“Brother’s flute playing is too beautiful. How could I bear to fall asleep?”
“You silly girl.” Yan Wuhan smiled dotingly.
“Brother, these are for you.”
Yan Wuhan looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand with confusion, then reached out to open it. Suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Yan Wuxin. These pills… no, they resembled pills, yet they were not pills.
In this world, apart from Liandanshi, there existed another terrifying presence—the Poison Master.
“Are these poison pills?” he asked cautiously.
“I didn’t expect Brother to recognize them as poison pills at a glance.” She had been prepared to explain that they weren’t ordinary pills, but he had figured it out immediately.
“How do you have so many crystals?” Poison pills and Danyao were both expensive. How could his sister have so many crystals to buy them? Unless… “Was it that man, right?”
That man was like a celestial being, his aura far from ordinary. If he hadn’t lowered his Weiya Zhili that day, Yan Wuhan would likely have coughed up blood and died.
“No, I refined these myself. When I go out to train this time, you and Father will be at home. I’m afraid… so I’m leaving these for you to protect yourselves. When the time comes…” Yan Wuxin whispered the last words into Yan Wuhan’s ear, so softly that even someone with high Huanli might not hear them completely.
With so many eyes and ears around, especially here in Yan Jia, she had to be cautious.
After hearing his sister’s words, Yan Wuhan was utterly shocked. To be able to turn a person into a pool of blood instantly—even the legendary Poison Mistress might not be capable of such a feat in today’s world.
And yet, his sister had achieved it.
“Brother, your legs… believe me, one day, I will make you stand again.” This was a promise, and also her mission.
Yan Wuhan tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “Xin’er, after all these years, I’ve grown accustomed to it. As long as you are safe and sound, I am already content.”
Being able to stand again was something he dared not hope for. For his sake, their father had endured countless scornful looks, only to be told time and again that his condition was incurable. Though he longed to stand, for his father’s sake, he was willing to remain like this for the rest of his life.
“…” Yan Wuxin said nothing more, only silently vowing in her heart: Whether it’s his legs or his Linggen, she would restore her brother to perfect health.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Today, everyone stood at the entrance to Duanhun Shan, their faces alight with excitement, save for a few who wore expressions of impatience.
“When is the Fourth Miss of Yan Jia going to arrive? It’s already been half an hour. If she doesn’t come, do we have to keep waiting?”
“Exactly. Making so many people wait for her—how shameless can she be?”
Some whispered their complaints. The Emperor was seated in the pavilion, so they dared not speak too loudly, for who would dare defy the Emperor’s orders? At that moment, the Emperor was also looking around, his gaze eventually settling on Yan Heng.
Yan Heng frowned. He had sent someone to fetch her early in the morning, but his son had said she had left the house at dawn. This only deepened his disdain for Yan Wuxin.
“She’s here! She’s here!” someone shouted, pointing at Yan Wuxin in the distance.
“Where have you been?” Yan Heng took a deep breath to suppress his rising anger, lest he lose control and strike her.
“Buying things.”
Yan Wuxin’s tardiness had stirred discontent among the crowd, but at that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to the Emperor’s words, leaving no room to dwell on where Yan Wuxin had gone.
The Emperor stood on the high platform, his expression stern. “This training expedition will last one month. Duanhun Shan is exceptionally perilous, as I believe you all understand. I hope you seize this opportunity to improve yourselves. Of course, the most important thing is to preserve your lives. Remember, you must not leave your family teams without authorization.”
“Yes, we understand, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor continued, “Now, each family shall go to their respective family head to receive a Teleportation Array. Each Teleportation Array can only be used once. When you encounter life-threatening danger, simply infuse it with Huanli, and the entire team will be teleported back here. This is your lifeline—guard it well.”
“Remember, do not leave without authorization. Otherwise, anyone who leaves will not be teleported back together.”
“Your Majesty, if someone leaves and is not present, can we still teleport back?” a royal disciple raised his hand to ask.
In previous training expeditions, participants entered on their own and returned together. Moreover, the previous training grounds were always the royal hunting grounds, so Teleportation Arrays were never needed. Thus, many were highly anticipating the use of the Teleportation Arrays.
“Those who leave must find their own way back.” After speaking, the Emperor silently chanted an incantation, and a circle enveloped everyone.
“Everyone, drip your blood onto the ground to enter Duanhun Shan. Also, remember, if you teleport back arbitrarily, it will be considered a failure in the training expedition. Only the last ten members remaining from each family will be eligible to participate in the Tiancai Xuanba Sai.”
“I believe your family heads have already explained what the Tiancai Xuanba Sai means, so I will not elaborate further. Are you ready?”
“We are ready!”
The crowd was filled with fervor, but below, Yan Wuxin lowered her head, pursing her lips. The families were divided into teams, huh? It seemed she was the one they referred to as the “person who leaves.”
Well, it didn’t matter. They were never on the same path anyway.
After the Emperor finished his instructions, he left with the eunuchs.
At that moment, a small hand timidly rose from the crowd. “Family Head, what if someone hasn’t joined a team…?”
“Hasn’t joined a team?”
“Shangguan Ruoyu, you’ve participated in a training expedition before. How could you forget that teams are formed voluntarily before the expedition? Ah, look at my memory—even if you wanted to form a team, no one would be willing to join you anyway!” Upon hearing Shangguan Ruoyu’s words, a disciple from the Shangguan family loudly mocked her.
Yan Wuxin frowned and stepped forward. “Join me!”
At this, the laughter grew even louder. “Hahaha, how ridiculous! A Waste/Useless Talent and a lowly concubine-born daughter forming a team.”
Hearing this, Yan Wuxin’s eyes turned icy cold. The speaker choked, unable to react for a long time.
The Shangguan family elder and Yan Heng exchanged glances, both frowning deeply. “Have you thought this through?”
Shangguan Ruoyu glanced at the aloof Yan Wuxin and nodded. “Yes, I am willing to join Fourth Miss Yan.”
“However, there are no extra Teleportation Arrays.”
The implication was clear: life and death were a matter of fate, and wealth and honor were determined by heaven.
Beneath her veil, Yan Wuxin’s lips curled into a cold smile. What did she care about Teleportation Arrays? Her main purpose in going to Duanhun Shan was to find the Wannian Shilian. If she couldn’t find it, she would not leave.
“No need,” she replied coldly. At that moment, she stood like a queen, proud and towering like a mountain, radiant and dazzling to the point of blinding.
Some watched with amusement, some sneered, while others narrowed their eyes, observing Yan Wuxin closely.
Hmph! Yan Wuxin caused Xun’er to become a cripple, lying in bed unable to get up even now. This debt, as her elder sister, I must repay. Life and death are fated—dying in training with no one to care is common. Yan Wuxin, just you wait!