Chu Lin’an took out the medicine his mother had hidden in his belt after fetching water.
Without hesitation, he tossed it into the creek, where the rushing current quickly carried it away.
Having already made up his mind, he returned with a filled waterskin.
“Big Brother, here’s some water.”
“Thank you. I’ll have to trouble you to feed me. Right now, I’m nothing but a cripple. I can’t even take care of myself.”
He gave a self-deprecating smile.
“It’s only natural that all of you are disappointed in someone as useless as me.”
Chu Lin’an’s heart ached.
“This isn’t your fault, Big Brother. It’s because that person feared you.”
The young man clenched his fists in anger.
His mighty, invincible eldest brother—the undefeated God of War—had been crippled and stripped of his martial arts simply because the emperor feared his power. His wings had been broken before being sent into exile.
The imperial family truly has no heart.
Once the work is done, the donkey is slaughtered.
Cross the river, then burn the bridge.
That perfectly described the dog emperor.
“Don’t worry, Big Brother. You still have me. I’ll take care of you.”
Chu Lin’an made up his mind.
In the past, his eldest brother had held up the entire Chu family.
Now that he had fallen into ruin, Chu Lin’an couldn’t abandon him.
Whether Chu Lin’an was sincere or not, Chu Linzhang still felt a soft spot in his heart hearing those words.
Of course…
That wouldn’t stop him from acting ruthlessly if necessary.
The waterskin was brought to his lips.
Chu Linzhang took a sip.
Unless it was a colorless and odorless poison, anything mixed into water would leave at least a faint taste.
The stream water tasted perfectly normal.
No poison?
Realizing this, he relaxed and drank half the waterskin.
The moisture soothed his cracked lips.
If he neither ate nor drank, he’d be dead within three days.
He hadn’t had a single drop of water all day.
He was desperately dehydrated.
“Don’t rush, Big Brother. I’ll fetch more after you’ve finished.”
Once Chu Linzhang had drunk his fill, he asked,
“Can you get some wound medicine?”
Chu Lin’an shook his head.
“The guards refuse to trade anything with anyone from the Chu family. Third Aunt tried earlier and was kicked.”
Looking at the festering, infected wounds, Chu Lin’an gritted his teeth.
“Wait for me, Big Brother. If they won’t trade with us, I’ll find someone else.”
“Be careful.”
Chu Lin’an nodded.
Using stream water, he carefully washed away the rotting flesh around the wounds and scraped off the wriggling maggots.
The horrifying sight was almost unbearable to look at.
Yet Chu Lin’an forced himself to endure the nausea, his hands trembling as he followed Chu Linzhang’s instructions, removing the decayed flesh and maggots.
“Does it hurt, Big Brother?”
Chu Linzhang clenched his teeth and gave a slight shake of his head.
Of course it hurt.
He was still flesh and blood.
Seeing the doubt in Chu Lin’an’s eyes, Chu Linzhang turned his face away.
He didn’t want his younger brother to witness him in such a miserable state.
The moment he turned his head, he met a pair of bright, enchanting peach blossom eyes.
Hua Zhiyun was happily chewing on a roasted chicken drumstick.
Oil glistened at the corners of her mouth as she ate with complete satisfaction, utterly unconcerned about everyone else’s suffering.
Where did she get a chicken leg?
Looking again…
Chen Dali stood beside her, carefully offering her a steamed white bun with an ingratiating smile.
Chu Linzhang swallowed.
This woman was truly capable.
Even while traveling the road of exile, she could feast on chicken and white bread.
Unlike him…
He was starving while enduring the agony of having rotting flesh scraped from his wounds.
Hua Zhiyun deliberately opened her mouth and silently mouthed:
“What are you looking at? None for you.”
Chu Linzhang: “…”
After calming herself, Li Shi searched for Hua Zhiyun.
She found her leaning against a rock, lazily tearing pieces off a fluffy white steamed bun.
Li Shi nearly exploded with anger.
We’re starving tonight… and she’s eating white bread?
She still dares claim she isn’t sleeping with the guards?
Who would believe that?
Her son tugged at her sleeve.
“Mother… I’m hungry.”
Chu Huaizhu swallowed repeatedly.
“Daughter’s hungry too.”
Li Shi still had hidden banknotes she couldn’t spend.
She couldn’t use them herself…
But perhaps the children could.
Surely that hateful woman wouldn’t be cruel enough to refuse two children.
After thinking it over, Li Shi whispered something into her children’s ears.
Their eyes immediately lit up.
Ten-year-old Chu Huaizhu led her seven-year-old brother Chu Linquan toward Hua Zhiyun.
From a distance, they sweetly called out,
“Sister-in-law Princess…”
They stared eagerly at the food in her hands.
“Sister-in-law, what are you eating?”
“Brother Linquan is so hungry… can you let him have just one bite?”
Hua Zhiyun raised an eyebrow.
