Frost Forest (5)

The girl had a cold expression, her clear eyes flashing with anger, and her face was solemn.

The young man narrowed his eyes. This "escape" was truly exciting.

Forget it, it’s just murder, it’s not like I haven’t killed before.

Xu Ning picked up the green candle, aimed at the right moment, and smashed it hard on the man's forehead.

The man felt pain and touched the wound. Most of his hand was covered in blood.

"Hey, you little girl, you're really strong-armed. I'm going to catch you today!"

The underground palace is not very big, so running around like this is not a good idea.

The faint gaze above my head is still there.

In an instant, something flashed through my mind.

Don't you like messing with me?

Okay, I don’t care if you’re a villain or something, if you mess with me, I’ll mess with you.

[Host, are you sure you want to be a villain? Are you sure you, who has just entered meditation, can defeat someone who is at least in the Lesser Realm?]

"Who said I was going to hit him?"

In the blink of an eye, the basement was dark. The young man was unhappy and his heart was in a tangle.

Xu Ning blew out the candle, knocked the man unconscious in the dark, tied him up, and hid him in a blind spot.

Soon, a very light sound of footsteps landing was heard.

It turns out that the ceiling on the stone door is a brick that can be removed.

Xu Ning could no longer hear the young man's footsteps, which were like a cat or a ghost, getting closer and closer...

People are always extremely sensitive in the dark, just like at this moment, with every step closer, Xu Ning's heart tightened a little.

Xu Ning imagined the scene in a martial arts drama. When Tang Xixu came over, he would slap him from behind, and he would then faint. Then he would tie him up and beat him up to vent his anger.

However, in the face of the actual gap in strength, imagination is always just imagination.

When the "ghost" approached, it did give him a palm, but... he didn't seem to faint.

Xu Ning's eyes suddenly dropped, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "You, you're not dizzy..."

Tang Xixu's eyesight is better at night.

"Why, you really want me to faint?"

The young man approached step by step, and Xu Ning retreated step by step, and the candlestick fell with a "clang".

My heart also skipped a beat.

"No, no. I was just trying to hit the man in black, but it was dark in here. Look, I hit the wrong guy."

The young man lowered his head again, "Oh, really, but that man in black was clearly tied up by Miss Xu.

Xu Ning inched to the right, his palms sweating. "Maybe, maybe I remembered it wrongly, or maybe the man untied the rope himself and ran away."

What a jinx.

The man in black indeed broke free from the rope, but this time Tang Xixu was one step ahead.

Xu Ning was pulled behind the young man, and the dagger was thrown and stabbed into the man's left shoulder. He instantly fell back and was nailed to the wall.

When the two men were escorting the man out, Xu Lian also came back.

Xu Lian covered his chest and seemed to be seriously injured.

"Second brother, are you okay?" Xu Ning asked worriedly.

"It's okay." The boy's voice was a little weak.

Instead, Tang Xixu fainted after walking a few steps. Xu Ning put down her people and ran over to support him. Although this man was annoying, he had saved her at least.

"What’s wrong with you?"

The young man had his eyes closed, his brows furrowed, and his lips pale.

Xu Lian, who had some knowledge of medicine, stepped forward to take your pulse, his face solemn. "You've been poisoned by Zi Kui Powder. If there's no antidote within half an hour, your life is in grave danger."

"What's going on? How did he get in? Why don't I get in?" Xu Ning couldn't figure out what went wrong.

"It was the blood from those medicine men that splashed into the wound." Xu Lian frowned and said, "Based on my observations of the Great Immortal Temple over the past few days, those people who were mentally disturbed and attacked randomly were poisoned by this poison called Zi Kui Powder."

"In other words, if there is no antidote, Master Tangxi will become like that?" Xu Ning's eyes widened, and his hair stood on end.

Xu Lian continued, "As for you, you've suffered from heart disease since childhood. You've been taking the pills prepared by Master, which contain a variety of precious medicinal herbs, so you're fine."

Tang Xixu slowly opened his eyes and poured a basin of cold water on the man in black.

The young man said weakly, "Where is the antidote? Hand it over."

"What antidote? I, I don't have one. Just wait for the poison to invade your internal organs, turn you into a freak, and die without knowing it. Hahaha." The man was weak, but still stubborn.

Xu Ning searched his body and found two bottles. The white bottle contained a few colorless and odorless pills, while the black bottle contained pills with a faint musky scent.

Xu Lian took it, sniffed it, and shook his head.

"The beauty in the underground palace is the one you admire, right? And the sachet you carry is hers. It's made of the scattered flower silk popular in the capital during the Yonghua period. Embroidered on the cloth is the Chinese character 'Song', with meticulous stitching. This beaded silk sash belonged to the Lingyun Song family, a Confucian merchant family in Jiangnan. It was crafted by a young lady from the Song family. There were only five sashes in total, and four were offered as tribute."

Rumor has it that Miss Song has been bedridden for years. If you don't mind, I'd like to give her a ride so you can have some company on your journey to the afterlife. How's that?" Tang Xixu squinted his eyes and smiled, half-crouching as if he were casually discussing something unimportant with him.

