The shift in Wan Qing’s expression made Mu Wanxia laugh triumphantly.
“Haha, you didn’t expect it, did you? When I let her go, I actually poisoned her clothes. The moment you touched her, the poison transferred to you. Now, do you feel dizzy and heavy-headed, with a dull pain in your chest…?”
As she spoke, she strode forward confidently, clearly pleased with her control over the situation, and looked at her with a smug expression.
“You… you all, take this quickly. Eat it and take her away. She’s gone mad…”
Though inwardly sneering at Mu Wanxia’s behavior, Wan Qing feigned agony and fury on her face. Clutching her chest, she staggered to the side and handed the antidote pills to the two women whose expressions had also darkened. Urgently, she urged them, “Take this now!”
“This…” Seeing her suddenly turn deathly pale with a faint black aura, Qian Yuying and the other woman were stunned. They hadn’t anticipated Mu Wanxia’s underhanded tactics, nor had they expected both sisters to be so skilled in poison.
Now, watching Wan Qing sway unsteadily while still trying to protect them, they grew uneasy—had they been poisoned too? Why else would she give them the antidote? Despite their confusion, they supported the still-unconscious Song Meiling and cast worried glances at Wan Qing.
“Since you’ve seen this side of me, none of you will leave alive…”
Noticing the change in their expressions, Mu Wanxia smirked coldly and lunged at them again.
“Go! Don’t worry about me! Find my two maids outside—Prince Ning knows where they are. Hurry, or none of us will escape!”
Clutching her chest in pain, Wan Qing swayed dangerously, barely able to stand. Gritting her teeth, she staggered forward while urging the two women behind her. As Mu Wanxia flung another handful of yellow powder, Wan Qing weakly countered it, stumbling several steps before regaining her balance. Though Qian Yuying and Cui Hongxiao were filled with fear and concern, they realized Wan Qing was sacrificing herself to buy them time. Staying would only burden her further.
They had no idea how long she could hold on, but they knew they had to leave—fast. Only by finding help could they save her.
“Hongxiao, let’s go! Now, hurry!” Realizing this, Qian Yuying grabbed Song Meiling’s arm and pulled Cui Hongxiao along urgently.
“But… Qing’er, she…” Though the situation was beyond anything they’d ever witnessed—the powder withering nearby plants in seconds—Cui Hongxiao hesitated, watching Wan Qing sway unsteadily as she shielded them.
“We’re no help here. We’ll only drag her down. The faster we find help, the safer she’ll be. She’s suffering because of us—go!” Qian Yuying, unusually composed, insisted.
Half-carrying, half-dragging Song Meiling, the two women mustered all their strength to flee.
“Still playing the hero? Sacrificing yourself for these nobodies—how foolishly generous. Yet you’ve always been ruthless to me, your own sister. Everything I had, you stole or destroyed. Mu Wanqing, you’ve finally fallen into my hands. Die!”
Mu Wanxia advanced step by step, watching Wan Qing collapse to the ground, her strength waning. As she loomed over her, she sneered, reveling in her impending victory. With a final thrust, she aimed for Wan Qing’s defenseless form.
“Hmph. You think you can kill me? You’re still too naive…”
Just as Mu Wanxia was certain of her triumph, Wan Qing suddenly moved. Seizing Mu Wanxia’s wrist with a cold smile, she twisted it sharply, dislocating it with a sickening crack. Ignoring Mu Wanxia’s pained scream, she snatched the weapon and shoved her to the ground, striking a pressure point in the process.
“You… you were poisoned! How are you unharmed?!”
Paralyzed and unable to rise, Mu Wanxia stared in disbelief. She had been certain the poison would incapacitate Wan Qing, yet here she stood, unharmed and in control.
Wan Qing smirked, twirling the weapon deftly before pressing it against Mu Wanxia’s cheek. “Did you really think your poison could defeat me? I detected it the moment I touched Meiling and neutralized it secretly.”
“No… impossible! You were poisoned—your face was—!”
Wan Qing wiped her face, revealing her flawless complexion. “See? Perfectly fine. Compared to me, you’re still a novice. And your mother, along with that ‘Uncle Liu’ you call father—they’re no match for me either.”
With a flick of her wrist, Wan Qing sent the weapon flying toward Mu Wanxia, who shrieked in terror.
“Ah—!”
Laughing heartily, Wan Qing taunted, “Such cowardice, yet you dared challenge me? Go back to your mother and that ‘Uncle Liu’—study a few more years.”
Leaving Mu Wanxia trembling in fear, Wan Qing turned and walked away, victorious.
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