The Poison King Valley
Qingyu looked at the army outside the valley, his heart sinking to the bottom.
"Master, there are so many people, what should we do?" Qingyu felt the ground beneath his feet soften, making it difficult to stand.
The Poison Master, standing behind the poison barrier, watched the army preparing to enter the palace. He was taking a pill and sneered, "Can the poison barrier I personally set be broken by ordinary pills? Qingyu, scatter the poison powder."
"Yes, Master." Qingyu, along with his fellow disciples, began scattering poison powder within the poison barrier.
Soon, those affected by the poison cried out in excruciating pain, their screams echoing throughout the Poison King Valley.
Qingyu's scalp tingled, but his hands did not slow down as he scattered the poison powder. With so many people, it seemed the Empress was determined to conquer the Poison King Valley.
Defending the Poison King Valley was their only chance of survival.
They were skilled in using poison but not in direct combat. If the army entered the valley, few of them would be able to match the soldiers.
"Qingyu, guarding the valley entrance is your responsibility." The Poison Master, Fan Qing, gently patted Qingyu's shoulder.
Qingyu nodded and said, "Master, rest assured, as long as I am at the valley entrance, they will not take a single step further."
"Silly child, protecting yourself is the most important thing. If you truly cannot hold on, retreat. It's better to abandon the valley than to risk your lives. Master wants you all to live well."
Qingyu's nose stung, "Master."
"Silly child, stay safe with your fellow disciples. If anything seems amiss, quickly retreat back into the valley."
"Yes, Master," Qingyu replied.
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, walked back into the valley and approached the ice coffin containing the Empress's corpse. Qingyi followed behind him. "Master, I have already sent a message to His Highness the Crown Prince. Reinforcements should arrive by tomorrow at the latest."
"It's too late," the Poison Master, Fan Qing, said.
Qingyi was stunned. "How... how is that possible?"
The young woman in the ice coffin remained asleep, seemingly unaffected by whatever was happening outside.
"The people Xue Chang'an sent this time are not inexperienced. There is someone in their ranks who understands poison."
Upon hearing this, Qingyi said, "But they would never be as skilled in poison as Master."
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, sighed, "That person is Fan Min, who once betrayed the sect."
"Fan Min?" Qingyi's expression showed surprise, and he blurted out, "Then... isn't that your..."
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, looked up, her expression filled with sorrow. "Heaven wants to destroy my Poison King Valley."
"Master, don't be discouraged. As long as we hold on until tomorrow, His Highness the Crown Prince..."
"Qingyi, don't count on others. We might not even survive until tomorrow. I have never won against him under his command," the Poison Master, Fan Qing, said with a hint of loneliness.
"Master, you mustn't belittle yourself," Qingyi shook his head.
"Qingyi, I have an important task to assign you now," the Poison Master, Fan Qing, said to Qingyi with a serious expression.
Qingyi trembled, "Master..."
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, interrupted him, "Take the Empress's corpse to the Snow Country and deliver it to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Master, in this situation, I cannot leave." Qingyi refused.
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, patted his shoulder, "I promised His Highness the Crown Prince with my life that the Empress's corpse would be returned intact. If even a single scratch were to appear on her body, the Poison King Valley would cease to exist."
"Master, we haven't reached a dead end yet. As long as we hold on until tomorrow, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely send people to rescue us."
"Qingyi, you don't understand Fan Min. He never does anything without certainty. Now that he is here, he is determined to conquer the Poison King Valley."
"Master, then I am even less likely to leave the Poison King Valley. I will face death alongside my fellow disciples. You can entrust the Empress's corpse to someone else for escort."
"Qingyi, among all the disciples, you are the one Master is most pleased with. In fact, Master has selfish intentions. If the Poison King Valley cannot escape this calamity, then it will be you who rebuilds it."
Qingyi trembled all over. He knelt on the ground with a thud. "Master, Qingyi cannot abandon you and my fellow disciples to leave first."
"Qingyi, don't think that leaving the Poison King Valley guarantees your safety. Fan Min is not that foolish. With the Empress's corpse, you will become a target. If you are discovered, everyone might turn their heads and pursue you. You are not safe."
Qingyi was taken aback. He lowered his gaze, then slowly raised it. "Qingyi will obey Master."
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, wrapped the ice coffin. Qingyi carried the ice coffin on his back. As he reached the doorway, he knelt on the ground again. "Master, please, you must stay safe and wait for Qingyi's return."
"Go, hurry. Leave before Fan Min discovers you."
Qingyi kowtowed heavily, then stood up and left without looking back.
The Poison Master, Fan Qing, breathed a sigh of relief. Qingyi was his last hope.
He walked out of the room, dusting himself off. He saw his senior brother, Fan Min, whom he hadn't seen in years, holding one of his disciples by the throat. Even though the poison barrier and powder couldn't stop Fan Min, none of his disciples had flinched.
He slowly walked forward. The corpses of his disciples lay at the valley entrance. At this moment, Fan Min was choking Qingyu, the child who would cry out at the slightest pain.
Qingyu slowly turned his head. "Mas... Master, hurry... hurry and go..."
"Let him go..." the Poison Master, Fan Qing, said coldly.
Fan Min saw him and grinned, his smile more sinister than ever. He released his grip, and Qingyu fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
A white cloth emerged from his sleeve, catching the falling Qingyu and delivering him to his side.
Qingyu knelt on the ground, choked with sobs. "Master, Qingyu is useless. I couldn't protect my fellow disciples."
He bent down, stroked Qingyu's head, and whispered, "You did very well."
Qingyu looked up and saw a gentle expression on his Master's face, an expression he had never seen before.
"Master..." he couldn't help but exclaim.
"Are you scared?" he asked softly.
Qingyu nodded, a flicker of fear crossing his face, but he did not retreat. He crawled to his Master and said, "But with Master here, Qingyu is not afraid."
"I let Qingyi leave, and I entrusted him with the responsibility of rebuilding the Poison King Valley. Do you resent Master? Did Master choose Qingyi over you?"
Qingyu shook his head. "No resentment. Senior Brother Qingyi will do better than anyone else."
"Good child, then accompany Master on this journey. Life and death are determined by fate."
"Okay," Qingyu nodded, slowly stood up, and walked forward to stand before the Poison Master, Fan Qing. "Master, this disciple cannot hide behind you."
"Good, then let us face it together!" The Poison Master, Fan Qing, smiled.
Seeing this, Fan Min sneered, "Fan Qing, you were my defeated opponent back then. After so many years, do you think you can still defeat me?"
Fan Qing's expression was calm. "It's hard to say. After all, I have also been working hard all these years, senior brother."
Hearing this, Fan Min's expression turned cold. "Don't call me senior brother. Twenty years ago, I was expelled from the sect by Master."
"Whether you admit it or not, you are indeed my senior brother."