CHAPTER 622: CHAPTER 516: AS A MOTHER, THUS UNYIELDING

Liu Qingyun’s lips curved up slightly. "Who exactly is courting death? Why don’t we find out?"

As she spoke, she raised two fingers of her other hand and thrust directly at the man’s eyes.

It was hard to imagine such a shameless tactic would appear on the body of the Miaojiang Princess.

After all, when it came to martial arts, she wasn’t weak.

Perhaps this was the epitome of the saying, "Like father, like daughter."

Fortunately, the man was prepared and dodged Liu Qingyun’s devilish fingers just in time.

But in doing so, his grip loosened, allowing Liu Qingyun to free her wrist from his shackles.

Liu Qingyun struck at his chest with her palm.

The man met her palm with his own.

The tremendous inner strength behind the exchange sent Liu Qingyun flying back ten steps. Luckily, she was armed with plenty of goodies on her, which mitigated most of the man’s force.

The man said with certainty, "Those little treasures of yours won’t hold out for long."

Liu Qingyun retorted defiantly, "Long enough to see you dead."

The narrow room left no space for proper combat.

Liu Qingyun’s techniques were restricted, as were her concealed weapons. She felt at her waist but realized the brocade bag was already gone.

The man sneered, "Looking for your Gu?"

Liu Qingyun narrowed her eyes. "You seem to know me well. Are you from my father’s side or my mother’s side?"

From behind the man’s mask came a cold and deep voice. "Aren’t you so clever? Why don’t you guess."

Liu Qingyun said nonchalantly, "Do you really think wearing a mask and tweaking your voice can fool me? Don’t you realize you exposed yourself the moment you stepped into this room?"

Her gaze swept downward and landed on his right hand. "Haven’t you noticed a little habit of yours?"

The man glanced down at his own hand.

This was her chance!

With a flick of her sleeve, Liu Qingyun scattered a handful of white powder. "A poison even the Medicine King Valley can’t cure—die now!"

The man raised his sleeve to shield himself.

Liu Qingyun darted past him like a flash of wind, yanked the door open, and fled utilizing Qinggong.

"Master!"

A guard disguised as a villager rushed into the room.

The man rubbed the powder that had fallen on the cuff of his sleeve between his fingertips. "Rouge powder... Bai Zheng, you really are nothing like before."

The guard let out a breath of relief. "Master, shall we pursue her?"

The man looked in the direction Liu Qingyun had disappeared. "She won’t make it out of the village."

Liu Qingyun found herself lost in the village.

No matter which direction she headed, she would always return to the peach tree she had marked earlier.

"What on earth is going on? What’s so strange about this village that I can’t find a way out?"

To make things worse, it was a cloudy day, so she couldn’t discern direction by the shadows.

As night descended, the surrounding fog thickened, leaving Liu Qingyun more disoriented.

Worse yet, she was getting colder.

"So cold..." she muttered, exhaling frosty breath.

The further she walked, the more something felt off—not just the cold but her energy draining away at an alarming rate.

"This hasn’t been long enough to feel like this... something’s not right."

Her legs gave out, and she hastily clung to the tree trunk for support.

She tried to straighten herself up but found that strength eluded her completely.

"What’s happening to me?"

Her heart pounded fiercely, cold sweat dripping down in sheets, the ground beneath her spinning endlessly.

A sharp pain shot through her shoulder as she slumped heavily to the ground.

Her eyelids grew heavier.

Through her blurred vision, she saw several villagers wearing bronze masks with fanged designs approaching her.

At the moment one of them reached out for her, a silver needle shot through the air like a bolt, piercing his palm with terrifying force. He was flung back entirely, and his hand was nailed firmly to a tree!

Before he could even scream, a heavy mace shattered his chest. He died on the spot!

The remaining villagers’ pupils shrank in shock and wariness as they turned to look behind them.

Under the moonlight, a veiled woman in blue, riding a white horse, appeared as if she had just emerged from the underworld.

"On my mark!"

Cui Hu hooked a tree branch above him with one hand, using the momentum to somersault upward. With a decisive strike, he slashed his sword at them.

