"Yu Ting!" Ruan Chuqing exclaimed in surprise, quickly withdrawing her killing move. Her gaze towards Shen Lixue was filled with rage, almost spitting fire: "Shen Lixue, if you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one. What kind of skill is it to hide behind Yu Ting like a coward?"
"When you two joined forces to kill me just now, you didn't say you wanted a fair and just one-on-one fight!" Shen Lixue's gaze was icy; Ruan Chuqing's provocation had no effect on her.
"What do you want?" Ruan Chuqing roared, her angry gaze wishing she could devour Shen Lixue alive.
"It's very simple, two choices. First, you take the dagger and dig out your own heart. Second, I'll slit Su Yuting's throat!" Shen Lixue's lips curled into a cruel smile. Since Ruan Chuqing and Shen Yuting both liked to torture people, she would go along with their wishes and put on a torture show. One of the mother and daughter would die, and the other would live. It was up to them to choose.
"Shen Lixue, my martial arts are superior to yours. It's an honor for me to negotiate with you. Don't push your luck!" Ruan Chuqing glared coldly at Shen Lixue, gritting her teeth. With such a condition, only one of them, mother and daughter, could live. She was clearly trying to sow discord between them. How despicable!
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Thank you for your high regard, Madam Su. However, I don't have time to waste with you. I'll count to three. If you don't rip out her heart, I'll slit her throat, one..."
Ruan Chuqing actually thought she could play a game of stalling for time and finding her weaknesses; she was overestimating herself.
"Mother!" Su Yuting exclaimed in surprise, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. She had witnessed Shen Lixue's ruthlessness more than once. Falling into Shen Lixue's hands would definitely not end well. She couldn't wait to break free, but her vital parts were restrained, and she couldn't use any strength. She had no choice but to ask Ruan Chuqing for help.
"Two..." Shen Lixue smiled slightly, her cold gaze sweeping over Ruan Chuqing, whose face was gloomy and who remained silent. Her clear counting echoed through the alley.
Su Yuting's forehead was covered in a layer of cold sweat. Her pitiful eyes were fixed on Ruan Chuqing, and she prayed in her heart that her mother could pretend to dig out her heart, deceive Shen Lixue, and save her when she wasn't paying attention.
Ruan Chuqing stood quietly with her sword in hand, her eyelids slightly lowered, her snow-white eyes narrowed slightly, she neither spoke nor moved.
"Three!" Shen Lixue's clear voice rang out.
Ruan Chuqing remained standing, holding her longsword, her brows slightly furrowed, showing no intention of making a move.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "It seems that Madam Su is prepared to sacrifice her daughter to save herself. Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
"Shen Lixue, I am the only legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen's mansion. How dare you kill me!" Su Yuting glared at Shen Lixue hatefully. When she was in prison, she guessed Shen Lixue's importance from the Duke of Wen's words and actions, which is why she was a little arrogant and domineering just now and lowered her guard.
She is the only bloodline of the Wen family of the Su clan. If Shen Lixue kills her, she will offend not only the Duke of Wen, but also the entire Su clan.
"See if I dare!" Shen Lixue smiled eerily, her fingers sliding across the wooden handle, the sharp blade slicing through the thin skin on Su Yuting's throat.
Her movements were very slow, so slow that Su Yuting could clearly feel the dull thud as the sharp blade sliced through her skin. A sharp pain shot through her neck, and warm liquid flowed rapidly down her neck. Su Yuting knew it was her blood.
Slitting Su Yuting's throat and killing her would be too easy on her. She liked to torture people slowly, so Shen Lixue would give her a slow-motion approach, first slicing her skin, then severing her blood vessels, bit by bit, letting her slowly experience death in fear.
"Mother, save me, save me!" Su Yuting felt the blade slowly embedding itself into her skin, trying to sever her neck. Her eyes were filled with terror as she cried out for help.
Shen Lixue smiled sweetly: "Madam Su, Su Yuting is not dead yet. It's not too late for you to change your mind!" There are no parents in the world who do not love their children. Ruan Chuqing dotes on Su Yuting so much that she certainly won't watch her die. Compared to Su Yuting, Shen Lixue would rather kill Ruan Chuqing.
Ruan Chuqing suddenly looked up at Shen Lixue, a wicked smile playing on her lips: "Shen Lixue, why don't you kill Su Yuting!"
Shen Lixue was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Madam Su, I have the Zhanwang Mansion and the Shengwang Mansion behind me, so I'm not afraid of offending Duke Wen. Su Yuting is your own daughter. If she dies, she will never come back to life. Don't you care about her safety at all?"
"Mother, save me!" Su Yuting looked pitifully at Ruan Chuqing. How could her mother disregard her safety? She must be trying to delay Shen Lixue and wait for the right opportunity to save her.
Ruan Chuqing's sharp gaze swept over Shen Lixue and Su Yuting, and she sneered: "Now that things have come to this, I might as well tell you the truth: Su Yuting is not my daughter. I picked her up from a pile of beggars!"
What? She's a beggar? How could that be? How could that be? Su Yuting kept reassuring herself that it must be a lie her mother told to lower Shen Lixue's guard.
