Chapter 338: 338. Save you

Translator: 549690339

Yao City, Liang Country.

Under the incessant “harassment” of Yanyun Building’s assassins and Old Bai and Old Mu, the doors of Prince Yue’s mansion remained tightly closed for several consecutive days, with nobody going in or out.

Situ Xie couldn’t enter the palace to discuss the overall political situation with Situ Han, so he had secretly sent three masters to deliver messages to the Imperial Palace. However, none of them returned.

“This can’t go on like this.” Madam Yue’s face was grim, “How about setting a trap?”

Situ Xie coldly said, “It’s time for a counterattack. I came here to discuss this with Madam Yue and ask for her assistance.”

“Sure. I’m here to help Prince Yue.” Madam Yue sneered, “Why not tonight, then?”

Situ Xie snorted, “Exactly what I was thinking.”

That night, close to midnight, Situ Xie’s carriage slowly left the Prince Yue Mansion’s back door, heading in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Soon, the news of the carriage was reported to Yan Shiba, who was hiding not far from Prince Yue’s Mansion, by Yanyun Building’s assassins who had been observing from the dark.

Yan Shiba didn’t want to continue dealing with Situ Xie either. Although Gu Ling didn’t explicitly tell her to kill Situ Xie, she also didn’t say not to kill him.

“Tonight, all of you, kill Situ Xie!” Yan Shiba coldly ordered.

On the other hand, Old Mu had long noticed that there had been another group of genuine assassins attacking the entire Prince Yue’s mansion recently. However, since he didn’t know the relationship between Su Liang and Yan Shiba, he wasn’t sure whose people those assassins were.

But, the enemy of an enemy could be a temporary friend. Old Mu understood this principle.

So, when he saw the carriage leaving Prince Yue’s Mansion, he thought that those persistent assassins would surely take action again.

Old Mu kept his distance and called Old Bai when he passed by the place where the two of them were staying.

Old Bai was sleeping soundly at the time, and when he was woken up, he was in a bad mood. When Old Mu told him that a carriage had left Prince Yue’s Mansion and Situ Xie might be inside, or it might be a trap, Old Bai sobered up.

Qi Jun was about to follow them, but both Old Bai and Old Mu pushed him back, telling him to stay put.

Qi Jun fully understood: with his weak strength, he shouldn’t go out and cause more trouble…

It was the dead of night.

The carriage wheels rolled over the ground, making a rumbling noise.

Halfway through the journey, the carriage crossed a stone bridge, and the sound of horse hooves became clearer.

Upon reaching the middle of the bridge, more than a dozen shadows suddenly flew from the bridgehead and attacked the carriage!

As the assassins approached, eight figures jumped out from inside and beneath the carriage!

The two sides quickly engaged in battle, with the sounds of swords and knives clashing echoing from one side to the other.

Old Mu and Old Bai quietly approached and saw a chaotic battle.

Both sides were strong and had similar numbers. Old Mu had guessed correctly that the carriage was indeed a trap, and Situ Xie wasn’t inside; it was all just to lure the assassins out.

Looking around, Old Mu thought that there must be more than just those eight on Situ Xie’s side. However, he didn’t intend to make a move yet and planned to observe the situation further.

Old Bai had been quiet and not talking much. Old Mu suspected that he had gotten lost if he didn’t look at him.

As Old Mu was staring at a bush and thinking that there might be people hiding behind it, Old Bai suddenly pulled him back a few steps.

“What’s up?” Old Mu asked in a low voice.

“Poison.” Old Bai said in a low voice, took a medicine bottle from his waist pouch, poured out two pills and handed one to Old Mu.

Old Mu’s expression changed, and he quickly swallowed the pill. Although he hadn’t felt anything unusual, if Old Bai said there was poison, there must be poison.

“That despicable Situ Xie, so sinister!” Old Mu cursed in a low voice. This trap tonight was even more ruthless than he had anticipated. The chance of survival for those assassins wasn’t looking good.

“Old Bai, do we save them or not?” Old Mu asked with a frown, “What if those people are our girl’s friends and they’re here for her?”

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Old Bai’s answer, Old Mu shouted at the top of his lungs, “It’s poisoned, run!”

The assassins of Yanyun Building, upon hearing this, had yet to react when they heard the sound of a whistle. It was the signal from Yan Shiba to retreat.

