Chapter 489 The Trickster Jiaojiao (Second Update)

Gu Chengfeng searched the cabin thoroughly and confirmed that Gu Jiao was really gone. His heart tightened. Of course, he didn't think that Gu Jiao had abandoned them. If she wanted to abandon them, she wouldn't have come with them in the first place.

The firewood was almost gone, and food was even scarcer. Gu Chengfeng guessed that Gu Jiao had either gone to find food or firewood.

He couldn't let her risk her life alone in the snow-covered forest, so he decided to go out and look for her. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw her in the distance carrying a bundle of firewood, using someone else's animal hide as a chopping board, and silently dragging a person through the snow.

The reason she was struggling was threefold: first, she hadn't slept in a long time; second, she was exhausted; and third, the snow in the forest was so heavy that it was almost impossible to move, let alone with a bundle of firewood on her back and someone dragging her.

Gu Chengfeng was a little dumbfounded.

He had guessed she was going to chop wood, but he hadn't expected she would bring back a person!

Gu Chengfeng waded through the thick snow towards her.

As he got closer, he heard faint breathing and realized that this was not a corpse.

Gu Chengfeng's expression was somewhat complicated: "What's going on? Don't tell me you picked up another person!"

The reason for using "again" is because there was the story of the old lady and Xiao Liulang before.

Before Gu Jiao could answer, Gu Chengfeng's lips twitched, and he said with a look of disgust, "Do you have a habit of picking up people from the house? Or can't you find anything to eat, so—"

Gu Jiao gave him a look of concern, as if he were mentally challenged: "Are you very free?"

"I didn't," Gu Chengfeng denied immediately, pointing to the man whose face was covered in messy hair and snow. "Who is it?"

Gu Jiao said, "See for yourself."

Gu Chengfeng crouched down and brushed the messy hair and snow off the other person's face. A familiar and dignified face met Gu Chengfeng's eyes. Gu Chengfeng was startled and stood up abruptly, taking a big step back: "Tang Yueshan!"

He looked at Gu Jiao in disbelief. "You... how did you pick him up? No, I should ask you, how did he end up here? And dressed like this?"

Needless to say, the animal skin that was placed under Tang Yueshan was taken from his body. He also had animal skins tied around his legs for warmth and wore an animal skin hat on his head, making him look every bit the hunter.

"Wait, the owner of this little wooden house... could it be Tang Yueshan?!" Gu Chengfeng exclaimed, his mouth agape.

Gu Jiao said, "I don't know who the previous owner was, but the current owner should be Tang Yueshan."

"So the reason why the remnants of the previous dynasty and the Chen army have been unable to find Tang Yueshan is because he is hiding here? But why was he injured?"

There was blood on his clothes, so Gu Chengfeng naturally assumed that he was injured.

Gu Jiao followed Gu Chengfeng's gaze and explained, "You mean his blood? That's what he vomited; he was poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Gu Chengfeng was even more puzzled. Wasn't Tang Yueshan very powerful? How could he be poisoned?

Gu Chengfeng had considered a hundred ways Tang Yueshan could fall, but none of them were related to poisoning. This kind of battlefield general should die from injury, even if he did.

Gu Chengfeng didn't expect Gu Jiao to answer this question. After all, she had only met Tang Yueshan by chance, and it was hard to say whether Tang Yueshan himself knew he was poisoned. Even if he did, he wouldn't tell Gu Jiao anything.

"Give it to me." Gu Chengfeng held out his hand to Gu Jiao.

He didn't actually want to save Tang Yueshan. It was Tang Yueshan's ambition and refusal to listen to his grandfather's advice that led to the defeat. He also refused to lend his grandfather any men, causing his grandfather to become a hostage and suffer the revenge of the remnants of the previous dynasty.

Even if Tang Yueshan died in front of him, he wouldn't even blink.

However, since Tang Yueshan was brought back by Gu Jiao, Gu Chengfeng thought about it and realized that he didn't seem to have the right to interfere with what Gu Jiao did to Tang Yueshan.

However, he still had to remind her of her stance with Tang Yueshan: "Don't blame me for not reminding you, you crippled Tang Ming, and Tang Yueshan will never forgive you. If he finds out that you are the murderer who hurt Tang Ming, he will not let you go."

"Mm," Gu Jiao responded, indicating that she understood.

"Then why did you save him?" Gu Chengfeng asked, puzzled.

Gu Jiao looked at Gu Chengfeng and said, "Among you, he is the best fighter."

Looking at himself, his body wrapped in bandages, and thinking of his unconscious grandfather, Gu Chengfeng was momentarily speechless and unable to refute.

If the Chen army and the remnants of the previous dynasty come after us, it seems that besides this girl, only Tang Yueshan is truly capable of handling the situation alone.

However, as if he had thought of something, Gu Chengfeng grabbed Gu Jiao's wrist, pointed to Tang Yueshan in the snow, and said, "Wait, but didn't you say he was poisoned? Then he can't fight, right?"

