Little did he know, Wanqing had already taken precautions before his arrival, holding her breath. It wasn’t until he confidently reached for her that she finally relaxed again with difficulty, slowing her breathing slightly.
Having undergone special training in the past, she could hold her breath underwater for a considerable time, so this was nothing to her.
Now being carried over his shoulder, she lay flat in his arms, staring blankly at the stars above, speculating about his motives for abducting her.
She couldn’t recall ever offending someone like him. His poisoning skills were indeed on a completely different level compared to Lady Liu and the black-clad men from before. Yet, she remained unfazed.
As he carried her away, she even found herself comfortably admiring the stars in his arms.
The man sprinted all the way to the outskirts of the capital before abruptly stopping at a residential area.
Seeing him halt, Wanqing closed her eyes but continued observing her surroundings through narrowed slits.
“Living in a place like this…” She inwardly scoffed when she realized he had brought her to a shabby house nestled among the brothels and pleasure quarters, further deepening her suspicions about his identity.
The man pressed forward, entering a dilapidated courtyard with low wooden fences before stepping inside.
Once inside, he glanced down at Wanqing, who still feigned sleep with her eyes closed. Without a shred of pity, he tossed her onto the ground like a sack.
“Damn you…” The sharp pain in her backside and spine made her curse inwardly, though outwardly she only let out a soft whimper as she “woke up,” blinking in confusion.
Her dazed eyes met his as he waved his hand before her face, sprinkling another dose of powder to subdue her. Instantly, she slumped into a vacant, dreamlike state.
Fortunately, she had been prepared and instantly recognized the drug’s effects. She played along, sitting there in feigned stupor.
“How are you feeling? Any better? Here, let me hold you.”
The man stepped into the inner room, seemingly speaking tenderly to someone. Moments later, the cloth curtain behind her was pushed aside as he carried a figure into view.
The person in his arms was small and frail—clearly a woman.
When the man placed her on a wooden bench in front of Wanqing, he handled her like a precious treasure, carefully adjusting a pillow to support her as she leaned weakly against it.
Wanqing watched with a vacant gaze as the man sat beside the woman, gently brushing the hair from her face. The moment she saw the woman’s features, Wanqing froze—this time, genuinely.
It was Lady Liu.
Pale and weak from the silver needles Wanqing had embedded in her, Lady Liu looked barely alive. As the man caressed her hair, she struggled to lift her head and smile at him, though the effort was painfully obvious.
Wanqing knew full well this was the effect of her own handiwork.
While she pondered the relationship between Lady Liu and this refined yet poison-stained man, he tenderly embraced Lady Liu and kissed her cheek.
“Look who I brought. Once this girl removes the needles from you, you’ll be fine.”
At his words, Lady Liu’s dull eyes flickered toward him. Noticing her gaze, the man smiled gently and gestured toward Wanqing.
“You… you really caught her? Truly, I…”
Lady Liu’s trembling hands clutched his as her eyes, brimming with a mix of anguish and relief, landed on Wanqing.
“Yes, I caught her for you. Thanks to the special anesthetic I’ve been refining all these years, it was effortless. Just hold on a little longer. I’ll wake her up and make her hand over the antidote.”
As Lady Liu’s face lit up with disbelief and joy, the man stroked her hair soothingly before standing and approaching Wanqing.
“You… what did you do to me? I…”
The man waved his hand before her face again, and Wanqing “snapped out” of her daze, clutching her chest in feigned panic.
“Nothing much—just a poison that makes your bones ache and your heart feel like it’s being crushed. Right now, you should be in unbearable pain, especially around your chest, struggling to breathe, no?”
Wanqing’s face twisted in “agony,” her forehead beading with sweat as she gasped. The man smiled warmly, though his words sent a chill down her spine.
She had been prepared, yet he was still cunning enough to catch her off guard.
But yielding meekly was never Mu Wanqing’s style. Unnoticed, she pricked her arm with a hidden silver needle.
“What do you want? Who are you?”
Her voice was steady, but her eyes darted between him and Lady Liu.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is, if you don’t obey, you’ll die in agony—your guts rotting, bleeding from every orifice. Forget marrying the Empress’s nephew—you won’t even live to see tomorrow.”
He smirked as she struggled to stand, only to collapse weakly back to the ground. Her pale, panicked expression seemed to satisfy him.
“To think I, Mu Wanqing, always on guard, still fell into your trap. Lady Liu, you’re ruthless. But even if I die, dragging you and your two daughters down with me would be a consolation.”
Wanqing’s icy words made Lady Liu’s face twist in fury. The man, sensing her distress, snarled and grabbed Wanqing’s chin.
“You ungrateful wretch! If you refuse to save her, I’ll carve up your face right now! Get up and remove those needles!”
He dragged her toward Lady Liu, who glared at her with bitter resentment.
“Auntie—no, you’re not even worthy of that title. Just a pitiful woman who sacrificed her body and youth for ambition. Did you really think abducting me in the dead of night and poisoning me would break me? I’d rather die than lift a finger to save you or your daughters.”
Lady Liu’s face contorted in rage and despair. The man, infuriated, slapped Wanqing hard enough to make her head snap to the side, blood trickling from her lip.
“You bitch! Seems you need a lesson to understand who you’re dealing with!”
He seized her hair, pressing a cold dagger against her cheek.
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