On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2294 Vanished Without a Trace

The coffin was empty.

There was no corpse of the Su family at all!

Mingzhao stared at the empty coffin, her eyes wide with astonishment, and blurted out, "Where's the corpse?"

She then realized that something had felt off earlier.

The black ropes that had been binding the coffin were gone!

They cut it down before, but it's still here. There wasn't a rope just now.

As soon as she finished speaking, several dark figures jumped out from behind the big tree next to her.

Each of them held a knife in their hand, the blades gleaming coldly in the dim light.

The leader of the men in black glared menacingly and shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you dig up a coffin here! You have some nerve!"

Mingzhao snapped out of her daze, the astonishment in her eyes fading, leaving only coldness.

She gripped the sword at her waist and retorted, "We haven't even asked who you are yet, hiding behind the tree and acting suspiciously, and you're already questioning us?"

The man in black sneered, swung his long sword, and the wind from the blade swept across, stirring up fallen leaves on the ground.

"Were you the ones who cut the ropes on the coffin last time?"

"This is not a place for you. Now that you're here, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Mingzhao's lips curled into a cold smile as he lightly stroked the hilt of his sword, his tone resolute: "Then I'll show you whether I'm qualified to take them down!"

Mu Chen and his three bodyguards stepped forward and engaged in a fierce battle with the man in black.

The man in black was quite skilled; his knife strikes were fast and ruthless, each aimed at vital points. However, compared to Mu Chen, he was still far inferior.

Moreover, there were Huo Changhe's three bodyguards, whose skills far surpassed those of these men in black.

After only a few rounds, the leader of the men in black was kicked in the knee by Mu Chen, falling heavily to his knees. The long knife in his hand was also knocked away and fell to the ground with a clatter.

The other men in black were also subdued by the guards; their knives were knocked away, and they were pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Mingzhao slowly stepped forward, looking down at the men in black pinned to the ground. The firelight illuminated her features, making her appear authoritative and cold: "Speak, who are you?"

The men in black, pinned to the ground, gritted their teeth, their cheeks taut, and stared at Princess Mingzhao and her entourage without uttering a word, their eyes filled with defiance.

Princess Mingzhao sneered: "You're all so stubborn. I wonder if your bones are as hard as your mouths."

Let's teach them a lesson and see if their words are tougher than our blade.

Mu Chen stepped forward, his sword drawn half an inch from its sheath. The cold light grazed the black-clad man's shoulder, and blood immediately seeped out.

After several stabs, cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of the men in black, who grimaced in pain and let out muffled groans.

One of them was as white as a sheet, his lips trembling, and he was about to collapse. He had just uttered half a word when a few faint whooshing sounds suddenly came from the woods!

Several arrows shot out from the shadows of the trees, their speed so fast that they caught everyone off guard, and struck the men in black squarely in the back.

The muffled thuds of cold arrows piercing bodies rang out one after another. Several men in black trembled violently, their eyes widened, mouths gushed blood, their heads lolled to the side, and they died on the spot.

The lead guard immediately drew his sword and chased after the direction from which the arrow had been shot, with the other two guards following closely behind, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

Princess Mingzhao raised her hand and pressed it against the sword at her waist, her sharp gaze sweeping across the surrounding shadows of the trees.

Mu Chen stood protectively beside her, cautiously glancing around.

Before long, the guard returned, his face somewhat gloomy. He cupped his hands to Princess Mingzhao and said, "Princess, those people ran extremely fast and even set up some simple illusions in the forest, so we couldn't catch them."

Princess Mingzhao's gaze fell on the corpses of several men in black on the ground, her somber mood deepening.

These people were silenced; Chongzhou was more complicated than she had anticipated.

She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's dispose of these corpses and go back to the courtyard to discuss this further."

In a secluded courtyard in Chongzhou City, a dark figure strode in, passed through the corridor, and went straight into the study.

The study was dimly lit by candlelight and only an oil lamp was on. A figure in a brocade robe stood with his back to the door and by the window, playing with a jade pendant in his hand. Hearing footsteps, he did not turn around.

The man stood bowing at the door, his voice low and fearful: "Reporting to Master, there were indeed people in the woods, but they were not captured. The other party was quite skilled, and the men I sent were no match for them at all. Several of them were subdued."

"What!" The figure in the brocade robe whirled around, his eyes filled with malice. "A bunch of useless trash!"

The man lowered his head even further: "Your subordinate knows his guilt, but please rest assured, Master, I will deal with him thoroughly, leaving no survivors and ensuring that not a single word is leaked."

As for those few people... daring to interfere in our affairs, their deaths are only a matter of time."

The figure in the brocade robe softened slightly, snorted coldly, and waved his hand: "Find out who this person is as soon as possible. If there are any more mishaps, you won't need to come back."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

As soon as Princess Mingzhao stepped into the courtyard, she felt a wave of dizziness and a dull ache in her head, and even her bones felt sore and weak.

She raised her hand to her forehead, her brows furrowing tightly.

Mu Chen, who was standing beside her, saw her staggering and quickly stepped forward to help her: "Princess, what's wrong?"

Princess Mingzhao leaned against a pillar in the corridor to calm herself down. She looked up at Mu Chen and noticed that his face was also abnormally pale, and his lips were much paler.

"Do you feel unwell anywhere? Are you also dizzy or have weak bones?"

Mu Chen was taken aback: "Princess, I do feel a bit weak and dizzy. Something is definitely wrong."

"Oh no!" Princess Mingzhao's heart skipped a beat. "Quickly, go and summon the three secret guards!"

Mu Chen immediately turned around, strode into the side room, and soon came out with three guards.

The three guards also looked unwell. The leader was pale, while the other two rubbed their temples, their brows furrowed with weariness and discomfort.

Princess Mingzhao looked at them and got straight to the point: "Are you also feeling dizzy, lightheaded, with aches and pains, and general weakness?"

The three guards exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Princess Mingzhao's face darkened completely: "We've been poisoned!"

She immediately turned and went into her room, opened the brocade bundle she carried with her, and took out a small white porcelain bottle. It was given to her by Yan Ruyu before she left. The antidote pill inside could cure all poisons, and she was told to keep it with her in case of emergency.

He poured out a few black pills and handed them to Mu Chen and the three guards.

"Quickly, this is the antidote pill the princess gave me. Take it immediately."

The three guards also took out identical small white porcelain bottles from the brocade pouches at their waists.

"Princess, before we left, the Princess gave each of us a bottle of antidote pills. You should keep yours for when you need it."

After swallowing the pill, a warm sensation spread from the dantian in no time. The dizziness, headache, and bone weakness gradually dissipated, the strength in the body slowly returned, and the complexion became much better than before.

Princess Mingzhao leaned back in her chair, raised her hand to press her temples, which were still slightly numb, and a wave of lingering fear washed over her.

First, the corpse in the coffin disappeared without a trace; then, assassins ambushed and killed them in the forest; and now, they have been secretly poisoned. One thing leads to another, clearly indicating that someone has been watching the forest all along and doesn't want anyone to investigate.