The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

The sound of the silver needle piercing the air still seemed to echo in his ears, but the leader of Nanzhao dodged it at the last second.

A hint of surprise flashed in Murong Xuewei's eyes. Before she could withdraw her hand, a cold light had already slashed through her back.

"Ugh—" She gritted her teeth, swallowing back her cry of pain. Warm blood soaked through her clothes, but her gaze remained sharp as a knife.

"As expected of the eldest daughter of the Murong family, her skills are indeed remarkable." The Nanzhao chieftain sneered as he wiped the blood from his face. "However, do you think I'll believe your nonsense? The map on that girl might actually be real."

Murong Xuewei suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in her smile: "You people of Nanzhao are ultimately too impatient. The treasure map has been hidden in my hands for so many years; if it were so easy to obtain, we wouldn't have waited until today."

As she spoke, she slowly backed away. Each step was extremely steady, as if she were measuring something.

The assassins surrounded her, swords raised, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Since you know so much, why don't you just tell me the whereabouts of the treasure map?" The Nanzhao chieftain paced closer. "If you speak, I can let you die a quick death."

Murong Xuewei suddenly stopped, behind her stood a thick, ancient locust tree. "I dare say, but do you believe me?" she asked softly.

"What?"

"Do you believe I would entrust a real treasure map to a girl I've just met?" Murong Xuewei's voice suddenly became exceptionally clear. "How could the treasures that my Murong family has held for so many years be easily handed over to outsiders?"

The Nanzhao chieftain's eyes narrowed, as if he had sensed something. He abruptly waved his hand: "Dare to deceive me? Kill her! Don't let her pull any tricks!"

Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, Murong Xuewei suddenly vanished from her spot. By the time everyone reacted, she had already climbed onto the branches of an ancient locust tree. In the moonlight, her figure appeared both resolute and tragically beautiful.

"You Nanzhao people don't understand. Some things are worth protecting with our lives." Her voice drifted on the night wind. "Today, I'll show you what it means to be unyielding to the death!"

Before she could finish speaking, an arrow pierced the air and struck her squarely in the shoulder.

Murong Xuewei groaned, but clung tightly to the tree branch. Blood dripped down her arm, blooming like red plum blossoms on the ground.

"Shoot!" the Nanzhao chieftain roared. "Shoot her to death!"

Arrows rained down. Murong Xuewei twisted and turned among the branches, each movement aggravating her wounds, yet she refused to admit defeat.

She knew that if she held on a little longer, Xiao Cui would be able to escape safely. As for herself... she smiled bitterly and touched the other purse in her arms; inside lay the real secret.

Another arrow pierced her thigh, the excruciating pain almost causing her to drop her grip. Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar.

"My lord! Something terrible has happened! There's been a disturbance in the city!" A bodyguard rushed in, flustered.

The Nanzhao leader's expression changed drastically: "What?!"

"Someone...someone has broken out of the prison! The Murong family members have all disappeared!"

Upon hearing the news, Murong Xuewei's lips curled into a relieved smile. She knew that Liuli hadn't disappointed her. She just wondered if Gu Ye had received her letter...

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and her consciousness began to blur. In her last moments, she saw the sky in the distance beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

"You...you're still...too late..." she whispered, finally unable to hold on any longer, and fell from the tree.

"How dare she play tricks right under my nose! Kill her!" The furious voice of the Nanzhao chieftain echoed through the forest.

Murong Xuewei fell from the tree and crashed heavily to the ground, unconscious. Blood seeped from her wounds, its crimson gleaming in the moonlight.

"Finally, you've become obedient." The Nanzhao chieftain sneered, stepping forward and raising his foot to kick Murong Xuewei in the head. "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

At this critical moment, a white figure suddenly darted out from the shadows. A flash of cold light, and the Nanzhao leader painfully pulled back his foot, a deep tear now visible in his boot.

"Who?" he demanded sharply.

His answer was a gleaming dagger. Xiao Cui emerged from the darkness, landing nimbly in front of Murong Xue Wei. In the moonlight, her expression was cold and stern, showing no trace of the fragility she once possessed as a young maid.

