A Flicker of Fire in the Frozen Plains

Mrs. Wei was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise, "Thank you, Madam! Thank you! You truly are a living Bodhisattva!"

Go on, take good care of your child. If you have any difficulties, just let the housekeeper or Aunt Crystal know. You're part of the Prime Minister's Residence—we won't leave you on your own.

Mrs. Wei, sobbing, kowtowed three times in gratitude before leaving.

Grace looked at her mother, noticing she seemed a little different today—there was a special kind of simple beauty about her.

Upon closer look, it was probably because she wore no other accessories today—just a single wooden hairpin.

Lena, seeing her daughter's eagerness to explain, laughed heartily, "You have good taste. I can see General Evan Xiao truly cares for you."

And carved on the hairpin was Lena’s favorite jasmine, the craftsmanship so exquisite it was almost magical.

The shape and size of the hairpin matched Lena’s temperament perfectly. Though it was just a simple wooden pin, it looked stunning in her hair.

Hehe, Mom, I’ve never seen you wear this hairpin before! Don’t tell me... Dad bought it for you last night?

How did you know? Lena asked with a smile.

"When I went shopping with Shannon, I saw him from afar. He was with my eldest brother, browsing at a jewelry stall!"

"You only went out with Shannon?"

"And the Imperial Advisor."

"Anyone else?"

"...and Evan Xiao. We had dinner together last night and watched the fireworks, nothing else..."

Lena noticed her daughter's anxious explanation and laughed warmly, "You have good taste. I can see General Evan Xiao truly cares for you."

"I guess so..."

"He doesn't have any parents, so when you become family, you must look after him more. Don't always tease him, okay?"

"I know! I'm not the type who loves to tease all the time!"

"I still know you well, as your mother..." Lena started to say, but suddenly paused.

Grace turned to look at her mother and realized something was wrong.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Grace asked.

Lena raised her eyes to look at Grace, and Grace noticed that her mother's eyes had suddenly turned a strange bluish-black.

That bluish-black color slowly spread outward, and Lena's complexion visibly turned pale with dark undertones before she suddenly collapsed onto the couch.

"Mom! Mom! What's happening to you?" Grace cried out in alarm, rushing over to check her pulse.

Her hand was cold as frost!

Her whole body suddenly felt as cold as ice!

Just touching her made your skin ache from the chill!

"It's the cold poison flaring up!" Grace blurted out. "Quick, bring the prayer scroll I copied for her!"

Aunt Crystal hurried over with the prayer scroll.

"Place it by her nose and don't take it away!" Grace ordered, her voice trembling with urgency. She settled herself cross-legged behind Lena, her palms pressed gently to Lena's back, and began pouring her fire spiritual power into her mother's fragile body—steadfast and relentless.

But Winterbane was the coldest, deadliest poison on the continent. Grace's cultivation, compared to its icy force, was like a flickering spark lost in a vast frozen tundra—so powerless, so small...

Aunt Crystal's hands shook as she placed the prayer scroll beside Lena's nose. The last traces of eighth-tier antidote infused the air, seeping into Lena's body with each desperate breath.

Maids hurried over, wrapping Lena in thick quilts, piling them layer upon layer, and moving the fire stoves as close as possible in a frantic attempt to warm her.

Yet all these efforts were but a faint glow in the endless night—hopelessly feeble, swallowed by the darkness.

After years of battling the cold poison, Lena's body was already worn thin—like a bowstring stretched to its breaking point.

Now, for reasons unknown, the Winterbane poison erupted, surging through Lena in a wild, unstoppable torrent—like a storm that threatened to sweep everything away.