They began interrogating the cowardly refugees one by one, and soon they revealed other strongholds of the Northern Desert in the vicinity. Those who were stubborn did not escape being beheaded.

Pei Wuwang lay on the ground, listening to Shen Qingtang's calm instructions.

Recalling her nimble movements just now, a strange ripple stirred in his heart.

Who exactly is this woman? Not only is she highly skilled in medicine and martial arts, but she is also incredibly courageous. She seems to be increasingly resembling the blurry figure in his memory.

Shen Qingtang heard Lu Jiaojiao's words.

His eyes turned cold, and he stepped forward, grabbed her hair, and dragged her in front of several struggling Northern Desert men.

She took a small bottle of antidote from her bosom.

He threw it in front of the burly men, his voice devoid of any warmth: "This is the antidote. Take it and you'll regain your strength. As long as you 'treat' her well, I'll spare your lives."

Those burly men were vicious criminals to begin with, and their eyes lit up the moment they saw the antidote and the hope of survival.

Ignoring the fact that his whole body was sore and weak, he crawled over, grabbed the antidote, and swallowed it.

They quickly regained their strength, their eyes filled with malice as they looked at Lu Jiaojiao.

Since torturing this girl would save their lives, they naturally wouldn't hold back.

"Shen Qingtang! You're insane! I'm your own daughter!"

Lu Jiaojiao was terrified and struggled desperately, but the burly man held her down firmly. All she could do was glare fiercely at Shen Qingtang, "You'll die a horrible death! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

"Your biological daughter?" Shen Qingtang scoffed. "When you were hoping I'd be violated by refugees and cursing me to death, why didn't you remember that I was your mother?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a burly man raised his hand.

He slapped Lu Jiaojiao hard across the face, causing blood to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

Another burly man found a whip and lashed it hard across Lu Jiaojiao's back.

The crisp crack of the whip and Lu Jiaojiao's screams instantly echoed through the mountains.

Lu's mother was stunned. "You poisonous woman!"

Shen Qingtang turned and walked to the other side, raising her sword to continue slaughtering the stubborn Northern Desert people.

He would occasionally turn his head to look at Lu Jiaojiao, who was being tortured, without the slightest pity on his face.

It felt more like watching an insignificant play.

Lu Jin and Lin Peirou were furious and wanted to rush up to save Lu Jiaojiao, but they were held down by the officers and could not move at all.

Lu Jin was trembling with rage, roaring at Shen Qingtang, "Shen Qingtang, you have a heart of stone! No matter what she did wrong, she's still your daughter! How could you treat her like this!"

"A heart of a snake?" Shen Qingtang turned to look at him, her eyes icy cold. "I call this an eye for an eye. When you pushed me to the Northern Desert people, why didn't you say you were a heart of a snake?"

She waved to the officers, "Bring these two over here too, and 'serve' them well."

The officers, who had long hated Lu Jin and Lin Peirou, immediately stepped forward and slapped them hard across the face with both hands, leaving them dizzy and bleeding from the corners of their mouths.

But at that moment, an unexpected incident occurred: the burly man who was whipping Lu Jiaojiao suddenly clutched his chest.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and with a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing straight down.

She stopped breathing. The other burly men surrounding Lu Jiaojiao also began to show the same symptoms.

Some coughed up blood, while others were blasted away by an invisible force, crashing heavily into rocks and dying instantly.

Everyone was stunned, including Shen Qingtang, who looked at Lu Jiaojiao.

She was emanating a strange black aura, and her eyes became empty and sinister.