The powerful leader was tough on the outside but soft on the inside; the aloof major general fell fo

"...My lord, what is that?"

Sia bit her lip hard, still struggling in her death throes, and didn't forget to give Asher a meaningful look.

Cen Li's eyes were dark.

Is he using Ashel as his go-to shield?

Whenever Xiya made a mistake, he could unscrupulously shift the blame onto that dull, rigid insect that had been tortured to the point of being unable to defend itself...

"You dare to make any underhanded moves in front of me?"

"Are you treating me like I'm blind?!"

West Asia kept giving Ashir meaningful glances, her eyelids almost rolling up in anticipation.

Unfortunately, Ash did not respond at all.

It's like giving a flirtatious look to a blind person.

"Ash..."

When Xi Ya was about to ask for help, Cen Li interrupted her in annoyance.

Cen Li had figured out Asher's personality.

He wouldn't refute or defend himself; it was as if his original sharp edges had been smoothed out. Having seen reality clearly, he would only slowly back down, allowing West Asia to exploit loopholes.

Therefore, Cen Li directly stopped Xi Ya from trying to find a bug to take the fall.

"Ashir, go and get the things for me."

Cen Li raised his chin, signaling Ashel to search him.

Meeting West Asia's angry gaze, Ashel hesitated for a moment before walking towards West Asia.

The commands of a powerful ruler are, of course, above all else.

The resistance from West Asia was like a tickle to Ashir.

He quickly restrained Sia's constantly waving arms and took out two small, transparent glass tubes from inside his clothes.

Cen Li took it and tapped the glass wall with his fingernail, making a crisp sound.

"You used this damn stuff to drug me?"

When Sia saw that his plan had been exposed, he looked both fearful and helpless. He glared at Ashel—his accomplice!

However, at this moment, Xiya's gaze and expression no longer had any intimidating power; instead, they seemed somewhat ridiculous.

Xiya clenched her fists, and a bright red mark had been left on her fair skin from pinching.

Suddenly, something flashed through his mind, his eyes lit up, and he raised his voice, saying, "My lord, this is definitely not some kind of medicine to harm you, it's just a regular nutritional supplement!"

"If you don't believe me, take it and have it checked."

As Sia spoke, her expression calmed down: "You must believe me, I am your most loyal servant, and I would never have any intention of harming you!"

"Those words were all induced by Ashel; they weren't from my heart at all. How could I possibly say such vicious things?!"

"I think about you constantly, my lord, that you can get up from your wheelchair..."

Cen Li's sharp eyes narrowed, and when he finally made Xi Ya somewhat flustered, he said coldly.

"Is it because the Imperial equipment can't detect the drug's components that you're so bold?"

"..."

"W-what? How did you know?!"

Xiya was stunned by the question Cen Li threw at her, and she was terrified that the powerful ruler knew everything! In an instant, her mouth was faster than her brain, and she blurted it all out.

They even forgot to use honorifics.

This was tantamount to him self-destructing; when he realized it, his face turned pale.

"Let me guess, it was Renzo who instructed you, wasn't it?"

Xiya's eyes widened immediately; it was clear that her thoughts had been guessed.

How did the powerful ruler know?

How does he know everything?

Countless questions flooded Xi Ya's mind, making it impossible for him to think clearly.

"Silence means consent."

"No, that's not it..."

"Um?"

Cen Li lowered his voice.

When Xi Ya met Cen Li's seemingly all-knowing eyes, she suddenly swallowed the words she was about to say.

Cen Li stretched out his hand to him: "Give me the rest of the medicine."

Xiya bit her lip, subconsciously took a step back, and her lips twitched.

"No...that's all."

"Is it really gone, or is it just a lie?"

Cen Li's patience had reached its limit: "Don't make me repeat myself a second time."

In the end, Ashel followed Sia upstairs and found a total of ten potions.

Cen Li confiscated all of these.

He didn't tell the two insects what he needed the medicine for.

West Asia always felt uneasy.

When Cen Li had Asher put all the potions in his room, Xi Ya finally couldn't hold back anymore and knelt down with a thud.

He crawled forward on his knees, grabbed Cen Li's trouser leg tightly, and pleaded, "My lord, I was forced."

"If Renzo hadn't threatened me with my house bug, I wouldn't have done such a thing... I was forced into it..."

"Can you forgive me...?"

Xiya looked up with her fair face upturned, her eyes brimming with tears that seemed about to fall.

Like most sub-females, Xiya has a sweet and lovely face.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with tears, a sight that would make any insect's heart soften.

Is this some kind of American trap?

If a male insect that is fond of beautiful females were to stand in front of West Asia, he might be immediately swayed, holding her close and coaxing her gently, and then enjoying another round of pleasure.

Unfortunately, the person standing in front of him was Cen Li.

Cen Li coldly pried Xi Ya's hand away and unceremoniously tossed it aside: "You can leave now."

Sia's eyes widened in fear, terrified by the worst possible scenario: "What?"

"I wouldn't dare keep an insect that wants to harm me around!"

Xiya's voice was stuck in her throat, choking and sobbing, but she couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

"My lord, please don't send me away..."

"They will definitely not let me go..."

Xiya kept her head down, tears streaming down her face, repeating the same sentence over and over again.

Silence, and more silence...

Just as Xi Ya's heart sank into a deep abyss, feeling isolated and helpless, Cen Li's gaze deepened slightly: "I can temporarily not dissolve our marriage, but I need you to do something for me. Do you want this opportunity?"

"want!"

As if hearing a glimmer of hope, Xi Ya suddenly looked up.

His eyes were filled with longing.

Before Cen Li could even say what it was, he eagerly agreed, as if he wanted to grasp at any straw that was offered to him.

However, he belatedly realized that what the powerful leader said was only temporary, and that he could be kicked out at any time in the future.

But we can delay it for as long as possible.

Cen Li snorted.

"Is your sub-female brother currently being kept by Mihaly Chow's side?"

Xiya hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

"Great, I'll tell you exactly what to do later."

Xiya asked somewhat uneasily, "My lord, may I ask what exactly happened?"

"You just need to do as I say when the time comes."

Cen Li's lips curled into a cold smile: "Otherwise, I'll expose this, or tell Renzo that you've surrendered to me."

"Things are bound to get even more interesting that way..."

West Asia froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and agreed.

Cen Li didn't give him a chance to refuse, and Xiya could only pray that the powerful lord wouldn't ask him to do anything difficult.

After the two insects left, Cen Li returned to his room and called the system, asking it to analyze the ingredients of the potion and see if a batch could be produced.

System: "It is possible."

"But host, are you treating me like free labor?"

Cen Li coldly replied, "I'm the labor force you've brought in for free."

The system remained silent, then quietly protested, "Host, we do offer rewards..."

Cen Li snorted coldly through his nose: "One word: can or can't."

The system's voice was very soft and plaintive: "It's possible."

Cen Li summoned the system without any guilt: "Then send me a batch, I need to use it later."

The system's tone was subtle: "Host, you're not planning to harm anyone, are you? Oh no, I mean, an insect."

Cen Li smiled slightly: "How can you say that? It's just a return gift."