The Hidden Clan, Royal Palace.
Bang—!
The sound of shattering porcelain echoed within the main hall of the royal palace.
The fruit platter thrown by Heka Qing Tang missed Heka Lian Nuo’s head by a centimeter, falling to the ground and smashing into pieces.
The loud noise of the heavy fruit platter made Heka Lian Nuo tremble, but she still knelt on the ground, unmoving, with a composed demeanor.
She knelt perfectly straight, head held high, chest out, her delicate features with their thick eyebrows and large eyes carrying a hint of wild defiance.
“Do you know how great the loss is this time?”
Heka Qing Tang’s face was ashen with anger. With her hands behind her back, she walked up to Heka Lian Nuo, pointing at her, and berated her.
Heka Lian Nuo’s gaze flickered, a hint of guilt surfacing. “I know.”
“You know?!”
Heka Qing Tang’s voice suddenly rose, and she abruptly kicked Heka Lian Nuo’s shoulder. “You know nothing!”
She trembled with rage, her hair standing on end. “You begged me to treat Qing Mu Ye, and I repeatedly told you not to let the tiger return to the mountain, not to let the tiger return to the mountain!! And you? You did well. I meticulously laid out a plan, waiting for them to walk into the trap, thinking I had foreseen everything, only to never expect that I would overlook you in the end!”
“It’s one thing that I lost troops and generals, but you actually led Qing Mu Ye and the others out through the secret passage of the research institute. Don’t you know what that passage means?”
Heka Qing Tang placed one hand on her hip and raised the other, glaring at Heka Lian Nuo. Her eyes seemed to want to bore a hole through her.
Kicked to the ground, Heka Lian Nuo lay there, gritting her teeth in pain. Her abdomen throbbed with sharp pain.
Since she could remember, she had rarely seen her mother fly into such a rage.
This time, she knew she had made a mistake and knew what consequences she would face.
Heka Lian Nuo clutched her abdomen and knelt before Heka Qing Tang again. “It is Lian Nuo’s fault. Please punish me, Mother.”
She did not want to explain or say anything more.
Heka Qing Tang’s reaction seemed to be as she expected, but seeing her like this still infuriated her.
Pointing at her, she questioned, “Were you deceived by Qing Mu Ye’s lies, or did he hold you hostage, forcing you to let him go?”
These words were undoubtedly offering Heka Lian Nuo a way out.
However, Heka Lian Nuo, kneeling with her back ramrod straight, said with determined eyes, “I take responsibility for my own actions. This has nothing to do with Qing Mu Ye; it was all my own decision.”
“You… you…” Heka Qing Tang’s hand trembled as she pointed at her. “Say that again!”
Heka Lian Nuo’s voice rose, clear and resonant, “I take responsibility for my own actions. This has absolutely nothing to do with Qing Mu Ye.”
Slap—!
As the last word fell, Heka Qing Tang delivered a heavy slap to Heka Lian Nuo’s face.
As a practitioner of martial arts, her strength was far greater than that of an ordinary person.
The slap sent Heka Lian Nuo sprawling to the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from her lips. The ivory skin of her face visibly developed five finger marks, quickly swelling up.
The harsh fall aggravated her abdominal wound, and blood seeped out, staining her clothes.
But Heka Lian Nuo did not utter a sound. Enduring the pain, she propped herself up with her hands and continued to kneel upright.
In this state, she exuded a spirit of pride and stubbornness.
Heka Qing Tang seemed to see a reflection of herself in her daughter.
As a mother, how could she not pity her own daughter?
Even a tiger does not eat its cubs, let alone her.
It was merely a disappointment at her lack of success.
“Lian Nuo, you should know that it was not easy for our Heka clan to reach this point. You should never, ever have taken Qing Mu Ye to the secret passage!”
“Yes, Mother, you are absolutely right.”
Heka Lian Nuo’s chin lifted slightly, but her eyelids drooped as she looked at the ground. She said firmly, “I know I have committed an unforgivable mistake. Please punish me, Mother. Lian Nuo will have no objections.”