But at that moment, more than a dozen assassins suddenly felt dizzy and unsteady on their feet, as the poison began to take effect. There were also master fighters nearby who had taken the antidote in advance, blocking their way. They wanted to leave, but were now unable to escape.

Seeing this, Old Mu cursed and rushed out from his hiding spot! If these men were really Su Liang’s friends, then he couldn’t just not help them!

Old Bai hesitated for a moment, but also went over.

Just as Old Bai was about to save one of the Yanyun Building’s assassins, he heard a gloomy female voice behind him, “Senior Brother, is that you?”

Old Bai’s eyes widened and his face stiffened, not looking back. He pushed back an attacking master with a palm strike, and the next moment he felt something sharp and thin silently penetrate his body.

“Senior Brother, after such a long time apart, why won’t you look back at me?” Madam Yue’s laugh was chilling.

Old Bai tore open his pouch and threw it up, the sweet-smelling powder rapidly spreading through the air!

Madam Yue’s complexion changed, and as she retreated, she shouted loudly, “Retreat!”

The fierce battle suddenly ended, leaving only an empty carriage on the bridge, with no trace of any people.

After Madam Yue and her men fled, Old Mu took Old Bai’s antidote, distributed it among the fallen assassins, and then left together. They didn’t stop until they entered a dense forest.

All ten assassins were injured to varying degrees, with their exposed skin showing signs of festering, but it wasn’t serious, and it was already under control. This was caused by the poison that Old Bai released later, but he and Old Mu had taken the antidote beforehand, so they were fine.

Madam Yue ran so quickly because she knew the severity of the poison. The antidote she had given to Situ Xie’s men in advance could not counter this unexpected poison.

“Who are you? From Yanyun Building? Why did you want to kill Situ Xie?” Old Mu asked coldly.

A young woman’s voice came from not far away, “And who are you?”

Old Mu turned his head to look at Yan Shiba, who had appeared before them, his eyes narrowed. “You are… the owner of Yanyun Building?”

The young female assassin leader could be none other than her.

“What if I am? Who are you two?” Yan Shiba’s gaze was guarded. She had not returned to Qian Country for a long time before she met Su Liang in Yin Country. She didn’t know that Su Liang had two new masters. But she guessed that these two strong and poison-savvy old men were here for Su Liang.

“You first, why do you want to kill Situ Xie? Who hired you?” Old Mu scoffed.

Yan Shiba sneered, “You first, announce your names!”

Looking impatient, Old Bai spoke, “Enough! Let’s go!”

Old Mu sensed that Old Bai was agitated, likely due to his encounter with that witch earlier, and didn’t want to entangle with Yan Shiba any longer, deciding to leave.

However, Yan Shiba ordered her men to block Old Mu and Old Bai’s way.

“Do you know a girl named Su Liang?” Yan Shiba stared intently at Old Mu.

Old Mu replied irritably, “Do you plan to repay kindness with enmity? Get away!”

“I mean to say that, since our goals are the same, why not work together?” Yan Shiba didn’t step aside.

Old Mu was tempted, but Old Bai flew up and broke through the encirclement.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Old Mu followed and ran after him.

Yan Shiba did not let her men really obstruct them. Watching their figures disappear into the night, she snorted softly, “It must have something to do with Liang Sister!”

All of Yanyun Building’s assassins in Yao City were deployed tonight, and they were all injured and poisoned. Although the poison was under control, they knew that Situ Xie had a witch who was proficient in poison by his side. If it weren’t for the timely rescue of Old Bai and Old Mu, they would have been wiped out.

Thinking it over, Yan Shiba thought the risk was too great to continue, and Gu Ling, who asked her to come here, had told her not to risk her life.

Given this, Yan Shiba decided to temporarily stop and withdraw from Yao City to recuperate.

Meanwhile, when Old Mu found Old Bai, he had already packed up and prepared to leave.

Qi Jun didn’t understand why and dared not speak.

“Didn’t we agree to kill Situ Xie first before searching for our young lady? What’s the meaning of this?” Old Mu frowned, “Is it because of that old witch? She’s the madwoman you mentioned? Are you that afraid of her?”

Old Bai looked sullen, “Get out of my way!”

