It was clear that Gu Qianying and the two, Zi Jin and Zi Yin, were no longer present. The uncle, who had already removed his clothes, stared blankly in the direction they had left, utterly bewildered.
"This is bad!" Feng Qing Ban exclaimed in alarm.
At that moment, Wen Gu Lan and Su Han Zhu also sensed that something was amiss. They immediately turned around, their expressions shifting slightly. "Where did they go?"
Feng Qing Ban retorted with annoyance, "How should I know!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go after them!"
"But... where did they go?"
Feng Qing Ban and the other two hadn't seen where Gu Qianying and her companions had gone, so they had no idea where to pursue.
Suddenly, the three of them simultaneously looked at the uncle who had taken off his outer clothes and was still in a state of shock.
The three of them slowly walked towards the woodcutter uncle.
A moment later.
Feng Qing Ban and the other two pursued them up the mountainside.
And as they left.
The woodcutter uncle, who had been forced to answer their questions, had already breathed his last.
His eyes, bleeding, were wide open. His hands, which often wielded an axe to chop wood, were twisted in a grotesque manner. His mouth was agape, and countless venomous insects writhed and crawled within.
At the same time.
At this moment, Gu Qianying and the other three were on their way to the summit of the mountain.
The three of them stopped to rest in a dense forest.
"Gu Qianying, I really can't figure out why we had to shake off those three women whose identities are suspicious. Didn't you say we should let them follow so we could see their true intentions?" Nangong Xuan Ning asked casually as she rested beside Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying took out the snacks she had prepared earlier, opened them, broke off a small piece for Nangong Xuan Ning, and then divided the remaining snacks into three portions, giving a small piece to Zi Jin and Zi Yin, and leaving a small piece for herself. After eating, she said, "When they were resting in the thatched hut, they administered poison. Their target was likely one of us.
Nangong Xuan Ning took the small piece of snack from Gu Qianying with a look of disdain and put it in her mouth. After chewing twice, she was stunned by what Gu Qianying had said and suddenly realized, "What? You mean that poisoned tea was their doing?"
Gu Qianying remained silent, which was an admission.
Nangong Xuan Ning became enraged. "They have such audacity! When I return, I will definitely send people to skin them alive!"
To dare poison her, a princess of such noble status, was, in Nangong Xuan Ning's eyes, the equivalent of digging their own graves.
"Skinning them upon return depends on whether you can return alive."
As she said this, Gu Qianying instinctively clutched the medicine pouch at her waist. There were still a few silver needles left, which she could use.
Upon understanding Gu Qianying's words, Zi Jin and Zi Yin immediately became alert and moved closer to Gu Qianying, prioritizing her safety.
Nangong Xuan Ning, however, had not yet grasped the meaning of Gu Qianying's words. She frowned, confused. "Gu Qianying, what do you mean by that?"
With a swoosh.
As soon as Nangong Xuan Ning finished speaking, several assassins dressed in black, wielding long swords, suddenly attacked Gu Qianying from not far away.
"Ah..."
Nangong Xuan Ning screamed in fright and immediately hid behind Gu Qianying.
Zi Jin and Zi Yin were ready to engage in combat with the assassins.
One of them used poison, while the other picked up a discarded tree branch from the ground and used it as her weapon to fight the enemies.
While protecting Nangong Xuan Ning, Gu Qianying quickly took out the silver needles she carried.
With a few swift movements.
Four or five assassins fell to the ground simultaneously.
While Gu Qianying and the other three were being surrounded by several assassins.
The other contestants who were approaching saw the situation with Gu Qianying and immediately retreated the way they came, as if admitting defeat.
A moment later.
Both Zi Jin and Zi Yin were injured.
Nangong Xuan Ning was well protected by Gu Qianying.
As for herself, she had sustained a wound on her arm from a careless scratch by an assassin.
The ground was littered with corpses, and blood stained the mountainside.
Gu Qianying tore off a small strip of cloth from the hem of her skirt, bandaged herself, and then looked at Zi Jin and Zi Yin, a faint smile on her lips. "You've done well, your skills are impressive."
She and Zi Jin and Zi Yin had killed over a dozen assassins. Although the scene was a bit bloody, the four of them were fortunate to have survived.
"Compared to you, Young Miss, we are far from as skilled as you."
With all the assassins eliminated, Zi Yin and Zi Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
Hissing... hissing...
From the bushes not far away, strange sounds could be heard.
As these peculiar sounds grew closer.
