After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Xiaohan sighed softly and slowly opened her mouth, her voice clear and cold: "I don't mind. She wasn't drunk and acting recklessly; she's been poisoned."

Lin Ping's eyes narrowed, the gentleness in them vanishing instantly, replaced by a chilling glint: "Poisoned? What kind of poison?"

"The Forget-Me-Not Valley Mother-Child Poison." Zhu Xiaohan spoke clearly, her tone grave. "This poison is extremely strange, colorless and odorless, and it takes effect without any warning. The only antidote is to harmonize Yin and Yang. If the poison cannot be neutralized within twelve hours, the meridians will rupture, the body will explode, and there will be no cure."

Lin Ping looked down at Liu Lian, who was drunk and feverish in his arms. The girl's body trembled slightly, and a painful flush appeared between her brows, indicating that the poison had taken full effect.

"There's no antidote?" Lin Ping asked in a deep voice.

"There is no antidote in the world." Zhu Xiaohan gently shook her head, revealing the most fatal secret, "Moreover, this poison is fraught with a vicious scheme. Once you are poisoned and your cultivation is halved, your power will be reduced to only half of its peak strength within the next twelve hours!"

boom!

A sudden surge of cold light appeared in Lin Ping's eyes!

In an instant, all the pathways were connected!

Tonight, a hasty forced marriage, Liu Lian inexplicably poisoned, a poison technique with the strange effect of imprisoning cultivation, and a group of powerful masters lurking in the shadows...

This is no coincidence!

This is a decisive battle aimed at killing him!

Someone had tracked down his whereabouts, knowing his protective nature and strong sense of loyalty, and calculating that he would never stand idly by and watch Liu Lian perish. Therefore, they devised this scheme. First, they used the marriage to distract him, then used a rare poison to force him to cripple half of his cultivation, and finally, they had the Blood Shadow Pavilion Master and the Grandmasters of the seven major sects take the opportunity to ambush and kill him while his cultivation had plummeted!

"The Valley of Forgetfulness is isolated from the world, and only Master Lingyun in the valley is proficient in such bizarre poison techniques." Lin Ping's voice was chilling, and his fingertips faintly emitted a sharp internal force. "Besides him, no one has the opportunity or means to harm Liu Lian."

Past kindness, thoughtful gift of medicine, hasty forced marriage, and secret poisoning!

Beneath the layers of disguise lies nothing but ruthless scheming!

Just then, Liu Lian in his arms felt the pain intensify. The toxins were frantically eroding her meridians, her consciousness was gradually blurring, and she felt unbearably hot all over. Her hands unconsciously tugged at her clothes, and her delicate skin flushed an unusual red. She became increasingly weak and helpless.

"It's so hot... Brother Linping... I feel so uncomfortable..."

She murmured incoherently, her body trembling constantly, every movement revealing extreme pain.

Lin Ping's expression darkened, and he was completely caught in a dilemma.

To save him would mean losing half of his own power, exposing his weakened state, and facing the combined attack of dozens of grandmasters and the Blood Shadow Pavilion Master in the shadows. Today, Lingyun Mountain will be his burial ground!

He simply couldn't bear to watch Liu Lian, who genuinely followed him and was innocent and pure, die a horrible death from the poison!

Zhu Xiaohan stood quietly to the side, her eyes filled with complex emotions, including worry and a chill at the insidious scheme. Looking at Lin Ping, who was caught in a dilemma, she said softly, "They've calculated your character to the fullest extent, certain you won't abandon her. This is an open and unsolvable trap."

The red candles flickered, casting a chaotic interplay of light and shadow.

Deep within the mountains and forests outside, the previously hidden and dormant killing intent began to surge. Those grandmaster-level experts who had been patiently waiting for so long had already sensed the changes inside the house, knowing that the game had taken effect and Lin Ping was about to fall into the trap of a sharp drop in his cultivation!

A series of faint, whistling sounds echoed from the depths of the dark forest, carrying a chilling killing intent that seemed capable of slaughtering everything, slowly enveloping the entire new house!

Lin Ping raised his hand to hold down the restless Liu Lian, all the tenderness in his eyes fading away, leaving only unfathomable coldness and extreme forbearance.

He still suppressed his peak potential, never revealing his full strength, maintaining the aura of an ordinary grandmaster, pretending to be trapped in a dead end and in a dilemma.

But only he knew that the long-dormant flames of war within his heart had been completely ignited.