The Nanzhao chieftain, clutching his injured foot, took a few steps back, a flicker of surprise in his eyes: "You..."

Xiao Cui remained silent, her gaze sweeping over the unconscious Murong Xuewei, a flicker of heartache in her eyes. Her mistress, always so composed in her presence, was now so weak.

"You think you can save her all by yourself?" The leader of Nanzhao sneered, and with a wave of his hand, more than a dozen assassins surrounded him with their swords drawn.

Xiao Cui glanced coldly around and pulled a smoke bomb from her pocket. With nimble movements, she hoisted Murong Xuewei onto her back and leaped into the air the instant she threw the smoke bomb.

"Stop her!" The Nanzhao chieftain's roar came through the thick smoke. Swords flashed in the smoke, but they were always a step too late.

Xiao Cui carried Murong Xuewei on her back, her figure darting lightly through the shadows of the trees. Every movement she made was carefully calculated, both to avoid the pursuers' encirclement and to avoid aggravating Murong Xuewei's wounds.

Murong Xuewei remained unconscious, her breathing weak and rapid. Xiao Cui, feeling the warm blood seeping from her back, gritted her teeth and quickened her pace.

The night was deep, and the military tents stretched out across the wilderness. Gu Ye stood outside the tent, his gaze piercing through the layers of darkness, looking towards the direction of Jiangnan.

A cool breeze swept past his robes, bringing a chill to his bones.

For some reason, Gu Ye felt unusually uneasy tonight, as if he was about to lose something important.

"Your Majesty, it's late," the general whispered.

Gu Ye didn't move; his fingers unconsciously traced the edges of Murong Xuewei's last letter.

The letter had been read countless times, yet he still felt uneasy. The hastily written line revealed a hint of urgency: "Something has happened in Jiangnan; Nanzhao has intervened."

"Pass down the order: break camp first thing tomorrow morning." His voice was steady, yet held a hint of anxiety. "Have the scouts be alert and report back every half hour."

"Yes." The general responded and withdrew.

Gu Ye closed his eyes, and the image of Murong Xuewei involuntarily surfaced in his mind. That woman, always with a gentle smile, never easily showed weakness in his presence. But now, what exactly was she facing in Jiangnan?

"Xuewei..." he murmured softly, "You must hold on."

The torches outside the tent flickered in the wind, casting long shadows of him.

Gu Ye knew that at their marching speed, it would take at least three more days to reach Jiangnan. Would she be in danger during those three days? Jiang Lingyun was never one to show mercy.

The camp gradually quieted down, with only the occasional sound of horses' hooves and the soft clinking of armor remaining.

Gu Ye stood there for a long time before turning around and returning to his tent. A map of Jiangnan was spread out on the table, with every important road and dangerous obstacle clearly marked.

“There must be a faster route…” He bent down to study the map, his brow furrowed. The once-strategic emperor now appeared somewhat anxious.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Your Majesty!" a scout rushed in, "Our scouts report that they've spotted traces of the Nanzhao people!"

Gu Ye suddenly looked up, a cold glint in his eyes: "Where?"

"It looks like a small detachment, right on the official road leading to Jiangnan."

Gu Ye's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning slightly white. The Nanzhao people dared to appear here so openly; the situation in Jiangnan was probably worse than he imagined.

"Pass down the order," his voice was as cold as ice, "The entire army shall set off immediately. Travel through the night, and be sure to catch up with that Nanzhao army before dawn."

"But Your Majesty, the soldiers have been marching for a whole day..."

“It’s alright,” Gu Ye interrupted the general. “I will go first, and you will follow.”

He strode out of the military tent, his figure radiating a sharp, chilling aura in the moonlight. As he mounted his horse, Gu Ye glanced back at the vast army: "Have my personal guard accompany me first; the rest of you depart in two hours."

"Xuewei," he murmured to himself, "wait for me."

The sound of horses' hooves pierced the night, galloping towards Jiangnan. Gu Ye's cloak fluttered in the night wind, like a black lightning bolt ripped through the sleepless night.