Thinking of the ruthless determination with which that woman had drawn a dagger and stabbed it into her own heart, followed by her iron-willed composure that surpassed that of most males after the assassination failed.
Could this really be someone good for nothing?
So, after playing the fool under her stepmother for eighteen years, this eldest daughter of the Lan Family had finally found a chance to escape?
Li Nianlan noticed Lu Yuanxiu's displeasure. "W-We have no idea either! I haven't seen her since that day."
Lu Yuanxiu gave her no chance to quibble further. "Use your guardian privileges to find her!"
Li Nianlan's head buzzed. She had no desire to use her privileges to help Lu Yuanxiu find anyone!
Deep down, she was convinced that Lan Lingdu and Lu Yuanxiu must have slept together.
No male could withstand the scent of Heaven Grass. Even with Lu Yuanxiu's formidable willpower, how could he resist a female drenched in Heaven Grass from head to toe?
She refused to let that stepdaughter, lowly as dirt, live a better life than her own biological daughter.
Lan Nuannuan's sweet and gentle voice rang out. "Your Excellency, my sister turned eighteen two months ago. She is an adult, and Mother no longer has the authority as her guardian to inquire about her whereabouts."
Yet the very next second, a wave of powerful mental pressure washed over them from the man, nearly sending the Lan Family mother and daughter crashing to the ground in fright. "Give me her location immediately, and do not make me repeat myself a third time!"
Under this mental pressure, Li Nianlan and her daughter trembled, breaking out in a cold sweat. Every other thought vanished from their minds.
The truth was that, as females, they had lived this long without a single male ever daring to treat them so crudely.
"S-She is in the Gengdi Galaxy!" Using her privileges at top speed to check Lan Lingdu's location, Li Nianlan was instantly overcome with regret, her eyes turning red.
She hated this so much!
If she hadn't been so confident that the wretched little girl was dead—if she had simply bothered to check her location—things wouldn't have come to such a passive pass today.
"The Gengdi Galaxy?" The man's oppressive voice rose slightly.
Without reservation, Li Nianlan handed her light computer over for Lu Yuanxiu to see the information displayed on screen. "Yes, look, that dead girl applied for a robot butler in the Gengdi Galaxy four days ago!"
Lu Yuanxiu glanced briefly at the information before rising from the sofa. "Thank you for your hospitality today, Madam Lan."
Mayor Liang smiled warmly as he apologized to the hostess. "We apologize for today's abrupt visit. It was truly discourteous!"
As the sound of military boots fading away echoed down the hall, Li Nianlan collapsed onto the floor.
How terrifying!
She had not the slightest doubt that had she failed to produce news of Lan Lingdu, that terrifying man would have taken action against them.
In the eyes of ordinary males, females were indeed considered rare and precious creatures; but in the eyes of a powerful and influential male like Lu Yuanxiu, they were probably less useful than the soldiers under his own command.
"Your Excellency..."
Seated inside the hovercar, Lu Yuanxiu watched the stunning young woman running out from the house.
"Your Excellency, I hope that once you find my sister, you will not blame her. Everything was our fault. The only reason Mother went with her to the Junlin Grand Hotel that day was because my sister insisted. Mother had no choice but to compromise when she kept making a fuss.
My sister has always liked going out with all sorts of inexplicable males, and Mother has worried endlessly over her because of it..."
"Heh!" The man let out a short, sudden chuckle devoid of warmth. Yet the shallow dimples at the corners of his cheeks bloomed like the warm sun melting ice, touching the soul.
[...]
Until the hovercar vanished entirely from sight, Lan Nuannuan stood alone in the same spot, looking dazed and desolate. "Your Excellency, I will become your wife. Even if... even if Nuannuan only has you as her husband for the rest of my life, it will all be worth it..."
Meanwhile, in the steadily moving hovercar, Mayor Liang finally could not resist asking an ill-timed question. "Your Excellency, are you going to personally look for that... female from the Lan Family?"
Before Lu Yuanxiu could speak, his adjutant cut in. "Of course not!"
What kind of person was His Excellency? He was so busy he didn't even have time for the restroom; would he waste his time on a female?
"Your Excellency, news from the research institute is that the five-star test for the super intelligent brain is imminent, and they hope you will oversee it personally."
"Arrange for the spaceship to leave M-star tonight. As for Lan Lingdu..." Lu Yuanxiu paused for a fraction of a second, the striking yet cold face flashing through his mind. "Keep an eye on her."
He rather wanted to see just how far that audacious female could go.
*
Lan Lingdu had no idea that she had leaked her own location simply because of a robot butler.
Yet even had she known, given her current capabilities, she had no way to acquire the kind of illusory, untraceable fake identity she needed.
The moment she traded using the Lan Family's resources, the family would inevitably find her.
This was precisely why she hungered for power—she needed to secure enough strength before the Lan Family tracked her down, ensuring she held enough leverage at the negotiating table where the strong ruled.
The next day.
Lan Lingdu woke up early and routinely went to inspect the territory she had conquered yesterday.
After channeling All Things Flourish through her medicinal herb field once again, she impatiently boarded the wormhole shuttle.
*
My name is Henry, and I am an unfortunate orc whose bestialization index has soared past seventy percent. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that while walking down the street today, stepping squarely in dog feces would be the least of my worries. Instead, I was ambushed by some inexplicable mutated plant and dragged into a deserted alley.
Heaven knows how utterly despairing I was at that moment. My brain was already preparing to stage a one-hundred-and-eighty-episode drama about being ambushed by starved orcs, being forced, being—well, let's just say my chastity was about to be history—when I blacked out.
When I finally opened my eyes again, bracing myself to face a life worse than death, I discovered that my condition was better than ever before!
The bestialization index that had tortured me relentlessly and made me wish for death had inexplicably vanished!
My bestialization index just vanished into thin air after a single night's sleep? I could hardly believe I had lucked out.
For two or three consecutive days, my condition improved day by day. I was ecstatic, yet filled with anxiety, joy, nervous anticipation, and terror all at once... In short, today I went to the hospital with a heart full of chaotic, stewed emotions.
When I finally laid eyes on the medical report, I could scarcely believe that miracles truly existed in this world.
"Henry! Congratulations on your rebirth! Although I have no idea what happened to you, I can solemnly tell you that your bestialization index—which was originally as high as seventy-three percent—has now dropped completely to zero. I hereby declare that you are now a normal orc."
The doctor in the white lab coat offered Henry his sincere blessings.
With trembling hands, Henry stared at the report in his grip. The next second, he suddenly raised his hands to cover his eyes as tears burst uncontrollably from between his fingers.
"It's... it's true... my bestialization index really is gone! I..." Henry broke down, unable to finish his sentence.