The betrayal of Master Lingyun, the encirclement and suppression by martial arts sects, and the relentless pursuit of a deadly trap.

Since everyone wants to use this scheme involving beauty and poison to kill him.

Tonight, he went with the flow, revealing his "weakness" to lure out all the demons and monsters!

He pretends to be weak while secretly plotting his victory, biding his time and lying in wait, all for the day he can sweep across the land!

Lin Ping looked down at Liu Lian, who was groaning in pain in his arms, and then at Zhu Xiaohan, who was calmly accompanying him. A cold and arrogant smile appeared on his lips.

So what if I only have half the power?

Do these clowns hiding in the shadows really think that by losing half their cultivation, they can shake the true dragon of the city who has returned from hibernation?

The murderous intent in the shadows is growing stronger, and a storm is brewing. A shocking bloodbath that will sweep across the entire martial arts world is about to begin!

As dawn broke, morning mist drifted over the bamboo courtyard of Lingyun Mountain, and a gentle breeze carried away the lingering stench of blood and the aroma of wine from the previous night.

Outside the bridal chamber, Shen Aoxue and Chi Yao stood side by side, their expressions calm, having waited there for some time. Last night, Liu Lian had gotten them drunk, and upon waking, they remembered that they were to go up the mountain together today to search for rare Ganoderma lucidum, to help Lin Ping stabilize his cultivation, and also to guard against any hidden dangers in the mountains.

The two were chatting in hushed tones when their gazes suddenly sharpened, and their faces showed surprise.

Zhu Xiaohan, who should have been resting in her new house, walked slowly into the courtyard through the main gate in an elegant long dress. Her posture was composed and her expression was calm, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Chi Yao frowned slightly, about to ask a question, when with a soft creak, the wooden door of the new house was pushed open from the inside.

Lin Ping walked out slowly, his figure upright. He stretched lazily, his expression relaxed and carefree, showing no signs of exhaustion or weakness. It was as if the danger of losing half of his strength and neutralizing the strange poison last night was just a normal rest for him.

Behind him, Liu Lian followed closely, her face flushed with shyness, her little hands secretly clutching the hem of Lin Ping's clothes.

Upon raising his eyes and meeting Chi Yao's scrutinizing gaze, Liu Lian instantly shrank back like a child who had done something wrong, hurriedly hiding behind Lin Ping with only half of his flushed face showing, not daring to look up at anyone.

"What are you hiding from?"

Chi Yao stepped forward, reached out and precisely grabbed Liu Lian by the back of his collar, gently pulling him out from behind Lin Ping, her tone somewhat serious.

Her gaze swept over Liu Lian, whose face was filled with embarrassment, then turned to Zhu Xiaohan, whose expression remained unchanged, and she said in a deep voice, "Last night you broke into the room while drunk, ruining Miss Xiaohan's wedding night. Aren't you going to apologize to her right now?"

Liu Lian clutched the hem of her clothes, her cheeks flushed crimson, and bit her lip as she whispered, "I...I'm sorry."

The atmosphere became slightly tense. Shen Aoxue watched quietly, a hint of doubt in her eyes, unsure of what had happened in the room last night.

Seeing this, Zhu Xiaohan gently raised her hand and softly spoke to defuse the situation: "It's alright, there's no need for her to apologize."

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Shen Aoxue and Chi Yao, and told them the truth in a serious tone: "Last night, it wasn't because she was drunk and acting recklessly. Liu Lian was poisoned by the Mother-Child Bond Poison from the Valley of Forgetfulness, and he was unable to control himself."

Shen Aoxue and Chi Yao's pupils shrank simultaneously, and their expressions changed drastically.

"The Mother-Child Bond Poison?" Chi Yao exclaimed in surprise. Having spent many years in the martial world, she had heard of the poison's terrifying reputation. "It's rumored that there's no cure for this poison, except for harmonizing Yin and Yang, but even that will damage the caster's cultivation?"

"That's right." Zhu Xiaohan nodded, her gaze falling on Lin Ping beside her. "Last night, Lin Ping used his skills to detoxify her to save her. For the next twelve hours, his cultivation level will only be half of its peak."

Upon hearing this, Shen Aoxue's face turned pale instantly, and she looked at Lin Ping with worry in her eyes.

The two instantly realized that all the unusual events of the previous night had connected, and it was not just childish nonsense, but a carefully planned trap!