Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

He understood the identity of the Prince Yan, and he figured that neither the prince in the palace nor those other princes vying for power would tolerate him. Chen Qiang could even foresee that the journey of escorting him might not be so peaceful.

How could Chen Qiang dare to easily unlock the shackles of such an important person? If they really managed to escape, not only would he be at risk, but all of the dozen or so people responsible for escorting them would likely lose their lives.

Not only were the escorts surprised and dissatisfied with the conditions Gu Nanzhi offered, but even Cang Ling was taken aback by Gu Nanzhi's proposal.

He thought his wife would make some demands, such as for food, but he never expected that she would ask to have her shackles removed.

Seeing their troubled expressions and Chen Qiang's unwavering rejection, Gu Nanzhi didn't press the matter, maintaining her calm and composed demeanor.

"Alright, since Lord Chen is unwilling, then hurry up and take him to find a doctor. If you're lucky, you might find one. However, the venom of the silver-ringed snake is not something that just anyone can easily cure. If you're unlucky, you'll have to prepare a coffin for him. Good luck."

After saying that, Gu Nanzhi called Cang Ling and prepared to return to their previous position.

"Cangling, go back and rest. We still have a long journey ahead."

Cang Ling had come along to protect the lady, so he naturally followed her orders. If the lady said to leave, he would follow behind.

However, just as Gu Nanzhi took a step forward, Chen Qiang suddenly drew his knife and blocked her path.

Gu Nanzhi assumed Chen Qiang wouldn't dare do anything to her, so even when he drew his knife, she remained unfazed. However, Cang Ling, who was half a step behind Gu Nanzhi to her right, swiftly stepped forward and blocked her path in an instant.

"Madam, be careful!"

Although he was poisoned and his internal energy was suppressed, he was still a martial artist. Even if he couldn't activate his internal energy, his body's agility was by no means weak.

Gu Nanzhi was slightly surprised by Cang Ling's reaction, but only for a moment. Because of Chen Qiang's actions, her usually calm face was now covered with frost.

The voice also turned colder.

"What does Lord Chen mean by this? Are you trying to force me to cure your brother? Aren't you afraid I might just poison him a little more so he'll die even faster? After all, I don't like your attitude at all."

Gu Nanzhi gently pushed away Cang Ling, who was blocking her way, and faced Chen Qiang, who was holding a knife.

"Lord Chen, you should know that I have been giving you face these past two days because I hoped to coexist peacefully with you on this road to exile, and I didn't want any unnecessary trouble. I just wanted you to arrive in Junlan quietly. But if you want to force me to do something against my will, then that's another story."

She wasn't going to put up with these people. They had offered her money and meat earlier simply to avoid trouble, but if they made her unhappy, she could just refuse to go to Junlan. Did they think they could make things difficult for her?

Although Cang Ling stepped aside, his defenses remained tight. No matter what the lady wanted to do, he stood firmly on her side, even if it meant facing these guards.

However, when Gu Nanzhi mentioned poisoning, Qian Laosi, who had experienced it firsthand, felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that if he forced this woman to give Chen Gang an antidote, she might actually do such a thing.

Thinking of this, he still reminded Chen Qiang, "Boss, don't be impulsive."

Chen Gang is usually a diligent and capable guy. Plus, they've been following Chen Qiang for quite some time now, so they naturally treat the younger Chen Gang like a brother. They don't want to see anything happen to Chen Gang.

The tense standoff was witnessed by everyone. The other three exiled families, though unable to hear what was being said, could roughly guess the situation from the scene.

Some people watched the spectacle, some were puzzled, some gloated, and some were worried.

The most excited were their own people. Xia He, seeing her young mistress being stopped, immediately ran over, followed by Butler Li and Zhou Cai.

"Miss"

"lady"

Even Jun Yanchen, who has difficulty moving, showed tension in his eyes. However, he could only stay in place and could not move, but his eyes were fixed on Gu Nanzhi.

The three who ran over were stopped by the other guards.

"Stop right there! What do you want? Do you want to be whipped?"

At the same time, Chen Qiang revealed his sole purpose: "Go and cure my brother's poison. I won't make things difficult for you."

"laugh"

Gu Nanzhi sneered. Not going to make things difficult for her? Should she be the one to thank you for not making things difficult for her?

"Lord Chen, you really have a sense of humor!"

"What kind of trouble do you intend to cause me? A whipping, or something to take my life? Let alone whether you can do it, even if you could, your brothers would still lose their lives. Why bother? Besides, I can tell you for sure, you can't do it."

Gu Nanzhi's words were seen as arrogant and ignorant by the escorts. How dare this weak woman challenge them?

Only Qian Laosi, who had personally experienced Gu Nanzhi's prowess, truly believed her words. He reasoned that if she really wanted to do something, they might not be able to harm her, not to mention the hidden weapon in her hand, and then there were the guards behind her.

The people around King Yan shouldn't be that simple, right? They must know some martial arts!

The next second, Gu Nanzhi revealed a side of herself that was far from simple. The shackles on her hands clanked a few times, and the shackles that had been on her hands before...

She was left hanging in mid-air, her hand gripping the chain, for just a few seconds. This sight not only widened the eyes of the escorts, but also surprised Cang Ling and Xia He who had rushed over.

A hint of disbelief lingered in everyone's eyes as they wondered how Gu Nanzhi had managed to unlock the shackles. In the blink of an eye, the shackles were hanging limply in mid-air.

Fortunately, Gu Nanzhi was in the middle of the crowd, so no one else saw what happened; otherwise, this action would have shocked everyone.

Surprised as they were, the escorts immediately became more cautious. Why would someone so readily remove their shackles right before their eyes? Were they planning to rebel and escape?

Chen Qiang gripped the knife even tighter, and the other escorts also placed their hands on the hilts of their respective swords.

Before they could make a move, Gu Nanzhi calmly took the shackles in front of everyone and put them on her wrists.

"Lord Chen, the condition I made with you was simply to obtain this item openly and honestly. I was also just telling you that if we truly wanted to do something, to escape the exile group, these mere shackles wouldn't stop us."

I hope you understand this: to put it bluntly, whether we arrive in Junlan safely or not depends on our own willingness. If we are unwilling, do you think our Yanwang Mansion, already accused of treason, would be afraid of a few escorts like you? Do you think we can't handle you?

Since things had come to this point, Gu Nanzhi decided to lay everything out in the open. If Chen Qiang and the others still couldn't understand, then there was nothing more she could do.