Chapter 17: Heaven’s Gift [II]

By the time the first bell of the kitchen wing rang, Lin Xuan had already laid out the small wooden table on the porch of his pavilion.

Two cups. The good ceramic ones, not the everyday kind. A tea pot, freshly steamed. A small plate of dried plums on the side. The cushion arranged so that Lian would face the morning light when she sat. And in the cup he had set on the right, the one closer to Lian’s place, the silver vial from his sleeve had already done its work.

The elixir was clear. Almost colorless. It blended with the tea without trace. The vial itself had vanished back into the system inventory the moment the last drop hit the cup.

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