Meng Qianqian leaned down from her saddle, grabbed Liu Qingyun, and hoisted her onto the horse’s back.

"It’s all yours," Meng Qianqian said to Cui Hu. "Come back alive."

"Understood!"

Young Madam!

They had always known the Young Madam was adept at saving lives. Little did they know she was even more lethal at taking them.

The sheer ruthlessness in that earlier instant sent chills down Cui Hu’s spine.

His admiration for her grew beyond measure.

From now on, no matter who came, no one could change his mind—Cui Hu would only ever acknowledge Miss Yan as his Young Madam!

Meng Qianqian gripped the reins tightly and urged the horse forward.

She retracted her weapon and placed it back into the mace case at her back.

Then she freed a hand to check Liu Qingyun’s pulse. "Mother, you’re injured internally."

"Internal injuries..." Liu Qingyun clutched her chest. "That explains why something felt off."

With her Life Gu, she wasn’t easily poisoned.

"But wait, wasn’t I wearing the soft armor my mother gave me...?"

Recalling the events in the room, her gaze darkened. "It was that palm strike."

The man had sent his inner strength surging into her body during their exchange.

Meng Qianqian retrieved a small bottle of medicine from her pouch. "Mother, take some injury medicine first."

"Alright."

Liu Qingyun accepted the bottle and swallowed a pill.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and, panting, said, "At least I didn’t walk away empty-handed."

"Miaojiang people?" Meng Qianqian asked.

She didn’t scold Liu Qingyun for taking such a dangerous risk.

She seemed to understand why Liu Qingyun was willing to stake her life—for her son.

"That’s right."

Leaning against Meng Qianqian, Liu Qingyun tried to restore some inner strength in a short time. "He concealed his face and voice, but he forgot to hide his scent. How about that? I was useful when it really mattered, wasn’t I?"

Meng Qianqian navigated the path while earnestly complimenting her. "Certainly, my husband’s talents must’ve been inherited from his brilliant mother."

Liu Qingyun was quite pleased. "Well said."

Meng Qianqian tightened the reins and stopped.

Liu Qingyun forced her eyes open. "Lost again? I tried everything and couldn’t find a way out of this village."

Meng Qianqian looked around. "It’s an array."

"You know about arrays?" Liu Qingyun asked in surprise.

Meng Qianqian pondered for a moment. "I think I do."

What did she mean, "she thinks she does"? This girl didn’t even know if she knew about arrays?

Had she learned it before but forgotten?

And then... miraculously remembered right now?

Liu Qingyun was absolutely baffled.

Meng Qianqian untied the ribbon from her hair and blindfolded herself.

Liu Qingyun was puzzled. "What are you doing?"

Meng Qianqian focused her energy. "Leaving the array."

Deprived of her sight, her hearing sharpened to remarkable levels. She listened intently to the whispers of the wind, the songs of insects and birds, and the rustle of leaves.

She tugged the reins.

"Kun Three Steps."

"Li Nine Steps."

"Qian Two."

"Li Six."

"Zhen Five."

She murmured the incantation while guiding the white horse through the maze-like array.

Liu Qingyun was perplexed. "Isn’t that Ji Li’s technique? How does this girl know it too?"

Was there anything in this world this girl didn’t know?

"We’re out."

Meng Qianqian removed the blindfold.

Liu Qingyun looked back at the fog-shrouded village in disbelief. They really made it out.

Meng Qianqian glanced ahead. "But... maybe we shouldn’t have."

Startled, Liu Qingyun looked forward and saw an entire row of assassins, clad in bronze masks, standing twenty paces away with crossbows aimed squarely at them.

She meekly asked, "Daughter-in-law, can we... retreat back into the village?"

Meng Qianqian turned her head. "Doesn’t seem like it."

Behind her, the sound of crossbows being cocked reached Liu Qingyun’s ears.

They were surrounded.

"What are the odds we can escape?"

Meng Qianqian raised five fingers.

Liu Qingyun whispered, "Fifty percent?"

Meng Qianqian clenched her hand into a fist.

Zero percent.

Liu Qingyun felt tears welling up.

Son, your mother and wife are really going to die here—