"No, no, Xin'er has nothing to do with this. The antidote is in the sachet. The woman is what my master needs. We don't know what he does. We only know that since the beginning of this year, he has been capturing women and draining their blood every once in a while. I'm just doing his job, so I don't know the reason."

"So you arrest people everywhere and are so arrogant, and the government doesn't care about you?" Xu Ning knew that it was not easy for women to survive in ancient times, but it would not be like this. They could arrest people whenever they want and there would be no law at all.

"Oh, the government? They're just colluding with each other, like snakes and rats in the same nest. It's been like this for ten years. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen to this point. I just want to warn you that the power behind this is untouchable by ordinary people. When the government encounters this kind of thing, they usually just find a scapegoat and quickly close the case."

Xu Ning calmed down and smiled suddenly: "What about you? If you don't speak up, you will be the scapegoat."

"The woman in red has already left. Are you still hoping that she will come to save you?"

The man in black was shocked by what he said.

"If you can give me the antidote, I will spare your life." The boy's voice was serious.

The man thought about it for a while and finally confessed.

"All the antidotes are here, and the women who were sacrificed every month are still alive. They're in the village at the foot of the mountain, in a courtyard in the northwest. We have to hurry, because a trafficker will come to sell them at noon tomorrow."

When they heard that he was released, they hurried down the mountain.

The hut at the foot of the mountain was already filled with soldiers and officers. Everyone inside had been captured.

"Behave yourself!"

A young man in brocade clothes came out and said, "My name is Yu Yi. Thank you for your help. Now the people can finally rest assured. Someone from the bride's family just came and said they wanted to thank you for saving their lives. They have set up a banquet at home and hope you will do them the honor of coming. What do you think?" As a prince, Yuwen Yi traveled a lot and was given this mission in a time of crisis. He had already made plans with Xu Lian to cooperate internally and externally.

"Of course it's good."

Xu Lian wanted to refuse, but seeing the person next to him was so eager to eat, his eyes lit up as he listened to the talk, he had no choice but to agree, smiling awkwardly but politely.

Xu Ning saw Xu Lian's expression and asked, "What's up? Second Senior Brother, are you still pretending to be reserved?"

Xu Lian gave her a contemptuous look.

"Miss Xu's words are very interesting." Yu Wenyi shook his fan, with a smile on the corner of his lips.

"By the way, where is Tang Xixu? I haven't seen him for such a long time." Xu Ning looked around.

"Mr. Tangxi has some private matters to attend to. He will meet us at the foot of the mountain later." Xu Lian said aside.

…

The man in black knelt on the ground in a very embarrassed state.

"You just said ten years ago? Tell me, what do you know about the war between the Xin Dynasty and the Jin State ten years ago?"

"I heard them call you Tangxi Xu, right? So you're the son of General Mo. The surname Tangxi is very rare in the Xin Dynasty. The only clan with this surname is the Rudong Tangxi clan, and General Mo's wife is Tangxi Wan, the third daughter of the Tangxi clan.

I heard that General Mo loved his wife so much that he even gave one of his sons her last name. It seems to be true."

"You know quite a bit. What exactly happened to my father and brother when they were defeated? They could have easily won the battle, and they could have survived. So why did they end up like that? And why were they accused of treason?"

"Hahahaha, your father is nothing but a scoundrel. I still say that people of the same ilk run from the same nest. With your current abilities, you can't touch that person, and you shouldn't. Just give up! Hahahaha."

"In that case, you can't blame me." Tang Xixu had already polished the dagger, and the blade quickly swept across the man's neck.

Blood immediately splattered all over the young man's face, and the dagger reflected the young man's cold eyes.

Anger, hatred, rage, all overflowed at this moment.

The autumn wind is bleak and the weather is cold, the grass and trees are shaking and the dew turns to frost.

The branches slapped against each other, blowing away the dead leaves. The young man's red hairband fluttered in the wind.

At the foot of the mountain.

The morning light had already illuminated the earth, and the originally gloomy Li Yuanwai Mansion was now filled with joy.

"Nannan, it's good that you're back. It's good that you're okay." At this time, the bride who was originally tied up had woken up. She put on lipstick, changed into plain clothes, and looked much more energetic.

When the old lady saw her granddaughter wake up, she burst into tears and held the girl's hand tightly.

"Ms. Xu, thank you so much for saving me. If it weren't for you, I would have bled to death long ago. There would be no way I could be reunited with my family now." The girl from the Li family held Xu Ning's hand and expressed her gratitude.

"Miss Li, you're too kind. I would do the same if it were someone else. Besides, I'm not the only one who saved you. It's just a small favor." Xu Ning felt a little embarrassed.

Mrs. Li saw that Xu Ning's clothes were disheveled. "Miss Xu, if you don't mind, I have a few clothes that would suit you. Come and pick some out."

"No problem, no problem. Since Miss Li says so, I will respectfully obey your order. Thank you."

My travel money was long gone, so I had to give up the idea of ​​buying clothes.

She should be the poorest person who traveled through a book in history, right?

Xu Ning took Miss Li's hand and went to choose clothes.

After Tang Xixu came down the mountain, the Li family had just finished preparing the family feast. It wasn't early in the morning, as it was already the 9th hour.

