Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Gu Hua was already awake, and was being carried up with her hands tied.

Seeing Ji Xuanyu standing with his head down next to a middle-aged man, he felt a mix of emotions, unable to express his feelings.

Ji Xuanyu dared not look into Gu Hua's eyes, his mind racing as he considered how to respond.

The hall master looked Gu Hua up and down: "She is indeed a beauty in the making. No wonder Mu Junyan, who has been unmarried for many years, has been captivated by her."

Gu Hua stared at him: "You think you can use me to force the Duke of Yong? You're mistaken! I'm just a concubine, of lowly status, not enough to make the Duke of Yong give in."

"Sometimes a favored concubine can captivate a man's heart more than his legal wife."

The hall master smiled and looked at Ji Xuanyu: "My son, you personally take her to the city wall and tell Mu Junyan that if he does not withdraw his troops, this woman will be pushed off the city wall and die in front of him."

Gu Hua was shocked and stared intently at Ji Xuanyu, who was slowly walking towards her.

He grabbed Gu Hua's arm and said coldly, "Let's go."

Gu Hua's eyes reddened slightly. She gritted her teeth and struggled with her arms.

Caught off guard, Ji Xuanyu was freed from her grasp.

With her bound hands, Gu Hua swiftly pulled out the hairpin and aimed it at her neck, ready to stab it.

Ji Xuanyu cried out in alarm, grabbing her hand tightly. Gu Hua's wrist was in excruciating pain, and her grip loosened, causing the hairpin to fall to the ground.

Gu Hua raised her foot and kicked him in the back of the knee. Ji Xuanyu didn't expect her to have this trick up her sleeve, and she broke free again.

I watched helplessly as she turned around and slammed her head hard against the sharp edge of the door frame.

"Hua'er!" Ji Xuanyu screamed and rushed over to hug her.

A stream of blood flowed from Gu Hua's forehead, and she fell limply into his arms, unconscious.

Ji Xuanyu was so sad he was about to cry, and pressed his handkerchief tightly against her bleeding forehead: "Quickly call a doctor, Lu Laosan, hurry up!"

The hall master looked at the two of them with a cold gaze.

He waved to Lu Laosan: "No need to call a doctor. Drag the man to the city wall, and that guard too."

Lu Laosan looked at Ji Xuanyu, who was clinging tightly to Gu Hua, with a troubled expression.

"What? You're not listening to me anymore? Do you want to betray your master too?" The hall master's face darkened.

Startled, Lu Laosan rushed forward to pull Ji Xuanyu away, whispering, "Young Master, Young Master, let go quickly, the Hall Master is watching."

Ji Xuanyu slowly raised his eyes, and his bloodshot red eyes made Lu Laosan's hair stand on end.

He said in a hoarse voice, "I'll come myself."

Ji Xuanyu picked up Gu Hua and carried her step by step toward the city tower.

Heavy pounding sounds came from the city gate, and it looked like the gate was about to be smashed open.

The Mu family army used ladders, catapults, fire arrows, and crossbows in one fell swoop, leaving the government troops of Shicheng County helpless.

Chaos had broken out in the city; soldiers and civilians were running around in panic.

Upon regaining consciousness, Gu Hua suddenly reached out and snatched the bamboo tube hanging from Ji Xuanyu's waist, then poured it into her mouth.

"Hua'er!" Ji Xuanyu shouted hoarsely, quickly put her down, and then tried to pry open her mouth.

Ji Xuanyu panicked: "Spit it out quickly, spit it out quickly!"

Gu Hua could feel something moving in her throat. She forced herself to swallow, suppressing her nausea, and looked at Ji Xuanyu with red eyes.

"I've been poisoned, I'm not going to live. Brother Ji, are you still going to continue down this wrong path?"

Ji Xuanyu was heartbroken: "Hua'er! I will ask the Hall Master to give you the antidote. The antidote is in the jade bottle hanging on the Hall Master's waist, don't be afraid."

Gu Hua was overjoyed; the antidote was with the hall master!

"Brother Ji..."

Gu Hua wanted to persuade her further, but suddenly her pupils contracted: "Chi Yu!"

Chi Yu, who was being escorted over, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gu Hua. He didn't say anything and was pushed up the city wall.

The hall master followed with his men.

