Chapter 333 Everything is too coincidental

Yun Zhi met Yan Shixu's scrutinizing gaze and said bluntly, "Since there is no other way, this risky move is his only way to survive. I am willing to give it my all. If it succeeds, he can live; if it fails..."

She didn't say anything else, but everyone knew what she meant.

If he loses, he will die instantly, and even his chance to survive for two months will be gone.

The tent fell into deathly silence.

Only Luo Yunzhen's weak, phlegmy breathing could be heard.

Yan Shixu's gaze moved back and forth between Luo Yunzhen's lifeless body and the girl in front of him, whose origins were unknown but who possessed the forbidden techniques of Nanzhao and whose eyes were unusually calm.

Complex and incomprehensible emotions surged in his deep eyes.

Concern for Luo Yunzhen, vigilance against unknown risks, and weighing this path of survival.

Time seemed to have stood still for a long time.

Finally, he stared into Yun Zhi's eyes and said word by word:

"This is a matter of great importance, a matter of life and death. This general needs to discuss it in detail with his subordinates. How about Miss Yun resting in the camp tonight?"

Yun Zhi seemed to have anticipated this arrangement and was not surprised.

She thought for a moment and added, "In that case, please, General, send someone to Yunjia Village to tell Grandma I'm safe. She's very old and alone at home. If she doesn't see me return, she might be worried."

Yan Shixu narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gaze lingered on Yun Zhi's calm face for a moment.

He calmly waved his hand, summoned a guard, and ordered in a deep voice:

"As Miss Yun said, hurry to Yun Village and make sure to report her safety. Remember, speak politely and don't disturb the elderly."

"Yes, sir!" The guard clasped his fists and accepted the order, then quickly turned and left.

As the night deepened, the lights of the Zhennan Pass barracks flickered in the damp and cold night fog, and the dim halo seemed to carry a sense of warning.

Yun Zhi was placed in a separate barracks, which was closely guarded by two elite guards.

The door was tightly closed, and the reflection of armor outside the door could be vaguely seen through the gap.

Inside the house, there was a solitary lamp as small as a bean, and the dim light could barely illuminate the small space, reflecting Yun Zhi's profile.

She seemed unaware of the tight security outside, and was carefully tidying up her small blue cloth bag in the dim light.

With her slender white fingers, she picked up the specially made silver needles, each as thin as a hair and emitting a cold glow, and wiped them one by one with a clean soft cloth. Her movements were meticulous and her concentration was almost pious.

Then she took out a few dark brown, oddly shaped, and slightly curled dried leaves, put them under her nose and sniffed them very carefully, as if to confirm their medicinal properties.

After a while, he carefully put the leaves back into the bag.

Finally, she took out a black ceramic bottle only the size of a thumb and pulled out the cork.

An extremely faint, strange smell, a mixture of strong fishy sweetness and the bitterness of grass and trees, instantly emanated.

She just took a look and sealed the bottle again.

After doing all this, she gently blew out the oil lamp.

The tent was suddenly plunged into thick darkness.

She did not take off her outer clothes, but lay down on the simple little bed with her clothes on.

In the darkness, her eyes were still open, looking at the pitch-black roof.

The calmness of the daytime was gone from his eyes, replaced by a deep worry.

The camp was dead silent, with only the heavy footsteps of patrolling soldiers in the distance and the cries of unknown night birds deep in the mountains and forests.

The intermittent sound made the night at the southern border seem even more solemn and long.

The atmosphere in Yan Shixu's barracks was as heavy as lead.

The news brought back by the two guards did not dispel Yan Shixu's doubts, but instead added a bit of confusion.

Yun Zhi is indeed from Yunjia Village.

The year Yun Zhi was born, her father went into a poisonous forest to collect herbs and was bitten to death by a poisonous creature.

Her mother could not bear the blow and died of grief during her confinement.

Yun Zhi lived with her grandmother Yun Tian for seventeen years, and all the villagers in Yunjia Village can testify to this.

Yan Shixu asked, "Have you verified his appearance?"

Both guards nodded.

Yan Shixu asked again: "Have you found out who her master is?"

The two guards shook their heads.

"The villagers said that no one had ever seen her master's face. They only knew that she was a middle-aged woman, very short. Every time she went to Yunjia Village, she brought Mu Li with her, so no one had ever seen her face.

Yan Shixu seemed to be lost in thought.

A herbalist girl with a miserable life who has lived with her grandmother for seventeen years.

But there is a mysterious master who is "extremely short, with his face covered by a curtain, and no one can see his true appearance."

The knowledge and confidence displayed by Yunzhi far exceeded that of an ordinary village girl.

She even knew the secret technique of Nanzhao witch doctors, "blood-attracting golden needles."

When these fragments are put together, there is an irrational weirdness everywhere.

What a coincidence!

He severely wounded Nong Zhigao and severed one of his arms, but his search proved fruitless. Yun Zhen's life hung by a thread, in imminent danger...

At this critical moment, a woman who was proficient in the art of "blood-attracting golden needles" happened to appear at the edge of the poisonous forest, happened to save the hunter who was injured by the poison, and happened to be seen by him.

Is this a trap carefully laid by Nong Zhigao? Or... a pawn sent by someone with ulterior motives?

What is Yun Zhi's relationship with the Nanzhao royal family? Or, is she actually a member of the Nanzhao royal family?

A faint light flashed in Yan Shixu's eyes.

"emperor."

Wen Zhiyan broke the suffocating silence.

His face was extremely haggard due to days of exhaustion, but his eyes were still sharp and steady.

"Miss Yunzhi's identity is truly fraught with doubt. The 'Blood-Guided Golden Needle' is extremely dangerous. A single misstep could kill General Luo instantly. Putting that aside, if she harbors ulterior motives and exploits the situation to manipulate the Gu insects, potentially spreading the poison throughout the camp... the consequences are unimaginable! I believe this woman must not be trusted."

Nangong Ziyun also nodded solemnly and added, "My husband is absolutely right. This technique cannot be mastered without a will as strong as a rock and decades of immersion in the art of poison. That girl is not even 10 years old. Even if she were to learn this technique by chance, how could her experience and determination guarantee that she would not make the slightest mistake at the critical moment of performing the technique? Or..."

Her words were tinged with the caution and deeper suspicion typical of a doctor.

"Perhaps she came here for this very purpose, a bait cast by Nanzhao."

Yan Shixu stood in the room with his hands behind his back. The candlelight cast shadows of varying depths and brightness on his well-defined facial features, making his tall figure seem extremely long.

The candlelight on the desk burst into sparks one after another, making a slight crackling sound.

After a long while, Yan Shixu turned around and ordered:

"Add more personnel, rotate them around the clock, and keep a close watch on her. Don't let her slack off even for a moment. Don't let her touch anything that hasn't been inspected, and don't let her even get close to the camp's water source or the kitchen. Everything she touches and every vessel she uses must be inspected immediately. Nothing should be left out."

He paused, then continued, "Send someone to check all the women in the Nanzhao royal family who are about her age."

"Yes, sir!" The guards responded sternly and quickly disappeared outside the tent.

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(My dears, I came to Shenzhen on a business trip today. I was busy until too late and delayed the posting. Sorry~~~)

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