"Mu Qingyao, you wicked woman, you owe my son his life."
Hua Wenbo's eyes, as if imbued with a magnetic force, held Qingyao in place, rendering her immobile. Though she understood, her body refused to obey. She watched as Hua Wenbo's long sword lunged towards her.
Suddenly, a jade flute extended from mid-air, exuding a sharp dominance. It forcefully deflected the cold glint of the sword, and a tall, handsome figure descended from the heavens, landing beside Qingyao. His deep voice, laced with anxiety, asked, "Yao'er, are you alright?"
Qingyao shivered, her senses returning. She looked at Hua Wenbo opposite her and realized his eyes could bewitch people. It was best to be cautious. She turned to Yin Xuan, shaking her head gently. Their affectionate gaze ignited Hua Wenbo's fury, and he pointed his sword at them.
"Mu Qingyao, you slut, my son just died, and you've already hooked up with another. My son thought you were a treasure."
These words deeply provoked Qingyao. Although she and Wuqing were nothing, her heart grew heavy. She looked up at Yin Xuan, "Be careful, don't fall for his tricks. His eyes can bewitch people."
"I won't let him succeed."
With Yin Xuan's words, he leaped up. In the night wind, his white embroidered cloak billowed dramatically, his ink-black hair like clouds, flowing like a gust of wind. The jade flute carried immense killing intent, striking directly at Hua Wenbo. It was sharp and arrogant, dominating everything.
Hua Wenbo retreated, evading the attack. He looked into the distance and saw the burning flames engulfing the soldiers of Danfeng Kingdom, with few survivors. His heart grew heavier. He had overestimated his abilities in this battle and underestimated this woman's power. Moreover, they had clearly ingested his蛊虫 (gu worms), so why were they unaffected? The蛊虫 fused with water; perhaps they hadn't drunk any water.
"You're unharmed?"
Hua Wenbo spoke coldly as he parried Yin Xuan's assault. Yin Xuan's moves became increasingly strange, his techniques eerily complex. Although Hua Wenbo possessed powerful蛊术 (gu techniques) and formidable martial arts, he was outmatched by Yin Xuan's蛊术. In terms of martial arts, he was a level below. Yin Xuan, a disciple of Chi Xia the Elder, had inherited his master's true teachings, making his martial arts intensely fierce. Hua Wenbo was no match for him. Within ten moves, he was already struggling, fighting while retreating.
Yin Xuan pressed his attack relentlessly. His alluring face, like a thousand blossoming sea-anemones, was as vibrant as fire, as if about to bleed.
His enchanting voice slowly resounded, "Are you talking about the蛊虫 you planted? If you can plant them, can't we remove them? It's just a small蛊 (gu) raised on snakes."
As his voice fell, Hua Wenbo's expression changed, and he exclaimed in dismay, "You actually found out."
Qingyao and Yin Xuan, hearing his words from a distance, both breathed a sigh of relief. So it was indeed a bug raised on snakes. This man probably never dreamed they were merely trying to trick him. His words gave them a glimmer of hope.
Due to the rapid airflow, the蛊虫 within Yin Xuan began to move faster, causing him unbearable chest pain. His attacks became even more ferocious. He couldn't let Hua Wenbo see that he was poisoned, or he would counter-attack. Qingyao was also poisoned. If Hua Wenbo discovered this, he would undoubtedly try to stall for time, ultimately injuring them both. At this moment, Qingyao also saw the current situation clearly. Without arousing suspicion, she picked up the Phoenix Tail Zither.
Amidst the scattering flames and the smoke-filled killing intent, melodious zither music arose, bearing a mysterious enchantment, echoing faintly in the air.
In the dark night, Hua Wenbo no longer engaged in battle. Seeing his Danfeng Kingdom soldiers all dead, he decided it was more important to return to Chen Tang Pass to strategize. With this thought, he feigned an attack, seized an opening, and swiftly flew up, disappearing quickly.
