The pressure cooker of Ye Xia's life was nearing its bursting point. Between the hidden poisoner in the Yun family, Leng Feng's looming threat, and the tense romantic triangle, she felt stretched thin.
She needed a catalyst. A way to force the poisoner into the open and gain a decisive advantage. She devised a risky plan and presented it to Yun Ming.
"We will announce that you have taken a sudden turn for the worse," she explained. "We'll say a rare complication has arisen from the previous poisoning and that you are on the brink of death."
Yun Ming understood immediately. "A bait. You believe the poisoner will come to finish the job, or at least to confirm their handiwork."
"Or to administer the final dose," Ye Xia said grimly. "I will be waiting."
The plan was set in motion. Fake medical reports were leaked. A somber mood fell over the Yun household. Ye Xia hid herself in a secret compartment in Yun Ming's room, her Qi suppressed to near-invisibility, her senses extended like a spider's web.
She didn't have to wait long. On the second night, the door creaked open. Not a servant, not a guard. The figure who slipped in moved with a familiar, authoritative gait.
Ye Xia's heart froze as her [Qi Perception] confirmed what her eyes could barely believe. It was Yun Zhong.
He walked to his brother's bedside, his aura a turmoil of conflicting emotions—triumph, guilt, and a deep, bitter resentment. He pulled a small, ornate vial from his robe.
"Soon, brother," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Soon the family will be strong again. Your gentle ways have made us weak. My way… my way is the only path to survival."
As he uncorked the vial and leaned over to administer the poison, Ye Xia erupted from her hiding place.
"Stop!"
Yun Zhong spun around, shock and fury on his face. "You! This is a family matter! You have no right!"
"I have every right!" Ye Xia shot back, a Qi Shield shimmering into existence around her. "You betrayed your own brother! You poisoned the family's future!"
"I am saving it!" Yun Zhong roared, his own Kai flaring, a violent red aura erupting around him. He was a powerful Body Refinement cultivator, and his energy was explosive. "The Leng family promised us a place in the new order! All I had to do was remove the weak link!"
The confession hung in the air. The traitor wasn't a minor cousin. It was the Patriarch's second son.
"Step away from him," Ye Xia commanded, her voice cold as ice.
Yun Zhong laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "Or what, little girl? You may have condensed your Qi, but you are still a novice!"
He lunged at her, his hands clawed like talons, aiming to tear out her throat. The final confrontation within the Yun family had begun.