She kept herself simple, that's for sure. But when it came to her appearance, there was one thing she had always been proud of, and that was her flawlessly smooth as eggshells, poreless skin.

Now her face was wrapped tightly and completely in bandages, concealing the deep, raw claw marks that stubbornly refused to heal despite the numerous amount of times she applied spirit infused, medicinal ointments.

Worse yet, during all these months, she hadn't seen her Master, Zhu Zhang. Not even once!

Liang Rou Yan was a famous disciple in the sect, and naturally, had acquired quite a few allies and friends, and yet, since her fall from grace, she had been all but forgotten. No one but her servants had remained loyal to her, staying by her side and doing whichever errands she required them to do, including spying for her whenever she needed to gather a bit of intel.

One of Liang Rou Yan's spies had recently informed her that Master Zhu Zhang had disappeared from the sect, and his prodigal son, who had recently been found, had also vanished for a few good months now.

Because Master Zhu Zhang had taken Li Meirong as a secondary disciple and bestowed his grace upon her, along with Senior Zhu Qingyue visiting that wretched furnace on a daily basis, it was practically impossible for Liang Rou Yan to find an opportunity to get rid of Li Meirong.

However, the two people who could foil her plans were no longer around.

Liang Rou Yan bit her lower lip, tearing the soft skin beneath her teeth. Once the taste of copper invaded her mouth, she spat out and whispered, "Li Meirong, just you wait."

It was the perfect chance to execute her plans. Oh, how she had waited patiently for this moment, this chance to exact her revenge! And finally, the very people who could pose a threat to her plot were no longer in the way.

While Liang Rou Yan envisioned Li Meirong's demise and her return to glory as she stood by Master Zhu Zhang's side, voices gave sound outside.

A small smile played upon Captain Liang's lips, an expectant look visible even upon her bandaged face. The very last chess piece she needed to enact her plan had just arrived.

A maidservant of Liang Rou Yan ushered an anticipated guest into the room. "Junior disciple Shu Qianqian, my lady has been waiting for you to arrive."