Maomu covered his eyes painfully. He went to great lengths in order not to make any noise. This was because he knew that if anybody else in the village was disturbed, something worse would happen to him. He had been here once, so he knew only too well how terrifying this village was. While the villagers appeared to be some skinny men and old women, they were all good at either poisoning or martial arts, like the young man who had tried hard to stop Leng Changxi from attacking with his arm next to the well.
“You have overrated your ability,” Leng Changxi said to Maomu viciously. He would have killed Maomu because he acted against orders and killed such an important mole, were it not for his remaining value.
Maomu pushed Leng Changxi lightly and then gently stroked Qin Yunuan’s feet, “Help me! Please help me! Madam Tuoba, I know that you’ve learned some leechcraft before. Help me.” Qin Yunuan raised her head. Since Sun Miaoyang had been in her courtyard for such a long time and liked to teach her some skills, she had learned the properties of some medicine and the diagnosis of some difficult and complicated diseases imperceptibly. However, she simply didn’t want to save this man.
“This is exactly what you have asked for,” Qin Yunuan turned her head to the other side.
“But didn’t you want to kill him? I just do this for you. This old man would expose us without a doubt because he wouldn’t cooperate with us. Mr. Tuoba, I’ve done it for your sake.”
“I have never thought of killing him,” Leng Changxi gave Maomu a kick indifferently, “Although Mr. Sun has killed people before, all he did was to protect this old village. I didn’t even think of killing the crazy soldier. It is you who have a crooked mind and vicious intentions. Don’t try to corrupt the rest of us with your words.”
Qin Yunuan gently stroked the hidden shelf under her bed. She put up a bamboo pole hanging on the wall casually and dipped into the shelf with it for safety. Sun Chengzhen wouldn’t set one checkpoint only. As an expert in the mechanism, he would naturally ransack his brain to protect the other three maps. As she had expected, the bamboo pole was cut into two pieces. From outside, she could see the shining chopper clearly with the light. If what was put into it was not a bamboo pole but a person’s hand, it must be cut off. Ensuring no more danger, Qin Yunuan took out a black wooden box. Opening it, she saw the three maps. When they were put together with the map that Old Madam of Prince Ning’s Mansion asked Qin Yunuan to keep, a whole map showed up.
By coincidence, Maomu was blind now. Even though the map was put right in front of him, he got no chance to read it. Sounds came from outside, which might be made by someone in the village who got up in the midnight and went out to urinate.
“Leave here as soon as possible,” Leng Changxi ordered decisively. He glanced at Sun Chengzhen’s body. Of course, Wanyan Su would send someone to clear it. What he felt regret for, however, was that a hero of the time, the man who had deceived the whole Sun Family and Qi, died so easily.
Leng Changxi and Qin Yunuan had no intention to care for Maomu at all. There was simply the relationship of cooperation between them and their frenemy.
The night was still deep. The campsite was extremely quiet because everyone had rested. Nobody had noticed the three people who returned late. Yasu was sound asleep in Wanyan Su’s arms. Yaqi was lying beside the soft straw mattress laid for Qin Yunuan. She didn’t sleep well because of the hard sand. Qin Yunuan changed Yaqi’s side cautiously without any noise and lay on the mattress. The next moment when she opened her eyes, it was already daybreak.
The troop was ready. As for Maomu’s injury, the explanation was that he had conflicted with the villagers later. Since it was Maomu who was guilty, blaming the villagers was not possible. This had made the troop confirm that they should leave the place as soon as possible. Preparing enough freshwater, the 170 people got ready for departure when the sun just rose. Wanyan Su ordered his servants to tie the crazy soldier yesterday to a tree.
Before parting, Wanyan Su lifted the soldier’s chin with the dagger in his hand so that the soldier had to look at him with his dull eyes, “You are crazy now. Taking you to the trip is not convenient because you may influence the daily life of this village. For the moment, you just wait here. Beside your hands are pancakes and water. Whether you can keep living to the time we come back is on your own luck.”
Hearing that, the soldier got flustered at once, “No. Your Highness, please take me with you! I won’t stay at this place where men will be eaten up. I don’t want to, Your Highness!”
However, everyone seemed to be deaf to his entreaty. Riding horses was forbidden after entering the valley. The troop all walked. The road at the beginning was not hard to go, but the vegetation was getting more and more luxuriant during the journey. The soldiers heading the procession cleared the path with the most ordinary scimitars by cutting off some leaves and branches which got in the way.
“It’s getting moister,” while Qin Yunuan was walking, she could feel that the air was becoming wetter and wetter, which implied that they were close to the center of the valley.
Leading Qin Yunuan with his body a little ahead, Leng Changxi said in a low voice, “Do you remember the unusual white poplar woods we found when we first arrived?”
“Sure,” Qin Yunuan answered, “We both think that the white poplar woods were planted recently, but the aim for that is a mystery.”
“Do you still remember what the mad soldier cried when we left?”
Qin Yunuan had always had a good memory. “I won’t stay at this place where men will be eaten up.” This was what the soldier had begged for.
“A place where men will be eaten up?” Qin Yunuan said confusedly.
“I have tricked Maomu into telling the truth before. Seven years ago, when he came to this place, he found that this village was a place where talents and masters were hiding. Its men are all good at martial arts, while its women are mostly raising poisonous worms originating from the Miao Family in the Southwest region, which needs luxuriant vegetation and moist air. I assume that planting the white poplar wood is very likely to relate to the cultivation of the poisonous worms.”
Qin Yunuan couldn’t help but gasp. The area of the white poplar woods was huge. If the trees were all used for cultivating the poisonous worms, what a vast and mighty work it was, and how many disasters it would cause in the future!
“Be careful! Snakes ahead!” a cry came from the head of the procession. The soldiers leading the way took a few steps back, making the people walking behind them lose orders. Many fell to the ground when soldiers pushed and shoved. They wanted to pat their pants and get up, but once they raised their heads, they saw poisonous snakes all over the mountains and plains. They twined around trees and crawled through the wet earth. There were even several scary water snakes swimming in the ponds beside them.
Wanyan Su organized the procession in perfect order, “Back up! Don’t panic. Spread the realgar powder.”
Having heard that there were many poisonous snakes in the Yeren Valley, Wanyan Su had made preparation before. The yellow powder was spread into the air, to the ground, and to the trees massively, making people unable to breathe temporarily. Even so, screams still came one after another.
“Ah! I got bitten.”
“Help!”
Leng Changxi retreated calmly, leading Qin Yunuan with him. He killed the poisonous snakes near him at an incredible speed with the short sword in his hands. Then he seized the pack of realgar powder from Yaqi’s trembling hands directly and said to Qin Yunuan, “Nuan, close your eyes!”
Qin Yunuan closed her eyes quickly. Leng Changxi sprayed the realgar powder. The yellow smoke enveloped Qin Yunuan. With her eyes closed, she heard a splash of water suddenly. She thought that somebody had fallen into the pond, but what came next was a scared scream.
“A python! The python is going ashore!”
“Calm down,” Wanyan Su was dissatisfied with his bodyguards’ reaction, “You are all warriors of North Di, why are you afraid of some snakes? Keep your order.”
Unfortunately, people were so insignificant in the power of nature.
“Big Brother! Please help my Big brother! He will be eaten by the python.”
There came the sound of swords crossing with each other. When the smoke dissipated slowly, the poisonous snakes were beaten back by the realgar powder. However, in the middle of the procession, a huge python as thick as an iron bar was winding around a soldier with its body. The soldier couldn’t breathe anymore. His face was pale and bloodless, and from time to time, there came the sound of broken ribs and arms.
Everybody else was stepping back, daring not to go forward. There was only one person deeply grieved. He tried to rush forward and kill the huge python for several times, but he was unable to move because his companions stopped him.
“Everybody, be quiet,” Qin Yunuan shouted suddenly, “Snakes estimate the position and danger by the vibrations of the ground. If we don’t move, it will think that the surrounding is safe now. When it begins to eat its prey without vigilance, it will be its weakest moment. At that time, saving your brother will be easy.”
What? He should wait until the huge python began to eat his brother?
The soldier couldn’t wait at all. To him, Qin Yunuan’s suggestion was equal to sending his brother to death in advance. He wouldn’t take it. Biting his companion’s arm, he shouted, “Big Brother! I’m coming to save you!” Then he waved his broadsword and marched ahead. The huge python vibrated, clearly sensing the danger outside. It curled its body and crawled quickly through the grass. Before long, it vanished in the thick bush.
Burning with indignation, the soldier ended up coming away empty-handed. He could only watch helplessly that his brother was carried away by the huge python.
“It’s all because of you! A woman!” Unable to chase the huge python, the soldier vented his anger on Qin Yunuan and sprang at her furiously. However, he was hit to the ground by Leng Changxi’s slap when he was still several steps away from Qin Yunuan.
“Just now, Nuan told you not to take reckless action. Instead of bullying a woman, if you hurry to chase the python, you may have some chance.”
While the soldier was still hesitating, Wanyan Su had ordered, “You guys, follow him to chase the python. For the others, rest here for the time to burn up an incense.”
Taking several good companies with him, the soldier chased along the path the huge python left, but the way he looked at Qin Yunuan was still filled with anger. Qin Yunuan, on the other hand, didn’t care much about it because she couldn’t see him clearly as her eyes were covered with the white gauze.
After a while, however, these soldiers ran to report in a hurry, “Your Highness, the huge python has dragged the man into a cave, which was really dark inside. Although there are traces of human activity, we don’t dare to enter at will. Cha insists on entering it by himself to save his brother. Your Highness, we run back to ask your permission.”
“Are you saying that there are traces of human activities in the cave?” Wanyan Su focused on the key point, “About how long ago?”
“There is residual heat. No more than two hours.”
