The Show Begins

After Ling Muxue’s figure broke through the shackles of the bedchamber’s restriction, her fingertips deftly formed a seal, and a nearly transparent invisibility talisman instantly merged into her surroundings.

It blurred and faded her aura and figure, as if she were covered by a flowing veil.

Like a flying bird, Ling Muxue moved rapidly through the shadows of the palace walls cut by the bleak moonlight.

Suddenly, a strange feeling lingered in her heart.

The palace curfew, which should have been heavily guarded deep in the night, seemed unusually lax at this moment.

The visible sentries and hidden posts that usually patrolled densely seemed to have vanished into thin air.

The entire royal palace was immersed in a strange and deep silence, with only her own heartbeat drumming in her ears.

Ling Muxue forcibly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind; the urgency of saving someone instantly swallowed all doubts like a raging fire.

She gritted her teeth, moving quickly through the deep palace complex, and finally stopped abruptly in front of an old side hall that was remotely located, inconspicuous, and even covered in a thin layer of dust.

She took a deep breath, and the sharp nails of her right claw unhesitatingly slashed across the palm of her left hand.

“Tick-tock…”

A drop of scorching essence blood, glowing with a faint imperial golden light, fell and smashed onto the cold, pitch-black stone slab in front of the hall, leaving a small dark red mark.

“Om—!”

Almost the instant the blood drop touched the ground, a web-like, dense, gray, profound pattern, invisible to the naked eye, suddenly lit up on the surface of the heavy palace door.

Immediately afterward, the door slowly slid inward without a sound, revealing a deep, dark passage behind it.

Ling Muxue did not hesitate at all; her figure was like lightning, instantly flashing into the hall.

She didn’t care to look closely at the mountains of rare treasures piled up in the hall; her gaze was like the most precise falcon, sharply scanning the surroundings.

Her sight quickly swept over those dazzling brilliances and finally fixed firmly on a heavy wooden shelf covered in thick dust in the corner.

There, a small jade bottle, white all over and as warm as mutton-fat jade, stood quietly—it was the Nirvana Syrup.

“Found it!”

Ecstasy instantly seized Ling Muxue’s heart.

She pounced over and grasped the jade bottle tightly in her hand.

The warm, cool, and delicate touch came, as if she were holding onto the last hope.

She forcibly suppressed the excitement that was about to rush out of her throat, hastily restored everything to its original state, and then turned around without lingering.

She rushed out of the treasure vault, her figure quickly merging into the night, speeding towards the death row deep in the royal palace that made people turn pale at the mention of it.

Just as Ling Muxue’s figure completely disappeared at the end of the road leading to the dungeon, a tall, majestic figure, yet revealing endless fatigue, slowly paced out from the deep shadows beside the old side hall.

Ling Ze stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze as deep as a cold pool, quietly staring in the direction his daughter had disappeared, speechless for a long time.

The night cast deep shadows on his chiseled face.

After a long time, a heavy sigh spilled faintly from his lips: “Alas… it is indeed as Lu Qiancha predicted…”

His daughter, after all, had stepped into the royal forbidden ground for that demon and personally stole this last remaining Nirvana Syrup.

He hid the complex emotions churning in his eyes, and the mask of the emperor covered his face again.

He turned and took heavy but firm steps, walking towards the brightly lit bedchamber.

Tomorrow, a big play meticulously prepared for her was about to be staged; it was time to rest up.

First light appeared in the sky, turning the horizon a fish-belly white, and the golden rooster crowed to wake up the sleeping royal palace.

Ling Muxue woke up in her bedchamber, feeling refreshed.

However, this brief tranquility was instantly broken by a burst of urgent knocking.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

Ling Muxue: “?!”

Ling Muxue’s heart sank violently, instantly startled into panic by the knocking.

Had the theft of the medicine last night been exposed?

She walked to the door with a heavy heart and slowly pulled open the palace door.

Outside the door, a maid with a face full of anxiety spoke with a crying voice: “Princess! Please save Sun Niang!”

