Smoke

The wind was howling on the mountain. This was Sun Dun's first time on the mountain. His prepared plan was disrupted. It was impossible for him to go back and call the strong men who were still delayed at the city gate.

The opportunity must not be missed, so Sun Dun no longer looked back at the alley below where the houses were located, but raised his head and walked up the mountain.

The road leading to the mountain is bumpy and difficult to climb, and there are still traces of Jiang Nian's footsteps.

Sun Dun really couldn't understand how a delicate woman who was previously heard to have committed suicide for a young man could suddenly change so much. She gave up her romantic thoughts, changed her appearance, and took the initiative to take over her own pharmacy.

This deep mountain forest is sparsely populated. The more Sun Dun thought about it, the more creepy he felt. Suddenly he realized that this deep mountain was extremely steep and it was impossible for a delicate woman to climb up, let alone farm here or pick the medicinal herbs needed for the insect repellent prescription.

The origin of the anti-insect recipe is also unknown. When I went to the Jiang family to inquire about the anti-insect recipe, I heard that Jiang Nian got it from a strange book.

But if such a rare book really existed, why had it only been discovered now? If others saw such a good business opportunity, they would definitely take advantage of it.

Unless... this rare book is only in Jiang Nian's possession. But she is just a young girl, how could she have a book that no one else has?

Could those legendary masters who came from afar pass by here? What a coincidence that they happened to be given to Jiang Nian.

The more Sun Dun thought about it, the more terrified he became. He even hurried up the mountain, fearing that the fog rising from behind would catch up with him and swallow him whole.

The scorching rays of the summer sun seem unable to penetrate the dense forest. The overlapping layers of green leaves seem to block out the sun. The higher you go, the dimmer the light becomes.

Sun Dun was frightened by the surrounding environment and felt that this was not a place where ordinary people could grow medicinal herbs. A light bulb went off in his head and he suddenly thought that since Jiang Nian chose to grow medicinal herbs here, could it be because she liked to grow them here?

Had her core been replaced? She looked human, but in reality, her soul had been replaced by some monster from the deep forests, and now she was a thing that was neither human nor ghost.

That's why I summoned some women with their silver bell-like laughter to urge him to leave.

That won't work.

Sun Dun, who was a little afraid, straightened his mind. The more difficult it was, the more he would face it head-on. He wanted to capture the monster named Jiang and bring him to justice. Then he could hand the insect repellent formula to the hands of the shopkeeper Xu and get two generous sums of money from the government and the shopkeeper.

By then, when his reputation spreads throughout the city, he can become independent and strong, creating a world of his own!

Thinking of this, Sun Dun immediately looked around for a suitable wooden stick to beat people with. When he found Jiang Nian, he knocked her out with the stick and searched her body for an insect repellent.

If he didn't find it... he would then take the strong men to the Jiang family and threaten the Jiang family to hand over the insect repellent formula, one thing in exchange for one life.

If not, then kill Jiang Nian and do yourself a favor.

Sun Dun's eyes wandered around, paused on a tree, then he walked forward and took down the stick that was stuck in the branches.

This stick is a good one and can be used as his weapon.

—

Jiang Nian watched Guizhi go back and looked up.

I have done some research on the mountains surrounding Pingzhou these days. This mountain is the best place to lure Sun Dun up, but it is actually not suitable for growing Morinda officinalis.

However, crops can be grown on other hills. Therefore, what she said to Sun Dun just now was half true and half false, making it difficult to tell whether she was lying or not.

The deep mountains were covered with lush greenery. She put on her usual clothes for the experimental fields and walked deeper into the mountains.

I had Qing and Yu prepare some topographical surveys of these mountains before, and now they were finally useful.

Jiang Nian took a step forward, chose a place to stay, and walked forward, while looking down at the red circle on the map in his hand. He avoided the hard and sharp grass that scratched his legs along the way, occasionally leaning against the trees along the way to restore his strength, and finally climbed to an open space.

Qing and Yu had already arranged the roots and leaves here, which looked somewhat similar to those of Morinda officinalis. Stepping on the soft soil, Jiang Nian looked back below.

Sun Dun seemed to be delayed by something and had not yet followed, giving her time to catch her breath.

The fan pinned to his waist reflected a golden light under the bright beam of light. Jiang Nian was dazzled by the light reflected from his waist. He raised his hand to block the light from the fan handle, turned around and looked for a place to hide. He pulled a broad leaf and used it as a cushion to sit down and rest.

The breeze here is gentle, the sunlight falls to the ground in patches, the cicadas chirp in a corner of the mountain, and the ears are quiet.

After waiting under the tree for a while, the sound of gravel rubbing against the mountain road coming up from below came. Jiang Nian raised her drooping eyelids and looked in the direction she came from.

Over there, Sun Dun was bending over in front of the Morinda officinalis, panting and looking around, but there was no sign of Jiang Nian.

"Strange, where did the monster go?"

"Could it be that from just now on, I have fallen into the illusion created by that monster?"

…

Jiang Nian stood up, stretched out his hand to slowly open the fan, tucked it behind his arm, adjusted his perspective, and walked behind the tree.

