He quite liked this wicked My lord.
However, he regretfully shook his head and said, "It was poisoned before, but after killing people on the battlefield with it, most of the poison was used up. The last bit was smeared on, which might be lethal to ordinary people, but I guess it’s doubtful for that woman."
While speaking, Xue Three presented his remaining dagger to Zheng Fan. The end of the dagger had a small recess that opened a new compartment when pressed, which was used to store poison. The moment the dagger stabbed an enemy, pressing this miniature mechanism would release poison into their body, like venom from a snakebite.
As for merely smearing the poison on the blade, it was simply wasteful and less effective. If you were going to do that, it would be better to smother it in feces instead.
Don’t laugh; smearing feces on arrowheads was a common nasty trick on ancient battlefields.
After all, there were no antibiotics like penicillin back then. If a wound got infected, whether one lived or died was left to fate.
"Never mind, if she has escaped, let her be." Zheng Fan turned to look at Liang Cheng and said, "As soon as the sandstorm stops, we’ll head back."
The world outside is too dangerous. Ah, my waist hurts so much.
Although the sandstorm was past its fiercest stage, even its tail end remained terrifying.
The woman carried the boy and had no horse. They had to venture into the sandstorm. A dagger still lodged in her back, her muscles clamped around the wound, but as she walked, she found her vision beginning to blur.
She knew the dagger was poisoned, but to prevent her pursuers from catching up, she had to suppress the spread of the poison with her own strength. Fortunately, the poison wasn’t severe.
No matter what, the mission of the Royal Court must be completed!
After probably about an hour of walking, the woman could only rely on her experience and instinct to roughly gauge her direction, but as to how much she might be off, she wasn’t sure.
However, the sounds of horse hooves echoed from up ahead.
The woman was startled at first, but when she heard the crack of a horsewhip from the direction of the hoofbeats, she felt slightly relieved.
The two riders had obviously noticed her situation and soon came into view.
The woman strained her eyes. The two riders who appeared before her wore no armor, only common robes. They were the contacts she had arranged beforehand.
They were disguised as a merchant caravan, constantly active between Hutou City and the Royal Court.
"I am Master Ayi. Where is your leader?" the woman asked, stating her identity.
"Greetings, Master Ayi!" One of the caravan guards quickly dismounted and paid his respects. Another particularly robust guard also dismounted. He saluted somewhat blankly at first, then hesitated. By the time he seemed to decide to kneel as well, his companion had already stood up, leaving him in an awkward horse-riding stance.
"Master Ayi," the guard reported, "the leader is about ten miles from here. Because you didn’t meet us at the agreed time and we encountered a sandstorm, the leader ordered us to disperse and search for you nearby."
"That was thoughtful of you." The woman handed the boy in her arms to the guard before her. "Get your leader to gather his available men and go northwest. There are assassins from the Li family there. Not many, but get rid of them for me."
At that moment, the woman noticed the blank-looking, brawny man still standing before her, brazenly lowering his head to stare at her body.
Her white robe had been discarded during the attack. She had escaped wearing only her undergarments and had been weathered by the wind and sand. Now, much of her skin was exposed.
Was this oaf really so naive that he dared to look directly at my body?
As the honored Master Ayi, she was being stared at by a lowly subordinate. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh.
But seeing the oaf still looking, the woman lifted her head. She looked at him, her gaze cold, and asked, "Do you like what you see?"
The oaf had been staring at the dagger lodged in the woman’s back.
Upon hearing her, he nodded and said, "It’s nice."
Then, he lifted his axe...