Chapter Text
Jiang Yanli had always been told that her heart was all good and pure. People praised her for her boundless benevolence and gentleness, even in the face of every hardship life had forced upon her.
She had lost her parents in childhood, endured every kind of struggle, and raised her younger siblings alone — yet never once had she lost her composure.
Her kindness was so vast it reached even the villagers of Lotus Pier. It was a common sight, the young lady tending to the people of the settlement.
Perhaps that was why no one suspected anything when she offered the sick a bowl of her famous soup.
No one noticed her smile was no longer gentle — now, it dripped with malice.
No one saw that her eyes no longer shone with warmth, but with something dark and twisted.
No one realized the soup’s flavor was ever so slightly altered.
The screaming began first. Bodies writhed in agony on beds and floors.
For a moment, she couldn’t hide her disgust at the mess the retching caused — but she knew it was just the poison’s work.
The best part, though, was the shock in their eyes as they stared at her.
Jiang Yanli rose to her feet, unleashing the sinister aura that had festered inside her all along.
A colossal shadow loomed behind her, stretching over the afflicted, freezing their faces in pure terror.
As she stepped over the bodies of those she’d once cared for so devotedly, distant explosions shook the air, followed by desperate shrieks.
Once more, Jiang Yanli smiled.
But the smile that had once brought joy to Lotus Pier now heralded its doom.