Shen Lixue snorted coldly: "Madam Su, if you want to save Su Yuting, please think of a smarter way. You picked her up from a pile of beggars. Your lie is full of holes!"
Ruan Chuqing raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. Su Yuting has nothing to do with me. I will not sacrifice myself for her life. Shen Lixue, cut her throat. Kill her, kill her!"
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. Ruan Chuqing's attitude was so firm. Could it be that Su Yuting really wasn't her daughter? Thinking carefully about Ruan Chuqing and Su Yuting's faces, although they were both beautiful, they didn't have much in common, unlike her and Lin Qingzhu, who were obviously mother and daughter.
"Mother!" Su Yuting looked at Ruan Chuqing in shock. She wasn't Ruan Chuqing's daughter, yet Ruan Chuqing told her to die without any hesitation. What was going on? What was going on?
"Ruan Chuqing, Su Lie is your husband. Why did you give Su Lie the Green Powder Flower to make him sterile?" Shen Lixue caught a glimpse of a gray figure out of the corner of her eye, her gaze darkened, and she asked the question.
Ruan Chuqing snorted coldly, her beautiful eyes flashing with a fierce light: "I love the War King Dongfang Shuo, but Su Lie forced me to marry him. I hate him to death, and I'll make sure his Su family line is wiped out!"
"You're a noble lady, and so cunning and treacherous, yet you can't even handle Su Lie?" Shen Lixue pouted.
"I agreed to marry Su Lie to test whether Dongfang Shuo had any feelings for me. Dongfang Shuo returned my wooden box and did not come to find me. Although I was heartbroken, deep down I still held onto a last glimmer of hope for him. However, Su Lie destroyed that last glimmer of hope..." Ruan Chuqing's beautiful eyes shot out cold glints, and her teeth gritted as if she wanted to tear Su Lie to pieces.
"Did Su Lie lock you up?" Shen Lixue guessed.
"No!" Ruan Chuqing shook her head: "He took advantage of me while I was asleep!" That incident was the shame of her life. Even now, when she thinks about it, she hates him so much that she grinds her teeth. It was Su Lie who ruined her life's happiness.
Shen Lixue was taken aback, and then cold sweat began to trickle down her forehead. After marriage, the act of consummating the marriage was a very normal thing between husband and wife. Su Lie was young and full of vigor. How could he not be tempted when he had such a beautiful woman in his arms? "Ruan Chuqing, if you want to remain chaste, don't get married..."
"You think I want to get married?" Ruan Chuqing roared at Shen Lixue, "If it weren't for forcing Dongfang Shuo, I wouldn't bother with that brainless idiot Su Lie!"
"Could it be that you poisoned Su Lie with the Green Powder Flower the moment you married into the Su family?" Ruan Chuqing has been married to Su Lie for fifteen years, and he has been poisoned for fifteen years as well.
“That’s right. On the third day after he forced himself on me, I put emerald flowers in his tea. I wanted to make sure the Su family line ended!” Ruan Chuqing’s eyes flashed with intense hatred for Su Lie: “With his filthy appearance, he doesn’t deserve me to bear his children!”
"What do you mean by bringing Su Yuting back from the beggars?" Shen Lixue had already guessed Ruan Chuqing's purpose, but she wanted to hear Ruan Chuqing say it herself.
"Of course, it's to dispel Su Lie's suspicions. I arranged many concubines and mistresses for him. If he can't even produce a child, he will definitely become suspicious. With Yu Ting there, proving his ability, he won't have any more concerns..." Ruan Chuqing smiled coldly, her eyes burning with anger. This was the price Su Lie paid for betraying her.
“Su Lie dotes on Su Yuting. If he learns on his deathbed that Su Yuting is not his biological daughter, but a tool for your revenge against him, yet you obtained everything from the Su family, he will surely be so angry that he vomits blood. This will be a huge blow to him. Ruan Chuqing, you are truly cunning!”
Having lived two lives, Shen Lixue had seen many people with strange personalities, but she had never seen anyone as perverted and vicious as Ruan Chuqing before.
"Thank you for the compliment!" Ruan Chuqing stood proudly against the wind, speaking each word clearly and forcefully.
Su Yuting, who was tightly held by Shen Lixue, looked ashen-faced. She was the most beautiful and noble legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen's mansion, not a lowly beggar, no, no: "Mother, this is a lie you told to save me, isn't it? This lie doesn't sound good at all..."
"That's the truth!" Ruan Chuqing glanced at Su Yuting, her gaze icy and her face expressionless.
"Mother!" Two hot tears welled up in Su Yuting's eyes and slid down her cheeks quickly. She staggered as she tried to find Ruan Chuqing. She couldn't believe it.
Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed, and she pressed the dagger against Ruan Chuqing's neck: "Ruan Chuqing, even if Su Yuting isn't your biological daughter, she's still your adopted daughter. You've raised her for fifteen years, so there must be some affection between you. Are you just going to watch her die by my hand?"
Ruan Chuqing is treacherous and cunning. Who knows if that secret was just something Ruan Chuqing made up to deceive her? If it was true, letting Su Yuting go would be like being tricked, releasing a tiger back into the mountains, and putting herself in danger.