"Nan Muxue!"
A sword slammed onto the table. The woman who had snarled the name had already dodged to the side. As the sword swung again, Nan Muxue caught the blade firmly between her fingers and flicked it away with ease. "Those hands of yours aren't suited for a sword."
Bai Zhier’s face was a mask of fury. "I only agreed to let Ruo’er return because I didn't want to see this happen! How did you promise me? You said her safety was the priority! Why did you let your mother take her? Why didn't you stop that madwoman, Nan Menghua?"
Nan Muxue simply sat down, lowering her head to smooth her sleeves before speaking tonelessly. "Ruo’er is safe. Her life is not in danger."
"But she’s injured!" Bai Zhier let out a cold laugh. Even knowing she was no match for the other woman in a duel, she raised her sword again, pointing it straight at Nan Muxue. "That oil was scalding. She’s someone who fears pain so much that she’ll cry for half a day over a needle prick. How can you sit there so calmly? You don't care about her at all. You’re just as cold and heartless as your maniac mother—a true snake and scorpion!"
"Bai Zhier," Nan Muxue looked up, her gaze sharp and piercing. "How much I care for Ruo’er is not for you to question. Furthermore, no one in this world is more anxious for her than I am."
"Is that so?" Bai Zhier sneered. "Then you certainly have a subtle way of showing it."
"If you don't want anything to happen to her, do not act rashly and disrupt my plans. Just cooperate with me. I will handle the rest."
Bai Zhier’s eyes filled with disdain. "It’s come to this, and you still can't protect her. Why should I keep listening to you? Nan Muxue, there’s a limit to your arrogance."
"Do you want to see my mother take Ruo’er’s life?"
"You...!"
"I told you, she is safe for now. But if you refuse to listen, and you think you have a guaranteed victory against my mother, then go ahead. It doesn't matter if you die, but do not provoke my mother’s wrath and let it fall upon my Ruo’er."
Bai Zhier opened her mouth to argue, but Nan Muxue cut her off. "Has your foster father arrived?"
Sheathing her sword behind her back, Bai Zhier turned away and replied crossly, "He’s on the way. He’ll arrive on the wedding day." As much as she was incensed, she knew that even if she, Nan Muxue, and the protectors fought together, they were likely no match for Nan Menghua—especially now that the madwoman had allied with three major sects. Shen Wanxiong, Liu Songhe, and the Chief of the Sea Dragon Gang would all arrive on the day of the ceremony. With those masters joined together, few in the martial world could oppose them. For now, the only thing she could do was endure. *But I’m so worried about her... I heard her hands were burned by boiling oil. Ruo’er, you’ve always been so afraid of pain. You’re such a fool. I told you not to come back, yet you insisted. The biggest fool in the world.*
"Do you think your foster father will help you?"
"He didn't give me a straight answer. He only said he would arrive on time. If he truly knows your mother, then the consequences..." Bai Zhier trailed off. Even with her foster father there, both he and Nan Menghua had reached transcendent levels of martial arts; poison might not be so easy to use against them.
"Your foster father might not necessarily move against the Hundred Flowers Palace," Nan Muxue said, stroking her white jade bracelet. "But the Flying Eagle Fort and the Sword Casting Villa... that’s another story."
Bai Zhier’s smile was thick with irony. "Ruo’er wasn't wrong about you. You’re a venomous scorpion. You truly are your mother’s daughter."
Nan Muxue ignored the jab and continued, "Your foster father has razed so many sects. These major powers were only spared because they were difficult to conquer. Now that such a golden opportunity is before him, how could he pass it up? As for him and my mother... I told you from the start, those hands of yours are better suited for herbs. Blades and swords," she added with a faint, slightly mocking smile, "do not suit you."
"I’m warning you now: both of them are incredibly shrewd. I’m not entirely confident. You’d better have a backup plan."
"There is no backup plan," Nan Muxue admitted candidly. "This is our one and only chance to risk everything. If we fail, everyone dies. It’s a gamble, and our odds aren't great. You can back out at any time, but if you stay, you must give it your all."
"You’re certainly direct. Aren't you afraid that after I deal with your mother, I’ll deal with you too?"
