Beauty trap, poisonous insects
Tiaotiao and Mujin lay in the dense bushes outside the Holy Fire Hall, holding their breath.
The towering stone walls cast a heavy shadow, and the entrance was heavily guarded. Teams of sword-wielding guards in sharp armor, marching in unison, crisscrossed the heavily closed iron gate, their gazes sharp, leaving no blind spots untouched.
The air was stagnant and filled with solemnity.
Mu Jin looked at the tight security and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Why are there so many people? They're like an iron barrel. Can we move to another place?"
Tiaotiao's gaze swept across the sentries and the hidden guards on the wall. His voice was grave, "This is the only breach in the periphery. We've relaxed our guard compared to when Blackheart Tiger was here." He glanced at the deepening dusk. "Ding Kui must reach Huichun Hall at 11:00 PM and arrive at 11:00 PM. We must infiltrate before 11:00 PM and complete our deployment before 11:00 PM. There's no time to lose."
Mu Jin gasped, her voice tense. "How... do we get in? I can't escape!" She looked anxiously at Tiao Tiao. "If we delay any longer, what will happen to the young lady..."
Tiao Tiao pondered for a moment and said, "I do have a solution, but... it will be unfair to you."
Mu Jin didn't hesitate: "As long as it can help the young lady, I can do anything. You say!"
"Please, young lady... use a honey trap to win your heart."
"What..." Mu Jin was so shocked that she almost uttered a sound, but Tiao Tiao's hand had already covered her mouth like lightning.
Mu Jin glanced at the patrol with lingering fear. After confirming that everything was alright, she pried Tiao Tiao's hands apart and whispered hurriedly, humiliated and angry, "No! The young lady said that a woman should never serve others with her lust..."
Tiaotiao raised an eyebrow. “Did she say that in an emergency, we should take the necessary measures?”
Mu Jin frowned and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "It seems... not."
"That's what she taught me..." Tiao Tiao said instinctively, but before he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and swallowed the rest of the sentence back. He only snorted softly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of his sword. He changed the subject abruptly: "That's it."
Mu Jin was stung by the unfinished words, her eyes reddening slightly. "Don't talk about that, Miss! If Miss hadn't pulled me out of the pile of corpses, I would have rotted away in the plague five years ago. She means more to me than my own life!" She glanced at Tiao Tiao and said in a distant tone, "People like you...won't understand."
Tiao Tiao remained silent. His fingers tightened on the hilt, his knuckles turning white, then slowly loosened. A dark undercurrent surged in his eyes, returning to a cold, icy look.
After a moment, he spoke again, his tone calm: "Okay. Can you lend me this coat you're wearing?"
Mu Jin was stunned: "Ah? You..."
A moment later, deep in the bushes.
Clothing exchange completed.
Tiaotiao tightened the bandage around his chest, frowning slightly. The pain from his old wound stabbed sharply, then was quickly suppressed.
Mu Jin looked up at Tiao Tiao, who was wearing a goose yellow skirt, and was stunned for a moment.
The dusk cast a warm light on him, outlining a breathtaking silhouette—his figure, wrapped in soft fabric, unexpectedly presented a nearly perfect female figure. However, this "beauty" was by no means gentle, but more like a poisonous dagger wrapped in brocade.
The twilight softened his features, yet only made his eyes seem even colder and deeper. A strong sense of dissonance washed over him: the sinister aura beneath his refined exterior, intertwined with the chilling murderous intent within, creating a deadly and treacherous existence. Mu Jin's heart trembled: If only the young lady knew he was willing to make such a sacrifice...
Tiao Tiao waved his hand in front of her eyes with an expressionless face, and she suddenly came back to her senses.
Mu Jin's cheeks flushed red as she stammered, "I didn't expect you to... be like this..."
Tiao Tiao glanced at her helplessly, then habitually raised a hand to adjust the pleats at her waist. Her fingertips quickly brushed against the outline of a hard object beneath the fabric, but the movement paused for a moment as it touched the soft hem of the skirt before smoothly smoothing it out.
