The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

As he spoke, he stepped back, but suddenly his whole body shuddered, and he fell to the ground with his eyes wide open. Behind him, blood stained the ground red, and worms emerged from the blood in his chest, crawling all over his body. Before he died and was convulsing, they slowly gnawed at his flesh.

As he gradually stopped convulsing, Qiu Lingyu, who had suddenly appeared behind him, sheathed her longsword and wiped it clean. She glanced at Jian Yue casually and said coldly, "Regardless of whether she did all this or not, I will absolutely not allow others to spread rumors."

Jian Yue crossed her arms and looked at Qiu Lingyu with a cold smile, "You're quite protective of her."

Qiu Lingyu said calmly, "Anyway, it's no less than yours. I still don't understand why all of this points to her, and why we haven't even suspected anything. Do you think everyone in this world is lying, or did she really do these things?"

Jian Yue shook her head, shrugged, and said casually, "I don't know, we're on our way to verify it."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyu lowered her eyes, sheathed her sword, threw the handkerchief she had used to wipe the sword on the ground, and walked into the depths of the forest, saying as she went, "It seems I need to strike first."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue stepped forward and shouted at her retreating figure, "Can't we unite against a common enemy and cooperate?"

Qiu Lingyu paused, then suddenly laughed and said, "I still remember how you framed me and made me leave the capital. We've already formed a grudge. Do you think it's possible for us to reconcile, given my temper?"

After saying that, she turned around and gave Jian Yue a wicked look, saying, "I'm not going to touch you today, not because I care about our past relationship, but because I don't intend to bring up old grudges now. Once I've dealt with everything in the present, you can just wait for me to come for revenge."

Jian Yue looked at Qiu Lingyu and said indifferently, "You're here. I've been waiting for you to seek revenge. By the way, take good care of that wolf. If it loses even a single hair, I won't let you off the hook."

This time, Qiu Lingyu didn't turn around, but raised her left hand and shook her fingers.

Hua Xiangrong raised an eyebrow and said softly, "It doesn't seem like a confrontation. Why do I smell a hint of illicit affair?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue glanced sideways at Hua Xiangrong and said, "This jealousy is making me feel terrible."

Hua Xiangrong immediately pulled a long face and snorted, "So what if I'm jealous? Why should my sister, whom I've doted on for so many years, be overshadowed by this thing? So what if they look exactly alike? I'll make a mask and look ten times more like her."

Jian Yue chuckled, seeing Hua Xiangrong's posture as if she wanted to kick her and yell at her, and quickly coaxed, "What's wrong? Your little darling is still in her hands, you have to say something, otherwise, what if your little darling is wronged?"

Hua Xiangrong was unmoved and turned her head away, saying, "Hmph, I'm still furious whenever I think about how my little darling fell into her hands. When did she get such a powerful man by her side? I just suddenly thought of taking the baby out for some fresh air, and that guy caught my scent and snatched her away. I almost risked my life."

This happened when she discovered Shangguan Hanque was missing, and if it weren't for this man's appearance, she would never have known that Shangguan Hanque had disappeared.

The situation shocked and panicked her, so when the man took the gray wolf away, all she could do was communicate with the wolf and wait for her. In particular, the man's actions were inhuman; even if she fought back, she couldn't beat him.

Thinking back to the situation, Hua Xiangrong's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at Jian Yue's face and said, "Do you think the person next to her is the same as the people next to you?"

Jian Yue was taken aback, then nodded and said inscrutablely, "Maybe. After all, the Ironclad Soldiers are now considered two branches. If the Gu Master doesn't make any other moves, this will be an unusual competition between the two of us. It's not surprising that she has people from that side by her side; it would be strange if she didn't."

Hua Xiangrong immediately deflated and sighed, "If that's the case, we really have no chance of winning at all. Everyone around you is gone, what do we have to compete with them with?"

"Leaving doesn't mean we can't win. Although I never thought of competing with her, it seems impossible not to, so I can only continue. Black Wind is gone. Although I don't know why he left, I think that even without the armored soldiers, she and I can still fight for a while."

Hua Xiangrong clicked her tongue and shook her head, saying, "Confidence is still necessary."

Jian Yue turned around, ignoring Hua Xiangrong's words, and said, "Let's hurry on our way! I think if she gets the upper hand, all our efforts will have been in vain."

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback and said, "Didn't she also go to investigate the truth of these matters? How could her efforts have been in vain?"

Bai Jianan followed behind Jian Yue and said, "Qiu Lingyu is different from us. All she wants is an answer. Moreover, if it is really Yueyue's mother behind all this, then they are on the same side. This is an absolute dead end for Yueyue."

