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

Moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Xiao Cui. Her drooping eyelashes cast a shadow on her face, making her look pitiful.

However, Murong Xuewei saw the secret in the way she tied the herbs—it was clearly a unique technique used by people in the martial arts world.

"Where is the Li residence?" Murong Xuewei suddenly asked.

Xiao Cui's hand paused almost imperceptibly: "In...in Yangzhou."

“Yangzhou,” Murong Xuewei said meaningfully, “I’ve been doing business in Yangzhou for many years, but I’ve never heard of a Li family.”

A night breeze rustled the leaves. Xiao Cui's movements slowed noticeably, and an indescribable atmosphere filled the air.

“Your Highness is joking,” Xiao Cui said, trying to remain calm as she continued bandaging her hands. “The Li family is just an insignificant little household; naturally, it wouldn’t be worthy of Your Highness’s attention.”

This explanation came too quickly, making it seem deliberate. Murong Xuewei observed Xiao Cui's reaction discreetly: "Really? Then how do you know martial arts?"

Xiao Cui's hand trembled slightly, but she kept her head down: "What martial arts? Your Highness is joking, I am just..."

Before she could finish speaking, the rapid sound of horses' hooves interrupted her explanation. Both women held their breath. The sound of hooves grew louder as it approached, accompanied by shouts.

"Split up and search! They're injured, they can't have gone far!"

"They're from Nanzhao." Murong Xuewei's heart tightened. She was about to speak when she saw Xiao Cui silently stand up, her entire demeanor instantly sharpening. She warily glanced around, then leaned close to Murong Xuewei's ear and whispered:

"Your Majesty, they have arrived earlier than expected. We must split up."

Murong Xuewei sneered, "Split up? You certainly know how to pick a time to suggest that."

Xiao Cui bit her lip, then suddenly knelt before Murong Xuewei: "If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can reveal my identity right now. But have you considered that if I truly wanted to harm you, I would have had countless opportunities to do so in the cave just now?"

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and the torchlight could already reach the treetops nearby. Murong Xuewei looked into Xiao Cui's eyes, and at that moment, she seemed to see a certain sincerity in them.

“Your Highness,” Xiao Cui said urgently, “if you trust me, head west. There’s a stream there; follow it to shake off the pursuers. I’ll go east to distract them.”

Murong Xuewei stared intently at her: "You know, if you're lying to me, this is your last chance."

Xiao Cui didn't answer, but nodded solemnly, then stood up nimbly and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Murong Xuewei leaned against the tree trunk and stood up, gazing in the direction Xiao Cui had left, her mind filled with countless thoughts. Was this girl friend or foe? If an enemy, why had she protected her all the way? If a friend, why did everything she did seem so suspicious?

A shout of battle came from afar, as if the pursuers had discovered something. Murong Xuewei no longer hesitated, gritting her teeth as she walked westward. Regardless of Xiao Cui's identity, this was the only gamble she could take now.

Under the moonlight, her staggering figure gradually disappeared into the woods. Meanwhile, to the east, Xiao Cui's figure had already blended into the darkness, leaving only a series of hurried footsteps, leading the pursuers further and further away...

The sound of the stream gradually became clearer. Murong Xuewei, supporting herself on a tree trunk, moved step by step towards the direction of the sound. The pain from her wound made her break out in a cold sweat, but she knew she couldn't stop now.

Xiao Cui was right; there really was a stream here. The water shimmered in the moonlight, and the banks were covered with pebbles. Murong Xuewei squatted down, scooped up a handful of water, and wet her forehead, which slightly relieved her discomfort.

The shouts of battle echoed faintly in the distance, sometimes receding, sometimes drawing near. It seemed Xiao Cui was indeed drawing away the pursuers. Thinking of this, Murong Xuewei's lips curled into a bitter smile. For some reason, she had developed a certain trust in this girl of unknown origin.

"Perhaps it's because of the many secrets people around me these past years that I've become better at distinguishing truth from falsehood," Murong Xuewei muttered to herself.

She walked along the stream, taking each step with extreme caution. Xiao Cui's bandage before leaving was fairly secure, but she dared not let her guard down. Having suffered too many hidden losses at Jiang Lingyun's hands in her previous life, she had long since learned to use every bit of vigilance to the extreme in this life.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, bringing with it a faint scent of sandalwood. Murong Xuewei tensed instantly—she knew this scent all too well; it was the incense commonly used by the secret agents of Nanzhao.

“It seems this streamside isn’t safe either,” she said softly, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply. In the moonlight, the rocks and bushes along the stream cast dappled shadows, any one of which could harbor a deadly threat.

Just then, a rock suddenly rolled down from upstream, splashing water everywhere. Murong Xuewei reflexively dodged to the side, but the pain from her wound slowed her movements by a fraction of a second.

"Hmph," a cold voice came from the shadows, "Who do we have here? It's our Empress."

A man dressed in black slowly rose from behind the rock. In the moonlight, the man wore a bronze mask, revealing only a pair of sinister eyes.

Murong Xuewei leaned against a tree, barely managing to steady herself: "You've certainly made thorough preparations. Are you trying to wipe me out?"

“Your Majesty is joking,” the man in black said, slowly approaching. “We simply wish to request that Your Majesty hand over the treasure map.”

"What if I refuse?" Murong Xuewei feigned ignorance.

“If Your Majesty is unwilling, then we can only forgive our rudeness.” The man in black stopped in his tracks.

Under the moonlight, the figure in black moved like a ghost. Murong Xuewei knew that her chances of winning were slim, but she could only grit her teeth and bear it for now.

Murong Xuewei chuckled lightly, "It seems you and Jiang Lingyun have the same idea."

"Your Majesty, why delay?" the man in black said coldly. "A trap has been laid along this stream; you will not escape tonight."

Murong Xuewei glanced around discreetly. Sure enough, several figures were already faintly visible in the shadows, all dressed in the distinctive night attire of Nanzhao.

“You’ve certainly made quite a show of force,” she said deliberately, stalling for time. “But even if I wanted to hand over this treasure map, I couldn’t.”

"Oh?" The man in black narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think," Murong Xuewei said with a sarcastic smile, "that I would carry something so important with me?"

The man in black sneered, "Then Your Majesty, tell me, where is it hidden?"

"Want to know?" Murong Xuewei's right hand stealthily reached for her waist. "Get past me first!"

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly flung out a handful of powder. In the moonlight, the fine powder shimmered eerily in the air. The man in black instinctively stepped back, only to find that the powder exploded in the air, instantly forming a cloud of white mist.

"Damn it!" He hurriedly held his breath, but it was too late.

Murong Xuewei wouldn't give them a chance to react. She grabbed a handful of pebbles from the stream and hurled them forcefully. The stones struck the tree trunks, making a series of crisp sounds that were particularly jarring in the night.

"Don't let her get away!" the man in black shouted sharply. But Murong Xuewei's figure had already disappeared into the white mist. Only rustling sounds came from the grass in the distance, but it was impossible to tell whether it was the sound of the wind or footsteps.

"Split up and chase them!" the man in black ordered, and the figures immediately dispersed.

Meanwhile, Murong Xuewei had already slipped into the stream under the cover of the white mist. The icy water soaked through her clothes, but she didn't care. Enduring the pain, she silently drifted downstream with the current.

"Sir, she's over here!" someone suddenly shouted.

Murong Xuewei's heart tightened, but she realized the shouts were coming from upstream. A slight smile appeared on her lips—it seemed those pebbles had worked.