“Sun Niang? What happened to Sun Niang?!” Hearing that it was an accident with Sun Niang and not her secret being discovered, Ling Muxue first felt relief, but then her heart was tightened by that familiar name, and her voice rose abruptly.

“Today, in order to brew your favorite sweet wine, Sun Niang went to the woods outside the city to pick berries, but she was unfortunately bitten by a poisonous snake.

“Although the accompanying guards killed the poisonous snake, Sun Niang was poisoned too deeply, and by the time she came back, the toxin had spread throughout her body.”

The maid’s hurried words explained the general situation clearly.

This news was like a bolt from the blue. Ling Muxue’s already tense face instantly turned as pale as paper, her voice trembling: “How could this happen?! Quick! Take me to see her!”

Hearing that it concerned Sun Niang, the guards at the door did not stop her, only stating that they needed to accompany her for protection.

“Fine, anything is fine! Lead the way quickly!”

Ling Muxue was burning with anxiety, tears almost bursting from her eyes.

She had lost her mother at a young age, and it was Sun Niang who had single-handedly raised her.

In Ling Muxue’s heart, Sun Niang was a mother without blood relation.

Her loss of composure at this moment was excusable.

The maid dared not delay and immediately led Ling Muxue and the guards hurriedly to the small courtyard where Sun Niang lived.

A moment later.

Ling Muxue stepped into the bedroom filled with the strong smell of herbs.

On the sickbed, an old wolf clan woman with a kind appearance but a grey, defeated face was slightly closing her eyes, her breath weak, unsure if she was resting or suffering in her final moments.

“Sun Niang!”

Ling Muxue could no longer suppress it and threw herself onto the bed with a mournful cry, tears streaming down.

Hearing the call, Sun Niang struggled to open her cloudy eyes. Seeing who it was, she squeezed out an extremely loving smile on her face: “It’s Little Xue…”

Her voice was weak and intermittent, “Little Xue… I’m leaving… who will brew sweet wine for you in the future… I really wanted to watch you grow up… get married… but unfortunately… I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait for that…”

She raised her rough hand tremblingly, wanting to wipe Ling Muxue’s tears, but she was almost powerless.

“Sun Niang! No! You won’t die! I won’t let you go!”

Ling Muxue tightly grasped that old hand, crying and begging.

Then, she turned her head abruptly, her gaze piercing like a knife towards the physician standing solemnly with his head bowed at the side: “Doctor! Why are you just watching! Save her quickly!”

The physician buried his head lower, his voice heavy but clear: “Princess, please forgive me! Sun Niang is deeply poisoned, it has invaded her internal organs, and ordinary detoxification methods are of no avail.

“That she can see Your Highness at this moment is entirely due to the medicinal pills forcefully hanging onto her last breath, and… Sun Niang’s concern for you holding onto her last shred of consciousness.”

This decisive declaration instantly pushed Ling Muxue into the abyss of despair.

“No, there must be a way! There must be a way to save Sun Niang! Doctor, tell me, there must be a way, right?!” Ling Muxue acted like a madwoman, staring fixedly at the physician, her eyes holding the last shred of crazy hope.

The physician was silent for a moment, then finally whispered: “There is… indeed one more way.”

“What way, speak quickly!”

The light of hope instantly ignited in Ling Muxue’s eyes.

“It only requires a bottle of Nirvana Syrup.”

The physician spoke calmly, and after his voice fell, he added a sentence: “Nirvana Syrup can revive the dead and put flesh on white bones, so detoxifying this snake venom is naturally not a problem. Moreover, after taking this syrup, Sun Niang will not only recover completely but also be reborn, making further progress on the path of cultivation and extending her longevity.”

“Nirvana Syrup?!”

Ling Muxue’s breath hitched, and her heart felt as if it had been fiercely gripped.

She clenched her fists, stood up abruptly, and said resolutely to the guards behind her: “I’ll go find Father Emperor and ask for it!”