Chapter 287 The Death of the Old Duke!

As she spoke, she reached out to take it, but Zaina dodged her by raising her hand.

"Sister, you promised to give the Pei family the antidote, didn't you?"

“Many people in the Pei family have already noticed something is wrong. Apart from the blue thread on all the young men's bodies, all the married daughters are able to produce offspring for their husbands' families normally, but there hasn't been a single newborn child born in the Pei family for many years…”

"Sister, the Pei family isn't stupid. They won't be able to keep it a secret forever!"

"Although they have consulted doctors to examine everyone in the household but still cannot find the cause, can't they eventually suspect witchcraft?"

"Furthermore, Pei Lang is still clinging to life, and even on his deathbed, he still managed to do what you threatened him with. You must also keep your promise."

Zulya sneered: "You're truly sincere towards him. But how can I know if it's real or fake if you don't let me see him first?"

Zaina thought for a moment, and finally handed over the military treatise.

Zuliya naturally couldn't understand it at all.

When it comes to military strategy, it's completely foreign to her.

But when she smelled the ink on the back, it was indeed very fresh.

Moreover, the final handwriting looks messy and unstable, which is obviously the result of insufficient hand strength.

"You're not kidding me, are you?"

"Also, weren't you taken away by Fifth Master Yi Yue? How did you escape?"

"As far as I know, Old Man Pei and that Third Brother Pei were captured by Prince Su's men. If that's the case, does that mean you've also fallen into Prince Su's hands?"

"And how exactly did you become like this?"

"Zayna, I'm your only sister, you can't lie to me!"

Zaina: "Who said Prince Su tied them up?"

"It's true that both the Blood Gu Worm and I were taken away by Master Yue Wu. He was also the one who captured Pei Lang and Pei San."

"This person is wearing a white dragon mask and speaks with a Chu accent... Sister, I'd like to ask you if you recognize this person?"

"As for how I escaped, it was naturally because of Pei Lang... After seeing Pei Lang that day, Master Yue somehow obtained a Pei family daughter. After feeding the blood worm and Pei Lang her blood, the blood worm went berserk and pounced on anyone it saw."

"Master Yue killed it with a single strike!"

"Who knew that neither Pei Lang nor I died. Instead, we were freed from the Gu spell because the blood Gu worm died."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, Pei San led Pei Lang and me in a fierce battle against Master Yue Wu's men."

"Sister, do you remember when I told you that Pei Lang was secretly cultivating his own force?"

"After he left the Pei residence, his men have been looking for him ever since."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, these people came looking for us, and in the end, they killed many of Master Yue's men before we were able to escape."

As Zaina spoke, she carefully observed Zulia's expression.

Knowing she still didn't believe him, he added, "Sister, you don't believe me? Did you hear anything unusual on your way to see me?"

Zulya shook his head: "That's not the case at all; in fact, it's even stranger. Zaina, you said you escaped, so these past few days, this old man Pei has been writing this military treatise with his last breath, just to exchange for the antidote I have?"

Zaina snatched the military treatise back, her face full of indignation: "Of course! Sister, Pei Lang was already beyond saving after writing the last stroke! Otherwise, why would I have come alone?"

"I know I can't hate you for this, but what Pei Lang died with regret was that he hadn't obtained the Pei family's antidote."

"If you don't give it to me, how can I face Pei Lang? I will never forgive you, even as a ghost!"

Seeing her like this, Zuliya sighed: "I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you."

She took a bulging bag from her waist, rummaged around inside for a while, and then took out a bottle: "Just put this medicine into the Pei family's drinking water well."

Zaina took the medicine.

"Just this one pill? Sister, you must be lying to me."

Upon hearing this, Zuliya laughed heartily: "It's truly laughable that we sisters now doubt and distrust each other!"

"No matter what, Nana, I won't hurt you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zulia looked down at the short knife stuck in his abdomen, then looked up at his younger sister in disbelief.

Why?

Zulia fell heavily backward and leaned against the tree trunk.

She clutched the knife in her stomach, her face contorted in pain.

Zaina's actions have become very slow by now.

She had used all her strength to shove the knife into her sister's stomach.

Now, exhausted, she leaned against the rock.

“Sister… all these years, you’ve kept me locked up… even though you know I’m suffering… you’ve never thought of freeing me…”

"You've kept me alive, clinging to life, just for the military treatise in Pei Lang's hands, haven't you..."

"Sister...you've changed a long time ago. You're no longer the sister who depended on me and only loved me!"

Upon hearing this, Zuliya roared, "What more do I need to do?! Isn't it already an extraordinary act of mercy for me, the sect leader, to spare the life of a traitor like you?!"

"Zayna, it was you who betrayed our sect for a man! You betrayed me first!"

Zaina: "So you think you can just cruelly harm my daughter?! She's still my own flesh and blood, and your own niece!!"

Zuliya sneered: "A monster born from an affair with a Han Chinese man, does it even deserve to be called a child?"

“Zayna, you’re just a mistress. In their Central Plains, that monster wouldn’t even be registered in the Pei family’s genealogy!”

