In the East Room, Ye Yu was dressed in a pink dress. He was deep in thought by the window. When he saw Ye Jiuge enter, he stood up and said, "Miss Ye, I have recovered fully. I shall not burden you anymore."

He felt that it was inappropriate for an adult male like him to stay in a lady's residence.

Furthermore, he wanted to venture out to do some reconnaissance about the Su Clan.

He would have simply left earlier, but he wanted to notify Ye Jiuge about his departure, 

"Why are you in a rush?" Ye Jiuge sat beside the table and poured herself a cup of tea. After she took a sip, she said, "Can you guess who I b.u.mped into earlier?"

"Who?" Ye Yu asked mechanically.

Ye Jiuge placed her teacup down and said, "Su Junqing."

"You saw him?" Deep hatred flashed in Ye Yu's long, narrow eyes.

"That's right. Not only that, but I also discovered something interesting…" Ye Jiuge then explained that Su Junqing was practicing Mental Manipulation.

"Could it be that my sister was entranced? Is that why she betrayed us?" Ye Yu did not know whether to express relief or grief. Although Ye Yu realized that his sister had not meant to betray the Ye Clan, the fact that she had caused the ma.s.sacre of her entire family was indisputable.

"Yes. Mental Manipulation is black magic. It is said the acts that are performed to practice it successfully are very immoral. If you wanted to bring down the Su Clan, this would be the best place to start." 

Ye Jiuge had read about this subject in the ancient books: Mental Manipulation was a kind of black magic, and the tactics it utilized were ruthless. However, she was unclear about why they were considered so cruel. Nevertheless, it was unethical to practice black magic. If the public found out that the Su Clan's Eldest Son—who was famous in the capital—had the gall to practice black magic, he would definitely land in hot water.

"All right, I will investigate him now." Ye Yu was itching to leave the Ye Residence at once.

"Right now, the Su Clan and Crown Prince's men are searching for you. If you head out now, can you be absolutely certain that you will be safe?" It was not that Ye Jiuge doubted Ye Yu's abilities, he just seemed really weak.

"We are a family of a.s.sa.s.sins, so the Ye Clan is definitely capable of adapting to the situation and carrying out orders. If Su Junqing had not poisoned us without our knowledge, the Ye Clan would not have met such a tragic end." Ye Yu's expression was somber.

During their decades in the valley living in seclusion, the Ye Clan had never encountered any problems. They were too dependent on the Barrier for protection; they never expected that someone could enter stealthily and poison them. 

It was pointless to regret now. Ye Yu needed to think of a way to find his sister and avenge his family. To prove his capability to Ye Jiuge, Ye Yu purposely emitted rays of grey light from his body as he demonstrated his ability. Then, he stepped towards a corner. Every trace of him disappeared.

Ye Jiuge searched for him everywhere, scouring all corners of the room. No matter how hard she looked, she could not find any sign of Ye Yu. Nevertheless, she could still feel his presence in the room.

"His Invisibility is pretty good!" Zi Shang's soft voice rang out.

"Do you have a way to render it useless?" Ye Jiuge asked. She was worried that someone might use this skill against her.

"Although his Invisibility isn't bad, he can only maintain it for a short time. Not only that but when he is invisible, he can't attack anyone. He can spy, but not a.s.sa.s.sinate," Zi Shang commented.

"Even if he can't kill people, there must be other spiritual pract.i.tioners who can." 

Spiritual pract.i.tioners could acquire many levels of techniques. a.s.sa.s.sins, like Ye Yu, could definitely be capable of Invisibility. She must ensure that she was sufficiently prepared to protect herself from them.

"I do have a way, but what benefit can you provide me in exchange?" Suddenly, Zi Shang's tone became mischievous.

"What do you wish to gain from this?" asked Ye Jiuge warily.

"Hm!" Zi Shang posed as if contemplating. Finally, he said, "Give me a drop of blood."

"Fair enough." Ye Jiuge nodded. This was part of the terms of their Contract.