He tried to take a step, but his instinctive big strides were forcibly restrained, and his strides became small and cramped. His Adam's apple rolled suppressedly for a moment before he uttered, "Excuse me...how do I get to Fenglin? I'm lost..." The voice was deliberately raised and thin, with a hint of stiffness.
A dull horn sounded in the distance, signaling a shift change.
A light yellow figure gracefully emerged from its hiding place, its gait soft and delicate, yet with a strangely coordinated and slightly stiff gait, making it particularly striking against the austere gray walls and armored structures. As soon as it appeared, it attracted all nearby attention like a magnet.
The guard's blade reflected a harsh, cold light, illuminating his blurred silhouette. He paused, his gaze quickly averted, his jaw tensing for a moment. "She" glanced around in panic, then timidly approached two new recruits, who were whispering to each other a little further away. She bowed deeply, "Excuse me...how do I get to Fenglin? I'm lost..."
The two guards were so frightened by the sight of such a "beautiful woman" talking to them that they rushed to point, "That way!" "Yes, my beauty, do you want me to take you there?"
"She" glanced shyly at both of them, causing them to lose their minds and push each other: "I'll take it!" "Get out of here! I saw it first!"
"Thank you, sir... I can go by myself..." After saying that, she walked slowly in the direction indicated.
The two guards were captivated by that look, and after exchanging glances, they instantly reached a tacit understanding. The tall guard clutched his stomach, a pained expression on his face as he trotted towards the captain of the guards: "Boss! I ate something bad, and I can't hold it anymore!" The shorter guard quickly followed: "Me too!"
The captain's brow knitted into knots, and just as he was about to rebuke him, the tall guard quickly pressed two heavy pieces of silver into his palms. His rough fingers subconsciously weighed them, his Adam's apple rolling. His peripheral vision caught sight of the fading yellow at the distant intersection, a glimmer of luck and greed overriding his duty.
He quickly tucked the silver into his arms, put on an impatient expression, and waved his hands like a fly away: "Get out of here quickly, or you'll be late!"
As if granted amnesty, the two men chased in the direction Tiaotiao had disappeared. The other guards kept in sync.
Edge of the maple forest.
"Beauty? Don't hide!" The tall guard lowered his voice, scanning the tree shadows with his thief eyes. The short guard chuckled softly and stretched out his hand to play with the branches and leaves, "Beauty, I will take you to..." Before he finished speaking -
A pale yellow figure, like a ghost blending into the dusk, silently slid down from the maple tree behind them. With a sharp, subtle sound, the knife struck the back of their necks. They collapsed silently like puppets with their strings cut.
In a flash, silently.
Mu Jin's scream caught in her throat, and she clutched her hands tightly against her mouth and nose, her heart pounding. Her wide-open eyes reflected the ghostly figure sliding down, then stilling, and the limp black figure on the ground. It wasn't until Tiao Tiao's cold gaze swept over her that she suddenly realized she was suffocating. She hurriedly let go, greedily inhaling. The extreme shock made her body tremble slightly. She looked at Tiao Tiao, the initial alienation in her eyes replaced by pure awe.
The two men quickly removed their guards' armor and put it on. Tiaotiao dragged the unconscious man deeper into the bushes and hastily covered him.
Mu Jin pinched the short guard's greasy, blackened face mask. The strong stench of sweat mixed with the fumes of burnt, low-quality tobacco filled her nostrils. She frowned in disgust, held her breath, and tied it around her face, muttering, "It stinks!"
Tiaotiao fastened her wristband neatly. "Map?"
"I can recite it by heart, without a single mistake!" Mu Jin straightened her back, her eyes sharp.
"Inside the Holy Fire Hall, there are twists and turns and traps everywhere. One wrong step will lead you into the abyss. Be extremely careful." Tiao Tiao said in a low voice.
"I understand!" Mu Jin nodded heavily.
Tiao Tiao looked at her intently, his gaze piercing her soul. "The success or failure of this matter depends on you and me, and even more so, on your young lady's life. Are you really capable of this?"