Ji Xuanyu gritted his teeth, grabbed Gu Hua's arm, and dragged her up, heading straight for the city wall.

He wanted to find an opportunity to release Gu Hua, but first he needed to get the antidote, so he wanted to lull the hall master into a false sense of security.

From the hall, someone shouted down towards the city walls: "Mu Junyan, your favorite concubines and beloved generals are all in our hands. Moreover, a plague of Gu poison has already broken out in Juzhou City and your Mu family army, hasn't it? Your Mu family army won't last long. Why don't we talk about terms? We'll give you the antidote, and we can let more of your people live."

Gu Hua was pushed between the battlements by Ji Xuanyu, while Chi Yu was pushed onto the mast on the city wall by Lu Laosan, who was preparing to tie him to the mast.

Gu Hua looked at Mu Junyan below the city with tears in her eyes.

He sat on his horse, looking up at Gu Hua, whose face was covered in blood, his eyes filled with rage.

Gu Hua screamed, "Ziyuan, don't worry about me! I've already taken poison, I'm not going to live!"

Mu Junyan's bloodshot eyes blazed with fury: "What are your conditions!"

The hall master smiled triumphantly: "The Mu family army has retreated ten miles. You, alone, will enter the city, and I will return your woman and your beloved general to you."

"Okay!" Mu Junyan agreed without hesitation.

Gu Hua panicked: "Don't worry about me, I don't care if I die! The antidote is on the hall master, we must kill him!"

Suddenly, Akabane broke free of his restraints and transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the hall master.

The members of Yifeng Hall were shocked and rushed to block them.

Akabane engaged them in fierce combat alone.

Ji Xuanyu was caught off guard by this turn of events. He quickly released Gu Hua and whispered, "Come on, I'll take you away."

Gu Hua suddenly pulled the dagger from Ji Xuanyu's waist and swiftly stabbed him in the thigh.

"sorry!"

Ji Xuanyu hadn't expected her to be so agile. His thigh was in excruciating pain, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees.

Gu Hua was closest to the hall master and lunged at him with all her might.

Seeing this, Mu Junyan, who was below the city, waved his hand, and a group of black-armored guards behind him flew up the city wall with the ivy they were holding. Taking advantage of the chaos on the city wall, they flew up the wall in the blink of an eye.

Mu Junyan also went up the city wall. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he saw the hall master grab Gu Hua's wrist and press the dagger in her hand against her throat.

Gu Hua's neck had been cut by a sharp dagger, leaving a bloody gash.

Mu Junyan drew his sword and pointed it at him: "Release her, and I'll spare your life!"

The hall master screamed madly, "Mu Junyan, my family was destroyed by the Emperor of Liang! I am sworn enemies with Liang! If it weren't for you, I would have taken my revenge long ago! Even if I die, I will drag you and your woman down to hell!"

Gu Hua's neck was choked so she couldn't speak, but her hand quietly reached for the hall master's waist.

She had just seen the jade gourd hanging from his waist.

The hall master was confronting Mu Junyan and was completely unaware of Gu Hua's actions.

Mu Junyan looked at Gu Hua's hands with great anxiety. If the hall master found out that she wanted to take the medicine, he would definitely poison her.

He shouted, "I saw through your trick long ago. Otherwise, how could you have captured my most capable henchman? You've outsmarted yourself."

The hall master's attention was drawn, and he was taken aback: "Did he let me catch him on purpose?"

Mu Junyan sneered: "The epidemic in the city has long been under control. Apart from Yuan Zhongyong and the men he brought, no one in my army has been infected with the Gu poison. Your plan has completely failed."

The hall master's face turned ashen with rage: "You lied to me!"

Mu Junyan smiled and said, "When have I, the Duke of Yong, ever lied? Why would I need to lie to someone like you who is about to die? As for my beloved concubine, she was just bait I set up."

Gu Hua's hand had already touched the jade bottle, and she was about to grab it and tear it off when she heard this and froze.

He stared blankly at the person opposite him.

The hall master frowned and glanced at the Mu family's soldiers around him, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "You're lying to me, you're lying to me."

He pointed to two Mu family soldiers whose faces looked unusual: "These two are flushed and unsteady on their feet; they've clearly been poisoned!"

He was so excited he went mad, screaming, "I have the antidote! If you kill Mu Junyan, I'll give you the antidote!"