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

Murong Xuewei turned to leave, but Zhang Jing suddenly said, "Wait."

Zhang Jing's expression was solemn, his hand gripping his whisk: "These people won't let us leave easily. Now that my master has passed away, I cannot allow the thousand-year-old foundation of Medicine King Valley to be destroyed. I beg Your Majesty... to lend me a hand."

The downpour subsided, and fog rolled in all around. In the darkness, dozens of figures silently approached.

Murong Xuewei said in a deep voice, "Liuli, take the antidote and leave first."

“But Your Majesty…” Liuli wanted to say something more.

“Go,” Murong Xuewei said firmly. “Remember, no matter what happens, you must deliver the antidote to the Emperor.”

Liuli bit her lip and gave Murong Xuewei a deep look: "You must come back safely." After saying that, she turned and disappeared into the mist.

At that moment, a chilling voice rang out: "Trying to leave? Not so easy."

A dozen or so men in black emerged from the mist, the leader holding a strange longsword whose blade gleamed with an eerie blue light.

Zhang Jing sneered: "The Hehuan Sect's 'Bone-Melting and Soul-Destroying Sword'? No wonder it could injure my master."

"The new Valley Master is indeed knowledgeable and worldly-wise," the man said with a sinister laugh. "Unfortunately, you will all die here today."

Murong Xuewei gripped her longsword tightly: "Doctor Zhang, how many people does Medicine King Valley still have?"

"There are still more than twenty disciples," Zhang Jing said in a low voice, "all of them are skilled in both medicine and poison."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of disciples dressed in blue robes emerged from all directions, each holding a medicine bottle and looking solemn.

"Kill!" the black-clad leader commanded.

The two sides clashed instantly. Poisonous mist filled the air, and the sounds of clashing weapons were incessant. Murong Xuewei and Zhang Jing stood back to back, one wielding a sharp sword, the other sweeping with a whisk, their movements perfectly coordinated.

"Watch out!" Zhang Jing suddenly shouted.

Suddenly, a man in black emerged from the ground, his short blade aimed straight for Murong Xuewei's back. At the critical moment, a disciple of Medicine King Valley flew in, scattering medicinal powder, and the man in black immediately collapsed to the ground.

The battle intensified. Screams could be heard intermittently from within the mist. Although the disciples of Medicine King Valley were not highly skilled in martial arts, they possessed a wide array of rare poisons, which made the men in black quite wary.

"Valley Master!" a disciple suddenly shouted, "They're going to set fire to the herb garden!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Jing's eyes: "You're courting death!"

With a flick of his whisk, the ground suddenly cracked open, and countless vines burst forth, entangled the arsonists. At the same time, Murong Xuewei seized the opportunity, her longsword flashing like a dragon, felling several enemies in key positions.

"Retreat!" the leader ordered, seeing the situation was dire.

However, it was too late. Zhang Jing snorted coldly: "Since you're already here, why rush to leave?" With that, he raised his whisk high.

In an instant, poisonous fog filled the entire valley. The men in black collapsed one after another, and even their leader could not hold on and staggered to his knees.

As the fog dissipated, enemies were revealed scattered across the ground. Zhang Jing gazed at this scene and whispered, "Master, your disciple... has not disgraced the reputation of Medicine King Valley."

Murong Xuewei stepped forward: "Dr. Zhang..."

“You should go quickly,” Zhang Jing interrupted her. “The Emperor can’t wait. With us here, they… won’t be able to cause any more trouble.”

Murong Xuewei gave him a deep look, then turned and left. Behind her, Zhang Jing's voice came: "May His Majesty recover soon."

In the Nanzhao army camp, Xiao Wanning sat alone in her tent, the candlelight flickering. The tea on the table had long since gone cold, but she was oblivious. Recalling everything that had happened in the underground palace, that feeling of helplessness welled up in her heart again.

Xiao Wan Ning thought everything was under control, but she never expected that all her efforts would be in vain in the end.

What pained her even more was that Jiang Lingyun paid the ultimate price to save her.

Although Jiang Lingyun was just a pawn in her game, he was the only one who had ever truly cared for her all these years.

"Princess, it's time to set off." The voice of the Nanzhao general came from outside the tent.

Xiao Wan Ning did not respond, but slowly raised her hand and looked at the scabbed wound on her palm.

That wound was left in the underground palace when she tried to save Jiang Lingyun. The wound still seemed to throb faintly, a reminder of her crushing defeat that day.

"Jiang Lingyun... Jiang Lingyun..." she murmured, a flicker of pain in her eyes, "Why did you do this?"

The carriage slowly drove out of the border of Daqi and headed towards Nanzhao. Throughout the journey, Xiao Wanning remained silent. Only after returning to the Nanzhao palace did she order her men to leave, then secluded herself in her bedchamber.

"Master," Qingzhu, the personal maid, whispered as she entered, "you haven't eaten for three days."

Xiao Wanning stood with her back to the door by the window, her voice indifferent: "No need."

"My lord, you can't do this!" Qingzhu stepped forward, her voice filled with worry. "Lord Jiang has already passed away; you must take care of yourself. Only by living can you..."

"What can I do?" Xiao Wan Ning whirled around, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Can I take revenge? But look at me now." She gave a bitter laugh. "I can't even protect myself. Who can I avenge?"

Qingzhu knelt down: "Master, I've served you for so many years and have never seen you so dejected. Do you remember how those people treated you when you were a child in Nanzhao? You relied on your own strength to get to where you are today. How can a mere failure defeat you?"

Xiao Wan Ning stared at Qing Zhu kneeling on the ground, remaining silent for a long time. Yes, she had weathered countless life-or-death situations to get to where she was today. What did a temporary setback matter?

As night deepened, the palace was shrouded in darkness. Xiao Wan Ning stood by the window, gazing at the starry sky. Memories kept flashing back to the scene in the underground palace—Jiang Ling Yun shielding her from a fatal blow, collapsing into her arms. In that moment, she experienced true loss for the first time.

“I should have known…” Xiao Wan Ning clenched the handkerchief in her hand. “Gu Ye won’t die so easily, and Murong Xue Wei won’t be defeated so easily. But… I, Xiao Wan Ning, will never give up easily.”

Suddenly, a sharp headache struck. Xiao Wanning gripped the corner of the table, cold sweat seeping from her forehead.

These are symptoms of the seal's backlash, which have been recurring since the battle in the underground palace. Each instance of pain is like a warning, making Xiao Wan Ning remember everything that happened in the underground palace.

"Master!" Qingzhu quickly supported her, "Your health..."

Xiao Wan Ning waved her hand: "I'm fine." She straightened up, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Go and fetch the doctor. I can't afford to collapse now."

"His Majesty wishes to see Xiao Wanning," came the eunuch's shrill voice from outside the door.

Xiao Wan Ning closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "I understand."

She straightened up and straightened her clothes. The woman in the mirror was still beautiful, but a deep, unyielding melancholy lingered in her eyes. Yet, within those eyes, the flames of revenge had been rekindled.

“Murong Xuewei…” she said softly, “This time, I lost. But…” Her fingers lightly traced the bronze mirror, “Next time, I will make you pay a hundredfold.”

A cold wind blew in through the window, extinguishing the last flicker of candlelight on the table. In the darkness, the hatred in Xiao Wan Ning's eyes deepened.