The Princess Consort of Prince Yao had actually climbed up out of the valley!

Wasn’t the Princess Consort supposed to have gone down there with Situ Haonan and the Second Beast Young Master the previous evening?

Surely she too should have been affected by the python’s poisonous fumes, just like the other two—even if she’d somehow escaped that fate the evening before, what about this morning’s fumes?

The morning fumes in the valley were extremely potent—even the beastfolk clan leader himself wouldn’t dare venture down there carelessly—and yet here this woman was, emerging perfectly unharmed, walking right up!

For a moment, everyone was struck speechless with astonishment, the entire mountainside erupting into chaos, even the beastfolk clan leader staring in complete disbelief.

How could this possibly be?

The antidote for the python’s poisonous fumes had, after all, been something he’d humbled himself to research alongside the Medicine Clan leader.

This was no ordinary poison—it was an extremely potent one. Once poisoned, unconsciousness followed instantly, and without a cure within two days, death was certain.

Could it be that the Princess Consort had absolutely no reaction to such a terrifying poison at all?

A deeply alarming thought suddenly flashed through the Medicine Clan leader’s mind, his already pale face turning even whiter than paper—it seemed whatever he was now contemplating was a hundred times more terrifying than the mere prospect of Han Ziqing dying on his beastfolk clan’s hunting grounds.

Situ Haonan was utterly stunned, unable to stop her, with no way left to intervene at all. He simply stood frozen beside Yelu Qianqian, his mind blank with shock.

Was there any way to salvage this?

Even if they claimed Ziqing was simply insensitive to snake venom, the Medicine Clan leader was far too cautious and experienced not to investigate this thoroughly.

What could he do, what could he do?

Watching that small figure on the stone steps drawing steadily closer, Situ Haonan felt as though his entire body might combust from the pressure!

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he threw all caution to the wind—even if only the faintest sliver of hope remained, he couldn’t give up now—and, without warning, prepared to leap down.

But just then, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi reached out and stopped him, sneering coldly. “Master Situ, in this princess’s opinion, there’s no need to worry at all. The Princess Consort is perfectly fine—not even the python’s venom could harm her. Her constitution really is quite extraordinary, isn’t it? I wonder if other poisons might fail to harm her too.”

At these words, the beastfolk clan leader was instantly jolted alert, hurrying to stop Situ Haonan as well. “Master Situ, the fumes in the valley haven’t fully dispersed yet—you can’t go down there!”

This was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the last flicker of hope Situ Haonan had clung to, leaving not just his heart, but every organ in his body sinking straight to the ground.

It was over!

With so many people watching Han Ziqing emerge unharmed from a valley thick with poisonous fumes, there was no washing this away now—she could throw herself into the Eastern Sea and still never clear her name.

Just then, Yelu Qianqian’s attendant, paying no mind to anything else, moved to carry her away.

Situ Haonan grabbed hold of him, refusing to let go. If he let the man take her, there would be no chance left for clarification at all—before Yelu Qianqian regained consciousness, they absolutely could not let this attendant report anything back to Western Jing!

“Let go!” the attendant said coldly. “Master Situ, you’re implicated in this too.”

“So what if I am—that’s exactly why I have every right to speak. You don’t know anything, and you’re only making things worse! Can’t you see the Princess Consort just climbed out of there? She risked her life to find the antidote for the princess, do you understand?”

Situ Haonan was fierce, positively furious, veins bulging on his forehead, unleashing every ounce of his frustration on the poor attendant.

The attendant, genuinely startled, didn’t dare make another move, standing obediently aside to wait.

At last, Ziqing arrived.

She could see everyone gathered at the top clearly now, and everyone at the top could see her just as clearly too—confirming beyond doubt that it was indeed her, perfectly unharmed.

No one dared speak. Even the beastfolk clan leader fell silent, everyone watching helplessly as Han Ziqing took the final step up onto solid ground.

“Ziqing, you know…”

Situ Haonan was about to speak, but Ziqing raised a hand to stop him, quickly pulling out the Xining flowers and handing them to the nearby physician. “Here, this is the antidote—hurry and cure Princess Qianqian’s poison.”

Seeing Ziqing’s composure, Situ Haonan felt both anxious and puzzled. With so many people gathered around, her calm demeanor was reasonable enough—everyone was out on the hunting grounds, after all, so a crowd gathering to watch wasn’t unusual.

But with the beastfolk clan leader here too, given everything that had happened, if this got out, there was bound to be someone eager to report it.

The critical question was—did Han Ziqing even know about the python’s poison?

After what felt like a long while, the physician finally took the medicine, examining it with obvious delight. “Yes, this is exactly the right flower! Thanks entirely to the Princess Consort! This medicine is extremely rare!”

With that, he hurried to treat Yelu Qianqian’s poisoning. Ziqing let out a breath of relief, turning to Yelu Qianqian’s attendant, saying flatly, “My apologies—I accidentally wounded Princess Qianqian. I’ve personally retrieved the antidote now. If you wish to hold me responsible, that can wait until Princess Qianqian wakes. And if you suspect me of anything, that too can wait until she wakes.”

Her tone was undeniably firm as she spoke, but at the end, she added, “What do you think?”

The attendant simply couldn’t withstand the sheer presence of a princess consort, nor could he find any grounds to refute her. He had no choice but to nod.

A cold smile lingered perpetually at the corner of the Empress of Eastern Qin’s lips. She glanced briefly at the Second Beast Young Master, who was just turning to look back at her—their eyes met, an unspoken understanding passing silently between them.

Even with Yelu Qianqian’s poison cured now, waking up wouldn’t come so easily.

This was the Empress of Eastern Qin’s most devastating blow struck against Da Zhou—without a full month or more, Yelu Qianqian wouldn’t wake at all. And in just a few more days, after the royal wedding, Yelu Qianqian would be heading back to Western Jing regardless.

Whether the truth of this wound would ever be laid bare, whether Han Ziqing would be blamed for it—all of that would ultimately rest entirely in the hands of the Emperor of Western Jing.

But for now, what they truly wanted was Han Ziqing’s real secret—the truth of her poison immunity.

The sun had fully risen now, bathing the mountainside in bright daylight, exposing such an enormous secret out here beneath Nanzhao’s open sky—what a delightfully satisfying thing that was!

The Empress of Eastern Qin’s smile grew wider and wider, impossible to conceal any longer.

Yelu Qianqian’s attendant fell silent, but the Medicine Clan leader finally couldn’t hold back any longer, speaking up. “Princess Consort, did you truly pick this flower from down in the valley yourself?”

“Mm.” Ziqing nodded, not looking at Situ Haonan, who kept desperately trying to catch her eye.

The Medicine Clan leader’s expression shifted dramatically, and he pressed further. “Princess Consort, did you descend into the valley in the evening, and climb back out this morning?”

Ziqing nodded again. Seeing that she wouldn’t meet his gaze, Situ Haonan, desperate, slapped his own forehead hard with a loud crack!

This finally caught Ziqing’s attention—but what good would it do now?

The Medicine Clan leader had already asked everything he needed to ask, and Ziqing had already answered everything there was to answer. What point was there in saying anything more now?

Situ Haonan’s head drooped, utterly defeated, all strength drained from him.

The Medicine Clan leader cleared his throat a few times, maintaining his composure, and asked seriously, “Princess Consort, are you aware that this valley holds poison both in the evening and in the morning?”

The moment he finished speaking, the entire mountainside fell utterly silent, every single gaze turning toward Ziqing—except for Situ Haonan, who looked as though he might collapse to his knees at any moment.

But, to everyone’s astonishment, Ziqing remained entirely unruffled. “I know.”