Chapter 293
I had barely rested for a moment when I heard the rustling sound of reptiles rushing past behind me.
They embarked on their escape once again.
Only when dusk fell and night descended, and the snakes stopped chasing them, did the group have a chance to catch their breath.
Zhang Cheng and Chen Jinghe squatted down to examine the soldier who had been bitten by the snake. When they saw that there was nothing unusual, just two bloody holes, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully, these snakes aren't poisonous, otherwise we would all be doomed."
After saying that, Chen Jinghe glanced at Duan Gan sitting on a rock not far away and saw that he had taken off some of his clothes and was applying medicine to his arm.
He rushed over, anxiously asking, "Fourth Master, are you alright? Are you badly injured?"
Duan Gan used his teeth to bite the other end of the gauze and bandaged the area on his hand that had been grazed by the arrow.
"It's nothing, just a minor injury."
How are they?
His expression was indifferent as he looked up at Chen Jinghe and asked a question.
"It's all fine, except I've never encountered so many snakes before, so I was quite startled. The snakes weren't venomous, and the wounds are just two bloody holes, nothing serious."
"but……"
Chen Jinghe's hesitant expression made him frown. "What's wrong?"
“It’s summer now, so it’s not cold. We can make do with sleeping anywhere, but we have no food or water, and we’ve just traveled such a long way and killed so many snakes.”
"Everyone is exhausted and doesn't know how long they'll have to stay here. Without food and water, they probably won't last much longer."
After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment and then said, "Moreover, I observed on the way here and did not see any wild fruits or the like."
Upon hearing this, Duan Gan frowned, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, a dark shadow passed by his feet. He instinctively picked up a stone and threw it with a whoosh.
The blow struck the snake's vital spot, and the snake instantly writhed before losing consciousness.
He stared at the freshly dead snake, blinked, lowered his eyes and gazed at it for a moment, then reached out and ripped off the snake's head. Warm, fishy blood flowed from the cut, which he caught directly in his mouth.
Chen Jinghe was immediately startled and stared in disbelief as he drank the snake blood.
"Fourth Master, this...this is not to be drunk!"
Duan Gan ignored him, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth before he could swallow it.
His exclamation drew the attention of many people.
Upon seeing their general drinking snake blood and eating snake meat raw, I felt a wave of horror and dread.
The soldiers initially thought Duan Gan had suffered some kind of shock, but they soon realized that he was testing whether drinking snake blood and eating snake meat would cause any problems.
"Eat these, you won't die."
Duan Gan, without changing his expression, threw the remaining half of the snake's body into Chen Jinghe's arms, startling him so much that he looked distressed, holding the bloody snake body, not knowing what to do.
He wasn't as capable as Fourth Master, so he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
Zhang Cheng walked over, pointed at the snake in his hand, his mouth opening and closing in astonishment.
"You...you, hahaha...you have to eat everything that Fourth Master gave you."
He clutched his stomach and mocked Chen Jinghe, whose face was pale. Little did he know that Chen Jinghe was quick-witted and shoved the snake in his hand into his mouth.
Chen Jinghe sneered, staring at him with wide eyes, "Military orders cannot be disobeyed, everyone must obey."
He then clapped his hands and walked forward.
Zhang hurriedly spat out the snake body that was full of fishy smell from his mouth, and bent over to vomit in disgust.
"...Ugh...Huff...Ptooey...Ptooey! You bastard! Are you out of your mind?! Believe me or not, I'll beat you to a pulp!"
In the dead of night, all was quiet.
The boy lying in the tree suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze wary, his ears twitching slightly. He slowly sat up, half-squatting on a branch, squinting as he stared into the distance.
Ten miles away, a group of tall and strong Khitans were crouching in the grass, surrounded by a buzzing sound.
Mosquitoes were biting their exposed skin, causing unbearable itching.
"General, when shall we launch our attack?"
"Yes, is it alright now? After tormenting them like that during the day, the people of the Central Plains must be sleeping like dead pigs, impossible to wake up."
"And if we don't take action soon, our soldiers will be bitten to death by these horrible mosquitoes."
The leader had two braids on his chest, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a beard around his face, and wore exotic clothing unique to the Khitan people.
After passing through this dense forest and crossing two large grasslands, they arrived at their stationed tribe.
As long as Duan Ganhuo is captured and brought back, he can avenge his previous defeat, and no one will care that he was once defeated by this young upstart.
Moreover, it is because of this kid that the Celestial Empire cannot allow the Liao Kingdom's warriors to set foot on its territory. Therefore, this kid must be captured.
His eyes were resolute, his teeth clenched, and with a wave of his hand, he instructed the people on either side to carefully crawl forward.
Little did they know that Duan Gan had already discovered their presence.
Zhang Cheng and Chen Jinghe split into two groups, forming an encirclement formation under the command of Duan Gan, with one group in front and one group behind.
During the day, because of the arrows already shot and the snake nest, there were 500 people, but now only about 300 remain.
With fewer people and hidden in the night, the Central Plains people appeared more agile and nimble to the burly Khitans, making them less likely to be spotted.
As they drew closer, Adugun suddenly sensed a dangerous aura, and his intuition told him that he could not go any further.
Just as he was about to order his men to retreat, a large number of people suddenly appeared and surrounded them.
“Adugun!”
Hearing the voice that sounded like a demon descending, he trembled, his pupils dilated, and he stared at the boy in front of him who had one foot on a stone.
The atmosphere was tense, with the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.
He roared, "Kill them! Kill them all! A reward of fifty strings of cash will be given for the head of a man from the Central Plains! Whoever can cut off Duan Gan's hands and feet will be promoted and ennobled!"
Upon hearing this, the Khitans behind him had a gleam in their eyes and their breathing became heavy, looking at these people as if they were precious commodities.
Adugun panicked; the shadow cast by Duan Gan on the battlefield some time ago was too great.
After defeating him on the battlefield, Duan Gan did not kill him immediately. Instead, he toyed with him in front of both armies, holding a red-tasseled silver spear and treating him like cattle or sheep.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was made to crawl and roll on the ground, suffering endless humiliation.
The contemptuous gazes and the mocking laughter of the army were unbearable for Adugun, who had been in a high position for many years and had been flattered and fawned upon by others.
Furthermore, if he were to be defeated this time, he, as the number one warrior, would be bringing shame upon the Khitan. It would be better for him to fight Duan Gan to the death.
To reclaim the glory that belongs to them from him.
The pale moonlight, like a veil of white light, shone down, illuminating the carnage, screams, and bloodshed below.
The boy, expressionless, tore off a piece of fabric from his clothes and tightly bound the sword to his right hand. He lowered his head slightly, appearing quiet and harmless, but his slightly reddened eyes betrayed just how excited he was.
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