Zhao Xu was so shocked he almost fell into the water.
Turning around, I saw Yi Shuihan and Xiao Qingyin leading over a hundred people out of the forest.
He hurriedly said, "Start the boat now!"
With a push of a bamboo pole, the confidant propelled the raft toward the mountainside.
There was a cave entrance not far ahead, and it was dark inside, so it was impossible to see how deep it was.
Zhao Xu wished he could grow a pair of wings so he could fly into the cave as quickly as possible.
But that's clearly wishful thinking.
Yi Wu and his men used a light-footed movement to cross the water and boarded the bamboo raft in the blink of an eye, disarming Zhao Xu's gang of confidants.
He then held a knife to Zhao Xu's neck.
Zhao Xu was sweating profusely.
"I...I surrender."
He looked at Yi Shuihan with a pale face.
Yi Wu and his men rowed the bamboo raft to the lakeside and brought Zhao Xu and his cronies down with them.
Xiao Qingyin glanced around at the bamboo rafts on the lake and pointed to the cave entrance in the mountain wall, saying, "You came to Nandan from there, right?"
Zhao Xu instinctively denied it: "No, we came over the mountain."
"Yeah?"
Xiao Qingyin smiled slightly.
"So, it shouldn't be a problem to throw your body into that hole, right?"
That vicious woman!
They actually wanted to kill him!
Zhao Xu was both shocked and furious.
Seeing that Yi Shuihan hadn't said a word, Xiao Qingyin knew that she really had the right to deal with him.
He struggled for a moment, but ultimately chose life over vital secrets.
“We did come from there.”
Zhao Xu said dejectedly.
“There is an underground river there, connecting the Southeast Prefecture and Nandan.”
"How many days did it take you to get here?"
"Seven days."
So close?
Xiao Qingyin and Yi Shuihan exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
Is it going against the current?
Xiao Qingyin pressed for an answer.
"Most of the journey is in horizontal flow, with only two or three out of ten being against the current."
"Can we travel by raft the entire way?"
"Yes."
Xiao Qingyin suddenly realized.
With such a convenient passage, it's no wonder they were able to transport even cannons over.
"When did you discover that this underground river could reach Nandan?"
"Six months ago."
That was when the Holy Church still existed.
At that time, Ji Yunhua was forced by the Prince of Dai to marry Ouyang Xiuqi.
What a brilliant tactic of feigning one's intentions while secretly advancing another.
Yi Shuihan carefully examined Zhao Xu and learned that the Prince of Dai had long planned to conquer Nandan, but had been holding back until recently when Nandan's medicines were selling very well, at which point he decided to take action.
"...My father believes that Nandan is in a period of transition between the old and the new, and the political situation is unstable, which is a good time to make a move."
Zhao Xu said.
He was filled with remorse.
If he had known Yi Shuihan was so difficult to deal with, he wouldn't have made this trip.
Now things are really messed up. Not only did he lose the battle, but he doesn't even know if he can save his own life.
Yi Shuihan had the people rest on the spot for a while.
He hadn't decided how to deal with Zhao Xu yet.
Would the Prince of Dai be willing to pay to ransom him?
Xiao Qingyin asked.
Yi Shuihan shook his head.
“The Prince of Dai is not short of sons. Zhao Xu is the son of his first wife, but he prefers the third son born to his second wife. Zhao Xu has lost so many men, so he can’t afford to spend money on him anymore.”
Xiao Qingyin smiled and said, "So you were a discarded pawn."
Zhao Xu was terrified, fearing that the two of them would kill him right then and there.
Just as he was racking his brains for a compelling reason to spare his life, a plump pigeon flew to Xiao Qingyin's side.
"Huh?" Xiao Qingyin looked surprised. "Isn't this the pigeon that delivered messages to me and Yun Zhao?"
How did you gain so much weight?
The pigeon nuzzled her palm with its head, its two wet little eyes looking at her as if begging for food.
Xiao Qingyin stroked its feathers and laughed, "If you keep eating, you won't be able to fly anymore. You should probably go on a diet."
The pigeon cooed in dissatisfaction.
Little Black's eyes were full of accusation.
Xiao Qingyin had no choice but to give it a handful of wild fruits.
After reading the letter, her expression changed slightly.
"What's wrong?" Yi Shuihan asked with concern. "Did something happen to Sezhu?"
Xiao Qingyin shook her head: "No, it's Yun Zhao who's sick. He twisted his ankle on the deserted island. He thought it was just a minor fracture, but after receiving treatment in Nan Yue, the pain has gotten worse and worse. Now he can't even touch it. If the wind blows, his leg feels like it's being stabbed with a knife."
Yi Shuihan frowned: "Could it be the scurvy you mentioned?"
"It shouldn't be, he didn't have any bleeding symptoms."
Xiao Qingyin replied.
"I suspect it's some kind of pain syndrome, and the pain is not related to the severity of the injury; even minor fractures can cause it."
Although it is chronic pain, the pain it causes is more intense than childbirth.
Moreover, the pain of childbirth is time-limited, but this kind of pain is not.
The patient suffers from it constantly.
No matter how strong a person's will is, they will succumb to this kind of pain and wish they could just die.
Thinking of the pain Yun Zhao was enduring, Xiao Qingyin couldn't sit still.
"I'm going to South Vietnam."
She said to Yi Shuihan.
"I can cure this disease."
The journey between Nan Yue and Nan Dan was long, and Yi Shuihan was not entirely at ease.
"Can't you prescribe a treatment for the doctors in Nanyue?"
Xiao Qingyin shook her head: "This disease is a difficult and complicated one. Acupuncture needs to be administered according to the actual situation. It is difficult to treat it with remote guidance."
"But now Southeast Asia is in chaos, with frequent gang fights and sea routes almost cut off."
"Didn't we just find an underground river?"
Xiao Qingyin pointed to the cave entrance ahead.
"Going from here will save you several days of travel time."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
