Chapter 19: You must save him, you have to save him!

The Ye residence, bathed in moonlight, had moments ago been a Shura field of flashing blades and shadows; now, it fell into an eerie, deathly silence. The air was thick with the scent of blood, yet the sounds of combat had vanished.

The black-clad assassins, once brimming with murderous intent, had been reduced to piles of ash, scattering in the wind. Wang Feifei’s venomous curses had been cut short, and she herself had been utterly erased from existence.

Ye Qingyan felt an invisible force surging from deep within her—a cold, vast, and majestic power that rippled outward, with her as the epicenter.

Deep in the night sky, dark clouds gathered with visible speed. They churned and roared as if birthing some primordial beast. In a mere few breaths, the entire sky over the Ye residence was cloaked in thick, suffocating clouds, swallowing the stars.

[Imperial Edict: Those who touch the Emperor’s reverse scale shall be struck down by heaven!]

A massive bolt of lightning tore through the night sky. Accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder, it struck with pinpoint precision exactly where the leader of the assassins had been standing.

Charred earth sprayed into the air as the ground was gouged into a deep crater, the smell of acrid smoke permeating the atmosphere.

The lightning had not struck anyone directly, but the sheer weight of the imperial pressure smashed into the hearts of every surviving assassin. Their courage shattered; the weapons fell from their hands with a clatter. Their knees buckled, and they collapsed to the ground, trembling violently, stripped of any desire to resist.

Fear spread in their eyes—the instinctive terror of an absolute, unknown power.

Wang Feifei, the woman who had once been so arrogant, was now nothing more than a patch of black ash. Her end was far more gruesome than that of the assassins begging for their lives.

In this absolute, shocking silence, Ye Qingyan supported Chen Huai’an. Though his face remained pale, the wound on his back had already knit together, leaving not even a trace of blood.

"Huai’an, are you feeling better?"

"I feel fine!"

She slowly straightened up and walked step by step toward the Grandmother, who was slumped on the ground, and Ye Chengzong, who stood there like a wooden statue.

"Grandmother, Father," her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable weight. "This is the state of the Ye family under your governance."

Her gaze swept over the scorched earth, the trembling assassins, and finally landed on the Grandmother and Ye Chengzong.

"The mistress poisoned to death, the legitimate daughter hunted for her life, and a visiting relative severely wounded while protecting her." Her words were like blades, stabbing into them one by one. "Do you see this?"

Ye Chengzong shivered violently. Looking at Chen Huai’an’s pale face and recalling the heaven-shaking omen he had just witnessed—the instantaneous erasure of the assassins and Wang Feifei—his heart was filled not just with fear, but with a towering, righteous fury.

The Ye family, which he had always prided himself upon, had fallen to such a wretched state.

Ye Qingyan did not look at them again. She kicked the corpse of Nanny Li and the scattered, poisoned medicine packets toward Ye Chengzong’s feet.

"The witnesses and physical evidence are all here," she said with a sneer. "Wang’s intent to kill is proven beyond doubt."

Ye Chengzong’s composure collapsed entirely. Looking at the corpse and the poison, then at the terrified Grandmother and the weak Chen Huai’an beside him, his long-standing indulgence of Wang Feifei and his obsession with maintaining a facade of family harmony suddenly seemed pathetic and impotent.

"Vile woman!" Ye Chengzong roared, kicking hard at the spot where Wang Feifei had stood, now reduced to a patch of ash. His kick was fueled by endless regret and rage, as if he sought to vent all his grievances at once.

"A sin! What a monstrous sin!"

The Grandmother’s face was as dark as water. Everything that had transpired had shattered all her illusions. She stood up shakily, thumping her pear-wood cane heavily against the floor with a dull thud.

"Guards!" Her voice trembled, yet every word was clear. "Seize the remnants of the Wang woman... no, seize all those involved in this matter!"

She paused, her voice turning even colder: "From this day forth, strip the Wang woman of her authority over the household affairs. Confine her to the Buddha hall; without my express command, she is never to emerge!"

Though Wang Feifei had already been reduced to ashes, the Grandmother’s decree was the final verdict for her and her cohorts. It was the sternest punishment the head of the Ye family could issue to one who had dared to subvert the order of the house.

Several guards stepped forward, dragging away the terrified assassins and the corpse of Nanny Li. Wang Feifei’s faction was quickly brought under control.

Ye Qingyan watched this with a calm expression. She had achieved a decisive victory in this internal struggle; Wang Feifei and her influence had been uprooted.

However, she had no time to bask in the triumph. She immediately turned back, anxiously checking Chen Huai’an’s injuries.

"Huai’an, how are you? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?" Her voice was laced with obvious anxiety as her hands searched over him, terrified of missing anything.

Chen Huai’an watched her anxious expression, a faint smile appearing on his pale face. He shook his head, his voice slightly raspy: "Big Miss, I am fine, truly. It doesn’t hurt at all."

He reached out and patted the back of Ye Qingyan’s hand.

After this trial of life and death, the wall between them—nominally that of cousins, but actually marked by a certain distance—had become as thin as a cicada's wing, nearly transparent. He wanted to say something, but did not know where to begin.

That declaration, "Even if I die, I will die before you," had been a heartfelt confession. And the fact that Ye Qingyan had risked everything, threatening the system and sacrificing her own vitality for his sake, made his heart feel both warm and heavy.

At this moment, Ye Chengzong and the Grandmother finally collected themselves and hurried over.

"Huai’an, are you alright?" Ye Chengzong’s tone was filled with unprecedented concern and guilt.

The Grandmother also grabbed Chen Huai’an’s hand anxiously, her eyes brimming with tears: "My dear grandson, Grandmother has failed you!"

Ye Qingyan ignored them. She knew now was not the time for such things.

Soon, the Ye family physician was hastily summoned. He tremblingly took Chen Huai’s pulse and examined the wound, his expression growing increasingly grave.

He withdrew his hand and looked at Ye Qingyan, his voice trembling: "Big Miss, the young master... this arrow was poisoned."

Ye Qingyan’s heart plummeted. She had suspected as much, but hearing the physician say it aloud still made her dizzy.

"What poison is it?" she asked, suppressing the anxiety in her heart.

Cold sweat beaded on the physician’s forehead. He took a deep breath, his tone heavy as if crushed by a mountain.

"It is the rare poison from the Southern Border... 'Bone-Rotting Grass.' This poison is colorless and odorless. Once it enters the body, it erodes the marrow, causing the bones to decay until the victim eventually turns into a pool of pus and blood." The physician’s voice grew lower, filled with despair: "In the capital... there is no cure."

"What?!" Ye Chengzong and the Grandmother gasped in unison.

Ye Qingyan’s body swayed violently. She gripped Chen Huai’an’s hand tightly, her fingertips icy.

"Impossible! Bone-Rotting Grass? No cure in the capital?"

This sudden bad news was more despairing than the flashing blades of earlier. She had just saved Huai’an, just felt the warmth of his presence, only to be told he was poisoned and nearing his end?

She did not believe it. She absolutely refused to believe it!

"You may have always been calling for Chen Huai’an’s head, but after this time, it is clear that he is not a treacherous man."

She looked up, a hint of madness in her eyes: "System, you saved him, and you must see it through to the end!"