Cheng Liang scolded, "You bunch of good-for-nothings! You don't work hard, and all you do is dream about getting something for nothing. Aren't you afraid that this pie will fall from the sky and crush you?"
The subordinate then exclaimed happily, "Even if this kind of pie killed us a thousand or ten thousand times, we would still be happy to accept it!"
Cheng Liang angrily said, "Alright, why isn't this over yet? After we finish this mission and return to the Prince's Mansion in the east of the city, I will have a good talk with you about this windfall. Right now... we need to wipe out these Northern Lie enemy bandits for me."
"Yes!" After receiving the order, the generals immediately turned and walked towards the Northern Fierce Bandits who were lined up in a row, trembling with fear, waiting to fight to the death...
Yi Junhao followed closely behind, watching the madam run to the end of the river and catch her breath. From beginning to end, she only held tightly to those two hands, clutching the glass bottle she cherished as her life.
Clearly, the river led only to a bottomless abyss; there were no caves or other shelters she had hoped for. Her disappointed eyes stared blankly at the massive waterfall cascading down into the distance, seemingly without end. She was now utterly desperate.
Just as she was hesitating at the edge of the waterfall, unsure of what to do, Yi Junhao spoke up and advised her, "Hey, there's no way forward anymore, turn back now!"
Hearing the sound, the madam quickly turned around, glanced at him, and then looked behind him, her expression seemingly surprised. She asked, "Why did you come alone? Where are the others? Aren't you afraid of the poison I have?"
"You...are you really from Nan'an?" Yi Junhao ignored her and asked to confirm her identity himself.
“'Nan’an'? It certainly makes one uneasy!” the madam sighed absentmindedly.
“I am also a citizen of Nan’an Kingdom. You can tell me what you need to say!” Yi Junhao said.
The madam's eyes widened immediately as she looked into Yi Junhao's eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "You're really from Nan'an Kingdom?"
Yi Junhao chuckled, but didn't directly answer her question. "The poison you mentioned earlier, is it the Ice Beauty Gu Poison? Ever since I was born in Nan'an, before I even learned to walk, I've been quite interested in the art of medicine and poison. Now that I'm all grown up, I've never really been afraid of any poison. Why don't you try applying this poison to me? I'd really like to see if this legendary Ice Beauty Gu Poison is truly as rumored, the most potent poison in the world?"
Upon hearing this, the madam, who had been carefully examining the flamboyantly dressed but undeniably distinguished young man before her, was immediately astonished. She thought to herself, "This man knows about the Ice Beauty Gu poison, and he even speaks with a faint Nan'an accent. It seems he's telling the truth about being from Nan'an. Moreover, he must be a top-tier Gu master or something similar. Just moments ago, she had hoped to see someone from her homeland of Nan'an one last time before she died, and now, in the blink of an eye, such a person has appeared. Heaven has been kind to her after all. In this way, she can truly die without regrets."
Seemingly content, the madam asked him with some doubt, "Could it be that you are also one of Tuoba Ze's men? How come I've never seen you before?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao coldly snorted and angrily said, "Tuoba Ze? Shameless scoundrel! There are so many ways to make money in this world, why would he choose to make money off women's bodies? How could I associate with such a person?"
The madam was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a while, she said, "You're not one of Tuoba Ze from the Northern Lie? Could it be... that you're one of the King of Qin from the Western Qin? That King of Qin, the God of War, is brave and powerful, and loved by all the people. He's quite a gentleman. Following him is much better than following Tuoba Ze."
Yi Junhao smiled and shook his head. "Stop making wild guesses. Of the four kingdoms of the Lingkong Continent, I am not affiliated with any of them. I have no interest in any of the people or things in this world. If it weren't for the woman I love the only one in this world, I would never have appeared here today."
"For the woman you love? So you're quite the romantic, young master. How wonderful! To have someone you love in this life is such a beautiful thing!" the madam said enviously.
"Doesn't everyone have someone like that in their heart during their life? Is something as ordinary and simple as that so hard to achieve?" Yi Junhao said dismissively.
"Hmph, yes. It's such an ordinary and simple thing, but for some people, it's so unattainable," the madam said wistfully.
Yi Junhao noticed her strange behavior; she seemed indecisive, absent-minded, and even lost in thought. He tried to calm her down, asking, "Why...why did you have the heart to leave your homeland of Nan'an and live this miserable life away from home?"
The madam couldn't remember how many people she had told about her painful past, and every time she did, she felt a surge of emotion.