Gu Jiao shattered his hopes with a single sentence: "It can cure the poison, and it will heal you faster than you do."

Gu Chengfeng: "..."

Gu Jiao dragged Tang Yueshan into the cabin.

Along with her, she dragged into the house the game that Tang Yueshan had hunted—Tang Yueshan had thrown the game away, but Gu Jiao had picked it up again: three plump rabbits and two fat pheasants.

There were three patients in the cabin all at once, and the two small bamboo beds were not enough for them to sleep on. Gu Jiao brought two benches from the main room and set them up one in front of the other. Then she removed the bedroom door and placed it on the two benches.

Gu Chengfeng: "..."

This works?

Gu Jiao placed Tang Yueshan on the makeshift hospital bed.

She then began to examine Tang Yueshan for signs of poisoning. The black marks on Tang Yueshan's forehead and fingernails were not obvious, but his gums were swollen and a bluish-black line could be seen under the gum mucosa.

It's mercury poisoning.

Gu Jiao found a porcelain bottle on Tang Yueshan's body and poured out a few dark red pills.

After carefully analyzing the ingredients, Gu Jiao indeed found a small amount of mercury.

Mercury is extracted from cinnabar and was mainly used in ancient times for alchemy and preserving corpses. Only extremely wealthy and powerful families could afford cinnabar and mercury.

However, whether it is pure cinnabar or refined mercury, it cannot be used as a medicinal elixir, as long-term use will lead to poisoning.

Therefore, monarchs who sought the elixir of immortality often did not live long.

Gu Jiao had no idea how Tang Yueshan could have such a thing on his body.

Fortunately, its toxicity was mild and did not damage the internal organs; fortunately, there is a special medicine that can counteract this poison.

Gu Jiao took the medicine from the small medicine box and gave it to Tang Yueshan for intravenous drip.

Tang Yueshan's vomiting of blood and fainting was not only due to poisoning; he also suffered some internal injuries, though not nearly as severe as those suffered by the old Marquis and Gu Chengfeng.

An hour later, Tang Yueshan awoke on the door panel. His treatment was over. He was covered with his own animal skin, and there was a burning brazier not far from him, so he was not cold.

Gu Chengfeng went to check on the stove in the main room, where a pot of pheasant soup was simmering.

The rich aroma of chicken soup wafted in, and Tang Yueshan, who hadn't eaten for several days, suddenly felt ravenously hungry, his stomach rumbling.

Gu Jiao was changing the old Marquis's dressing when she heard the voice and replied indifferently, "The chicken soup isn't ready yet."

The room was only so big. Tang Yueshan's wooden bed was right in front of the old Marquis's bamboo bed. Tang Yueshan turned his head and saw the old Marquis and Gu Jiao on the bamboo bed.

A hint of seriousness and surprise flashed across his eyes.

His gaze shifted from the old Marquis to Gu Jiao, who was changing the old Marquis's bandages, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"

After changing the last dressing, Gu Jiao covered the old Marquis with a blanket, turned around indifferently, and removed the mask from her face.

Tang Yueshan frowned slightly when he saw Gu Jiao's face, which was half ethereal and half marked with a red birthmark.

He had never met Gu Jiao, but he had heard of her.

The young lady of the Marquis's mansion, who had a red birthmark on her left cheek, was only fifteen years old and had grown up in the countryside since childhood, but was deeply favored by the Empress Dowager.

"I should have guessed it was you..."

Gu Yan's older sister, the Empress Dowager's darling.

This explains why she sought revenge on Tang Ming, and why the Empress Dowager lied and acted for her sake.

Tang Yueshan's body erupted with a chilling killing intent once again: "Don't think that just because you saved me, I'll let bygones be bygones. You harmed Ming'er, and I'll make you pay with your life!"

Gu Jiao could tell from his voice that he was recovering well. In fact, Gu Jiao didn't give him much medicine. He endured the internal injuries himself, and the external injuries healed on their own. The only thing Gu Jiao did was give him some medicine to detoxify.

Hmm, that really saves on medicine.

Tang Yueshan once again harbored murderous intentions towards Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao suddenly raised her hand to stop him: "Before you make a move, you might as well check your condition first."

"What do you mean?" Tang Yueshan asked.

Gu Jiao asked inscrutablely, "Do you think I would bring you back for no reason?"

Tang Yueshan's face darkened.

Gu Jiao said, "Lift up your sleeve and look at your left hand. Is there a red line starting from the palm?"

"Take another look at your dantian area. Is there a new bluish mark there?"

"Let me touch your hair one last time. Are you about to go bald?"

After Tang Yueshan finished checking everything, his expression changed drastically, especially when he touched his own bald head: "What did you do to me?"

Gu Jiao stood with her hands behind her back, looking down at him. She raised an eyebrow and said, "It's nothing, I just poisoned you. You'd better listen to me, or you'll die a horrible death."

Guess what? Did Jiao Jiao really poison Tang Yueshan?

(End of this chapter)