Mu Jin's eyes flashed back to Su Baiwei's pale face as she emerged from the secret room. Then, during the plague five years ago, she saw those mud-stained, yet incredibly determined, hands that had pulled her out of the pile of corpses. A scorching heat instantly dispelled her fear, and her eyes lit up surprisingly brightly: "I can do it!"
"Okay." Tiao Tiao said no more.
The two men quickly straightened their armor and returned to their sentry post. The captain of the guards caught sight of this, his heart ached, and he cursed under his breath. Seeing the "short man"'s eyes fixed and his body stiff, he assumed it was just the aftereffects of excessive indulgence and looked away with disdain.
Mu Jin followed Tiao Tiao and stood still, staring straight ahead, her neck stiff. Tiao Tiao, standing next to her, seemed well behaved, but the corner of her eye was like a cold blade, silently slicing at the surroundings, the distribution of the guards, and the distant outlines.
Woo! The dull horn of the shift change ripped through the air.
The group moved. The two blended in, heading towards the heavily guarded gate. Mu Jin stepped cautiously. The passage was narrow and cramped. Water dripped overhead, and the stone slabs occasionally gave way underfoot. A faint blue or dark red glow shone through the holes in the stone walls on either side. The air was filled with a strange smell of sulfur, rust, and a hint of blood.
Around the corner ahead, another group of people came towards us. In the iron cages and pottery jars in their hands, there were poisonous snakes with their heads raised and their tongues spitting out, venomous scorpions with their tail hooks raised high, and centipedes with their legs moving around, and the fishy smell was pungent.
Tiaotiao, who was mixed in the team, raised his lips in a cold and playful manner. He flicked his fingers at his side and said:
A stone broke through the air!
"Ouch!" In the middle of the team, a scorpion-wielding guard felt a sharp pain in his knee and fell down suddenly.
"Clang!" The pottery jar cracked. The jet-black tail hook glowed with a faint blue light, and the poisonous scorpion splashed like a black tide.
"Ah! Blue-tailed Scorpion!" The team was in an uproar. A guard was stung on the ankle.
"Ah--!" A shrill howl was heard, and the face of the stabbed guard instantly turned purple and twisted, his whole body twitched, and white foam gushed out of his mouth and nose.
"careful!"
"Hide!"
"My snake cage!"
…
Panic spread, pushing and shoving, more poisonous insects fell to the ground. Screams, cries, insect hisses, and shattering sounds mixed together into a deadly sound.
"Burn! Burn them!" A guard raised a torch in panic and waved it around. The sizzling sound of kerosene burning through the shells and the smell of burning filled the air.
Mu Jin gasped for air. A scorpion scraped past her boot, its shell scraping against hers with a subtle rustling sound. Her scalp tingled, and she instinctively drew back. Where her foot landed, there was a crackling sound of a hard shell breaking, and a sticky sensation. A giant, crushed centipede twitched beneath her boot! She trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattered, and her stomach churned.
A steady, strong hand suddenly grasped her cold wrist. Tiao Tiao, like a ghost, took advantage of the situation and, with a few cunning turns, pulled her away from the center of the chaos and into a dark side street. Tiao Tiao's cold gaze swept over Mu Jin's pale face, her violently heaving chest, and her eyes, wide with terror. For a moment, his movements froze.
"Can you move?" Tiao Tiao's voice sounded above her head, without any warmth.
Fear swallowed Mu Jin like an abyss. A faint but clear voice pierced the chaos: "Hold the needle steadily..." Su Baiwei's figure, teaching her how to hold the needle, suddenly appeared before her. Then, the hands that had pulled her from the pile of corpses five years ago appeared, icy cold yet with a scorching warmth that pierced despair.
For the lady!
This thought burned through the numbness with scorching power.
"Yes!" She raised her head sharply, her voice hoarse but firm. She used all her strength to dig her nails deep into her palms. The sharp pain forced her to regain her will. The panic in her eyes was forced down, replaced by a desperate determination. She scraped the sole of her boot hard on the stone ground.
Tiao Tiao gave her a deep look, a look that contained both scrutiny and final confirmation.
"Walk!"
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