Upon seeing Chen Qingqing's actions, Zi You was initially taken aback, then burst into wild laughter, a laugh filled with disdain and mockery.
"Little girl, I advise you not to waste your time. Only I can cure this poison. Giving him random medications will only hasten the onset of the poison. It's utterly foolish!"
Chen Qingqing glanced at her indifferently, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You should know that there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. Your little tricks are not worth mentioning at all."
At this moment, Chu Jiuqing's eyes were tightly closed, cold sweat poured down his face, and his body trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he was enduring immense pain.
"What a fool! He's about to die and he's still being stubborn. I'd like to see what tricks he has up his sleeve!" Zi You's eyes were full of schadenfreude, as she wanted to see Chu Jiuqing die so she could report back.
Chen Qingqing smiled faintly, looking confident, and spoke according to the prompts on the small ring panel.
"Sand Pond Snake Venom is extracted from multiple poisons, with viper venom as the main component, combined with bee venom, ant venom... and ten kinds of plants such as castor bean, gelsemium, and Gelsemium elegans... It is formulated with these ingredients. I don't know if I'm right?"
Zi You stared in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. This... how could this be!
This poison was developed by her over three years; how could this village girl know so much about it?
A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by ruthlessness. "You little brat, you're quite capable. If I don't kill you today, what face will I, the Poison King of the Western Regions, have?"
After saying that, he quickly rushed towards Chen Qingqing.
Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue rushed forward to stop Zi You.
Chu Jiuqing's face began to change from deathly pale to rosy, and the dark marks on his shoulders gradually faded. As his consciousness returned, he saw the people fighting together, quickly stood up, and brandished his sword to meet them.
"You vile she-devil, today is your death day!"
Zi You quickly snatched it away, letting out a cold laugh, "Your Highness Prince Ning is truly heartless. You are unmoved by my affections, yet you protect this little girl so fiercely. What you are doing will break my heart."
"Shut your filthy mouth! Prepare to die!"
"Hmph, I'm injured right now, I can't be bothered with you!" After saying that, Zi You jumped a few times and turned to flee into the dense forest ahead.
Chu Jiuqing's eyes sharpened, and he said in a low voice, "Zhuifeng, protect Miss Chen. Zhuyue, follow me. We must kill this female demon today." After saying that, he chased after Ziyou in the direction she had fled.
Worried, Chen Qingqing quickly pulled over a horse, grabbed the reins, put her feet in the stirrups, and used the momentum to flip herself onto the horse. She sat steadily on the horse's back, spread her legs slightly, squeezed the horse's belly, and galloped towards Chu Jiuqing's direction.
Zhui Feng was stunned. After realizing what was happening, he quickly followed.
Chu Jiuqing chased Zi You all the way to the depths of the dense forest. A cloud of smoke and mist appeared around Zi You, and the smoke rose up instantly. When the smoke dissipated, Zi You had disappeared without a trace.
But from the edge of the dense forest came a series of charming giggles, "Your Highness Prince Ning, come and catch me!"
Before long, the group arrived deep in the dense forest. Seeing Chu Jiuqing not far ahead, Chen Qingqing quickly jumped off her horse, "Xiaoyu, where's Ziyou?"
"She should be around here, but I don't know where she's hiding." Chu Jiuqing stood with his hands behind his back, looking around warily, and lowered his voice, "Zi You is vicious. She lost so many men, she will never let it go like this."
Chu Jiuqing protected Chen Qingqing as they walked in front, with Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue following closely behind.
The group proceeded cautiously. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and Chen Qingqing's heart skipped a beat.
She noticed a faint, unpleasant odor in the air.
At the same time, Xiao Jie's voice rang out, "Master, please be aware that there is poison in the wind. The antidote has been prepared."
Chen Qingqing looked at the antidote in her hand and smiled with satisfaction, "You did a good job this time, at least you didn't take advantage of the situation."
"Master, you flatter me. I believe in fair trade. I did take too much money from you earlier, so please consider this a refund."
"At least you still have some conscience." Chen Qingqing ignored it and distributed the antidote to everyone. "The air is poisonous, take the antidote quickly."
After everyone took the antidote, a slight noise came from not far ahead.
Chu Jiuqing stopped and gestured for everyone to spread out in a fan shape and slowly approach the source of the sound.
When they parted a dense thicket of bushes, they found it empty except for some broken branches, indicating that someone had just passed by.
"You little brat, you've got some skills. You can tell there's poison in the air just by smelling it. I really underestimated you." Zi You's voice floated lightly through the dense forest.
Chen Qingqing smiled disdainfully. She could use poison too, but Zi You's subordinates were better protected, all wearing masks. Otherwise, how could they allow her to be so arrogant?
"Zi You, you better pray you don't fall into my hands, or I'll give you a taste of a thousand kinds of poison."
"Alright, I'm really looking forward to it, but you'll have to find me alive first." After saying this, Zi You fell silent.
Chen Qingqing waved her hand helplessly. She thought that if she talked to Zi You a few more times, Chu Jiuqing would be able to determine Zi You's location based on her voice and kill her. She didn't expect her to be so cunning and actually keep quiet.
"Strange, where did that female demon go?" Zhui Feng muttered to himself.
Chen Qingqing crouched down and examined the area closely. She noticed that the broken branches scattered around were somewhat disordered, seemingly intentionally so.
“She must have moved forward; these footprints were probably her way of misleading us,” Chen Qingqing said, frowning.
Zhui Feng said with a serious expression, "Your Highness, we can't delay any longer. We must leave here as soon as possible. The Emperor's illness cannot be delayed."
Zhu Yue also looked grave. "I also feel that we cannot stay any longer and must leave as soon as possible. The Chu Emperor is in imminent danger. If Zi You deliberately delays, the Crown Prince will have more time to make his plans, which will be disadvantageous for us."
Chu Jiuqing nodded. "Okay, let's go."
The group continued on their way, but before they had gone far, dozens of small black birds suddenly flew down from the trees and swooped down towards their faces.
At the same time, Xiao Jie's voice rang in his mind: "Poisonous creature approaching, poisonous creature approaching..."
"Everyone be careful, this bird is poisonous, don't let it catch you."
Chen Qingqing noticed that the strange bird's small claws were shimmering with golden light, clearly coated with a deadly poison.
As she shouted a warning, a crossbow bolt appeared in her hand, which she fired at the strange bird flying towards them...
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