As his figure vanished, Yin Xuan's face changed dramatically. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, kneeling on one knee, his body leaning against his jade flute, breathing heavily. His face was pale, and he clutched his chest with his other hand.
From afar, Qingyao put away her zither, tucking it behind her waist, and flew to Yin Xuan's side. She asked anxiously, "Yin Xuan, are you alright? Are you alright? Now we know this time's蛊虫 is raised in snakes. If we kill the snakes and drink their blood, we can eliminate the蛊虫."
"Mm," Yin Xuan nodded. His face was pale, large beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks, his lips a ghastly white. Qingyao knew the pain he was enduring. He had used his internal energy, which accelerated the circulation of his blood and the spread of the蛊虫, causing him to feel like he was being pricked by tiny needles in his chest.
"I'm fine."
He strained to speak. Qingyao quickly reached out to help him up. How could he be fine? Her own face was also pale. She quickly turned to look aside. Mo Chou and Bing Xiao, leading Little Fish, ran over. Behind them followed General An Dingfeng and several other deputy generals.
Upon seeing Yin Xuan's seemingly critically injured state, An Dingfeng anxiously inquired, "What happened?"
"Hua Wenbo attacked us," Qingyao replied. In truth, he had attacked her. Hua Wenbo's sole target from beginning to end was Mu Qingyao. Yin Xuan was merely implicated because of her.
Upon hearing Qingyao's words, Little Fish rushed over, stamping her feet angrily, "Where is that man?"
"He ran away," Qingyao said indifferently. If Yin Xuan hadn't been poisoned, that man wouldn't have escaped alive. However, now that the蛊虫 would be cured tonight, they could break through the pass tomorrow. At that time, the first person she would kill would be Hua Wenbo. She was determined to cut him into a thousand pieces and hang his corpse on the walls of Chen Tang Pass, letting the world know that evil begets evil.
"General An, what's the situation?"
Qingyao inquired about the battle. An Dingfeng stepped forward quickly and said in a deep voice, "We killed more than half of them and captured a small portion. How should we deal with these people now?"
Qingyao's delicate eyebrows furrowed. Perhaps these women were innocent; they were merely defending their country. But war was brutal; it was either you die or I die. Even if she spared them today, they would still oppose her when they returned. Furthermore, if they didn't fight today, the world would eventually be at war, and the casualties would be even greater.
"Kill them."
Qingyao uttered coldly. She didn't possess modern notions of mercy, like advocating for leniency towards prisoners of war. Fighting enemies and then releasing them, only for them to attack again. War itself was about death; if you don't die, they die. Sooner or later, one of them would die. Moreover, she didn't want any more enemies.
"Yes."
An Dingfeng calmly accepted the order. With the commander's command, they would comply. Moreover, everyone knew that these people could not be kept. In the past, when conquering a city, it was common to massacre the city and kill some enemies; it was a perfectly normal occurrence.
Qingyao looked towards Huang Mu Yang on the other side. Huang Mu Yang had not been infected by the蛊虫 in this incident, so he had been responsible for many arrangements. Thus, Qingyao found him to be a capable person, calm and composed in handling matters, someone who could be entrusted with great responsibility. She looked up at Huang Mu Yang.
"You immediately issue an order for the soldiers who were not infected by the蛊虫 to capture snakes and extract their blood. Snake blood can cure the蛊虫. Of course, the snake must be venomous. This matter cannot be delayed; attend to it immediately."
"Yes, Marshal."
Huang Mu Yang left behind An Dingfeng. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that snake blood could cure the蛊虫. This was truly wonderful news.
Little Fish, relieved, appeared unusually calm at this moment. She turned to Mo Chou and Bing Xiao on the side, "You two immediately go into the dense forest and catch two snakes. Let Mother and the others take them immediately. Their蛊虫 haven't been cured yet."
"Yes, Princess."
The two responded and quickly departed.
Qingyao helped Yin Xuan sit on the grass beside her, while Little Fish sat on the other side.