Chapter 287: The Old Duke's Death!

As she spoke, she reached over to take it, but Zayina dodged by raising her hand.

"Older sister, you promised to give the antidote for the Pei family, right?"

"Many in the Pei family have noticed something's off; besides the green thread on every young master's body, all the daughters who married out can still bear children for their husbands' families, but within the Pei household these past years, no newborn has been born for a long time..."

"Older sister, the whole Pei family aren't fools; they'll eventually find out!"

"Although they had doctors examine everyone in the manor and couldn't find the cause, won't they eventually suspect witchcraft?"

"Moreover, Pei Lang is clinging to life, and even on his deathbed he managed to accomplish what you threatened him with; you must keep your promise."

Zulia gave a cold snort: "Your feelings for him are sincere, but if you don't let me see it first, how can I know it's real or fake?"

Zayina thought it over and still handed over the military manual.

Zulia naturally couldn't understand it at all.

As for the military manual, to her it was completely beyond her comprehension.

But she smelled the ink and brush behind it, and they were indeed fresh.

Moreover, the final strokes look disordered and unstable, clearly due to a complete lack of hand strength.

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

"Besides, weren't you taken away by Lord Yue the Fifth? How did you escape?"

"As far as I know, the old Pei patriarch and that Pei Sanlang were captured by Prince Su's men; if so, didn't you also fall into Prince Su's hands?"

"And how did you end up like this?"

"Zayina, I'm your only real older sister; you can't lie to me!"

Zayina: "Who said it was Prince Su who captured them?"

"I and the Blood Gu Worm were indeed taken by Lord Yue the Fifth; the ones who seized Pei Lang and Pei San were also him."

"He wears a white flood‑dragon mask and speaks with a Great Chu accent… Older sister, I'd also like to ask: do you know this person?"

"As for how I escaped, it was naturally because of Pei Lang… That day, after seeing Pei Lang, Lord Yue the Fifth somehow obtained a Pei family woman, gave her blood to the Blood Gu Worm and Pei Lang to eat; the Blood Gu Worm went mad first, lunging at anyone it saw."

"Lord Yue the Fifth then killed it with a single slash!"

"Who would have thought that neither I nor Pei Lang died; instead, we were freed from the gu poison when the Blood Gu Worm died."

"Pei San then seized the chance, leading me and Pei Lang into a death‑struggle against Lord Yue the Fifth's men."

"Older sister, do you still remember that I once told you Pei Lang had secretly cultivated his own faction?"

"After leaving the Pei manor, his followers have been searching for him all along."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, those people came after us; we only escaped after they killed many of Lord Yue the Fifth's men."

Zayina spoke while carefully observing Zulia's expression.

Seeing she still didn't believe me, I added: "Older sister, you don't believe me? When you came to see me, did you notice anything unusual along the way?"

Zulia shook her head: "There was nothing like that; instead, it's even stranger. Zayina, you say you escaped, so these past days the old Pei patriarch, clinging to his last breath, wrote this military manual just to exchange for the antidote in my hand?"

Zayina snatched the military manual back in one gulp, face flushed with anger: "Of course! Older sister, Pei Lang collapsed right after finishing the last stroke; otherwise, why would I have come alone?"

"I know I can't blame you for this, but Pei Lang died with unfinished business because he never got the Pei family's antidote."

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

Seeing her like that, Zulia sighed: "I never said I wouldn't give it."

She took down a bulging pouch from her waist, rummaged inside, and then pulled out a bottle: "Just drop this medicine into the Pei family's drinking well."

Zayina received the medicine.

"Is this just a single pill? Older sister, don't deceive me."

Hearing this, Zulia laughed "hahaha": "We sisters, now doubting and distrusting each other—how ridiculous!"

"No matter what, Nana, I won't harm you…"

Before her words finished, Zulia lowered her gaze to the short dagger embedded in her own abdomen, then lifted her eyes in disbelief to stare at her own younger sister.

"Why… why?"

Zulia stumbled backward heavily, leaning against the tree trunk.

She clutched the dagger in her belly, her face twisted in pain.

Zayina's movements had become sluggish by today.

Just now she had to exert all her strength to drive the dagger into her sister's belly.

And now she, drained of strength, leaned back against a stone.

"Older sister… these past years you've locked me up… even though you know I'm suffering… you never once thought to set me free…"

"You kept me alive on a breath just to get the military manual from Pei Lang's hand, didn't you?"

"Older sister… you've long since changed; you're no longer the one who relied on me and doted on me alone!"

Upon hearing this, Zulia let out a low growl: "What more must I do!? As the grand sect master, I spared your life as a traitor— isn't that already generous enough!?"

"Zayina, you betrayed the sect for a man back then! You were the one who first turned against me!"

Zayina: "Then you think you can freely maim and hurt my daughter!? She is my own flesh and blood, or is she your niece!?"

Zulia gave a cold snort: "A monster born from your illicit union with a Han man— does it even deserve to be called a child?"

