Chapter 88: Wait, I'll poison him

There was still unmelted snow in the grass clump.

Gu Xixi lay there, feeling the cold invading from her back, the stiff grass tips scratching her cheeks painfully.

Mu Nan Zhao's low, hoarse voice swirled near her ear, "Don't move."

At this moment, although he was pressing on her body, he was half-supporting himself and not tightly against her.

Gu Xixi stiffened, not daring to move; from time to time someone ran past close to the grass clump, and the sound of weapons clashing in the distance never ceased.

After a while, there was finally no sign of enemies passing near the grass clump.

Mu Nan Zhao got up, glanced, pulled Gu Xixi up and ran, "Don't lift your head, bend as much as possible, there are archers nearby."

Gu Xixi did as Mu Nan Zhao said, her heart pounding wildly.

This kind of experience was absolutely her first.

The two ran in the opposite direction from before, crossing the grassland and heading straight for a poplar grove.

Gu Xixi panted slightly and whispered, "Wasn't it said it's best not to be alone?"

"We're getting farther and farther from General Meng; is that okay?"

Mu Nan Zhao's gaze swept around like a hawk's, and he said, "The enemy has too many people, and they even brought archers."

"If everyone stays there, it's easier for the whole army to be wiped out; better to split up and run, disrupting the enemy's deployment."

Gu Xixi asked, "What if someone chases us here?"

Mu Nan Zhao suddenly halted his steps, flashed aside, and brought Gu Xixi to hide behind a tree.

He looked ahead at the dark place, his eyes sharp, "Just a few people are much easier to deal with than a cavalry unit."

"Sit with your back against the tree trunk, and no matter what you hear, absolutely do not move."

Gu Xixi nodded and immediately did as told.

Then she watched in surprise as Mu Nan Zhao slowly drew a thin, long soft sword from his waistband.

The blade was as thin as paper, and when fully extended it was about the length of an arm.

In the darkness ahead, five Northern Li soldiers drew nearer, gradually revealing their figures.

They were not mounted; each held a weapon.

Gu Xixi clutched her small cloth bundle tightly, daring not to look again.

But she could clearly sense the awe-inspiring aura about Mu Nan Zhao, like a wild beast ready to erupt at any moment.

"Since they've come after us, let's kill them all."

The soft sword split the air, emitting a bloodthirsty hum.

The Northern Li soldiers were greatly startled, hastily forming up to meet the attack.

Gu Xixi crouched behind the tree, only able to prick up her ears to listen, to gauge the battle.

She had no martial skill; at times like this, all she could do was protect herself and not add to Mu Nan Zhao's troubles.

After an unknown number of exchanges of weapons, the first scream sounded.

Gu Xixi silently thought, "That's not Mu Nan Zhao's voice; he must have taken down one of them."

The moon tore through the clouds, the moonlight disc besides darkness.

The battle grew ever more intense and tense; Gu Xixi suddenly heard a "whoosh" splitting the air.

Following the sound, she saw clearly a feathered arrow flashing swiftly across her field of vision.

Gu Xixi recalled Mu Nan Zhao saying there were archers among the enemy, and she was instantly alarmed.

Mu Nan Zhao fighting five alone was already difficult enough.

Now with moonlight shining, the archers from afar were sneaking up to snipe.

Isn't the situation greatly disadvantageous for Mu Nan Zhao?

Gu Xixi could no longer obey and stay hidden; she crouched, pressed her head against the tree trunk, and looked forward.

Two Northern Li soldiers lay fallen on the ground; three remained facing Mu Nan Zhao.

The three attacked together; Mu Nan Zhao's soft sword showed no weakness, its movements always drawing blood.

Again, two cold arrows whistled in succession.

Mu Nan Zhao obviously had already sensed the presence of the archers.

He kicked aside the man in front, then instantly backhanded blocked an arrow, but still missed dodging it by a bit.

The feathered arrow grazed his right arm, leaving a bloodstain.

Gu Xixi's heart sank; oh no, he's wounded.

Seeing Mu Nan Zhao wounded, the Northern Li soldiers specifically targeted his right arm, attacking even more frenziedly.

Mu Nan Zhao's old wound had just healed, and he still harbored deadly poison in his body, making him unsuited for prolonged combat.

He was obviously straining; previously his moves were all offensive, now he had shifted mostly to defense.

Gu Xixi felt her heart about to jump into her throat; if this continued, they were surely doomed.

She crouched back behind the tree, forcing herself to calm down and think.

What should we do?

Given her abilities, what could she do now, what should she do……

Archers……

Right, the archers!

Right now the archers are in the dark, while Mu Nan Zhao is in the light.

Only by dealing with the archers is there a chance to turn the situation around.

Gu Xixi took out a rhombus-flower bronze mirror from her cloth bundle.

A palm-sized little mirror, she had bought it earlier to keep in her pack for tidying her appearance when going out.

Gu Xixi aimed the mirror at the moon, adjusted the angle, and let the moonlight reflect onto it.

Sure enough, a spot of light successfully appeared on the trunk behind her.

At that moment another arrow was shot; Gu Xixi seized the opportunity and reflected the moonlight toward that direction.

Heaven favored her; where the light spot illuminated, the silver arrowhead reflected a cold gleam.

The opportunity was only a moment; Gu Xixi could no longer hide herself and immediately shouted, "Mu Nan Zhao, the first angle slightly west of true north—kill him!"

Before she finished speaking, Mu Nan Zhao had already pulled a feathered arrow from the ground and, with a backhand, shot it out.

Only a muffled groan was heard, and the sound of someone collapsing.

Almost simultaneously, Mu Nan Zhao's soft sword swept out, and a Northern Li soldier's neck burst with a spray of blood.

Only two enemies remained on the field, one of whom was already wounded.

The advantage shifted back to Mu Nan Zhao once again.

And Gu Xixi also discovered in astonishment that the archer's hiding place was only seven or eight steps away from her.

Thinking that it was still uncertain whether that person was truly dead, there remained a variable.

She hesitated for a moment, took out a packet of medicinal powder, opened it and clenched it in her palm, then crawled slowly along the ground.

Under a poplar tree grew dense dry grass.

Gu Xixi steeled herself and approached; suddenly the grass moved, and without thinking she flung all the medicinal powder outward.

At the same time she threw herself face down, covering her mouth and nose.

This was the first poison she had prepared herself.

Lao Langzhong examined it and said her technique was not bad; the powder was fine and pure, effective whether taken orally or inhaled.

The moon again hid behind the clouds, and the surroundings grew dark once more.

Gu Xixi lay still, her ears still pricked to listen for any movement.

From the grass came first the sound of someone collapsing and convulsing, then continuous retching.

Gu Xixi mentally counted the steps seriously: first, the body stiffens and spasms, unable to move.

Second, vomiting until vomiting blood.

Third, agonizing abdominal pain as if twisted, leading to death…

Previously she couldn't bear to use a living creature for experiments; now she took the opportunity to observe the drug's reaction.

The rustling of the dry grass grew increasingly intense.

Perhaps because the person was suffering severe abdominal pain, their convulsions became more violent.

Gu Xixi focused on waiting for the archer to die from the poison, forgetting to notice that the commotion outside the woods had already subsided.

Mu Nan Zhao had dealt with all the Northern Li soldiers.

He raised his sword and walked toward the willow tree where Gu Xixi had been hiding, thought for a moment, then stopped again.

His long sword leapt into the air, he gave it a fierce shake, and the blood staining it was instantly cleaned away.

Ordinary people aren't used to seeing blood; he didn't want to see Gu Xixi startle and jump.

But when Mu Nan Zhao went around behind the tree, he discovered—no one?