded the temple.
He didn't spare the Daoist a glance.
His eyes paused on Iris for half a second.
That was it?Something this simple fooled so many people?
"Bring him to the rear hall," Prince Chen said."Alive."
As Iris stepped down from the altar, the believers recoiled in terror, parting like a tide.
An old woman covered her grandson's eyes, whispering in fear,"Don't look. That woman speaks with the dead."
Iris wiped the vinegar from her fingertips, expression unreadable.
In my world, I chase truth.Here, I shatter dreams—and become the monster.
Rear Hall · Secret Chamber
No idols.
Only gold, silver—and a nauseating sweetness of rot.
"AAAH—!"
The commander of Prince Chen's guards snapped two of Xuanji's fingers without hesitation.
"Speak," Prince Chen said, reclining in a grand chair as he wiped his hands."What happened to the dead girls?"
Xuanji convulsed, his resolve collapsing instantly.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I was just a caretaker!""The girls were delivered to me!"
"By whom?"
"I don't know!" he sobbed."They wore masks. Black carriage. No markings. They paid me monthly to keep them here. The talisman water—they brought it themselves. Said it was for 'purification'…"
Iris stood aside, flipping through the ledger retrieved from the hidden compartment.
He was telling the truth.
A greedy pawn.
Then she noticed it.
A red cord peeking from beneath his collar.
"What's this?"
She moved faster than anyone could react—yanking the cord free.
It wasn't jade.Not gold.
It was a tag carved from blackened human bone.
Etched into its surface was a twisted symbol—like a blind, coiled serpent, or a reversed curse.
Prince Chen's brows snapped together.
"What kind of mark is this?"
Even he had never seen it.
Suddenly, the system screamed inside Iris's head.
[WARNING.][High-risk object detected.][Forbidden royal sigil of the former Yu Dynasty — "Rebirth Sigil."][Historical note: The Yu Dynasty fell due to obsession with witchcraft. This symbol is taboo.]
Iris's heart slammed.
Former dynasty remnants?
This case had just escalated—from murder… to rebellion.
Xuanji's pupils shrank when he saw the token exposed.
"No—don't look!" he shrieked."They forced me to wear it! Said it would keep me alive! I don't want to die!"
He thrashed wildly, suddenly remembering something unspeakable.
"It's them! That symbol means—"
Whizz—!
The sound was soft.
But to Iris, it exploded like thunder.
"Down—!"
She was closest—too close.
Prince Chen moved first.
In a blur, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rolled, dragging her behind a heavy table.
Thk.
A black, finger-length spike punched cleanly into Xuanji's forehead.
Barely any blood.
The poison worked instantly.
His face turned an unnatural blue-purple as he dropped dead without a sound.
"Roof! Chase!" Prince Chen barked.
Shadows shattered the windows—but the assassin was already gone.
Only the wind stirred the leaves outside.
Silence.
Suffocating silence.
Iris lay pinned beneath Prince Chen, his weight pressing her into the floor.
Cold sandalwood filled her lungs.
Her heart raced—not only from the brush with death, but from the bone token clenched in her hand.
Forbidden sigil.Poisoned spike.Elite assassin.
This water ran far deeper than she imagined.
"He's dead."
Prince Chen rose, his face dark enough to drip water.
Murder—right under his nose.
He turned, extending his hand toward the token.
"Give it to me."
Iris hesitated.
The system warned of catastrophe if this reached the emperor.
But refusing—
She placed it in his palm.
"Your Highness," she said carefully, "this symbol… feels dangerous."
Prince Chen traced the serpent mark, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
"Monster or god—it doesn't matter."
His grip tightened, knuckles whitening.
"Anyone who dares harm my people…""I will skin them alive."
He looked at Iris, gaze sharp.
"You were slow just now. If not for me, you'd be dead."
Iris touched her neck. The phantom wind of the spike still lingered.
For once, she didn't argue.
"Thank you… for saving my life."
"That's it?" Prince Chen scoffed, pocketing the token."Investigate. Tear the earth apart if you must."
He looked straight at her.
"This case is mine now. And you—"
"From today on, your life belongs to me."