In the darkness of night, the wind howled, carrying a hint of chill.
Li Xi tightened her cloak, her gaze sharp as a knife as she scanned the surrounding darkness.
She could sense that this feeling of unease was not unfounded, but rather that some tangible entity was secretly watching them.
She quickened her pace, passed through a dense forest, and came to an open space.
The open terrain, with no obstructions, only made it more unsettling.
Just then, she suddenly heard a slight noise.
She immediately turned around alertly, only to see a figure flash past quickly in the darkness.
"Who?" Li Xi shouted sharply, and at the same time moved to chase after the figure.
However, the figure was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing intermittently, sometimes in front and sometimes behind, making it impossible for Li Xi to catch its trace.
A sense of irritation welled up within her; this pursuit had been going on for some time.
But the other party seemed to have no intention of attacking; they were simply luring her deeper into the darkness.
She suddenly became alert, feeling that she might have fallen into a carefully designed trap.
She immediately turned back, attempting to leave the dark area.
But at that moment, she suddenly felt a strong chill, as if something was pressed tightly against her back.
Li Xi was startled and turned around abruptly, only to find it pitch black and she couldn't see anything clearly.
But the chill grew stronger and stronger, as if something cold was slowly invading her body.
She suddenly raised her hand, and a sword aura instantly pierced the darkness, but no sound came out, as if the sword aura had only struck nothingness.
"What exactly is it?" A sense of unease welled up in Li Xi's heart. She felt as if she were being manipulated by an invisible hand.
Just then, she suddenly heard a faint groan.
The voice seemed to come from beside her ear, yet also from afar.
She immediately looked around warily, but could see nothing but darkness.
"Stop playing tricks and come out!" Li Xi shouted, gripping his sword tightly, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
However, the groans grew clearer and clearer, as if something was slowly approaching her.
She suddenly felt a strong sense of unease, as if something was about to burst out of the darkness.
Just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her, moving so fast that she had no time to react.
Li Xi only had time to swing her sword once, but the dark figure seemed to merge into the darkness and instantly disappeared from her sight.
"Bastard!" Li Xi cursed angrily.
She knew she had fallen into their trap, and they didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack, but were just toying with her.
Li Xi was anxious to get back, so she kept walking forward by feeling. She didn't know how much time had passed before the darkness finally dissipated.
She rushed back, only to find herself surrounded by men in black.
Only the Empress Dowager's personal guards stood in front, covered in blood, clearly seriously injured.
Seeing that the guards were too weak to resist, he said with difficulty, "Young master, Doctor Meng has been captured by their men!"
Startled, she immediately drew her sword and charged forward to fight the men in black alongside the guards.
Swords flashed, figures darted about, and each swing of the sword was accompanied by the black-clad man's screams and fall to the ground.
But more and more men in black appeared to be attacking her, each move deadly.
Faced with so many fierce enemies, she took a deep breath and poured her powerful inner strength into her palms, gripping the longsword tightly.
In an instant, the sword emitted a faint light, and the sound of wind and thunder could be faintly heard.
Her steps were flexible and varied, sometimes light and graceful, sometimes strong and powerful.
Every step she took was imbued with unparalleled skill and power, making it impossible for her enemies to predict her movements.
The long sword in her hand transformed into a deadly whirlwind, and wherever it passed, the men in black fell to the ground, splattering blood. Except for one who escaped, only one remained alive.
Since absorbing the power of the stars, she will no longer suffer from qi deviation and fall into a coma if she uses the domineering true energy within her body.
The Nine Heavens Sword Technique, passed down to her by her maternal grandmother, has been infused with the power of the stars, making it even more fierce, domineering, and infinitely powerful.
At this moment, she was like a goddess of death descending to earth, exuding a cold and murderous aura that made people afraid to look directly at her.
After dealing with the men in black, she ordered her guards to find someone to handle the situation.
Li Xi stared intently at the only survivor, her voice icy cold, as if it could drip ice: "Speak! Who ordered you to come here? And where did you take Lan'er?"
According to the guards' report, shortly after Li Xi left, a person carrying a child blocked the carriage's path.
The person claimed that their child had suddenly contracted a serious illness and asked them to help take the child to a nearby clinic.
Upon hearing this, the kind-hearted Meng Zhelan got off the carriage without hesitation, wanting to personally examine the child.
However, as she approached the child, something unexpected happened—the seemingly frail child suddenly reached out and grabbed Meng Zhelan, then leaped up and vanished into the dark night sky in an instant.
The Empress Dowager was shocked and immediately ordered her secret guards to search for Meng Zhelan's whereabouts.
At the same time, a group of mysterious men in black appeared in front of them and blocked their way.
Faced with the sudden turn of events, the guards reacted swiftly, protecting the Empress Dowager as she safely evacuated the scene, leaving only one guard to cover the rear.
The man in black's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to do something.
However, Li Xi reacted swiftly, forcing him to open his mouth and expelling the poison hidden in his gums.
Not only that, Li Xi also casually sprinkled some antidote powder.
"Trying to commit suicide? Hmph, don't even dream about it! Let me tell you, the antidote you just swallowed has more than one effect..."
Li Xi's lips curled slightly, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense and refusing to finish her sentence.
At this moment, the man in black's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.
A fine layer of sweat even appeared on his forehead, and he felt waves of sharp pain in his abdomen, as if something was tearing at his internal organs.
"What...what exactly did you do?" the man in black asked through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with anger and fear.
Li Xi sneered and said calmly, "I added a little something to your antidote powder, so you can taste my secret medicine—the Heartbreak Powder."
It will cause excruciating pain, as if your internal organs are being ripped apart. But don't worry, this intestinal-severing poison won't kill you immediately; it will slowly torment you until you confess all your secrets.
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