As Bai Jianan spoke, he sighed, took two steps forward, and then, in an instant, leaped into the air with Jian Yue in his arms.

With a loud whistle, a blood-red horse appeared before them. Bai Jianan, carrying Jian Yue, mounted the horse and said to Hua Xiangrong, "Sister Hua, hurry up and get on, we don't have much time."

Hua Xiangrong rested her chin on her hand and praised the lightness skill, then declined, saying, "You guys go first. This horse will be much slower carrying one more person. Let me deal with these insects for now, and then I'll catch up with you."

Seeing that Hua Xiangrong did not intend to travel with them, Bai Jianan looked at Jian Yue, who nodded. The two nodded to Hua Xiangrong and then reined in their horses and continued on their way.

Hua Xiangrong watched them leave, then suddenly let go wearily. Looking at the holes in her arm, she chuckled and said, "Looks like my good luck has run out. I wonder if I'll ever see him marry me. Heh, I never thought I'd be a lone hero like this."

"He may be brave, but he doesn't deserve to be called a hero."

The sudden sound startled Hua Xiangrong. Then, she squatted down in annoyance, closed her eyes, and said coldly, "You can scare people to death. Please, even if you're going to kill someone, can't you just give them a quick death? Standing behind someone and scaring them is not kind of you."

Lu Zhe chuckled softly, then squatted down with amusement, saying, "Is this what you call a dying struggle before death?"

"No, that doesn't count, because I don't think I'll die. It's you who's being so blatant. Do you think that now that I'm infected with Gu worms, I'm sure I can't escape your grasp?"

Lu Zhe shook his head, smacked his lips, and said, "That's hard to say. Although you don't know lightness skills, your footwork is amazing. If we really want to catch you, we have to do it when you are completely off guard. Right now, it's a bit difficult."

Lu Zhe spoke with such conviction that Hua Xiangrong, too lazy to waste words with him, coldly looked at him and asked, "What exactly is your purpose? You lured us here, only to appear here again? Aren't you in cahoots with that Qiu Lingyu?"

Lu Zhe suddenly smiled and said, "You think I would tell you?"

Hua Xiangrong immediately shook her head: "I don't think so, but I want to ask. I feel like I'm going to die now. If I don't ask, these questions will haunt me after I die, making me resentful and unable to reincarnate."

Hua Xiangrong's carefree attitude surprised Lu Zhe, who then chuckled and said, "You really are... indescribable. I feel like there's no barrier between us when we talk. It's so comfortable that I don't even want you to die. What should I do?"

"So what? Although I hope you'll let me go, I know you'll never let me go. This Gu worm can't easily burrow into my body, so it was you who did it!"

Hua Xiangrong narrowed her eyes, her scrutiny suddenly becoming sharp. Lu Zhe's eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "It's this kind of look that I can't resist. But the way you were just now really appealing to me. If you beg me, I might just save you."

Although this statement did not answer Hua Xiangrong's question, it clearly told her that he was indeed the one who had tampered with the Gu worm.

Hua Xiangrong suddenly smiled, gave him a wicked look, and asked, "Do you think I would beg for mercy? I don't think you're the kind of person who would let me go if I begged."

Lu Zhe's first impression was that he exuded a scholarly air. This was the second time she had met him. The first time was when he unexpectedly kidnapped the gray wolf, and the second time was now.

At this moment, he was still dressed in that blue robe, with a slight smile. Anyone who saw him would say that he was a kind and virtuous person. It can only be said that he was born with a very good appearance.

"I have no other requests. I just hope you won't kill my wolf. It's just an animal and has nothing to do with the grudges between us humans. After I die, I hope you'll release it back into the deep mountains. That would be doing a good deed."

Lu Zhe suddenly chuckled, stood up, and said with her back to her, "I thought you would let me release your lover, but I never imagined that a wolf would be more important than him."

Hua Xiangrong burst into laughter and said wildly, "I'm about to die, why should I plead for him? When I die, I'll be waiting for him to come and find me at the entrance to hell. Letting him live too long is not my style."

Hua Xiangrong's carefree words made Lu Zhe suddenly pause, remaining motionless for a long time. Hua Xiangrong didn't know what was wrong with Lu Zhe. She considered whether to take advantage of this moment to launch a sneak attack and kill him, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

Forget it, this person isn't even human. If her and Jian Yue's analysis is correct, then this person must be made of insects just like Hei Feng, with eyes all over their body staring at them. If the sneak attack fails, it would be a waste to suffer more.

Seeing that Lu Zhe had no intention of continuing, Hua Xiangrong couldn't help but speak up: "Hey! Are you going to kill me or not? I'm getting tired of waiting, and the thought of your worm drinking my blood makes me dizzy. Don't you want to just end it all now?"