In Yelü Huangwu’s memories, the tiny bit of familial warmth came entirely from her father. Her mother was a woman with an extreme desire for power, spending her whole life striving for authority.

Some said that Empress Dowager Xiao originally had a childhood sweetheart, but lost contact after marrying into the royal family. Later, to be with her loved one, she sought to stand at the pinnacle of power. Yelü Huangwu didn’t know if this was true, only that she was a selfish mother.

Mind-bewitching technique!

Yelü Huangwu suddenly raised her eyes, breaking free from the illusion Gu Jinghong had cast.

Gu Jinghong coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, struggling to retreat hastily. He fell onto the snowy ground, his hair visibly turning completely white, rapidly aging. His usually clear eyes were now covered with a layer of blood.

He exhaled a breath of mist, blood tears flowing from his eyes. In the end, he had failed! He couldn’t even kill Yelü Huangwu, let alone the person in the sedan chair!

In the gray sky, snow fell rapidly, quickly covering his aged face.

Yelü Huangwu clutched her chest wound, gasping for breath. Breaking free from the illusion had cost her greatly, leaving her face as pale as paper. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on where Gu Jinghong lay. “Go see if he’s dead.”

Her cold voice pierced through the snow screen, and the others finally woke from the lingering illusion.

Five large men cautiously approached with weapons, using their qi to clear the shallow snow covering Gu Jinghong, revealing his withered face.

One man prodded him with a sword sheath. Seeing no response, he reached out to check his neck pulse. “No heartbeat.”

Ning Yanli was bandaging Yelü Huangwu, who pushed her away saying, “Don’t mind me, get the heart blood first.”

Ning Yanli hesitated, then put down the medicine. “Alright.”

Approaching Gu Jinghong, Ning Yanli knelt to check his pulse, carefully removing the silver needle from his heart. She examined the needle’s color closely. Since Mo Sigui had taken the drug person’s heart blood, he might have left some trap.

Seeing nothing unusual, she tore open Gu Jinghong’s clothes, exposing his upper body.

Everyone gasped. His body was covered in scars, new wounds layered over old ones, barely any skin visible. It was clear he had escaped death many times.

Ning Yanli remembered his handsome face earlier, and looking at this body, she couldn’t help but sigh. She took out a short dagger and placed it on the scar over his heart.

The first stab into his flesh yielded no blood. Only after pushing deeper did a few drops of blood appear.

Just as Ning Yanli was about to go deeper, she felt her wrist go numb. A sudden blizzard whirled up from the snow. When it settled, Gu Jinghong, who had been right before her eyes, had vanished!

Yelü Huangwu closed her eyes.

The sedan chair moved slightly. A long, bony hand parted the curtain, and a tall man wrapped in black fox fur stepped out. His angular face was half-hidden in the fur, his pale face bearing deep-set eyes and fine eyebrows extending to his temples, giving him a very stern look. Even the wind and snow seemed to fall carefully on his shoulders. His imposing features bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to Gu Jinghong, only more profound and mature.

A gust of wind arose, and the man narrowed his eyes slightly. The swirling snowflakes seemed to slow before him.

“Brother,” Yelü Huangwu called out, then asked, “Aren’t we going to pursue?”

The man looked in the direction Gu Jinghong had disappeared for a moment, then turned back to the sedan chair, saying coolly, “Let’s go.”

Yelü Huangwu pressed her lips together slightly. When Ning Yanli came to bandage her, she remained motionless.

“Master, shall we mount the horses?” Ning Yanli asked softly.

Yelü Huangwu mounted her horse without a word, slowly moving forward as the others cleared the way.

This was the familial affection of the Yelü royal family. A bitter smile crossed Yelü Huangwu’s face as she closed her eyes, silently telling herself to be heartless. Being heartless meant not longing for anything, not feeling pain from disappointment. Born intelligent, her brief life was destined for scheming. Once, she had a chance to escape this fate, but she didn’t trust that person.

Yearning yet unable to trust, there was no outcome from the start. When the madman died, Ning Yanli said, “There will never be another person so good to you.” Did she regret it? Yes, she did! But unless he proved his loyalty with his life, she would never have believed. At least now she was at peace, knowing someone had loved her so deeply. Keeping this person in her heart meant she would never be lonely…

“The madman wasn’t mad,” Yelü Huangwu murmured. “I was.”

Her voice was swallowed by the howling wind; only Ning Yanli, closest to her, heard.

The man in the sedan chair was the next emperor of Liao, and the drug person had been cultivated for him. When Yelü Huangwu took over, the drug person had already been fed for many years. She knew then that the drug person was her clan brother, but in terms of relation, he was more distant than the brother in the sedan chair. If this was the only way for her brother to survive, she would undoubtedly choose to sacrifice her clan brother without hesitation.

But… blood ties… Yelü Huangwu smiled.

The snowstorm intensified.

Ten miles away, in a snow cave, a black-robed figure sat silently. The withered person lying on the ground moved slightly, slowly opening his eyes.

Their eyes met. After a moment of silence, Gu Jinghong finally had the strength to speak. “Chu Diangjiang?”

“Mm.” Chu Diangjiang frowned at him. “What happened?”

“They didn’t pursue?” Gu Jinghong asked.

“Don’t worry, they won’t find us.” Chu Diangjiang, assuming Gu Jinghong had been on a mission, said, “If you can’t overpower them, use strategy. Why risk your life so recklessly at such a young age?”

Gu Jinghong sighed. “Even with great wisdom, what’s the use? I’ve been fed various rare drugs since childhood. Over time, I became dependent on them. Every year, I search far and wide, desperately carrying out missions to earn money and opportunities to access premium drug vaults, trying every means to collect those drugs myself. But alas…”

Hearing this, Chu Diangjiang vaguely understood his meaning. “You’re a drug person? Whose drug person?”

“I don’t know. I was raised in a cellar from birth, following my master from seven or eight years old.” Gu Jinghong’s eyes were filled with desolation. “I once thought he truly cared for me, but he was just the drug master feeding me.”

Thinking of his years of reverence, his heart grew even sadder. He would rather not know the truth, preferring to be kept in the dark from birth to death. At least he would have been happier while alive.

“I can’t live anymore, can I?” Gu Jinghong asked.

Chu Diangjiang shook his head. “Your pulse is weak, but not dispersing. You might still have a chance to live, but I’m not a doctor.”

Gu Jinghong’s clear eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again. “That female shadow said I’m a selfish and cowardly person, killing so many just to save my own life.”

“Aren’t we all the same?” Chu Diangjiang knew without thinking that this was something An Jiu would say. “Her heart is dark. Don’t take her words seriously.”