A long table was filled with delicious food, dazzling to the eyes and fragrant to the nose.

Xu Ning was already drooling as she looked at the crispy duck on the table.

I'm so hungry. When will dinner be served?

I'm so sleepy, I want to sleep...

A bright figure appeared in the boy's eyes.

Her outfit today was completely different from usual. She wore an apricot-colored, double-breasted, half-sleeved kimono. Her neck was fair, and it turned out she was wearing a pendant underneath. Her hair was tied up in a flying bun, and she had painted her lips red. Even in profile, she was stunning.

Last night on the mountain, the light was dim. At dawn, the jade pendant reflected the light. Tang Xixu only saw it from a distance, but now it looks somewhat familiar.

The woman sat alone, half bent over, looking completely listless, with her eyes half closed, yawning from time to time, and lowering her head slightly.

"Where have you been? Why are you back just now? I've been looking for you for a long time." The young man's white suit was already dirty and messy.

Xu Ning thought that maybe it was because good-looking people looked good in any clothes, even if they were dirty.

"Hey, what's on your neck? Wash it with water later." Xu Ning walked closer and saw dark red spots on the side of Tang Xixu's neck. Thinking it was a stain, she pointed at herself.

The young man touched the spot she indicated.

"Oh, come and have dinner. I'm so hungry that my chest is sticking to my back." The girl came up and half-pushed the man over.

Tang Xixu was stunned for a moment, his eyebrows raised. He was no longer afraid of him so quickly.

"I didn't expect Brother Tan to be here today." Yu Wenyi walked over at some point.

I saw the two of them greeting each other. In the original book, they later became good friends. It's a pity that they eventually parted ways because of their different positions.

In the book, Tang Xixu's pseudonym among the people is Tan Miao. Thinking of this, the villain is worthy of being a villain. He hides his name when he goes out, but I give my real name.

During the banquet, the groom the bride was originally going to marry arrived.

The groom was a pale-faced scholar, looking delicate and frail, devoid of any masculinity, a mere sight of good looks. He hurried over, still dressed in his wedding attire. His hair disheveled, dusty, and exhausted, he saw the horse still panting outside and must have guessed something was amiss, having galloped over at top speed overnight.

"Yan Yan, I'm glad you're okay. I've told your parents that I'll marry you no matter what, and that's still true."

The pale-faced scholar looked at the bride with affectionate eyes.

The groom is also a son of a merchant, so he is probably not short of money. He would not ignore Miss Li's wealth and marry her.

He is still willing to marry her after this, which shows his sincerity.

Xu Ning thought about this and realized that she was now trapped in this world. It was difficult to get out, let alone love. She probably would never have it again in this life.

Tang Xixu saw the little girl next to him sighing while eating. He raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his lips slightly.

After hearing these words, Miss Li burst into tears. She became even more determined to be with this man for the rest of her life.

The two immediately decided to hold their wedding ceremony there the next day. After the banquet, they invited Xu Ning and his group to be witnesses, but they declined because they were in a hurry.

"Miss Xu, if you want to hurry, I can't stop you. You saved me, and I don't know how to thank you enough. I've prepared some extra money for you and even got you a horse. I hope you'll accept it and don't despise it." Miss Li was very generous. Even before leaving, Mr. Li and his family were still thanking Xu Ning and his group.

"Then I'll take my leave. I still have some business to attend to in my house. I won't go with you. If there's still time, we'll meet at the weapon-collecting meeting. See you later." Yuwen Yi said goodbye in front of the door.

Yuwen Yi is a low-key person. The original book mentioned that he never revealed his identity as a prince when he was traveling around the world.

Most of the people present thought that he was the son of an official who liked to travel the world, and had no other thoughts.

"Brother Yu, see you later." Xu Ning and his group also saluted in return.

All the poisoned villagers were rescued and came to thank Xu Ning and his team.

"Thank you for your help." Many suffering villagers knelt down and kowtowed.

"Everyone, get up quickly. When we travel around, we always help others when we see injustice." Xu Ning helped these people up one by one.

The villagers didn't know how to express their gratitude and brought many gifts. "Girls, please be kind. We were wrong to speak rudely before. Please don't take offense."

An old man hobbled over and said, "This is all from the villagers, so please don't despise it."

Xu Ning wanted to refuse, because the villagers gave them food for several days, and their harvest was already poor and their lives were difficult.

"Take it." Tang Xixu said calmly.

“Otherwise, they will feel uneasy.”

Xu Ning understood and took a few items. "Thank you very much, these are enough."

Hey, that’s not right. Why am I the one collecting it and he isn’t?

Xu Ning gave half of the things to Tang Xixu. The young man was puzzled but still took it.

…

"Let's find an inn to rest for a night. I haven't slept a wink all night." After Xu Ning's proposal was approved, the group found Qingfeng Inn on the outskirts of the city.

Birds fly through the forest from time to time, and the breeze blows through, which is really elegant.

The inn was located in a bamboo forest near a stream. The autumn wind blew by with a rustling sound. Xu Ning shrank his neck. The collar of his clothes was low and he felt a little cold.