carnivorous

The evening breeze picked up, and the moonlight was once again hazy. The candlelight was flickering in the wind, leaving the room in silence.

Qing didn't say anything else. He has never been good at expressing these things in words.

He just stood there silently, then suddenly lowered his eyelashes, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief and came back to his senses from the brief and relaxing chat. Thinking about going to the mountain to lure out the spy tomorrow, his mood suddenly became heavy.

It was getting late, and she had no intention of keeping Qing any longer. She sighed and said, "You should go back first. I have some other things to prepare later, so I don't have any duties to hand over to you."

Qing nodded in agreement, but her eyes seemed to flash for a moment, and she didn't know what she saw. When she turned around, she paused for a moment, as if she glanced at her quickly, then she hid her figure and disappeared into the darkness.

After everyone in the room left, Jiang Nian closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and began to think about the arrangements after finding Sun Dun tomorrow.

She picked up the goat-hair brush that was placed on the pen holder again. In the red light of the burning candle, the white wax slowly dripped down the candlestick and melted in the gradually dimming room.

—

The quiet night in Pingzhou lasted until dawn, until a low curse at the city gate broke the tranquility.

The people brought from his hometown were standing behind Sun Dun, looking curiously at the neighbors in the distance inside the city gate.

These burly men didn't look like they were coming to the city to buy things. Although one can't judge a person by appearance, the things they were holding in their hands didn't look like children's pranks.

Recently, Duke Xiao has set a rule in Pingzhou City that everyone entering or leaving the city gate must be questioned by the city guards and the reason must be recorded in a book.

Sun Dun's group was particularly conspicuous among the crowd of pedestrians. Before they reached the city gate, they were spotted by the soldiers guarding the gate.

The city gate captain, who was patrolling the soldiers, saw the group approaching from afar. He turned to a soldier who had also seen the group and raised his chin to signal, "Go and ask those people about their situation. There are important people in the city. Be careful not to disturb them."

The gatekeeper took the order and left, holding a gleaming silver spear. He stood in front of the group and said, "Where are you all from? Please go to the gate recorder."

After Sun Dun found these men in the village, his mind was immediately filled with money, and he hurried back to Pingzhou to find out about Jiang Nian's anti-worm recipe.

However, he had bad luck along the way. He was blocked by strangers several times and asked all sorts of questions, which made him change his mind halfway and take a longer detour, praying that he would not meet any more passers-by on this remote road.

Unexpectedly, after they chose to take a detour, there were no more pedestrians looking for them to ask questions. Unfortunately, the weather was not good, and the heavy rain continued to fall until they reached a village near Pingzhou, and then it seemed to be satisfied and stopped hindering their journey.

After traveling for dozens of days, Sun Dun was a little tired. He was worried that he would not arrive within the time given to him by Manager Xu, so he kept traveling non-stop without rest.

His whole body was still covered with mud that had splashed onto him when he walked on the road in the pouring rain.

The strong men were not much better.

The axes, wrenches and other tools that were carefully packed as transport goods and could be used as instruments of crime were now exposed in their true form, and the cloth bags that wrapped them had long been lost somewhere.

After finally crossing mountains and rivers to reach the outskirts of Pingzhou City, the group was not in a good mood. They just planned to find a place to rest in the city, then quickly finish the things that Sun Dun asked for help, and then collect the money and go back.

Before setting off, they were happily planning to tour the city for free while paying, but they never imagined that the journey would be so bumpy.

Now they saw that the gate guard in front of them was blocking their way with a spear, and asked them to register before entering the city, and their temper immediately flared up.

He was muttering something and reluctantly walking towards the city gate, when he caught a glimpse of the sharp and shiny tip of the spear in his peripheral vision and was suddenly frightened and stopped talking.

He was originally a bully who only bullied the weak and feared the strong.

The gatekeeper was unwilling to talk to them and took them to the city gate officer to inquire in detail about the reasons for entering the city gate.

Sun Dun was scratching his head, thinking about how to answer so as not to arouse the soldier's suspicion. His eyes paused for a moment on the notebook in the soldier's hand. Just as he was about to say something to him, he caught a glimpse of a figure that looked like Jiang Nian. He was suddenly startled and said to the soldier flatteringly:

"My relatives from my hometown are curious about the insect repellent recipe and are planning to come to this city to buy some. Please, sir, let us in. Once we've bought the insect repellent, we can leave."

The gatekeeper frowned, about to ask Sun Dun why he had brought weapons with him if he was buying insect repellent. But he saw Sun Dun, smiling obsequiously, glance at the book with a sly look. Seeing his name already written on it, he immediately turned and ran away.

If it was really Jiang Nian, then his bad luck would end here!

Catch up with Jiang Nian and see what she is doing. Maybe she will find some materials related to the prescription.

In his sight, a figure that looked very similar to Jiang Nian was about to disappear among the crowd of people going out in the morning. He rushed there, leaving behind several strong men looking at each other in confusion.

Seeing Sun Dun fleeing, the gatekeeper frowned, turned around, raised his hand and picked up his spear to block the way of the other strong men who were about to follow Sun Dun, and said to them with a stern face:

"You must stay here. Please wait here until that man returns! If he commits any crime or offends an important person, you will be the ones to bear the consequences!"

