The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 25 - The Lie of a Liar

Long Yi's amused voice sounded out right next to Feng Yao's ear, but it only brought eerie shivers down her spine.

"Zhen has been looking for you everywhere. But look at this mess you've gotten into. Didn't Zhen tell you? The world out here is quite cruel. Only Zhen can protect you from it all."

Feng Yao gritted her teeth in pain as another sharp jolt ran up her leg. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the Emperor's personal guards standing watch at the edges of the tree grove.

"But my dear Feng Yao, you don't have to be afraid. Even earlier, you didn't have to worry."

He suddenly leaned closer to her ear as if he was about to share a secret between just the two of them.

"Zhen was watching over you for a while. Zhen wouldn't have allowed for anyone to actually kill you." Long Yi grinned at her as she continued to coldly study his face.

Suddenly an intense wave of agony tore through her entire body. It felt as though all of the blood in her veins was replaced with boiling oil as her heart began to irregularly beat at an alarmingly painful pace. It was like her entire being was rejecting itself.

Feng Yao's face turned incredibly pale as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Gritting her teeth, she forced a question out.

"What did you dip your arrow in?"

Hearing her pained whisper, a look of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Just a simple experimental concoction of a few herbs Zhen has been playing with. What do you think of it?"

Seeing her unwilling to answer, Long Yi gave a cheerful chuckle.

"Well then, that's perfect. Although--" He paused as his eyes suddenly shifted into cold, glassy orbs that felt unnaturally piercing.

"Zhen is quite intrigued on how you're still conscious after being hit by these golden arrows. There was exactly the same amount of poison on yours as the others that were used to kill the assassins."

Feng Yao stared at him for a moment before bursting out into laughter. But the moment she did, her laughter violently convulsed into rapid coughing as she felt her lungs burn in pain.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Another wave of torture shot through her body, and Feng Yao could feel her consciousness begin to fade. But despite her agony, she couldn't resist the secret smile that came to her face as her vision began to blur.

"I bet Your Majesty must be dying to figure out my secret. But unfortunately, this peasant girl doesn't plan on sharing it."

Through her blurry vision, she watched as he coldly smiled. There was a strange chill settling within the depths of his murky eyes, but she didn't have time to study it further before another sharp jolt made her body clench in pain.

What kind of poisons did he use? My body isn't used to any of them. If it wasn't for my existing tolerance to major poisons, I doubt I would still be conscious. Perhaps barely alive, but definitely not well-enough to escape.

"That's quite all right. We'll get to know each other much better once you are Zhen's official Empress."

Feng Yao struggled to reply through her chattering teeth. Was it just her, or was her body temperature rapidly falling?

"I r-refuse the position. I'd rather die than be forced to live in the p-palace."

He paused before his lips twisted into a strange smile that oddly seemed to fit perfectly onto his face. As if his mask was slowly fading away and his true self was coming out.