“Are you beggars?”
Chu Huaizhu’s expression stiffened.
“No.”
“Then why are you begging me for food?”
The steamed bun actually tasted pretty good.
Though after eating two flatbreads, a chicken drumstick, a cucumber, and a tomato…
She honestly couldn’t eat another bite.
That didn’t mean she was about to give her food away.
Having survived the apocalypse, she understood better than anyone how precious food was.
She guarded her food fiercely.
“You’re our sister-in-law! What’s wrong with giving us one bite of your bun?”
The ten-year-old girl spoke boldly despite her age.
“If it weren’t for you two getting everyone exiled, we’d still have buns to eat!”
As she spoke, Chu Huaizhu reached out to snatch it.
She never got the bun.
Instead…
Something bit the back of her hand.
She gasped in pain.
Looking closely…
A brightly colored little snake hung from her hand.
No matter how she shook it, it wouldn’t let go.
“A snake…”
“A venomous one.”
Hua Zhiyun watched with amusement and kindly reminded her.
Chu Huaizhu fainted on the spot.
Chu Linquan had already run away screaming.
Seeing this, Li Shi rushed over.
“Huaizhu! My poor Huaizhu!”
She glared at Hua Zhiyun.
“You’re so cruel! You let a venomous snake bite my daughter!”
“You came asking me for food.”
“I gave you something.”
“Why are you blaming me now?”
Hua Zhiyun casually played with the little venomous snake, gently stroking its triangular head.
“Want a bite?”
Li Shi turned deathly pale.
She dropped to her knees with a thud.
“I was wrong! I surrender! I’ll give you all my hidden banknotes! Please spare us!”
“Don’t move.”
“If it doesn’t bite you, I’ll let you go.”
“But if you move and startle it…”
“And it bites you to death…”
“That’s simply your fate.”
The triangular-headed snake was remarkably docile in Hua Zhiyun’s hands.
No matter how she handled it, it never attacked.
The little snake was draped around Li Shi’s neck.
She was so terrified she became as rigid as a statue, kneeling motionlessly.
Goosebumps covered her body as she felt the cold, slimy sensation crawling across her skin.
The other members of the Chu family had originally planned to send their youngest children over to beg Hua Zhiyun for food too.
They immediately abandoned the idea.
What sins had the Chu family committed?
Chu Linzhang had been accused of treason, dragging everyone into exile.
And the princess he married…
They had heard she was gentle, elegant, refined, and the most graceful young lady of the Hua family.
Instead…
She cut people’s tendons.
Gouged out eyeballs.
Played with venomous snakes as though they were toys.
They’d all been deceived.
The Hua family had committed outright fraud!
The venomous snake slowly slithered around Li Shi’s neck…
Up over her head…
Half its body coiled as its head swayed before her eyes.
It slid down across her forehead…
Then slowly descended along the bridge of her nose.
Unable to endure another second…
Li Shi rolled her eyes back and fainted.
Hua Zhiyun gave a sharp whistle.
The snake immediately slipped into the grass and disappeared.
As for Chu Huaizhu…
The venom had already reached her heart.
Having suffered a neurotoxic snakebite, only an antivenom injection could save her now.
Hua Zhiyun had antivenom.
She simply wasn’t giving it.
The moment Chu Huaizhu reached for her food…
Hua Zhiyun had already sentenced her to death.
A child who behaved like this at such a young age…
What kind of adult would she become?
A thankless little wolf.
Better to die young and reincarnate early.
Ignoring the unconscious mother and daughter, Hua Zhiyun looked up at the darkening sky.
Time to wash up.
Tonight they would be camping outdoors.
After cleaning herself in the upstream section of the creek, Hua Zhiyun suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream.
She calmly finished dressing.
Beneath the prisoner’s coarse uniform, she wore a clean change of clothes.
After all, she might be an exile…
But she certainly wasn’t the leader of this convoy.
“Lin’an! Lin’an! What happened to you?”
Madam Chu the Fifth looked at her son lying in a pool of blood and cried in despair.
Seeing Chu Lin’an covered in blood, Chu Linzhang’s expression changed.
He wanted to go to him…
But with all four limbs crippled, even turning over was difficult.
Walking was impossible.
Just then, Hua Zhiyun happened to pass by.
“Hu—”
Before he could finish—
“Shut up.”
“If you call me Miss Hua one more time…”
“I’ll twist your neck off.”
Her icy gaze made it clear she wasn’t joking.
Chu Linzhang looked at her freshly washed face, radiant like a lotus emerging from clear water.
Droplets still clung to her body.
He knew she had just finished bathing.
He didn’t dare stare for too long, afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his own gaze.
Finally, he lowered his voice.
“Lady Hua…”
“Please pull out my hairpin.”
“It contains a signal flare.”
“Tonight…”
“I’m leaving.”
He looked straight into her eyes.
“Will you come with me?”