Old Mu spread his arms out, “No! You can’t just leave without explaining yourself! How am I supposed to face the young lady if you leave? You haven’t even properly taught her poison techniques yet! Are you planning to go back to a life of drunken stupor?!”

“You don’t understand,” Old Bai said coldly.

Old Mu snatched his bundle away and tossed it to Qi Jun. Qi Jun hesitated for a moment before hiding the bundle behind his back…

Old Bai looked conflicted, “You don’t know how insane that madwoman truly is! Especially when it involves people or matters related to myself! If she finds out that I am connected to Su Liang, there will be endless trouble!”

Hearing this, Old Mu became furious, “Have you lost your mind? At this point, the madwoman must know you’re connected to the young lady! She might have even guessed that you’re her master! If you run, what will happen to the young lady if the madwoman comes looking for her?”

Qi Jun finally understood what was going on and quickly nodded in agreement, “Yes, indeed! Our young lady hasn’t had a chance to properly learn poison techniques from Senior Bai, how will she be able to deal with it? Senior Bai must not just simply abandon us!”

Old Bai’s expression turned gloomy, “It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have involved Su Liang…”

“What on earth did you do to offend that madwoman?” Old Mu couldn’t help but ask, “Is your poison technique inferior to hers? Why does she keep bothering you?”

Old Bai hesitated, only to heave a deep sigh in the end.

Qi Jun looked serious, “Senior Bai, I believe that since this person is such a big problem, it’s better to just get rid of her outright. Of course, this is only under the premise that both seniors are not in danger, as the young lady definitely wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you both.”

“That makes sense,” Old Mu agreed.

Old Bai swayed slightly, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his complexion extremely unsightly, “It’s not as simple as you think.”

…

Nameless island.

As night fell and the wind and waves picked up, Situ Jing reached out and felt Lian Shun lying beside him. He then asked, “Master, haven’t we arrived yet?”

“We have.” As soon as Nangong Lin finished speaking, the boat reached the shore.

After the three of them landed, Nangong Lin pulled the boat ashore and secured it to prevent it from being swept away by the waves.

As Situ Jing had not yet adapted to being blind, Nangong Lin led him by a ribbon and stepped on the sandy beach as they walked forward. Nangong Lin was carrying the still unconscious Lian Shun on his back. Lian Shun had almost woke up in the middle, but was given another sedative to keep him asleep.

They hadn’t gone far before Nangong Lin suddenly stopped, almost causing Situ Jing to bump into him.

“Master, why have we stopped?” Situ Jing asked, frowning.

Nangong Lin gazed at the dark bamboo forest in front of him, lost in thought, “You two hide here, while I go find your grandfather.”

“Master, are you worried that something might have happened on the island while we were away?” Situ Jing asked.

Nangong Lin nodded and shook his head at the same time, “With your grandfather here, nothing should have gone wrong. But just to be on the safe side, let’s be cautious. I won’t alert Su Liang yet; I’ll talk to your grandfather about how to make Su Liang willingly treat your condition.”

“That works,” Situ Jing nodded.

Soon after, Nangong Lin found a place for Situ Jing to sit down and securely tied up Lian Shun’s hands and feet, making it impossible for him to escape even if he woke up.

“Don’t make a sound. Wait here for me to come back.” Nangong Lin patted Situ Jing on the shoulder.

Situ Jing could clearly hear the sound of waves and the rustling of the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves, guessing that they were at the edge of the bamboo forest.

Nangong Lin made sure Situ Jing was settled before heading alone into the bamboo forest, heading towards Qiao Cong’s residence.

At this time, Qiuyue had already served Nangong Qian her meal, administered her medicine, and put her to bed, and the lamp in the room had been extinguished.

However, the rooms on the left where Su Liang stayed and on the right where Qiao Cong stayed still had their lights on.

Nangong Lin appeared outside the courtyard and immediately saw a slender shadow reflected on the window of Su Liang’s room. Everything appeared the same as when he left last time, just as he had expected.

Nangong Lin circled around to the fence nearest to Qiao Cong’s room, leaped in, and silently made his way over to avoid alerting Su Liang. He knocked on the back wall in a rhythmic pattern.

Qiao Cong was tidying up his clothes inside his room, planning to go train with Gu Ling later. Hearing the sound from the back wall, his eyes narrowed slightly. He put down his clothes, opened the door, and went out.