Nan Muxue’s lips curled upward. "Don't think that just because you know how to use poison, you can kill me." Bai Zhier fell silent, but as she turned to leave, Nan Muxue called out, "My mother is about to master the tenth level of the Love Flower’s Intoxication. You should think of a way to break her Golden Body."
***
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, Nan Muxue woke to her wedding day. Today, she was to don the brilliant, eye-catching crimson bridal robes, but the person coming to claim her was not the one she wanted.
*Creak—*
Nan Menghua entered her daughter’s room. On this festive day, she was dressed in stark, plain white. "Do you know why I set the wedding for today?"
Nan Muxue was already fully dressed and adorned. Today, she was more breathtakingly beautiful than ever before, yet her face was pale and cold. She stood up, her movements slowed by the heavy headpiece and the long, layered bridal gown. "Because today, Mother’s great work will finally be complete."
"Correct. You truly are my daughter," Nan Menghua laughed hideously. "But I hate you. I’ve hated you since the moment you were born. You shouldn't exist; you are nothing but my shame, a failure. Just watch how powerful the Hundred Flowers Palace will become. Three... as long as I absorb the cultivation and lifeblood of three top-tier masters, the tenth level of the Love Flower’s Intoxication will be mine! Hahahaha!"
Though the Love Flower’s Intoxication was a domineering and somewhat sinister technique, it had never been known to require the consumption of human blood and internal energy. However, because Nan Menghua’s previous seclusion had failed and left her severely injured, her desperate hunger for a breakthrough had driven her to forcibly alter the cultivation method. It was a path to demonic deviation. Everyone’s internal energy followed different paths and elements; even if she could suppress several types of energy within her body to gain a temporary surge in power, the backlash would be multiplied. To control it, she would need to absorb even more energy, creating a vicious cycle no different from a demonic art.
"You really are useless. To throw yourself away for a Chu Ruo—a worthless piece of trash, and a woman at that. All those years the Palace spent cultivating you were wasted. I gave you a chance, but you were so stupid, so stubborn. I told you: the Hundred Flowers Palace shall never permit love!"
"Does Mother not also have an obsession with the Palace dominating the martial world? Everyone has something they seek; only the objects of our desire differ."
Nan Menghua gripped her horsetail whisk and stroked her daughter’s face, smudging her makeup. She waved a hand, and a disciple immediately stepped forward to fix it. "This face is truly exquisite. It would look so lovely if it were carved up. Today is your grand day, so I will forgive you this once. Do you know why I’m keeping that Chu Ruo alive?" She leaned in, whispering into her daughter’s ear. "I want her to watch with her own eyes as you marry another man. Tonight, I will secretly place her in the bridal chamber with you and Xiong Feng. I’ll let her watch as you are beneath another man..."
"Palace Mistress," Nan Yunshuang’s appearance interrupted Nan Menghua’s sickening, filthy words. "The Chief of the Sea Dragon Gang has arrived."
Nan Menghua waved her off and straightened her daughter’s robes one last time. "Very well. It is still morning—very, very early. The ceremony won't be held until tonight. Enjoy your final hours of peace, my dear daughter." Before leaving, she commanded, "Watch the Young Palace Mistress closely. She is not to leave, and no one is to visit her!"
"Yes, Mistress."
As for Nan Yunshuang, Nan Menghua instructed her outside, "You go and prepare as well. Nothing must go wrong today."
"As you command."
"Palace Mistress!" Before Nan Menghua could meet with Chief Xiong Yi, a disciple came running in a panic. "The Flying Eagle Fort, the Sword Casting Villa, and several other major sects have been attacked!"
Nan Menghua remained surprisingly calm. She looked at the sky and asked, "And?"
"And... word has spread that it was the work of the Hundred Flowers Palace. The leaders of the various sects are furious and are demanding an explanation."
The disciple retreated. Nan Yunshuang, who hadn't left yet, said, "Mistress, this was not the work of our disciples."
"I should say, it wasn't the work of the people *I* sent," Nan Menghua said, staring at her whisk. "They moved fast. So impatient they couldn't even wait for the vows? Yunshuang."
"I am here. Please give your orders."
"Go to..."
***
*Bang!* Someone slammed their hand onto a table in a rage. "Where is Nan Menghua? Tell her to come out! If she doesn't give us an explanation today, we will raze this Palace to the ground!"
