Chun Hong and Su Ling'er, who usually held the deepest animosity towards each other, exchanged taunts in their dying moments. Chun Hong mocked Su Ling'er, calling her efforts futile as they had all ingested the potent poison given by Wang Bingchang. Even if they escaped, they wouldn't live much longer.
To her surprise, Su Ling'er remained unfazed, even smirking triumphantly. She revealed that the poison in her system had long been neutralized, and even the potent dose forced upon her by Wang Bingchang upon their return had been antidoted. Her only desire was to escape Chehe City and live freely in the vast world.
Ye Qin, also poisoned, saw Su Ling'er as her only hope for survival. She had been lingering near Su Ling'er, and when she saw her making a move tonight, Ye Qin was determined not to let her slip away so easily.
"Don't try to fool me! I heard everything you said to Chun Hong and the others that day! I saw what you did to them! If you give me an antidote and half of their belongings, we'll go our separate ways and never acknowledge each other again. If you refuse, then don't blame me for going down in flames! If I start shouting now, someone will discover us soon, and then you won't just be unable to leave here, your very survival will be uncertain…"
Ye Qin was already on the brink of disaster. If her poison wasn't neutralized, she was doomed. Therefore, she wouldn't mind taking someone else down with her!
Su Ling'er's pupils contracted. So, it was her they saw killing Chun Hong and the others that day! With that understood, she saw no reason to pretend any longer. She knew that if she didn't hand over the antidote, Ye Qin would not back down.
"Since you saw it, there's nothing more I need to say. I still have the antidote, but how can I trust you? What if you take the antidote and refuse to let me go?"
Seeing a hint of hesitation in Su Ling'er's tone, Ye Qin felt a surge of joy. She had approached this with a degree of uncertainty, not being entirely sure if Su Ling'er still possessed the antidote. It seemed to be a stroke of luck!
"I'm not that foolish! Just as you want to live, I do too… Even if I didn't care about your life, I would care about my own. Give me the antidote, and share half of your valuables with me, then we'll go our separate ways and pretend we never met."
"Then I'll go get the antidote for you!" Su Ling'er said, making to walk back in the direction they had previously stayed.
"Stop! Do you think I'm stupid? You carried all this gold and silver with you; wouldn't you have kept the antidote on your person?" Ye Qin grew anxious as Su Ling'er actually turned to leave. If she got away, who would she ask for the antidote?
"Believe it or not, the antidote isn't on me. You saw my situation when I returned. Wang Bingchang was suspicious of me, so I hid the antidote in the outhouse in the backyard. Either you wait here, or if you don't trust me, come with me to retrieve it."
After speaking, Su Ling'er walked ahead on her own. She gambled that Ye Qin wouldn't raise an alarm to attract the Huaxia soldiers and that she would follow. After all, the antidote she mentioned was likely the only thing that could save Ye Qin's life.
Ye Qin pondered for only a breath before cautiously following Su Ling'er. While monitoring her earlier, she had noticed her frequent visits to the outhouse. Now, she realized Su Ling'er must have been hiding the medicine there, as rooms were crowded and eyes everywhere, making any other location unsafe.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Su Ling'er's lips curved upwards before she quickly suppressed the smile. What a fool! To believe such a tale! This was for the best, though! By following willingly, she saved Su Ling'er a lot of trouble.
The two women weaved through the ruins, dodging patrolling soldiers, and finally arrived outside the large mansion where they had once lived together.
The once imposing courtyard walls had been reduced to rubble by cannon fire. They managed to jump inside with little difficulty. Su Ling'er headed straight for the outhouse in the backyard, with Ye Qin following closely, afraid of losing her if she lagged behind.
The moon was full tonight, its pale moonlight casting shadows on the path through the courtyard, revealing scattered bloodstains. The bodies within had been cleared, but the ground had yet to be washed.
The backyard was also in ruins. Su Ling'er reached the outhouse and began tapping gently along the wall bricks. Ye Qin watched her movements with suspicion, her expression growing increasingly impatient.
"We're here, why aren't you taking out the medicine? What are you tapping for? I warn you, don't play tricks on me!" Ye Qin eyed Su Ling'er warily, her attention also divided, following Su Ling'er's hands towards the bricks she tapped, unwilling to miss any moment where the antidote might be discovered.
"Can't you see this place was blown up? I remember I put it behind one of the bricks. Hurry up and help me look! I still need to figure out how to get out of the city!" Su Ling'er's tone was somewhat brusque, as if she were genuinely in a hurry to leave.
Her attitude somewhat eased Ye Qin's guard, and she quickly moved ahead to help tap the bricks. After finally finding a brick with signs of being loosened, Ye Qin excitedly asked Su Ling'er.
"This one is loose, quickly see if it's this one…" Before Ye Qin could finish her sentence, a glint of cold steel appeared at her throat, and she was immediately silenced by fear.
"You're really quite bold! To dare threaten me! But what good is being bold? Someone as brainless as you, even if I stuffed the antidote into your mouth, you wouldn't live long!"
Su Ling'er whispered into Ye Qin's ear, her lips parting and closing like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sending a chill down one's spine.
"You… what do you want to do?" Ye Qin's voice trembled with fear. She had been too careless, falling right into this woman's trap!
"I didn't intend to do anything to you initially. I was thinking of repaying the favor of you helping me that day. We could have just pretended not to know each other, but you insisted on being ungrateful and threatening me! You know so much about me, do you think I can let you go? As long as you're dead, no one else will know that I was once kept by Wang Bingchang…"
Before Ye Qin could beg for mercy, Su Ling'er's wrist, gripping the dagger, twisted sharply. Warm blood splattered across her face and body…
Ye Qin's eyes widened, her hands covering her still-bleeding neck. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out as her body slowly slid to the ground…