The Price of Ambition

The word “poisoning” struck like a thunderbolt, and Lu Ping’an trembled violently!

When she realized that the person she was about to attack was Liu Ruyan, her back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

This was no ladder to glory and riches; rather, it was a precipitous path plunging into the abyss.

Yet, a sliver of hope lingered—what if it worked? What if she succeeded?

With the Qiu family’s assistance, she could firmly secure her position as the family heir.

Her entire clan, currently mired in obscurity, would then ascend to become a formidable power—a future where cultivation resources flowed abundantly, where the indignity of poverty was a forgotten dream, and where she would never again need to bow her head in deference to others.

Even if this path was indeed a dead end, was it not, in its own terrifying way, an unparalleled opportunity?

Lu Ping’an’s panicked gaze, initially wide with terror, slowly solidified within her trembling frame, hardening into an unyielding resolve.

Her hand, quivering uncontrollably, extended towards the vial of poison held by Qiu Yue.

Yet, the very instant her fingers were poised to brush against the lethal concoction, Qiu Yue abruptly retracted the small white porcelain bottle.

Lu Ping’an’s composure shattered instantly! She believed her hesitation had finally exhausted Qiu Yue’s patience.

“Disciple Qiu!” Lu Ping’an stammered, her voice laced with desperation. “Please, give me another chance! I… I will accept decisively this time! I shouldn’t have hesitated! Please forgive me! Just one more chance!”

Without another word, she began to repeatedly slap her own cheeks, the resounding echoes of each blow reverberating through the otherwise silent, empty private room.

She even dropped to her knees right there, her face a stark canvas of regret and profound self-loathing for her earlier indecision.

“Do not fret,” Qiu Yue murmured with a soft chuckle, her toe lightly tapping Lu Ping’an’s shoulder.

From her elevated position, her gaze held a chilling hint of amusement.

“Those words were merely a test of your resolve. The true task at hand is, naturally, an entirely different affair.”

Though her cultivation realm remained suppressed, her divine sense persisted undiminished.

Spreading out like an intricate web, it nonetheless failed to detect even the faintest ripple of intrusion.

As the cherished, pampered daughter of the Qiu family head, the ring adorning her finger, deceptively simple in appearance, was in fact a profound secret treasure capable of discerning myriad detection methods.

It possessed the unique ability to imbue divine sense with detection techniques, ensuring no prying gaze could remain hidden.

Ever since her arrival at the Hall of Clarity, countless concealed gazes had shadowed her every move, trailing from the lecture hall to her very sleeping chambers.

Whether due to her own cultivation limitations or the interference of intricate formations, she had never been able to pinpoint their origin.

Yet, understanding that these were merely surveillance, devoid of malicious intent, Qiu Yue had remained utterly indifferent.

Indeed, she had long grown accustomed to a life lived under constant scrutiny.

Now, however, with the precise location of Lin Mo’s concealment revealed, the pervasive surveillance within the Hall of Clarity could no longer be treated with such nonchalance.

Grand Elder Qing You wielded absolute power within the Xuan Nv Sect; how could the Hall of Clarity possibly be devoid of her watchful eyes?

Extracting Lin Mo would be an almost insurmountable task; she required a concerted effort, coordinating actions from both within and outside the sect.

Curiously, this private room appeared to be utterly isolated from the outside world; even the supreme treasure she carried remained utterly silent, offering not the slightest indication.

Earlier, she had deliberately uttered venomous words like “poisoning Liu Ruyan and Lin Wan’er,” yet even that had failed to elicit any unusual reaction.

It seemed this place was indeed the sole blind spot within the Hall of Clarity.

This realization immediately spurred her, and she began to devise a method for transmitting information.

What she lacked now was precisely a pawn like Lu Ping’an, someone willing to gamble their very life for the promise of a future.

“Have you truly considered this?” Qiu Yue probed. “Are you willing to withdraw from the Hall of Clarity, no matter the cost?”

“At all costs!”