The strong men who had been suppressing their frustration were fed up with this complicated system and started cursing at the gatekeepers again. However, as they were in an unfamiliar environment, they were brave but timid and did not dare to pick up the weapons in their hands. They were a little worried about what the prison in Pingzhou was like.

More than a dozen people were detained at the city gate because of Sun Dun's escape. At that time, there were merchants carrying baskets who came from afar to sell goods in the city.

Those vendors were well-behaved. After filling out the booklet honestly, they saw that they were blocking the way into the city gate. If they mixed in with other pedestrians and squeezed into the city, their formation would be disrupted. So they found the gate guard nearby and told him the situation.

After several twists and turns, a dozen strong men stood side by side in a corner of the city gate. Fearing that they might cause trouble, the gate guard put away the weapons in their hands.

Passersby are rarely seen because of this row of scenery——

The gatekeepers rarely detained anyone. If it was in accordance with the rules, most people would be let in. Now, seeing a row of people standing at this gate, they took a few more glances.

—

On the other side, Sun Dun was busy rushing in the direction where Jiang Nian was going, completely leaving the group of strong men who had brought them from their hometown with great difficulty in a corner.

It's not that he forgot about them. He planned to find out where Jiang Nian went, and then he would have a clear idea in his mind. Then he would go back to rescue the strong men from the gate guards, and then take his men to surround Jiang Nian and torture her for her deworming method.

What could a weak woman possibly do? Once he surrounded her with his men, wouldn't the truth about her insect repellent be revealed?

When Shopkeeper Xu receives the insect repellent formula he's looking for, he'll be beaming with joy and hand over the generous reward to him, making him a fortune.

The abacus in his mind was clacking, and Sun Dun had nothing in his hands. Seeing Jiang Nian turn into the alley, he hurriedly stopped thinking in his mind and hurried to follow him.

He was not very familiar with the place where this stone road led to. He came to the city to do odd jobs. On weekdays, apart from working as a waiter in the pharmacy and doing things according to the instructions of Manager Xu, he would not go to other places.

Jiang Nian wants to go here, but if he gets distracted and doesn't remember the route well, he will lose it.

How could Sun Dun miss this opportunity to grab the insect repellent formula so close to home, so easily within his grasp? He quickly calmed down, held his breath, and took a few steps quietly, crouching behind a wooden barrel outside a residential building.

Jiang Nian in front seemed to be thinking about something, and the sound of a conversation came over faintly.

"How's the Morinda officinalis on the mountain?"

"Miss, that has been done."

"...Go to that mountain and get some Morinda officinalis... Go back and find some baskets. I'll pack them up and then I'll go back."

Sun Dun squatted and huddled behind a wooden barrel, trying to listen to the conversation from Jiang Nian with his ears perked up. However, the voices were getting smaller and smaller. He suddenly stuck his head out from behind the barrel and saw that Jiang Nian, who had just been standing at the corner of the alley in front of him, had disappeared. He jumped up in surprise.

Oh no! Jiang Nian must have discovered his whereabouts and thought he had spied on the contents of the prescription, so he wanted to get rid of him!

Sun Dun gathered his consciousness, quickly jumped out of the barrel, and ran towards the fork in the road ahead.

From this point of view, he made the right decision to abandon the strong man and follow him first!

Now all he had to do was find Jiang Nian, and then find out what she had said to the maid, and then he could report to Manager Xu. Coincidentally, the time was very close to the drugstore competition.

Once Jiang Nian's insect repellent formula is successful, combined with Manager Xu's original 'arsenic seed mixture', we will definitely win this time. Let's see what else this little girl can do!

Sun Dun ran forward while thinking about his next plan in his mind. As the view in front of him opened up, the green mountain scenery suddenly appeared in front of him, and the lush green shade immediately caught his sight.

The sudden appearance of a huge mountain frightened him. His feet were frozen in place by the shock of the sight. His eyes stared blankly ahead and he suddenly stopped moving.

Where is Jiang Nian here?

A cold wind blew down from the mountains and forests, and although the weather was scorching hot, it made him break out in a cold sweat.

In the corner of a quiet alley, it was almost noon, and the scorching sunlight spread across the open space. Sun Dun stood under the direct beam of light, his dark and deep shadow growing on the ground, like a dim shadow of death, which was about to swallow him up as the sunlight moved.

From somewhere in the distance came the voice of a woman laughing and playing. The vague sound was accompanied by a chill, and Sun Dun's wandering thoughts were suddenly brought back to reality.

He looked back in panic, but saw no sign of anyone. The laughter just now suddenly fell silent, and the surroundings were still in the incandescent light.

He was the only one left in the large open space, and the broad view gradually narrowed. Only the steady mountain still stood, silently watching him and silently welcoming every guest coming from afar.

Sun Dun tried to take a few steps forward, but the environment behind him suddenly became cramped, forcing and urging him to move forward.

The scenery faded, and the wind grew stronger as we got closer to the foot of the mountain.

His pupils dilated and his breathing became faster.

The greed for money in my mind seemed to be aroused by the sudden cold scene in front of me. The more unsafe the place is, the more risks there are.

But if this matter is accomplished, there will be no need to worry about financial difficulties.

Not knowing whether it was the old or young in that family, or the gorgeous pie that Manager Xu had painted for him, Sun Dun swallowed his saliva, clenched his fists, and walked barehanded towards the mountain road that seemed to be silently inviting him.