Before she could even warn him, Zhuiming had already drawn his dagger without hesitation and delivered a fatal blow to the waiter's heart.
Chuanliu began searching the waiter's body. She rummaged through his clothes and pockets, and quickly found two small bottles in his pocket. One bottle was labeled "poison," and the other "antidote."
Open the small bottle labeled "Solution," and you'll find a pale green liquid inside.
Adhering to the principle of "treating a dead horse as if it were alive," she fed a spoonful of "solution" to Mo Qingchen.
"Did you see that person poison the food?"
Zhuiming finally realized what was happening and looked at Chuanliu with a strange expression. If it weren't for his professional habits saving him, would he be in the same situation as Mo Qingchen now?
"I know you won't drink it."
Chuanliu saw through his thoughts and said calmly, "Mo Qingchen can be a test subject, but Zhuiming cannot."
Zhuiming pouted.
He discovered that, in some ways, Chuanliu was much more ruthless than him.
After about ten minutes, Mo Qingchen still showed no reaction. His face remained as pale as paper, his eyes tightly closed, as if he had fallen into an endless sleep.
The antidote does not seem to have the desired effect.
Chuanliu sighed listlessly, shook his head regretfully, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.
Seeing that there were far fewer pedestrians outside, Zhui Ming silently followed behind her, packed his things, and prepared to leave.
Just then, the two suddenly heard a vomiting sound behind them.
They turned around and saw that Mo Qingchen, who had been lying motionless on the ground, was now hunched over, his hands supporting him on the ground, vomiting repeatedly. His face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he had unexpectedly woken up.
Chuanliu and Zhuiming exchanged a glance and quickly ran to his side, as if they had never intended to abandon him.
"Cough, cough."
Mo Qingchen drank the water Chuan Liu handed him, then vomited twice more before calming down a little.
What just happened to me?
A look of confusion crossed the man's eyes, but when he saw the waiter lying on the ground beside him, he understood. "He...he poisoned me? Damn it! How could I not have noticed?"
He looked at Chuanliu and Zhuiming and quickly asked, "Were you two also poisoned? I lost all consciousness after being poisoned."
Chuanliu didn't deny it, and silently nodded, "Aqiang found the antidote on this assassin."
Mo Qingchen nodded with lingering fear, "Thank goodness, otherwise the three of us would have all perished here."
Chuanliu pointed at the waiter and asked Mo Qingchen, "Can you recognize him as Mandala?"
Mo Qingchen shook his head. "I don't know. Being skilled in using poison does fit the image of Datura, but this poison... doesn't react quite like the legends."
Using poison is not exclusive to datura; however, truly deadly poisons are inherently rare, fetching exorbitant prices on the black market. Therefore, using poison is not difficult, but the standards for its application are not low.
Could this waiter be Mandala?
Chuanliu frowned slightly, but the frown vanished in an instant.
Mo Qingchen, on the other hand, was extremely grateful, thanking her two saviors with tears streaming down her face.
The three of them traveled until the afternoon and finally arrived in the territory of Spade City.
Entering the City of Spades reveals yet another scene.
The river is like the lifeblood of the City of Spades. It flows quietly, passing through one peaceful village after another. And these villages seem to be the guardians of the river, quietly nestled on both sides of it.
Looking upstream along the river, one sees towering mountains shrouded in mist. There lie the residences of the official residents of Spade City. One can vaguely make out the Chinese-style mansions built against the mountainside, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.
Chuanliu's gaze was deep, as if she had already seen through the clouds and mist to reach her destination.
Looking at the bustling village of Spade City, she took a deep breath and walked upstream along the river. As the three of them got closer to the foot of the mountain, the surrounding villagers gradually gathered, and the air was filled with their lively chatter.
This is the only way up the mountain. The markets on both sides of the river are full of a wide variety of goods, and the vendors' calls to sell their wares are constant. You can even hear the sound of the waterfall on the mountain not far away.
The three of them dared not let their guard down and chose to remain discreet as they passed through the crowd.
The sun, around four or five o'clock, shone through the clouds, casting golden rays upon the colorful stalls.
Chuanliu walked through the bustling crowd, with Zhuiming and Mo Qingchen close behind. The three remained vigilant despite the enthusiastic cries of the vendors, but dared not react too strongly to arouse suspicion.
A middle-aged vendor held a bamboo basket filled with steaming hot buns. The aroma of the buns was so enticing that it instantly tantalized the taste buds of passersby.
The vendor shouted to the three men, "Young ladies and gentlemen, come and see these buns! They have thin skins and generous fillings. One bite and they're bursting with juice. I guarantee you'll want more after you try them!"
Mo Qingchen seemed to have developed a phobia of food, waving his hands repeatedly and pulling Chuanliu forward.
Not far away, a brightly dressed woman stepped out of her stall and took out a silk scarf to wrap around Chuanliu's neck.
The woman's fragrance was so enticing that Chuanliu retreated repeatedly until Zhuiming stood in front of her.
The woman remained expressionless and smiled as she recommended to Zhui Ming, "Sir, why don't you buy a silk scarf for your girlfriend? Look how well this color suits her skin!"
Zhuiming glared at her coldly.
"If you don't want to buy, then don't buy. Why are you glaring at me?" The woman seemed startled, muttering under her breath as she retreated back to her stall.
Just then, a little boy wearing a newsboy cap suddenly came up and presented a bouquet of colorful flowers to Chuanliu.
The flowers were vibrant and beautiful, with dew still clinging to their petals and emitting a faint fragrance.
The boy said in a childish voice, "Sister, sister, buy a bouquet of flowers. These are flowers that we grew at home."
The river flowed silently, waving goodbye, and continued on its way.
In a shady spot under the bridge, an old man with white hair and beard sat on the ground, with an old piece of cloth spread out in front of him, painted with the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern.
Seeing Chuanliu walk by, he coughed and called out to her, "Miss, would you like your fortune told? No money back if it's not accurate."
Upon hearing this, Chuanliu merely glanced at the Bagua cloth and showed no intention of stopping.
Suddenly, the old man raised his voice, his tone grave: "Young lady! Wait! Judging from your face, I fear you are about to face a bloody disaster!"
Chuanliu continued forward without looking back.
Then they heard the old man use the same words to deceive Mo Qingchen, who arrived shortly after: "Young man! Wait a moment! Judging from your face, I'm afraid you're about to suffer a bloody disaster!"
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