Sun Dun was still looking in front of the 'Erythrium officinale'. Not seeing anyone in front, he wanted to look behind. His peripheral vision swept across the place he had just looked at, and he suddenly saw a white figure. It was almost as if some wronged ghost had appeared. He subconsciously took a few steps to a deserted place before he mustered up the courage to look towards the figure.

In the lush forest, Jiang Nian stood in the light. Her fair and transparent skin, half-tied hair and white clothes made her look a bit like a ghost.

Sun Dun frowned, raised his right hand which was tightly gripping the stick, pointed at her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Neither human nor ghost, I have seen your ability today!"

"What kind of monster is this? Call it here quickly!"

Jiang Nian smiled without saying a word and walked towards him. When he passed by the 'Erjintian' along the way, he stepped on it without hesitation.

Seeing those Morinda officinalis being trampled to pieces by Jiang Nian without any care, Sun Dun was shocked for a while, and he couldn't find the right words to speak. When he touched his lips, he was a little unsteady:

"You witch...isn't this the herb you need? Why are you stepping on it?!"

Jiang Nian pretended to be ignorant: "What are you talking about? Who told you that this is a medicinal ingredient for making a prescription?"

Sun Dun's eyes darted nervously, and he pointed at Jiang Nian with his stick for a long time before he found his voice to reply. He stepped back repeatedly, "If you're not growing medicinal herbs, then what are you doing?"

Jiang Nian glanced coldly at the fallen Morinda officinalis props on the soil and said nonchalantly, "Just some small things."

"You know so much, could it be that you've been following me all the way here?"

Finally, Sun Dun found a place that Jiang Nian had not expected. He finally found the spiritual support to stand on. He stood up straight and said:

"Of course! I've already obtained evidence that you're a monster! Even these 'Bajitian' (Erythrina) of yours, if you were Jiang Nian, you wouldn't just step on them without a care!"

"And you're deliberately luring people up the mountain to see what you're doing! You're trying to trip me up!..."

Halfway through his words, Sun Dun realized that what he said was somewhat different from what Jiang Nian had just said, and he was a little unsure for a moment.

Did she notice that he had followed her up the mountain or not?

Sun Dun's mind was in a mess, and before he could sort out his thoughts, Jiang Nian, who had been standing far away from him just now, floated silently in front of him and looked at him with a bright smile:

"Oh my, you really found me..."

"Since your identity has been exposed, I won't keep you any longer!"

His body's reaction drove Sun Dun to wave the wooden stick in his hand wildly. He was shocked and saw Jiang Nian conjure up a fan from somewhere. The fan was complicated and gorgeous, with black and red colors, just like the beautiful ghost that took his life in his dream.

The sharp blade with a silver arc flashed past his eyes, and the snow-white light along with the lush green leaves on the top of the mountain fell into his sight. His breathing suddenly stopped, and he fainted due to excessive shock.

“…”

Jiang Nian had not put away his fan yet, and the tip of the blade was only exposed, still some distance away from Sun Dun's neck.

She originally wanted to knock Sun Dun unconscious, but now it seems that there is no need.

The stick had already been thrown aside by the soft-handed Sun Dun. The man on the ground was lying in the shape of a "卍" character, his eyes rolled back, and he was unconscious beyond recognition.

?

So crispy.

Jiang Nian put away the fan, leaned out, and looked at Sun Dun's unconscious body for a moment. Just as he was about to poke Sun Dun to see if he was unconscious, another fan fell from the sky and pierced into his heart with a "puff". The blood stagnated for a few seconds and then suddenly gushed out. The man lying on the ground lost all color in his face instantly.

His eyes fell on the familiar fan, and Jiang Nian subconsciously raised his head to look at the man's nonchalant smile.

He turned his eyes away from Sun Dun's body and glanced at Jiang Nian who was standing next to him. He casually pulled back the fan and flicked off the blood on the blade. His moon-white robe was not stained with a single drop of red, as he had cleverly avoided it.

"...I didn't mean that." Jiang Nian was stunned. She looked at Xiao Yingzhu for a moment. The expression he just showed made her feel a little strange. "Don't you want to help me?"

Xiao Yingzhu waved her fan nonchalantly, then put the blood-soaked fan back into her sleeve. "If I hadn't come, you might have been in danger."

He raised his eyelids and gestured to look down.

On Sun Dun's body, the other hand was pressed under his body, and it was unknown whether he was trying to take something out. But before he could take it out, he was stuck by the fan on his heart and could not move.

Jiang Nian blinked and asked, "Did he pretend to faint just now?"

The corpse on the ground was turned over. Xiao Yingzhu lifted Sun Dun's hand, and the hand, which had lost its strength, slowly loosened, revealing the white powder inside.

Jiang Nianzheng looked worried. He took out his handkerchief and walked to Sun Dun's side. He dipped a little powder on it and observed it under the light for a moment.

The ingredients on it are very obvious. Jiang Nian had tried to use it as a self-defense item before...

It's a drug that makes people dizzy.