A dense, dark mass of them crawled towards Gu Qianying.
"Ah... look, what is that?" Nangong Xuan Ning exclaimed.
Gu Qianying and the other two looked in the direction Nangong Xuan Ning was pointing.
"Not good! It's highly venomous蛊虫 (gu worms)! Everyone, run!"
Gu Qianying shouted and immediately grabbed Nangong Xuan Ning, running in the opposite direction.
Zi Jin and Zi Yin dragged each other along, following behind Gu Qianying.
The extraction of蛊虫 (gu worms) can be divided into two types: venomous and non-venomous.
The non-venomous ones only control the mind and do not pose a threat to life, while the venomous ones, upon contact, will cause severe poisoning.
A moment later, the蛊虫 (gu worms) around Gu Qianying and the four of them increased as they fled the area.
At this moment, the corpses lying on the ground were already covered in蛊虫 (gu worms).
In the blink of an eye, the corpses on the ground instantly turned into white bones.
Nangong Xuan Ning screamed in terror at this sight.
"Shut up! Stop screaming."
Gu Qianying yelled at Nangong Xuan Ning, then immediately took out a pill from her medicine pouch. As she raised her hand, she thrust the pill into Nangong Xuan Ning's mouth.
Afterward, she took out two more pills from her medicine pouch and threw them to Zi Jin and Zi Yin. "Eat them quickly."
Zi Jin and Zi Yin did not ask what the pills were and swallowed them without hesitation.
Nangong Xuan Ning, after swallowing the pill, immediately asked, "Gu Qianying, what did you give me?"
"Poison."
"Ah? Gu Qianying, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" Nangong Xuan Ning tried to spit out what was in her stomach.
Gu Qianying stopped her. "Don't spit it out, hurry up and go!"
The four of them ran forward for a short while before turning back.
It turned out that not only were the ground beneath their feet covered in蛊虫 (gu worms), but even the entire mountainside where they could stand was also covered in them.
"What should I do? Are we going to die here? I'm so scared."
Nangong Xuan Ning no longer dwelled on what medicine Gu Qianying had given her, but was more concerned about whether they would survive and escape.
At this moment, Gu Qianying commanded Zi Jin and Zi Yin, "Blood, quickly, your blood can save yourselves."
As soon as she said this.
Gu Qianying was the first to scratch her arm with her sharp fingernails and use her blood to repel the蛊虫 (gu worms).
The others, following suit, also repelled the蛊虫 (gu worms) beneath their feet.
Suddenly, a streak of red light appeared.
"Miss Gu, you have great capabilities!"
As the person arrived, they waved their hand.
Zi Jin and Zi Yin immediately fainted to the ground.
Nangong Xuan Ning and Gu Qianying looked at the person.
"The Imperial Advisor? How can it be you?" Nangong Xuan Ning was extremely surprised.
Ouyang Qing Lin stood before them, avoiding Nangong Xuan Ning, and looked at Gu Qianying with a sinister smile. "Miss Gu, it's been many days, have you missed me, your Imperial Advisor?"
"I was wondering who had such grand means, it turns out to be the Imperial Advisor? What? You sent so many people to assassinate, and when the assassination failed, you brought out so many蛊虫 (gu worms). It seems the Imperial Advisor truly wants the lives of this humble subject and the Princess."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying looked at Nangong Xuan Ning. "Your Highness, do you see? Our Imperial Advisor even wants your life. He is so audacious, shouldn't you express your stance?"
"Imperial Advisor, shouldn't you explain something to me?" Nangong Xuan Ning frowned.
Ouyang Qing Lin smiled sinisterly. "Princess, please do not be offended. This humble minister merely wishes to have a chat with Miss Gu."
With that said.
Ouyang Qing Lin raised his arm and waved.
A puff of aphrodisiac gas wafted towards them.
Nangong Xuan Ning promptly fainted to the ground.
Gu Qianying instinctively retreated, but as she retreated, Ouyang Qing Lin grabbed her wrist, yanked her forcefully, and pulled her into his embrace.
"Let go of me!"
Gu Qianying, who had intended to slap Ouyang Qing Lin away, suddenly discovered that she was completely powerless and could not muster any strength.
"Don't struggle, otherwise, I don't know what I might do to you."
His hot palm caressed her waist, and his warm breath entered her nose.
Just as Gu Qianying was about to gather all her internal energy to break free from Ouyang Qing Lin's restraint.
A voice suddenly appeared.
"Let her go!"