Lu Ping’an knew deep down that relying solely on herself was futile; even leveraging the Hall of Clarity offered no path for her to truly ascend above others.

Yet, Qiu Yue possessed that very power!

With barely a moment’s hesitation, Lu Ping’an’s eyes, devoid of confusion, shone only with an unwavering resolve and yearning for a glorious future.

Without a trace of equivocation, she responded immediately and unequivocally: “My Lady, command me! Ping’an will brave any trial, even fire and water! I will not flinch, even if it means being torn to pieces!”

“Even if your meridians are shattered, poison ravages your five vital organs, and your entire body festers into decaying bone?” Qiu Yue’s smile remained sweet and gentle, a beautiful visage radiating warmth, yet the words that spilled from her lips were like ancient, profound ice, chilling one to the very marrow.

A gasp caught in Lu Ping’an’s throat.

For most women, their appearance was paramount, surpassing all else.

But for Lu Ping’an, this was not the case.

What she heard was the promise of boundless wealth and power.

“I am willing!” she cried, her voice raw. “So long as I can contribute to your grand design, Ping’an will not flinch!”

She bowed her head deeply, her throat erupting with a guttural roar. “Command me as you wish, My Lady; Ping’an will not refuse, even if it means ten thousand deaths!”

A flicker of appreciation momentarily crossed Qiu Yue’s eyes.

The white jade poison bottle was extended once more, a faint, eerie glow swirling around its delicate form.

“Swallow this. For three days, you must not circulate your cultivation. When the poison begins to corrode your lungs and vital organs—”

Her shoetip lightly tapped a crucial acupoint on Lu Ping’an’s throat.

“Only my personal protector possesses the antidote for this venom. At that time, you need only deliver a single message…”

Then, Qiu Yue’s low voice, like a venomous serpent coiling around her eardrum, whispered: “‘I wish to return home.'”

“Understood!”

Upon receiving the bottle, Lu Ping’an immediately inverted it, allowing the poison pill to tumble out into her palm.

The pill, a uniform dark green, emitted a sweet, cloying, and strangely alluring scent the moment it rolled in her palm, a fragrance that aggressively assailed her nostrils.

Yet, despite its seemingly pleasant aroma, the instant it entered her nasal passages, it felt as though countless venomous snakes were savagely tearing at the very fabric of her internal organs.

Her stomach began to churn violently, and a spasm in her throat brought forth a sudden, metallic tang, threatening to expel every morsel of the fine meal she had just consumed.

“This poison is called ‘Heart Devourer’,” Qiu Yue stated, now perched casually on the edge of the table, her smile still radiant as she observed Lu Ping’an.

“Within half an hour of ingestion, it will permeate your bone marrow. For three days, should you refrain from circulating spiritual power, it will lie dormant, much like an insect’s egg. During this period, you will experience an unbearable, excruciating itch, accompanied by alternating waves of intense cold and searing heat. Should you attempt to forcibly suppress it with your cultivation within these three days, you will perish instantly. If, however, you manage to endure for three days, it will gradually hatch, slowly corroding your five vital organs. This will inflict a month of continuous agony, and without proper treatment, you will slowly and excruciatingly die.”

Abruptly, Qiu Yue leaned closer, her breath a warm whisper against Lu Ping’an’s pallid earlobe.

“But if you persevere, if you successfully deliver my message, what kind of future do you imagine awaits you? I believe I need not elaborate, do I?”

Lu Ping’an’s palm trembled uncontrollably, her ragged breaths incessantly fracturing her concentration.

The poison pill had yet to even pass her lips, yet the brownish-red patterns etched upon its surface seemed to brand her flesh like a searing iron.

To swallow it—

Lu Ping’an dared not contemplate the implications; fear relentlessly screamed at her to discard the poison immediately.

Yet, the dazzling fantasy of boundless riches clamped down upon her trembling hand like an invisible, unyielding vice.

