Chapter 948 - 950 Turning the Tables Against Them_1
Zhou Ying wanted to thank Bai Ruozhu, but unfortunately, everyone said with heads hung low that the army had already entered the mountain, and Lady Jiang had also gone in, leaving only the military doctor Li to look after his illness.
Speaking of Bai Ruozhu, early in the morning after everyone had their decoction, they set off and soon arrived at the foot of Xuantian Mountain.
"Lin Chengjie, you understand the Qimen Dunjia Technique, be extra vigilant later," Jiang Yichun said to the Wen Shu standing beside him.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but take another glance at the Wen Shu; she had never witnessed the real Qimen Dunjia Technique before, having only heard about it.
Lin Chengjie had a somewhat fair complexion, with a hint of pink on his face, "My lord, I only have a rudimentary knowledge and am not proficient, but I will do my best."
"No matter, just be as attentive as you can," Jiang Yichun’s tone toward the Wen Shu was not as stern as usual.
The group headed up the mountain, and they quickly noticed some thin mist around them. Jiang Yichun immediately made a gesture and said loudly, "Everyone keep close, and loop the ropes in the line!"
Following this, the sound of clicking echoed as some soldiers took out the hooks and chains they had prepared in advance and connected themselves to the person behind.
Jiang Yichun reached out and grabbed Bai Ruozhu’s hand, whispering, "This is the Fog Array, do not separate from me."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, moving even closer to him. The faint fragrance emanating from the person beside her, along with the memory of the scene they shared the previous night, made Jiang Yichun’s ears warm up.
The troop continued to move forward, counting off from time to time to make sure no one was lost. Thankfully, no teams had gone astray so far, but the mist around them was growing denser.
"My lord, the Fog Array doesn’t have much killing power; it’s purpose is to confuse our senses so we can’t find our way, or even cause us to separate, and then they’ll break us down one by one," Lin Chengjie reminded Jiang Yichun in a low voice.
At that moment, Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "Be careful, a sneak attack is coming!"
Lin Chengjie looked at Bai Ruozhu in surprise, wondering if the lady was too nervous. Usually, an attack wouldn’t begin until after everybody got scattered by the Fog Array.
But Jiang Yichun didn’t doubt her, and immediately issued a command, "All squads, be on high alert and ready for battle!"
The troop halted, everyone nervously on guard, but they seemed to hear nothing. Where were the attackers?
Bai Ruozhu was so nervous that her palms started to sweat. Jiang Yichun, holding her hand, felt the moisture and gently scraped her palm with his thumb to ease her emotions.
Bai Ruozhu turned to look at Jiang Yichun and mouthed the words: Furball.
She had just clearly received a message from Xiaomao, who was very excited — the kind of eagerness that arises when encountering an enemy or the thrill of wanting to devour food when it finds some. This made Bai Ruozhu instantly tense. The person who cultivated the poisonous insect poison must be nearby!
Indeed, the mist thickened even more and turned a bit yellowish. Bai Ruozhu immediately realized, "There’s something wrong with the mist, tell everyone to cover their noses and mouths."
Jiang Yichun immediately gave the order, and he also reached to cover Bai Ruozhu’s nose and mouth. Bai Ruozhu shook her head slightly, "Don’t worry, the poison won’t affect me."
Only then did Jiang Yichun feel relieved, his heart filled with even more gratitude for Elder Shougu’s gift of Xiaomao to Bai Ruozhu.
Hiding in the thick fog in the distance, You Shen’s lips curled up, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. His smile was particularly sarcastic and disdainful.
Did those fools really think that covering their mouths and noses would work? His poisonous insect poison could penetrate through any opening; it could poison someone just by touching their skin.
However, the more widespread the release of the poisonous insect poison, the weaker its potency would be—at least it wouldn’t cause anyone to fall to the ground immediately, but it could definitely weaken their combat ability. Thinking of this, You Shen’s smile became even more triumphant. A small black beetle crawled out from between his teeth; despite its tiny body, it had a pair of red eyes that were as red as the freshest human blood, especially eerie.
"Little darling, you’ll get your reward soon," You Shen chuckled, even going so far as to lick the eerie beetle with his tongue. If someone had seen this scene, they would probably have vomited on the spot.
Deciding that it was about time, You Shen turned and vanished into the fog.
It was a pity he left a step early and didn’t see the sinister scene of the dissipating fog.
At this moment, Furball lay inconspicuously on Bai Ruozhu’s shoulder, eagerly sucking in the surrounding mist. Originally it feasted on the mist, but now that the mist was laced with poisonous insect poison, although not very toxic, it served as a decent appetizer for Furball.
Soon, everyone realized there was poison in the air; they covered their mouths and noses, but their bodies still showed signs of poisoning. Nevertheless, the effects were minor. They could still use their inner strength; it was only their throats that felt dry, and their breathing was slightly uncomfortable.
"No need to worry, let’s keep moving forward. That person is gone," Bai Ruozhu whispered.
"The person who cultivates poisonous insects?" Lin Chengjie was taken aback.
Jiang Yichun sneered, "They are scared. Knowing that our military force is strong, they wanted to weaken us first. Unfortunately, they miscalculated."
Lin Chengjie quickly glanced at Bai Ruozhu and thought to himself, when the master spoke of a miscalculation, was he referring to the fact that they hadn’t accounted for his spouse?
Tu Lie asked from the side, "Did Batianzhai’s third in command, who is proficient in the use of poisonous insects, come?"
"I don’t know which one is their third in command, but someone who uses poisonous insects did arrive just now. He released a wide range of poisonous insect poison. Poisonous insect poison can seep into the body through the skin, though it’s slower than through the mouth and nose. Being exposed would delay one’s inner strength, causing chest tightness and pain, thus lowering our combat strength. However, there’s no need to worry now, as we’ve all taken the antidote already; we’re only mildly poisoned, and it can be cured once we get back," Bai Ruozhu patiently explained.
In fact, there was one more thing she didn’t mention, because Furball had absorbed the fog, so everyone wouldn’t continue to be permeated by the poisonous insect poison, which was why the situation wasn’t so severe.
Thinking of this, she rolled her eyes and whispered to Jiang Yichun, "Why don’t we quietly give the orders for everyone to pretend to be ill from the poisoning and then catch them off guard?"
Jiang Yichun revealed a mischievous smile and immediately instructed Wen Shu to secretly pass down the order.
Tu Lie, looking at the couple smiling slyly, once again believed the saying: "Birds of a feather flock together." Look at how cunningly that couple is smiling. Thank goodness he had reconciled with them early on, avoiding deep-seated enmity.
The fog soon cleared, and Bai Ruozhu inwardly praised Furball to no end, primarily for its tiny body but staggeringly large stomach. It was fortunate that it didn’t eat regular food; otherwise, she wouldn’t know if she could afford to feed it.
The team continued onward. After a while, someone started to groan, "My lord, we’ve been poisoned. We fear we won’t last long. Perhaps we should descend the mountain to recuperate?"
Jiang Yichun’s face seemed to freeze over as he snorted coldly, "We cannot back down from eradicating bandits. Anyone unwilling to proceed will be treated as a deserter!"