"Zayina, you're merely a concubine; in their Central Plains, that monster could never be entered into the Pei family genealogy!"

Zayina: "Hahaha… so what? I've loved and stayed with my beloved for a lifetime, while you? You were deceived by a man back then— if I hadn't covered for you, do you think you could still be sect master today?"

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

Zayina screamed like a madwoman: "That's my child!!"

Zulia: "If you truly love her that much, why then lock her in a dungeon as a beast?"

"Nana, you only now realize you're her mother— don't you think it's too late?"

"Besides, you're just as naïve as ever… you think I wouldn't guard against this move of yours?"

Zu Liya finished speaking, then supported her belly and stood up.

Za Yina only then saw clearly that her wound wasn't bleeding at all...

That dagger had been plunged into nothing but a lump of sponge!

"Za Yina, I knew you would use this move, so before coming to see you today I also left myself a way out."

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

"They have to take this pill once every seven days, a total of seven times, to expel the witchcraft insects of the silk‑drawing lure!"

"Za Yina, you have lost."

Za Yina, although she was furious that Zu Liya had tricked her,

but she only gave a few loud "hahaha" laughs.

"My sister, the one who should lose is you."

As Za Yina's words fell, the surroundings immediately rustled with a sususu sound.

Only then did Zu Liya realize that Za Yina had really brought people with her!

There had been no movement along the way, but that didn't mean there was truly no ambush.

Rather, she had long prepared a foolproof plan, setting this trap to await herself!

"You!"

Zu Liya's face turned ashen with anger; she quickly took out a veil and put it on her face.

And she pulled out a signal flare, about to fire it.

But before she could pull out the stopper, a flying arrow shot over, the arrowhead piercing straight through the bamboo tube.

Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi, their faces masked in disguise, rode out together from the woods.

And the person holding the bow who had just shot that arrow was none other than Li Qingluo.

"Master of Yun Valley from MiaoJiang, Zu Liya, surrender at once!"

Zu Liya snorted coldly, naturally still having a trump card; she took down the bamboo tube from her waist and poured a pile of poisonous insects onto the ground.

The masked Zhui Yu and the others, seeing this, also did not rush to attack.

Instead, they all took out fire starters, first scattering something on the ground, then striking the fire starter onto the ground!

The flames instantly lunged at those poisonous insects!

They had come prepared; how could they fear these poisonous insects?

Zu Liya's face finally turned ashen at the sight.

She angrily cursed Za Yina: "You betrayed me!"

Za Yina: "Elder sister, it was you who first harmed me!"

A flash of malice crossed Zu Liya's eyes.

"Za Yina, if that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Having said that, she lunged to grab Za Yina as a threat.

Li Qingluo had already re‑nocked her bow; seeing this, she immediately shot an arrow at Zu Liya's feet.

Then, several more arrows followed in quick succession.

Seeing Li Qingluo's superb archery, Zu Liya could only halt and give up.

Zhui Yu and the others finally seized long spears and soft whips, leapt over the wall of fire, and charged in from the side.

Zu Liya possessed the Witchcraft Technique, so her martial arts were naturally not weak either.

But fending off so many attackers at once inevitably strained her.

Moreover, Za Yina must have greeted these guards beforehand; they kept their distance, using ranged weapons to continually probe her.

Soon Zu Liya's arms and legs were all wounded.

Za Yina shouted loudly: "Spare her life!"

Zu Liya, clutching her arm, stumbled backward in disarray and soon reached the edge of the cliff.

She glanced at the cliff, then resolutely prepared to leap off.

However, Duan Rongshi, who had already come on horseback, seized the chance to yank open the fine silk bracelet Li Qingluo had lent him.

The fine silk coiled tightly around Zu Liya's waist, yanking her back toward the fire pit.

In an instant, spear tips and arrowheads pressed against her front and throat, leaving her unable to move.

Zu Liya was taken away, bound tightly.

Za Yina climbed up from the ground, her face pale, and looked at Duan Rongshi and Li Qingluo with a breath like a gossamer thread: "Hurry! Take me back to see Pei Lang!"

The old Duke Pei was already at death's door.

When Za Yina rushed back, he no longer recognized anyone.

He was merely dazed, his cloudy eyes fixed on the bed curtains.

Za Yina lay beside the bed, tears streaming down her face, calling out to him repeatedly.

At that moment, Pei Sanlang was also brought up.

"Great grandfather, great grandfather?"

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

He did so naturally to preserve those secrets of the Pei family.

But now those secrets are no longer secret; facing the great grandfather's death, he naturally felt a hint of sorrow.

Upon hearing his voice, the old duke rarely turned his head.

"Sanlang… the military manual…"

"Given… to Your Highness Prince Su…"

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

Go walk your own path...

I harmed you... I harmed you!

Third Son...

Sorry...

Father—Mother—I was wrong!

Younger brothers... Second Brother, Third Brother... Elder Brother, Elder Brother has come...

As the words fell, the old duke's breath finally dissipated.