However, on her deathbed, she suddenly didn't want to say anything more, and her heart was as calm as still water, because she knew that she shouldn't have lived in hatred all these years.
She must have thought that her son, Hao'er, whom she kept nagging about, would become the next ruler of Nan'an.
Thinking of this, what could she possibly hate about Nan'an?
Does she hate her own sister? Without her years of meticulous care and guidance, how could Hao'er be where he is today?
Hate the King of Nan'an? Without his love, approval and high regard, how could Hao'er have become the most noble crown prince of Nan'an and the heir to the throne?
Therefore, she should no longer hate, need no more words, and must no longer resent...
Then the madam smiled, a genuine smile, for she had truly found peace in her heart. She spoke, “The past is the past. These years away from Nan’an have felt like a dream, a very long dream. So many years have passed, and I am weary. I no longer wish to wander aimlessly, to be manipulated by others, to continue living a life of constant flight. Just like this ice beauty in my hand, it is time for a weary bird to return to its nest.”
“‘Weary birds returning to their nests’? What do you want to do, what do you want to do…” Yi Junhao listened to these words and pondered those four words, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Just as he was pondering this, he saw the madam suddenly sit down cross-legged on the ground to the side, and slowly put the glass bottle in her hand down in front of her.
Then, she closed her eyes slightly and chanted some incantations that no one else could understand.
Before long, the ice beauty in the glass bottle, whose entire body was enveloped in a ball of fiery red light and who was gracefully flapping her wings like a beautiful woman in flight, scattering droplets of blood-like petals, was suddenly replaced and enveloped by wisps of thick black smoke, and the fiery red light disappeared instantly.
Like a blazing fire, after a fierce burning, it emitted wisps of black smoke, as if something had been scorched.
Just then, the madam slowly stopped chanting, gently opened her eyes again, and sincerely murmured apologetically to the soul in the inky mist before her, "I'm sorry that because of my sinful obsession, you have suffered the greatest pain and trials that you should not have had to endure in this life. Now, I will return freedom, peace, and purity to you, hoping that you will return to your original innocence and live a life free from turmoil."
As soon as she finished speaking, the madam reached into her sleeve and pulled out a sharp dagger that she usually used for self-defense. She slowly raised her arm and then plunged it into her heart with deadly precision.
Suddenly, she pulled the dagger from her heart. The madam held her breath, her face pale. She stretched out one hand and laboriously opened a small hole on the cap of the glass bottle, while using her other hand to aim the tip of the dagger at the small hole, about the size of a soybean.
Then, the madam's bright red heart blood, which was stuck to the dagger, dripped down and landed right on the cloud of dark smoke.
Miraculously, in an instant, the wisp of dark smoke vanished, as if it had been swallowed up by the drop of heart's blood. Only the ice beauty remained inside, still dancing gracefully.
The madam was on her deathbed, her face deathly pale, and with her eyes glazed over, she used the last of her strength to completely open the glass bottle lid.
The ice beauty immediately flew out of the bottle, hovering in the air, flapping her wings but unwilling to leave for a long time.
The madam weakly shed two tears, murmuring farewell, "Go, you are free, you are reborn. Go where you belong, live the life you are meant to live, return to your homeland, find your loved ones, and never let your happiness return..."
The ice beauty remained hovering beside her, flapping its wings even more vigorously, scattering more ice flowers like a rain of ice blossoms. It seemed to be saying goodbye, or perhaps it was weeping, bidding her a reluctant farewell.
The madam pursed her lips slightly and then smiled. This smile, though silent, was the most genuine and happiest she had ever felt in all these years.
Finally, the Ice Beauty slowly departed amidst the madam's most beautiful smile, flying straight north.
A butterfly could bring her profound understanding of her life, but it came too late, and everything was too late.
However, she was still grateful that her soul was clean when she died, and that her obsession and resentment had not caused more innocent people on this continent to suffer from the Ice Beauty's poison.
With a thud, the madam finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer, and fell heavily to the cold ground, gazing at the horizon where the ice beauty had departed.
Yi Junhao had been standing to the side the whole time, stunned by what he saw.
Upon hearing the sound, he quickly flew over, squatted down beside her, gently helped her up, and pulled her into his arms, saying helplessly, "If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place. You have to bear the consequences of your own actions."
The madam seemed too weak to say anything more, and with great difficulty, she took out a bright yellow sachet from her body and placed it in Yi Junhao's hand, her mouth opening and closing weakly.
Upon seeing her, Yi Junhao instinctively leaned down and pressed one ear to her lips, wanting to hear her dying words.
Just then...
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