Chapter 2

By then, all the Jiang family's businesses and every opportunity that came their way would ultimately belong to you and your younger brother!" The mother and daughter worked together perfectly, their hearts filled with vicious schemes. They could already picture Jiang Lingxi's reputation being ruined and her dying a miserable death, their faces overflowing with smug delight. But this utterly despicable scheme happened to be overheard word for word by the original Jiang Lingxi, who was passing by the artificial hill. The original Jiang Lingxi's blood instantly ran cold. Her hands and feet became icy, while overwhelming fear and despair swallowed her whole. She knew very well that her heartless father had always favored Madam Liu and her children. He had never cared about her. Normally, whenever Madam Liu mistreated her or Jiang Roulian bullied her, her father would simply turn a blind eye, refusing to stand up for her or give her even the slightest bit of justice. If her reputation were truly ruined, her father would never protect her. He would only take advantage of the situation and abandon her. Overwhelmed by terror, the original Jiang Lingxi did not dare linger for even a moment. Summoning every ounce of strength she had, she stumbled and desperately rushed out of the Jiang residence. But the potent aphrodisiac in that bowl of lunch had already seeped deep into her bloodstream. Her panic and fear triggered the poison, causing its effects to erupt violently. Scorching pain swept through every inch of her body. Her internal organs felt as though they were being burned and devoured by raging flames. Her vision rapidly blurred, and her entire body became weak and powerless. The original Jiang Lingxi staggered along a deserted road outside the city. In the end, she could no longer hold on. Her consciousness faded away, and she died miserably by the roadside with hatred in her heart. Qingyou Inn. Xiao Linyuan, the Prince of War who guarded the northern frontier, was passing through Taohua County under imperial orders when his political enemies secretly plotted against him. He had been poisoned with two deadly and incurable toxins at once—cold poison and a potent aphrodisiac. The cold poison sealed his meridians and froze his bones, while the aphrodisiac burned his heart and blood. The two deadly poisons violently clashed and tore through his body, completely suppressing his unparalleled martial arts. His limbs had become stiff and heavy, making even the slightest movement extremely difficult. His personal hidden guard, An Feng, was drenched in anxious cold sweat. He knelt on the ground and hurriedly reported, "Your Highness! "The two poisons are mutually conflicting and already impossible to cure! "Without a woman to neutralize the toxins, your meridians will shatter, your cultivation will be completely destroyed, and your life will be in grave danger!" With no other choice, An Feng desperately searched everywhere for a solution. Eventually, he came across the original Jiang Lingxi, who was on the verge of death from the poison. He immediately carried her back to a guest room at the inn. The guest room was quiet and deserted. At the exact moment the original Jiang Lingxi's breath completely stopped, the soul of Jiang Lingxi—the modern world's supreme master of medicine and poison—suddenly entered her body. She had successfully crossed through time and taken over the body! So hot! A scorching heat that felt as though it were burning her alive surged through Jiang Lingxi's entire body. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids as her muddled consciousness slowly returned. A vast flood of memories surged into her mind, allowing her to instantly understand all the causes and consequences of the original owner's past, as well as the blood feud she carried. The original owner's biological mother was none other than the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Duke's Estate in the capital, a noblewoman born to a family of immense power and influence. When she was young, her mother had traveled outside the capital. She was ambushed by someone, lost her memory after falling unconscious, and ended up wandering among commoners. She was eventually rescued by Jiang Lingxi's father, Jiang Zhendong, who happened to be passing through the area on business. With no one to rely on, her mother was deceived by Jiang Zhendong's false tenderness and eventually fell in love with him, marrying him willingly. After their marriage, she gave birth to their only daughter, Jiang Lingxi. When the original Jiang Lingxi was four years old, her mother accidentally struck her head one afternoon and completely recovered all her memories. She remembered her noble identity as the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Estate and the glory of her family. She had originally planned to wait for Jiang Zhendong to return, tell him everything honestly, and take her young daughter back to the capital to reunite with her family and leave the countryside behind. But she never could have imagined just how vile the human heart could be. Her father, Jiang Zhendong, had been keeping a concubine outside the home. Her maternal grandmother then arranged for Madam Liu to enter the household as a secondary wife, allowing her to serve the same husband. How could a proud and noble daughter of the Duke's Estate, born with an unyielding spirit, possibly accept such humiliation? She rejected the arrangement outright, completely offending both her mother-in-law and Madam Liu. From that moment on, Madam Liu harbored a deep grudge against her. She endured it for years, secretly poisoning Jiang Lingxi's mother day after day, slowly weakening her with chronic poison over a long period of time. In just one year, the once-noble legitimate daughter of the Duke's Estate had been poisoned by a mere country concubine until she was completely drained of life. She died a tragic death filled with resentment. After his wife died, the cold and selfish Jiang Zhendong showed not the slightest attachment to his deceased wife. He immediately elevated Madam Liu to the position of principal wife of the Jiang family and brought her two children, Jiang Roulian and Jiang Haoxuan, into the Jiang residence.