“Why? Why? Why, after all my hard work in studying poisons, am I still no match for her? Mother, tell me, tell me, what must I do to kill her?”
As Mu Wanxia left the front courtyard, she staggered toward the Netherworld Pavilion. Her grotesquely swollen hand, the lingering effects of the poison, and the fury contorting her once-delicate face made her appear almost unrecognizable.
Though the maids who didn’t know the truth were puzzled—how had their usually dignified and virtuous young lady transformed into this?—her swollen hand and the terrifying rage on her face made them instinctively shrink back in fear.
By the time she reached the Netherworld Pavilion, her breath was ragged from both anger and the spreading toxins. The pain in her arm was unbearable, and she slumped weakly against the wall.
It took her a long time to recover. With trembling hands, she fumbled for an antidote, swallowing it hastily. But her strange behavior had already alerted Lady Liu inside the pavilion.
Lady Liu was shocked to see her in such a state and immediately helped her inside. Yet, as soon as Mu Wanxia regained some composure and saw her mother, all the grievances she had suppressed came pouring out.
Though Mu Wanxia usually appeared dignified and composed in front of others, in front of Lady Liu, she was even more spoiled and clingy than her younger sister, Mu Wanjun. Now, lying on the couch with her mother’s worried gaze upon her, she couldn’t help but whimper in frustration, shaking Lady Liu’s hand and complaining bitterly.
Lady Liu had no idea what had happened, but when she heard that her daughter had challenged Wanqing to a poison duel, she was both furious and dismayed. Hadn’t she warned her repeatedly? Yet this foolish girl had disregarded her advice and acted recklessly.
Lady Liu herself was still suffering from the silver needles Wanqing had embedded in her body—her limbs ached, her strength was sapped, and she could barely sleep at night. And now, her daughter, instead of waiting patiently for the right opportunity, had foolishly provoked Wanqing. She hadn’t even visited her mother in days.
And now, she had the audacity to blame everything on her? After all the effort Lady Liu had poured into raising her?
Filled with anger and disappointment, Lady Liu raised her hand and slapped Mu Wanxia across the face. The shock in her daughter’s eyes, the disbelief on her lips—only then did Lady Liu speak, her voice heavy with sorrow.
“Have you lost your mind? My daughter, Liu Qiaorou’s daughter, how could you be so useless, so reckless? Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Even I have suffered at that girl’s hands—her needles still torment me every night. And now, you—you’ve disappointed me beyond words.”
“Mother, I—I’m sorry. I’ve failed you. But—but when I think of how Young Master Sun rejected me because of her, I just—I couldn’t bear it!”
Hearing her mother’s fury, Mu Wanxia’s rage-fueled frenzy finally subsided. She looked at Lady Liu’s heartbroken expression and felt a pang of guilt.
She didn’t fully understand it herself—her mother had two daughters, yet she had always favored her, even arranging opportunities for her with Young Master Sun while barely paying attention to her sister.
Thinking of all her mother’s care and high expectations, and now she had let her down. Mu Wanxia lowered her head in shame. The humiliation of being rejected by Sun Fengyu’s family, treated like a plague—she couldn’t bear it.
That was why she had returned, determined to make Wanqing suffer, even wishing for her death. But her schemes had backfired, leaving her in this wretched state.
“So you challenged her to a poison duel? After all my warnings? You were supposed to be someone who achieves great things—why would you recklessly reveal your hidden skills? What exactly happened? Tell me, how did it go? What was the result?”
Seeing the regret in her daughter’s eyes, Lady Liu sighed and softened her tone slightly.
“Mother, I—I’m afraid I’ve failed you forever. I never thought—never thought I would lose so badly this time. I—”
Mu Wanxia thought of how she had exposed her poison skills in front of Mu Zhenfeng, her angry outbursts. Now, looking back, she wished she could die from shame.
Her father would never favor her again. Worse, he might even hold a grudge against her from now on.
“What do you mean ‘failed forever’? What exactly happened? Why are you saying such things?”
Lady Liu frowned, seeing her daughter’s devastated expression. Despite her frustration, she couldn’t help but feel concerned.
“I—I tried to frame her by poisoning Father, but she saw through it immediately. I—”
Mu Wanxia’s voice trembled with regret and despair as she confessed. She lowered her head, dreading the consequences.
When she saw Lady Liu’s silent, disappointed shake of the head, she felt even worse. Thinking of her mother’s unwavering support and high hopes, she clutched Lady Liu’s arm desperately.
“Mother, I know I’ve failed you. But you must understand—Father has grown so close to her lately that he won’t even listen to me or Jun’er anymore. I had to do something drastic to make him turn against her. I just—I never expected it to backfire like this. Hit me, Mother. Kill me if you must. I have no pride left, no future—”
“Enough! With a temperament like yours, no wonder you lost to her. Even though your father has abandoned me and locked me away here, I’ve never given up. And you—one setback, and you’re ready to throw your life away? If you truly want to die, then go ahead. I won’t stop you. But know this—if you die, you are no daughter of Liu Qiaorou.”
Lady Liu was furious. She had warned her daughter repeatedly, yet she had acted recklessly. Though she despised Mu Zhenfeng herself—after all she had done for him and the Mu family, he had cast her aside over a feud with that girl—she still had hopes for her daughter.
But this self-pitying, defeatist attitude infuriated her.
When Mu Wanxia grabbed her hand, trying to make her strike her again, Lady Liu yanked her hand away and shoved her aside.
“I—Mother, I was wrong. I—I won’t give up again. But the damage is done. Father has lost faith in me, and Young Master Sun’s family despises me. What—what should I do now?”
Though still seething with regret and anger, Mu Wanxia clung to Lady Liu’s hand, pleading for guidance.
(To be continued…)
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage