On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhen grasped at the bandit chief as if he were a lifeline! He grabbed him and shouted, "The antidote! Hand it over! If you dare to try anything funny, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

The chieftain was terrified and tremblingly pulled out a small black bottle: "The antidote is for oral administration, but the poisoning is already deep. It requires the use of pure Yang internal energy to neutralize the medicine's effects and clear the heart meridians, otherwise it will be ineffective."

Lin Zhen snatched the medicine bottle, not bothering to distinguish its authenticity, and rushed back to his bedchamber like a whirlwind!

He helped up the almost unconscious Murong Yan and carefully fed her the medicine.

Then, he sat cross-legged behind her and kissed her.

This is the transmission of masculine energy.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Lin Zhen's forehead, and his face gradually turned pale.

Transmitting such a large amount of his original internal energy was also a great drain on him.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered, with only one thought in his mind: to save her!

Finally, in the darkest hour before dawn, Murong Yan's body trembled slightly, and a mouthful of black, stagnant blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Her breathing gradually became steady and strong.

The ashen, lifeless look on his face slowly faded; though still pale, he now showed signs of life.

"Yan'er!" Lin Zhen felt the revival of life within her body and was overjoyed, almost bursting into tears.

He slowly withdrew his inner strength, leaned wearily against the edge of the bed, and held her hand tightly.

Murong Yan's long eyelashes trembled a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Lin Zhen's bloodshot eyes, filled with both ecstasy and worry.

"Husband," she said, her voice weak but clearly audible.

"I'm here, Yan'er, you're alright, you're alright." Lin Zhen gently hugged her, his voice choked with emotion.

Murong Yan leaned against him, feeling the warmth of surviving a disaster.

She looked out the window; the sky was already turning a pale white.

That night, she narrowly escaped death.

The man who pulled her back was the one she loved deeply and who loved her deeply in return.

......

The fierce fighting and life-or-death struggle that had lasted all night came to a temporary end with the arrival of dawn.

The stench of blood in the palace was somewhat dispersed by the cool morning breeze, but a somber atmosphere of relief after a catastrophe still lingered in the air.

Inside the bedchamber, the candlelight was still burning, mingling with the dawn light streaming through the window, illuminating the pale yet rejuvenated, exquisitely beautiful face on the phoenix bed.

Murong Yan awoke. But she was far from recovered. The Seven-Day Soul-Severing Powder was extremely potent. Although she had received the antidote, and Lin Zhen had used his own inner strength to neutralize the drug's effects and clear her meridians, the damage to her body was far from being repaired overnight. She felt weak and sore all over, even struggling to lift a finger. Her dantian was empty, the once-powerful energy gone, replaced by an unprecedented weakness, like an infant recovering from a serious illness. Her throat was dry and sore, each breath carrying a subtle, pulling sensation.

She slightly moved her eyelids and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Lin Zhen, who was standing guard by her bedside. His eyes were bloodshot, his chin was covered in stubble, and he looked tired but full of worry.

"Yan'er! You're awake!" Lin Zhen's eyes lit up with surprise when he saw her open them. He quickly bent down and gently took her slightly cool hand in his. "How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Murong Yan opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but only managed to utter a hoarse, breathy sound.

She frowned, a rare, vulnerable look of grievance on her face.

Lin Zhen immediately understood, turned around and poured a cup of warm water from the warm jade pot, and fed it to her lips little by little with a silver spoon: "Drink slowly, don't rush."

The warm water soothed her parched throat, and Murong Yan finally felt a little better.

Looking at Lin Zhen's haggard face, she felt a pang of sadness and asked weakly, "Husband, are you alright? How long have I been asleep?"

Her voice was weak and feeble, clearly indicating her frailty.

"I'm fine, just a minor scratch," Lin Zhen comforted her softly, gently brushing away the strands of hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. "You slept most of the night, and it's just dawn. The poison has been neutralized, but you're still weak and need to rest for a while."

Murong Yan tried to sit up, but her body went limp and she fell back onto the pillow.

She frowned in frustration: "I have no strength at all. This poison is really potent."

As an empress, when had she ever felt so powerless?

This feeling of not being able to control her own body made her feel very uncomfortable, and even a little panicked.

"Don't move around." Lin Zhen quickly pressed down on her shoulders. "The imperial physician said that your vital energy is severely depleted and your meridians are damaged. You need to rest in bed for at least half a month. You must not use your internal energy or exert yourself. I will handle the affairs of the court for you. Just focus on recovering."

Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed in Murong Yan's phoenix eyes, but more so, it reflected her helplessness regarding her own situation.

She lowered her eyes and whispered, "This time I was careless, it was almost..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Zhen interrupted her, his tone firm and unwavering. "The enemy is too cunning and treacherous! Don't worry, I won't let anyone involved in this go! Especially the mastermind Jin Shunzhe, and the remnants of the Black Witch Village!"

When the enemy was mentioned, Lin Zhen's eyes instantly turned cold.

He tucked the blanket around Murong Yan and said softly, "Yan'er, rest a little longer. I have some things to take care of, and I'll be back to keep you company soon."

Murong Yan knew what he was going to do.

She nodded, a fierce glint in her eyes: "Husband, find out the truth, don't let any of them escape."

"I know." Lin Zhen kissed her forehead, stood up, and the tenderness on his face was instantly replaced by a chilling murderous aura.

He sternly instructed the palace maids and eunuchs standing beside him: "Serve His Majesty well. If there is the slightest mistake, you will be beheaded!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Lin Zhen strode out of the bedroom.

Outside the hall, Yingyi had been waiting for a long time.

"Your Highness, the chieftain of Black Witch Village has been imprisoned in the dungeon and tortured, but he is very stubborn."

"Lead the way." Lin Zhen's voice was icy.

Deep inside the dungeon, in an interrogation room, the flickering firelight illuminated the various grotesque instruments of torture on the walls.

The Black Witch Village chief—that gaunt and emaciated old man—was firmly chained to the rack, his body covered in blood, and he was on the verge of death.

Lin Zhen walked into the interrogation room, his gaze as cold as ice, sweeping over the chieftain.

Instead of immediately resorting to more brutal torture, he walked up to him, his voice eerily calm:

"Tell me, where is Kim Soon-cheol? How many accomplices do you have? Besides poisoning the prayer ceremony, what other schemes are you plotting?"

The chieftain raised his cloudy eyes, grinned, revealing bloody teeth, and let out a hoarse laugh: "Hehe, cough cough, even if you kill me, it won't do you any good, Prince Lin. The Golden Leader is elusive, your days are numbered, the Holy Emblem's fate is sealed."

Lin Zhen's eyes turned cold, and he gave a wink to the executioner beside him.

The executioner understood, picked up a red-hot branding iron, and pressed it mercilessly onto the chieftain's chest!

"Ah—!" A shrill scream echoed through the dungeon, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

The chieftain was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to reveal any more.

Lin Zhen looked at him coldly: "Your toughness won't save your life, nor will it save your village. Your people will pay the price for your stupidity."

Upon hearing the word "clan members," the village chief visibly stiffened.

Lin Zhen noticed this detail and continued to apply psychological pressure: "You think your death will end everything? I will send people to find the Black Witch Village's hideout and slaughter all your people, young and old! I will make your Black Witch Village disappear forever!"

"No! You can't!" The chieftain finally broke down, roaring, "Don't punish their families! You executioners!"

"Don't let your family suffer the consequences?" Lin Zhen sneered. "When you poisoned the king of a nation, did you ever consider that your family shouldn't be implicated? Tell me! Where is Kim Soon-cheol hiding? Otherwise, I'll make you watch your people die one by one before your very eyes!"

Under the threat of extermination, the chieftain's last psychological defenses were completely shattered.

He slumped onto the rack, tears streaming down his face, and confessed haltingly:

“Jin Shunzhe is not in Anzhou City. He has taken his core men and hidden deep in Langya Mountain in the north. There is a secret base of ours there. He plans to contact righteous people from all over the country to start an uprising when Murong Yan dies from the poison and Anzhou is in chaos.”

"Also, there's Japan. It seems like there are people from Japan who have been in contact with them. I don't know the specifics, but I only heard Kim Soon-cheol mention it."