Several major sects had been attacked. Since their leaders were all here, they couldn't return to their territories in time to help. Rather than rushing back in a futile effort, it was better to wait for Nan Menghua to show herself. At the very least, if the sect leaders joined forces, they didn't need to fear her.
"What bold words."
As Nan Menghua entered the room, the tension reached a breaking point. Everyone stood up. "Nan Menghua, you!"
"Everyone, please calm yourselves. I will explain everything."
"What is there to explain?" the Sect Leader of the Golden Saber Sect shouted. "We minded our own business, yet you invited us here for a ceremony only to pull such a despicable trick! Nan Menghua, you are shameless!"
Nan Menghua scanned the room and noticed that Shen Wanxiong and Liu Songhe were not among the group. She called a disciple over, who reported that neither man had been seen since that morning. She waved her hand again, and other disciples brought out tea. "Please, be calm. If I had done this, would I be standing here before you now? Besides, what proof do you have that the Hundred Flowers Palace is responsible? I fear someone is acting with ulterior motives. Do not let yourselves be used."
There weren't many people in the hall—only the spokesmen and leaders of the major sects. Everyone looked at the teacups warily, refusing to drink. Seeing this, Nan Menghua laughed, picked up a cup, and drank it herself. Only then did a few people lower their guard and take a sip. One replied, "There were rumors that you planned to move against us today. The Flying Eagle Fort and Sword Casting Villa are closest to you. Their disciples fought their way here to report that women in white attacked them. It must be your Palace!"
"It truly was not my doing," Nan Menghua said, taking her seat at the head of the hall. No one noticed that the doors had been silently locked. The room began to grow dim. Someone retorted, "You say it wasn't you, so we should just believe it?"
"Because," her voice turned raspy and terrifying, "the people I sent... it wasn't time for them to strike yet."
"You!"
"Did you think you would be safe just by not drinking the tea? You’ve been at the Hundred Flowers Palace for days. Did the sandalwood incense smell pleasant? I merely added one extra ingredient to it. On its own, it’s harmless. But the food you’ve been eating every day contains a unique, exotic flower. When the two mix, the poison is already deep within your bodies. Hahaha..."
Shock filled the room as they realized they had been careless. Simultaneously, the symptoms of the poison began to manifest—dizziness, weakness, and a total inability to circulate their internal energy. "Quickly, sit and meditate! Force the poison out!"
"Try it. See how terrifying the poisons of the Hundred Flowers Palace can be. Forcing it will only accelerate the effects. I didn't intend to move so soon," Nan Menghua rose. Her eyes were bloodshot to a horrifying degree, glowing with the crimson light of a bloodthirsty demon, as if she had crawled out of the deepest hell. "Now that you’ve entered, don't dream of leaving. You shall be the stepping stones for my Love Flower’s Intoxication!"
Before the Golden Saber Sect Leader could react, the horsetail whisk was already wrapped around his neck. Within seconds, the white whisk turned blood-red. Upon closer inspection, the thousands of animal hairs were being soaked through with blood. Countless fine, thread-like wounds appeared on his neck, covered by the dense white fibers. Droplets of blood traveled along the whisk toward Nan Menghua. With a satisfied expression, she pressed her other hand against his back, devouring his lifeblood and internal energy entirely.
In mere moments, the Golden Saber Sect Leader began to wither and shrivel, leaving only a pair of bulging, indignant eyes. The others were paralyzed by the gruesome sight. With their internal energy gone, they could only try to flee for their lives. They struggled toward the doors, but they had long been locked from the outside. No matter how they cried for help, no one answered. Nan Menghua’s laughter grew more manic. "Truly delicious! Hahahaha!"
***
"Young Palace Mistress, it is time for your meal."
Nan Muxue walked over as the food containers were opened. The disciples laid out the dishes one by one. Finally, the last item placed on the table was a plate of fresh lychees.
*Lychees.* A sign that all was proceeding smoothly. Had it been otherwise, the signal would have changed. Even now, she could not breathe a sigh of relief. So far, the plan was only half-successful.
***
**Glossary**
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Master, Spare My Life: A Disciple's Sweet Rebellion | Chapter 103 | A Treacherous Wedding Day | Novela.app | Novela.app