Zaina: "Hahaha... So what? I've been with the one I love for a lifetime, and what about you!? You were deceived by a man back then. If I hadn't covered for you, do you think you could have become the sect leader today?"

"So, you want to kill me today because of a monster?"

Zaina screamed like a madwoman, "That's my child!!"

Zulya: "If you truly love her so much, why do you lock her up in the dungeon and treat her like an animal?"

"Nana, you only just realized you're her mother? Don't you think it's too late?"

"And you're as naive as ever... Did you think I wouldn't be wary of this?"

After saying that, Zuliya stood up, supporting her stomach.

Zaina then realized that her wound wasn't bleeding at all...

That dagger had only pierced a wad of cotton!

“Zayna, I knew you would pull this stunt, so I left myself a way out before coming to see you today.”

"Also, do you think the Pei family only needs this one antidote?"

"They need to take this pill every seven days, for a total of seven times, before they can expel the Gu worms that pull at their skin!"

"Zayna, you lost."

Zaina was furious that Zulya had tricked her.

But she just laughed loudly a few times.

"My sister, you should be the one who lost."

As soon as Zaina finished speaking, a rustling sound immediately emanated from the surroundings.

Zulia then realized that Zaina had indeed brought people with her!

The silence along the way doesn't mean there weren't ambushes.

Instead, she had already made thorough preparations and set this trap for herself!

"you!"

Zuliya was so angry that her face turned ashen. She quickly took out a veil and put it on her face.

He then pulled out a signal firework and was about to launch it.

Before she could even remove the stopper, an arrow flew over and pierced through the bamboo tube.

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi, who were disguised with their faces covered, rode out of the woods together.

The person who held the bow and shot that arrow was none other than Li Qingluo.

"Zuliya, the leader of Miao Jiang Yun Gu, surrender at once!"

Seeing this, Zuliya sneered. Naturally, she still had a backup plan. She took the bamboo tube from her waist and poured a bunch of poisonous insects on the ground.

Seeing this, the masked Chasing Rain and his group did not rush to attack.

Instead, they all took out tinderboxes, first scattered some things on the ground, and then lit the tinderboxes on the ground!

The fire instantly engulfed the poisonous insects!

They came prepared, so why would they be afraid of these poisonous insects?

Seeing this, Zuliya's face finally turned ashen.

She angrily yelled at Zaina, "You betrayed me!"

Zaina: "Sister, you hurt me first!"

A sinister glint flashed in Zuliya's eyes.

"Zayna, since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After saying that, she lunged at Zaina and tried to grab her as a threat.

Li Qingluo had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow again, and upon seeing this, he immediately shot an arrow at Zuliya's feet.

Then, several more arrows were shot at.

Seeing her superb archery skills, Zuliya had no choice but to stop and give up.

Zhuiyu and the others finally leaped over the wall of fire, armed with spears, soft blades, and other weapons, and rushed in from the side.

Zuliya possessed a wealth of witchcraft skills, so his martial arts abilities were naturally not weak either.

However, she was finding it somewhat difficult to withstand the simultaneous attack of so many people.

Moreover, Zaina must have given these guards prior notice; they didn't get close at all, but instead kept probing her with ranged weapons.

Soon, Zulya's arms and legs were injured.

Seeing this, Zaina shouted, "Spare her life!"

Zulia clutched his arm and stumbled backward, quickly reaching the edge of the cliff.

She turned her head to look at the cliff, and resolutely prepared to jump off.

However, Duan Rongshi, who had already arrived on horseback, seized the opportunity to fling away the bracelet and silk that Li Qingluo had lent him.

The thin thread wrapped tightly around Zuliya's waist, pulling her back to the edge of the fire pit.

In an instant, spearheads pressed down on Zuliya's body and neck, rendering her unable to move.

Zuliya was taken away, bound hand and foot.

Zaina, pale-faced, got up from the ground and looked up at Duan Rongshi and Li Qingluo weakly: "Quick! Take me back to see Pei Lang!"

Duke Pei was on his deathbed.

When Zaina rushed back, he no longer recognized her.

He was in a daze, staring blankly at the bed curtains with cloudy eyes.

Zaina, tears streaming down her face, knelt by the bedside, calling his name again and again.

Just then, Pei Sanlang was also brought up.

"Grandfather, greatgrandfather?"

When leaving the Duke Pei's mansion, Pei San originally intended to drag the old Duke Pei to his death.

He did that, of course, to protect the Pei family's secrets.

But now these secrets are no longer secrets, and he naturally felt a pang of sorrow in the face of his great-grandfather's death.

Upon hearing his voice, the old Duke turned his head, a rare occurrence for him.

"Sanlang...the military treatise..."

"It was given to... His Highness Prince Su..."

"From now on... you... should take care of yourself..."

"Go and walk your own path..."

"I've ruined you... I've ruined you!"

"Sanlang..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Father—Mother—your child was wrong!"

"Brothers... Second brother, third brother... Big brother, big brother is here..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old Duke finally breathed his last.