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

The icy stream water continuously washed over her wounds, and Murong Xuewei gritted her teeth, enduring the pain. This little bit of pain was nothing to her; the most important thing right now was to survive.

Disordered footsteps and shouts came from upstream; the pursuers had clearly realized they'd fallen for her trap. Murong Xuewei dared not delay, holding her breath as she submerged. A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped her, and her wounds burned with pain, but she dared not make a sound.

The stream flowed slowly, so she could only move as close to the bottom as possible. Suddenly, a beam of torchlight shone through the water. Murong Xuewei's heart stopped, but she dared not look up. She knew there must be pursuers patrolling the bank.

"If we can't find anyone, you're all dead!" A deep, angry shout came from the shore.

Murong Xuewei secretly memorized the voice. This must be the person in charge sent by Nanzhao. Just as she was pondering this, a sharp pain shot through her chest. She had been holding her breath underwater for too long, and her lungs were about to give way.

No, I'll drown if I don't breathe soon. Murong Xuewei looked around and saw a clump of water plants swaying in the water not far ahead. She used her last bit of strength to swim over, and using the water plants as cover, slowly poked her head out to breathe.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps sounded from the bank. Several dark figures approached. Murong Xuewei quickly buried most of her body in the water plants, leaving only a small part of her face above the water. She saw the torchlight getting closer and closer, and her heartbeat almost drowned out the sound of the flowing stream.

"Sir, there seems to be some movement over here." A man in black held up a torch and shone it towards the water plants.

Murong Xuewei held her breath, remaining motionless. The firelight shone on the water, appearing particularly dazzling in the night. A breeze blew by, and the water plants swayed gently.

“It’s the wind,” another person said. “This awful weather, when the wind blows, the water plants sway like shadowy figures.”

The torchlight finally moved away. Murong Xuewei dared not relax, though; she could sense the people still lingering on the shore. The cold and pain had begun to blur her consciousness, but she knew now was not the time to let her guard down.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out in the distance. The pursuers seemed to have received a signal and quickly moved upstream. Only after the footsteps had completely disappeared did Murong Xuewei dare to slightly move her stiff limbs.

Murong Xuewei took a deep breath and continued to move slowly downstream, using the water plants as cover. Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

She had to live. Not only for revenge, but also to protect everything she had now.

The stream water had soaked Murong Xuewei completely. She felt like a piece of rotten wood that had been submerged in water for too long, every movement incredibly heavy. Fortunately, the sound of the pursuers' footsteps had completely disappeared, and she was preparing to find a safe place to go ashore.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the grass on the bank. Murong Xuewei froze, instinctively shrinking deeper into the reeds. She had clearly heard the pursuers heading upstream; could someone be lying in ambush here?

The footsteps grew closer. Murong Xuewei quietly reached for her waist, only to find that the last packet of powder had already dissolved in the water. She gritted her teeth; even if it meant fighting to the death, she would never surrender easily.

The bushes parted, and a familiar figure emerged.

"Your Majesty!" a low, anxious voice cried out. "Are you here, Your Majesty?"

Murong Xuewei was taken aback, but didn't speak immediately. That voice was clearly Xiao Cui's, but... hadn't she already separated from her? Why was she here?

“Your Highness,” Xiao Cui’s voice was even lower, “it’s me. Don’t worry, I’m sure no one is following me.”

Murong Xuewei remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "How did you find this place?"

"Your Majesty!" Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Cui immediately squatted down, looked around, and then lowered her voice to say, "I've been following behind you. When I saw you use the medicinal powder to escape, I guessed you might be traveling by water." As she spoke, she took off her outer garment, preparing to go into the water to help Murong Xuewei.

Murong Xuewei gently waved her hand to stop her: "We can't go ashore now; the pursuers might still be nearby." She paused, "Besides, I'm more interested in knowing why you know martial arts."

In the darkness, she clearly saw Xiao Cui's body stiffen slightly.

Murong Xuewei's voice remained calm: "I witnessed your skills when you saved me at the inn. How did a girl who's been sold from place to place since childhood learn such excellent martial arts?"

“Your Highness…” Xiao Cui bit her lip, “It was…it was an old woman I met while fleeing that taught me. She took pity on me and taught me some self-defense skills.”

Murong Xuewei stared into Xiao Cui's eyes. In the moonlight, her tender little face was filled with apprehension. She wanted to ask again, but suddenly heard the barking of a dog in the distance.

“Your Highness, this is not the time to talk about this,” Xiao Cui said urgently. “They’ve brought hunting dogs and will find this place soon. I know a safe place nearby; please come with me.”

After a moment's consideration, Murong Xuewei finally nodded. She truly had no better choice at this moment. With Xiao Cui's help, she struggled to climb ashore. A gust of cold wind blew, making her soaked clothes even more bitingly cold.

Xiao Cui quickly took off her outer garment and draped it over Murong Xuewei, then took out a small porcelain bottle from her waist: "This is medicine to stop the bleeding. Let's treat the wound simply first."

The distant barking grew closer. Xiao Cui quickly bandaged Murong Xue Wei's wounds and helped her hurry into the woods. In the darkness, their figures appeared and disappeared, but they always avoided the main road, choosing instead to travel along secluded paths.

Murong Xuewei noticed that Xiao Cui seemed unusually familiar with this mountain forest. Whenever she felt she couldn't walk any further, Xiao Cui always managed to find a place to rest. And whenever she heard a noise, Xiao Cui could accurately lead her away from it.

After walking for about an hour, the scenery gradually became desolate. Xiao Cui led Murong Xuewei through a thick patch of vines, revealing a hidden cave.

"Your Highness, it's safe here." Xiao Cui helped Murong Xuewei into the cave and skillfully took out a tinderbox from the corner to light the torch that had been prepared beforehand.

By the firelight, Murong Xuewei could see the layout of the cave. Although simple, it had everything she needed. There were even some dry firewood and strips of cloth for bandaging in the corner.

"You..." Murong Xuewei was about to speak when Xiao Cui brought out a small wooden box from another corner.

"Your Majesty, please don't speak yet. Let me re-bandage your wound. These medicines were prepared in advance. Please rest well after the bandage is finished." Xiao Cui said as she skillfully took out the medicinal herbs.

Murong Xuewei watched Xiao Cui's busy figure, a complicated look flashing in her eyes.

But at this moment, the pain and exhaustion left her no time to think.

Murong Xuewei leaned against the cave wall, letting Xiao Cui treat her wounds, but her mind was filled with more questions.