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

In the icy river, Gu Ye clung tightly to Murong Xuewei, struggling to swim towards the shore. However, the poison in his body flared up even more violently under the stimulation of the cold water, and his movements gradually slowed. Murong Xuewei felt his strength waning and hurriedly struggled to help him, but he held her down.

"Don't move," Gu Ye whispered in her ear, his voice weak but firm, "Let me take you ashore."

It was pitch black all around, with only sporadic flashes of light illuminating the water's surface. Explosions continued, and burning planks and debris occasionally fell into the water. Shouts of battle could be heard in the distance, indicating that people were still fighting in the water.

Suddenly, a blast of cold air shot up from underwater, freezing a nearby man in black instantly. Zhang Jing's voice rang out immediately: "Your Majesty! Over here!"

Gu Ye looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Jing standing on a protruding rock. He was about to swim over when he felt a sharp pain in his calf—an assassin hiding underwater had somehow gotten close to him.

"Gu Ye!" Murong Xuewei exclaimed. She wanted to help, but Gu Ye held her tightly in his arms.

"You're asking for death!" Gu Ye endured the excruciating pain and kicked the assassin away, but he also choked on some water, making his face even paler.

Just then, Lan'er emerged from the water and killed the assassin with a single sword stroke: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, get ashore quickly! More people are coming!"

Seeing this, Zhang Jing immediately conjured an ice path on the water's surface: "Quick! Follow the ice path up!"

Gu Ye carried Murong Xuewei and staggered up the icy path. As soon as they reached the shore, he could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to his knees.

"Gu Ye!" Murong Xuewei supported him, only to find his entire body burning hot. "Valley Master Zhang! He seems to have a fever!"

Zhang Jing rushed forward to take his pulse, his expression immediately changing: "Oh no, the cold water has triggered the poison; we must find a place to treat him right away!"

Lan'er looked around: "There seems to be a dilapidated temple ahead. Let's go there and take shelter for a while."

“No,” Zhang Jing shook his head, “His current condition can’t withstand any more turbulence.” With that, he took out the last pill from his robes. “Your Majesty, please take this first.”

Gu Ye waved his hand, "Give it to Xue Wei...she's weak..."

"You..." Murong Xuewei's eyes reddened, "How could you be so foolish!"

Zhang Jing suddenly became alert: "Someone's coming! Lan'er, escort the Empress and His Majesty first, I'll cover the rear."

On the distant water, several small boats were indeed rapidly approaching. In the moonlight, one could vaguely make out the shadowy figures standing on the boats.

"We can't leave." Zhang Jing's expression was grave. "They're surrounding us."

Sure enough, not only were there people approaching on the water, but rustling footsteps could also be heard from the woods. They were surrounded.

"That's quite a grand scheme," Zhang Jing sneered. "They actually managed to deploy so many people on this waterway."

Gu Ye forced himself to stand up, shielding Murong Xuewei behind him: "Valley Master Zhang, is there any way to escape?"

Zhang Jing was about to answer when his eyes suddenly sharpened—an arrow pierced the air, aimed straight at Murong Xuewei's face. He swung his palm back, freezing the arrow in mid-air with a burst of cold air.

"The assassins are here!" Lan'er shouted.

In the darkness, more than a dozen figures rushed in from all directions. Zhang Jing waved his long sleeves, and a wall of ice formed from the cold air, protecting the group in the middle.

“We can’t hold out much longer,” Zhang Jing said quickly. “Your Majesty, I’ll cover the rear. You take the Empress and go. There’s a cave three miles east along this road.”

"No!" Murong Xuewei suddenly spoke up, "We can't abandon you!"

Zhang Jing smiled, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I still possess some skills. Besides..." He took out a jade bottle, "Only I can cure this poison."

Before the words were even finished, cracks appeared in the ice wall. The assassins attacked frantically from the outside, clearly wanting a quick victory.

"Run!" Zhang Jing shouted sharply, simultaneously forming hand seals. "Behold my 'Mystic Ice Spell'!"

In an instant, the air within a radius of several feet suddenly condensed. Countless ice crystals danced in the air, forming sharp ice blades.

Taking advantage of the situation, Gu Ye picked up Murong Xuewei and, under Lan'er's cover, quickly retreated into the woods to the east. Behind them came the sounds of fierce fighting and Zhang Jing's angry shouts.

"Don't look back," Gu Ye whispered. "Trust Zhang Jing."

Murong Xuewei gripped Gu Ye's clothes tightly, her eyes reddening. She knew that Zhang Jing was alone covering their retreat, and the situation was extremely dangerous.

Just then, a loud bang came from behind, as if something had exploded. This was followed by screams of agony.

"That's..." Lan'er exclaimed in surprise, "Valley Master Zhang's secret technique?"

Gu Ye suddenly stopped, his expression grave: "Something's not right. Someone's waiting for us up ahead."

Sure enough, under the moonlight, a familiar figure slowly emerged: "Your Majesty, it's been a long time."

"It's Prime Minister Su!" Lan'er exclaimed in surprise.

Behind Prime Minister Su, soldiers from the Great Qi quickly emerged from the forest and surrounded the group.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Prime Minister Su hurried forward, "I am late." Seeing Gu Ye's pale face and Murong Xuewei's weak appearance, he quickly added, "The imperial physician is behind us, and the carriage is ready."

"Save Valley Master Zhang first," Gu Ye said, forcing himself to speak. "He's behind us..."

“Your Majesty, rest assured,” Prime Minister Su gestured, and immediately a squad of soldiers rushed to the rear. “We received the news and came overnight. We’ve deployed men along the way; those assassins won’t be able to escape.”

Murong Xuewei suddenly spoke up: "Prime Minister, may I ask who delivered this message to you?"

Prime Minister Su was taken aback: "It's a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Gu Ye and Murong Xuewei exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes. The Imperial Guards were extremely secretive; even their assassination attempt had occurred unexpectedly, so it was impossible for them to have discovered and alerted them so quickly.

"Prime Minister," Gu Ye's voice was weak but his tone authoritative, "tell me the truth, who sent you?"

Prime Minister Su broke out in a cold sweat and was about to speak when the sound of hooves suddenly came from afar. A troop of cavalry galloped in, led by Zhang Jing.

"Finally caught up," Zhang Jing dismounted. "This Lord Su arrived even faster than I expected."

Prime Minister Su frowned, but quickly regained his composure: "Valley Master Zhang is too kind. I was merely concerned for the safety of His Majesty and the Empress."

"Really?" Zhang Jing looked at Prime Minister Su warily. "Then how did Your Excellency know we would be taking this route?"

Zhang Jing didn't want to suspect Prime Minister Su, but the fact that Prime Minister Su appeared right after they were ambushed by the enemy was too suspicious.

"This?!" Prime Minister Su laughed heartily, "It is..."

Just then, a familiar voice came from afar: "I sent him."