Chapter 23: Beyond Cure

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“Jumping off a building? What does that mean?” Intrigued by the novel phrase, Xiao Junwang asked curiously. He had never heard such a term before; it sounded strange and baffling.

“Huh? Did I say it wrong? I think I heard others say it that way,” Mo Liuli replied, somewhat troubled by Xiao Junwang’s curiosity. Actually, she didn’t quite understand it herself.

Mo Liuli spoke instinctively, adopting a habit from the modern world. In this ancient era, where martial arts prowess reigned supreme, places like temples, towers, and pavilions were insignificant heights—no one would consider using them as a means to end their life.

Unable to find an answer, Mo Liuli unknowingly fell asleep. When she awoke, the carriage had stopped. Judging by the scene, night had fallen, and the temperature had dropped considerably.

“Are you sure she’s been poisoned?” Xiao Junwang’s low and disheartened voice came from outside the carriage. Mo Liuli, who had intended to get off and find food, sat back down instead, quietly listening in.

Xiao Junwang hadn’t told her about the toxicity of the “Mesmerizing Worm” poison, seemingly wary of something. This gave her a knot of anxiety.

“If it’s the Mesmerizing Worm poison combined with a large quantity of the Red herb, there’s simply no cure. Are you trying to spoil my reputation as a divine healer? You brought someone like this to me for treatment?” A skeptical female voice soon sounded.

“But… you’re Feng Xiyan. If even you can’t cure her, then who in the entire world can?” Xiao Junwang pleaded.

“Yes, I can treat the poison and her body, but I can’t promise she will recover completely or become like a normal woman capable of bearing children again. You must understand, Mesmerizing Worm poison combined with a large amount of Red herb—listen carefully, a large amount! The fact that she’s alive now is already a miracle!” Feng Xiyan’s face darkened in anger as she firmly reiterated.

Hearing this expected answer, Xiao Junwang’s heart sank. Hesitating, he tried to ask Feng Xiyan for help again, but a noise came from the carriage.

Mo Liuli swiftly stepped down and headed toward them.

“You mean I can’t have children anymore? Then what’s in my belly right now? Tell me, what is it?” Mo Liuli saw a petite figure standing ahead, walking toward her angrily, pointing at her swollen belly and shouting.

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She was furious! This woman was blatantly lying; she was definitely pregnant now. How could she say she couldn’t bear children? It was like a curse.

Unexpectedly overheard by Mo Liuli, Feng Xiyan was momentarily stunned. She knew such words were a great blow to a woman. As Mo Liuli approached, shock flashed in Feng Xiyan’s eyes, her heart skipped a beat, followed by a pang of grievance and a surge of hatred.

However, the hatred lasted only a few seconds. Alerted by Xiao Junwang, Feng Xiyan finally remained silent, not even glancing at Mo Liuli as she disappeared into the darkness.

“Don’t be angry, you must have misunderstood,” Xiao Junwang awkwardly comforted Mo Liuli, reaching out to help her back into the carriage.

Earlier, seeing Mo Liuli asleep deeply, he had wanted her to rest longer, so he stopped outside. Unexpectedly, they ran into Feng Xiyan returning from outside, and he briefly informed her of the situation—never imagining Mo Liuli would overhear it.

Feng Xiyan didn’t leave immediately but hid in the shadows, secretly observing Mo Liuli. Seeing her, she felt an eerie pain, her whole being darkened and joyless, drained of spirit.

“Why do you look so much like her? Could she really have come back? No! It can’t be her! She was utterly destroyed, her soul scattered. How could she return? It must be my imagination…” Feng Xiyan murmured, torn between hope and despair, crying and laughing in confusion.

“Clan Leader, the medicine bait has been brought into Wu City!”

The ghost-faced man who disappeared in the East District knelt respectfully before the blood pool, holding a red sandalwood box.

Inside lay a jade pendant—the very one that had flown from Mo Liuli’s body.

“What are they doing in Wu?”

The blood-soaked Clan Leader slowly opened his blood-red eyes, his hand rising from beneath the pool to draw the pendant toward him.

In an instant, the pendant was firmly absorbed into his hand, emitting a sinister red glow swirling within.

“I saw them meet with Princess Feng. It seems the medicine bait was poisoned,” the ghost-faced man reported.

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“And?” The blood-red eyes flickered ominously.

“N-nothing else…” The ghost-faced man lowered his head, barely daring to breathe. As soon as he finished speaking, a crack sounded as his neck was twisted off by the Clan Leader’s brutal grip.

Clutching the bloodvine jade pendant tightly, his face cold and eyes bloodthirsty.

Meanwhile, at the Martial Academy, Mo Zichuan suddenly felt dizzy. Originally confined in the dormitory tending to his wounds, the dizziness grew worse, and clutching a blood-stained stick, he collapsed.

At the Martial Academy, daily injuries of varying severity were common. Those seriously hurt had to rest for days. His wounds were not from training but from fellow students who despised him as weak, powerless, and talentless, relentlessly beating him.

At first, teachers intervened, restraining others and urging them to behave. But after rumors spread that the Mo family was ignored and suppressed by the royal family, the teachers stopped caring. They let others bully him freely, as long as Mo Zichuan remained alive, even if half-dead.

This was a continent where strength ruled. Without power or family backing, mingling at the Martial Academy was a constant struggle to endure beatings. Over time, Mo Zichuan’s body was covered in scars and wounds—several deep cuts and stab marks.

“Useless coward! Trash! You don’t belong in the Martial Academy! It’s a disgrace! If it weren’t for your sister being the Crown Princess, I’d have killed you long ago—killing you is as easy as crushing an ant! Haha!”

The humiliating jeers weighed heavily on Mo Zichuan, making it hard to even breathe at the academy.

Jade pendant! Amid the dizziness and confusion, a sinister voice echoed in his mind.

Yes, the jade pendant! He must find a way to get the bloodvine jade pendant back from his elder sister! The pendant held dark power that could make him stronger. If not for the desperate need to save his mother, he would never have returned the pendant to Mo Liuli.

The dark voice whispered temptations step by step, urging Mo Zichuan to find Mo Liuli and seize the pendant to cultivate.

Far away in Wu City, Mo Liuli was completely unaware that because of her, the Mo family had fallen under the royal family’s suppression and exclusion…