Chapter 667: Life Hanging by a Thread

Chapter 667: Life Hanging by a Thread

"Mother, what are you saying?"

Su Youyue's eyes widened in shock, and she couldn't help but step forward to take her mother's hand for confirmation.

Lu Xixue pulled out a small vial from her sleeve: "Nuan Nuan, I've made the antidote. That Xie Yuan better be ready to thank his mother-in-law properly! This time, if he doesn't give me a fortune in gold, how could I possibly give it to him?"

Knowing her mother was teasing about the incident when Xie Yuan had her kidnapped and mentioned ten thousand taels of gold, Su Youyue blushed, a mix of excitement and embarrassment.

"Mother~"

Looking at the small white jade bottle, a flood of emotions suddenly surged in Su Youyue's heart, and tears welled up instantly.

In our past life and this one.

Her and Xie Yuan.

They had waited for this antidote across two lifetimes.

The wait had been interminable.

Seeing her cry, Lu Xixue's heart ached: "Sweetheart, why the tears? Aren't you happy now that there's an antidote?"

Su Youyue shook her head: "Mother, I'm crying tears of joy."

Her mother couldn't possibly know that in their previous life, they had both died because they never got this antidote.

And in that life, she had passed away unaware that her mother still lived.

She couldn't help but hug her mother, displaying a rare, childlike affection: "Mother, I love you so much!"

Lu Xixue gently stroked her daughter's head.

She had missed out on her daughter's growing years. From the moment she saw her, she felt her daughter didn't resemble the carefree and innocent girl she should be at that age, but rather someone who had been forced to grow up too soon through countless trials. And now, suddenly, her daughter was about to become a mother herself. She had always regretted this deeply, but now seeing her daughter being affectionate towards her, her heart softened.

"Nuan Nuan, I love you too."

No matter the hardship, it's all worth it for you.

Lu Xixue placed the antidote she had worked tirelessly on for countless days and nights into her daughter's hand.

Before, she hadn't paid much attention to this medicine, but after learning that Xie Yuan had been poisoned with it, she started working on it day and night.

No one would stand in the way of her daughter's happiness!

"Nuan Nuan, keep it safe."

After Su Youyue took the small bottle, she gradually calmed down and coughed lightly: "Mother, did you prepare any extra doses of the antidote?"

Lu Xixue was puzzled: "Has anyone else been afflicted with the Holy Medicine?"

She remembered that although the medicine was tricky, the Holy Sect only used it on successive Holy Sons, so she hadn't made many doses of the antidote.

Su Youyue whispered: "I poisoned the Emperor of Dongrong, Prince Bei, Princess Pingyang, most of the royal family, and officials above the third rank in their court..."

Lu Xixue was stunned: "What?"

Seeing the seriousness in Su Youyue's eyes, she came back to her senses and gave a thumbs up: "Daughter, you are truly remarkable!"

Su Youyue felt a little sheepish.

Lu Xixue quickly patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, go ahead and stir up trouble; I've got your back. It's just the antidote; with the recipe, we can whip it up whenever."

Hearing this, Su Youyue felt reassured. She had been genuinely concerned that the antidote ingredients were scarce and hard to come by, and that she wouldn't be able to detoxify everyone in time. Now she felt at ease.

Mother and daughter sat together chatting for a bit before they emerged.

The family waited until evening, but with Xie Yuan still absent, Su Youyue couldn't help but grow a bit anxious.

Was Xie Yuan in danger?

...

The night was thick.

The mountain wind cut through to the bone.

The makeshift tent did little to shield them from the biting wind. Prince Bei rubbed his icy arms and dashed into the tent.

Xie Yuan followed him in a step behind.

He spun around: "Did they budge?"

At Xie Yuan's headshake, he scowled: "Those sons of bitches, they're driving me mad! If they won't show us the person, how are we supposed to know if they're alive or dead!"

Zhe Jing, arms crossed, nodded: "Exactly. Since they won't produce him, it's fair to assume Tuoba Xiao's dead."

Prince Bei fumed: "Better off dead... In any case, we can't hand over the Tiger Tally. Too bad these guys know the Tiger Tally inside out; we can't even bluff them with a fake!"

"This standoff isn't getting us anywhere..." he muttered, then glanced at Xie Yuan. Naturally, he hoped Xie Yuan would sneak in after dark to attempt a rescue, but he was too shy to bring it up.

Mid-conversation, a guard rushed in: "Your Highness, terrible news—the Emperor's collapsed and is vomiting blood!"

Prince Bei's eyes bulged, and without another word, he bolted to the adjacent tent.

The moment he stepped inside, the metallic tang of blood hit him, and he spotted a vivid crimson pool on the floor.

"Brother!"

Prince Bei rushed over, frantic, to find Emperor Xuanming's chin smeared with blood.

The instant he was within reach, Emperor Xuanming seized him: "The Tiger Tally! Hand it over! Get Xiao'er out now! I had a dream they were torturing Xiao'er, no... I need to go myself..."

As he spoke, Emperor Xuanming vomited another large mouthful of blood.

Prince Bei was drenched, his face ashen.

Emperor Xuanming appeared to be at death's door.

With Dongrong's elite all poisoned by the Holy Medicine and the Holy Sect running amok, if the Emperor fell, he had no clue how long he, a mere figurehead, could last.

Prince Bei was both frightened and worried, and on the verge of tears.

Seeing Xie Yuan trail in, he dropped all pretense and blurted: "Xie Yuan, if there's no other way, you'll have to go tonight... Look at him, my brother's on his last legs!"

Seeing Emperor Xuanming's condition, Xie Yuan couldn't help but deeply frown.

"In his current state, I'm afraid even if we rescue Tuoba Xiao, he might be too overjoyed and something might happen."

"This..." Prince Bei was stunned, only then realizing that the Holy Medicine indeed worked this way. Not only anger or sorrow could worsen the poison; even joy was off-limits. This medicine was designed to turn a person into a heartless, soulless monster, stripped of all emotions!

In the past, since the poison didn't affect him or those around him, Prince Bei had never truly understood the horror of this medicine. But now, feeling its effects firsthand, even his own chest began to ache, and he felt an unprecedented hatred for it.

How could such a cruel poison exist in this world?

"What should we do?" Prince Bei slumped, completely at a loss.

He couldn’t find an antidote either; the Holy Medicine had no cure.

"What should we do?" Prince Bei clutched his chest, wailing, "Screw it, let’s all just die!"

But after shouting, he slapped his own mouth: "Wuwuwu, I don't want to die yet, and my brother can't die either. Xie Yuan, think of something quickly."

The burly man with a full beard looked at Xie Yuan, tears and snot running down his face.

As they spoke, Emperor Xuanming began vomiting blood again.

Xie Yuan’s frown deepened.