Cen Man was weaving a small basket with thin bamboo strips. Since she couldn’t see, it took her a long time to do it. During the day, she specifically asked Qiao Cong to teach her this task to pass the time.

When she heard the door open, Cen Man thought it was Qiao Cong going to find Gu Ling again, so she didn’t notice anything unusual.

Qiao Cong left the courtyard and entered the bamboo forest. Soon, Nangong Lin appeared, “Father.”

“Why did you come back? How is Jingjing?” Qiao Cong asked with a frown.

Nangong Lin countered, “How is Qianqian’s health? Is Su Liang still here?”

“You don’t need to worry about Qianqian’s health. Su Liang is still here. What are you here for? Is Jingjing alone in Liang Country?” Qiao Cong asked.

Nangong Lin sighed deeply, “Father, Jingjing had an accident.”

Qiao Cong frowned more, “What do you mean? What happened to him?”

Nangong Lin hurriedly said, “He is still alive and came back with me, but he was poisoned and injured his eyes. Now, he can’t see.”

Qiao Cong grabbed Nangong Lin’s collar, his voice filled with anger, “How did you promise me?”

Nangong Lin said that the poison was suspected to be from Su Liang’s master. Situ Jing encountered it in Situ Xie’s mansion. At that time, he was asked to stay outside by Situ Jing and did not follow him in.

“Father, I brought Jingjing back to find Su Liang quickly, to treat him. Maybe his eyes can still be saved.” Nangong Lin’s face turned grim, “Perhaps, Su Liang knows how to solve the poison. Jingjing being poisoned has something to do with her too. Now, we must make Su Liang obediently cooperate and put all her efforts into treating Jingjing. For this, I specifically went to Jiaye City to capture Lian Shun.”

“Where is Jingjing?” Qiao Cong’s voice was low.

“Over there.” Nangong Lin pointed in a direction, “To be on the safe side, I came to discuss with Father how to deal with it. Su Liang is full of tricks. If we are not careful, she will take advantage of us! If she pretends to treat Jingjing but does not try her best, we won’t know. We must use strong means, if she can’t cure Jingjing, we’ll dismember Lian Shun!”

Qiao Cong turned around, “Take me to see Jingjing.”

Nangong Lin nodded, “Alright, this way.”

On the way, Nangong Lin talked about the events that occurred after he and Situ Jing left last time. He appeared to have taken good care of Situ Jing and treated him well, almost fulfilling his every wish.

“Situ Xie is strong, and the Liang royal family is full of dangers. Once Jingjing’s eyes are cured, you should teach him the complete Luoying swordsmanship as soon as possible,” Nangong Lin said.

“Hmm,” Qiao Cong nodded, “I’ll teach you first another day.”

Nangong Lin’s eyes lit up with happiness, “Thank you, Father. I realized on this trip that there are always stronger people out there. If I can learn the complete Luoying swordsmanship, I will be able to better protect Qianqian and Jingjing from being bullied.”

As they were talking, the two reached the edge of the bamboo forest.

Nangong Lin led the way and found Situ Jing and Lian Shun, who were still in the same spot.

“Jingjing, I brought your grandfather here,” Nangong Lin walked over, pulled Situ Jing up, and bent down to pat the dirt on his clothes, being extra careful and considerate.

Lian Shun was still unconscious nearby.

Qiao Cong’s gaze fell on the black cloth covering Situ Jing’s eyes, and his face darkened.

“Grandfather, it’s because I am incompetent,” Situ Jing said in a low voice.

“Don’t talk like that. Su Liang is here, she will definitely cure you,” Nangong Lin said reassuringly.

Qiao Cong approached Situ Jing and Nangong Lin without turning his head and said, “Father, Jingjing’s eyes cannot be delayed any longer, we…”.

Before he could finish, Qiao Cong raised his hand behind Nangong Lin’s back and slapped his neck with a palm strike!

Nangong Lin’s eyes widened in shock. He turned around and looked at Qiao Cong in disbelief, “You…”

Qiao Cong slapped Nangong Lin’s face hard, knocking him to the ground, then stepped on his chest and kicked him fiercely!

Everything happened so fast. Nangong Lin spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.

Situ Jing couldn’t see, but he heard the sound of Qiao Cong hitting Nangong Lin. His expression changed drastically, “What is Grandfather doing?”

Qiao Cong coldly said, “Saving you!”