"Here is the technique to activate your Spiritual Eye." 

After Zi Shang spoke, he implanted the technique in Ye Jiuge's mind. She followed his instructions and concentrated her Spiritual Energy in the area between her eyebrows. Immediately, warmth coursed around her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Ye Yu standing in a corner refracting light rays as they hit him. The grey glowing layer around his body changed the direction of the light rays and kept him hidden. This ability was powerful enough in the daylight, so it would be even more effective at night. The Ye Clan had proven themselves worthy as a clan of a.s.sa.s.sins.

"I never thought that Miss Ye could activate her Spiritual Eye. You are truly impressive." 

When Ye Yu realized that his location was exposed, he came out of the corner. Immediately, the grey glow around his body waned.

"Since you are so capable, I feel rea.s.sured." Ye Jiuge nodded.

"Now, I shall take my leave." Ye Yu performed a fist and palm salute before vanis.h.i.+ng once again.

Ye Jiuge followed him out and observed how Ye Yu brushed past Qing Mama, who was utterly unaware of his presence. Instead, she greeted Ye Jiuge and asked, "Eldest Miss, Qing Hu and Qing Liu are ready. Should we send them over?"

"She has no need for them now. Fifth Concubine couldn't care less about our maids anymore," Ye Jiuge said coldly.

Although Fifth Concubine and Ye Ruyi had only spoken thus because they were not thinking clearly as a result of Su Junqing's Mental Manipulation, Ye Jiuge was still very displeased.

"What happened? Don't tell me things turned sour with Fifth Concubine?" Qing Mama asked.

Previously, Fifth Concubine had been full of praise for the two maids. It was impossible for her to change her mind out of nowhere. However, it was inappropriate for Ye Jiuge to tell Qing Mama that Fifth Concubine and her daughter were entranced by Mental Manipulation. She could only vaguely express that Fifth Concubine wanted to reconcile with Madame.

Ye Jiuge expected Qing Mama to be angered by this. However, Qing Mama surprised her by speaking as if she had predicted this would happen: "This is very normal. Before this, Fifth Concubine only fought back out of desperation when Madame pushed her against the wall. Now that her situation has taken a turn for the better, she will definitely want to regain Madame's favor. I reckon that Old Master has spoken to Fifth Concubine as well. I have seen it countless times. It is impossible that Madame will sincerely want to bury the hatchet with Fifth Concubine. We should watch closely to see how this unfolds. When she hits rock bottom again, we can help her once more. Then, she will be fully clear-headed."

"Actually, you read my mind." Ye Jiuge felt that Qing Mama had proved herself to be her trusted aide. Her comment was truly in accordance with Ye Jiuge's own thoughts.

"Then, let me send them over now!" Qing Mama said immediately.

"Yes. At the same time, inquire discreetly about the situation in the Shuimo Garden and ascertain if Su Junqing has left," Ye Jiuge ordered.

She kept feeling that when Su Junqing visited Fifth Concubine and Ye Ruyi intentionally and performed Mental Manipulation on them, the matter was not as simple as it seemed.

"Right. I will ask around immediately." Qing Mama nodded quickly.

Meanwhile, at the Shuimo Residence, Su Junqing was striking a bargain with Ye Shanshan… 

"I will help you deal with Ye Jiuge, and you will help me win over Ye Ruyi."

"Consider it done!" Ye Shanshan nodded without any hesitation. However, she was slightly puzzled and asked, "Cousin, Ye Ruyi is nothing but a silly little girl. Why did you need her?"

She had never heard that her cousin possessed pedophilic tendencies!

"That has nothing to do with you. You only need to mind your own business. I already helped paint you in a positive light in front of the Crown Prince. Whether you can capture his heart depends on you," said Su Junqing with indifference.

His cousin was really useless. She could not even retain a man's interest. If he did not need to depend on Su Yufeng and her daughter to become more intimately acquainted with the Ye Clan, he really would not want to exchange another word of pointless drivel with this idiot.