Her parents’ faces, gaunt from endless toil for the family’s dwindling fortunes; the family’s slow decline, met with outsiders’ scorn and contempt; the high hopes placed upon her before entering the sect; the once-plentiful ornaments and fine clothing that had gradually slipped from her grasp…

Fear and avarice waged a brutal war within her heart, tearing her in two.

Ultimately, however, greed utterly consumed the fear, and with a sudden, decisive tilt of her head, she swallowed the poison pill whole!

As saliva intertwined with the poison pill, a sweet yet faintly metallic pulp burst at the base of her tongue, scorching her mouth as if she had just gulped down boiling hot soup.

Yet, the hurried swallow transformed it into an ice-cold dagger, plunging directly into her abdomen.

“My Lady…” she rasped, her voice barely a whisper. “I will not fail your trust!”

Her own hoarse voice seemed to echo back to her, as if from the precipice of an endless abyss.

She cupped her hands in a gesture of gratitude, only to observe a faint green luminescence, ephemeral as a fleeting thought, tracing the network of her blood vessels before instantly dissipating.

It was a guillotine blade, now suspended precariously above her neck.

The delicate thread securing that blade, however, was tightly wound around Qiu Yue’s slender fingertip.

“Well done. You possess courage.” Qiu Yue’s smile widened gracefully. “This is your reward. I believe you are familiar with this spirit treasure?”

With that, she retrieved an item from her storage ring and tossed it into Lu Ping’an’s waiting hand.

That… that was actually a spirit treasure—a Divine Speed Banner! And its grade… was astonishingly high!

At this very moment, the command banner, adorned with intricate, mysterious runes, rested quietly in her palm.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and she could faintly perceive spiritual energy circulating within its fabric.

She had once read accounts of such spirit treasures: ‘Observe the banner to discern its quality!’

The command banner now resting in her hand glowed with a vivid crimson hue, unmistakable proof of its supreme grade.

A common Divine Speed Banner merely served as a travel aid, capable of covering ten thousand li in a day.

However, this supreme-grade artifact before her could not only traverse a hundred thousand li within a single day but also, in the throes of battle, allow its wielder to shift their movements in an instant, rendering them as elusive and unpredictable as a phantom!

The power it conferred was an unimaginable blend of extreme speed and unpredictable agility!

Such an incredibly valuable spirit treasure… had been given to her so effortlessly? Moreover, it was an unbonded spirit treasure, awaiting its true master!

Even if she couldn’t fully command it in her current state, once she reached Foundation Establishment, or even Golden Core, this spirit treasure would grant her an unparalleled advantage, propelling her far ahead of countless others!

‘No… she truly was the esteemed Young Mistress of the Qiu family! Her generosity was simply astonishing!’

It was a known fact that even the most prominent families in her region rarely possessed more than a handful of spirit treasures!

And now she… suddenly possessed one herself!

Every single sacrifice had been unequivocally worth it!

“Thank… thank you, Master!”

“There’s no need for thanks,” Qiu Yue replied dismissively. “Go now. Proceed according to the plan, including the instructions I gave you earlier. Cooperate with them to target Lin Wan’er.”

“Understood! Your subordinate will certainly not fail your trust, Master!”

“Go.”

Qiu Yue watched Lu Ping’an joyfully dash out of the private room, yet she remained utterly still.

She was waiting.

However, even after an hour had passed, there was still no sign of movement.

It appeared this place was truly impervious to all forms of detection.

An hour was ample time for someone to come looking for her, especially if this place were under surveillance.

After all, she was about to harm a disciple; surely, important figures like the Host would have arrived by now.

But even if they did come, she harbored no fear.

That poison was a special concoction from the Qiu family; without her activation, it was merely a harmless sugar pill.

Qiu Yue chuckled softly, humming a little tune as she exited the private room.

This tune was one Lin Mo often hummed; whenever she sang it, it felt as though Lin Mo was right beside her.

However~

This wish would soon become a reality.

To love someone, one must be unscrupulous.

Qiu Yue wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment.