Gu Jiao and Long Yi, along with the other five, returned to the forest, where Princess Xinyang’s carriage and her followers remained.
Princess Xinyang had noticed that Long Yi and the others had disappeared, so she wasn’t surprised to see them return with Gu Jiao.
"Why were you gone for so long?" Princess Xinyang asked.
Long Yi helped Gu Jiao into the carriage.
Having been pinched all along the way, Gu Jiao’s cheeks once again became numb from the cold wind, and it took a while for her to regain sensation.
Gu Jiao didn’t answer Princess Xinyang’s question, but murmured instead, "Could you possibly stop Long Yi from pinching me?"
With Long Yi’s speed being so fast, being pinched really felt like having a large bellows fanning wind directly in front of her.
Princess Xinyang curled her lip, "He only listens to half of what’s said, if I tell him not to pinch you in the future, I am sure he’ll only hear ’pinch you.’"
Gu Jiao: "..."
One day she was determined to have Long Yi pinched and dragged around everywhere!
Gu Jiao continued where the earlier conversation had left off, "There was a bit of a situation, we startled the grass which scared away the snake."
"Are you injured?" Princess Xinyang asked.
Gu Jiao said, "Long Yi and I are fine, but the others were bitten by poisonous insects, not ordinary ones, but those specifically aimed at the Dragon Shadow Guard. The insects Qin Fengyang used that day in the Imperial Study Room must have been these very ones."
Princess Xinyang lifted the curtain and looked at the four Dragon Shadow Guard mounted on their horses.
They wore masks, so it was impossible to tell if their faces were pale.
"Is it serious?" she asked.
Gu Jiao replied, "We managed to get rid of the insects in time, but some poison still remains in their system."
Princess Xinyang’s eyebrows knitted slightly, "They’re not afraid of poison snakes, yet they’re scared of poisonous insects?"
Gu Jiao thought it over, saying, "One thing brings down another, sometimes the more powerful the being, the more inconspicuous its natural enemy."
"That’s true," Princess Xinyang said, dropping the curtain, "You and Long Yi weren’t bitten?"
Gu Jiao shook her head, "Those insects won’t bite us."
Princess Xinyang could understand why the insects wouldn’t bite Gu Jiao, if they were specifically targeted at the Dragon Shadow Guard, then Gu Jiao wouldn’t be within their range of preference. But Long Yi—
Princess Xinyang glanced at Long Yi, who was sitting properly outside on the carriage, and muttered to herself, "Could it be he really is an anomaly..."
She pressed her brow and asked, "Did you get the antidote?"
Gu Jiao undid the bundle from her back, "All the medicine we could find is here, but I don’t know which bottle is the antidote; we’ll have to take it back for Mistress Nan to check."
Princess Xinyang remembered Mistress Nan, the carpenter’s wife whom Xiao Hen found for Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan through Lao Feng’s connections.
Only, she had never seen the woman.
Princess Xinyang pondered for a moment and asked, "What if Qin Fengyang was lying to you and the antidote isn’t in the hands of those Yan Country people at all?"
Gu Jiao said honestly, "After she said those words, I used a hallucinogen to interrogate her once more. The answers were consistent; she wasn’t lying."
Princess Xinyang asked with curiosity, "What’s a hallucinogen?"
Gu Jiao explained, "A kind of bewitching drug used for interrogation."
Princess Xinyang looked at her, "Is it effective?"
Gu Jiao continued, "It works on some people, while others become immersed in hallucinations unable to communicate with the outside world, making it ineffective."
Princess Xinyang said indifferently, "Give me some when you return."
Gu Jiao: "Okay."
Remembering something urgent, Gu Jiao added quickly, "We’re pressed for time, so I’ll make it brief. There are two more things."
Princess Xinyang looked at her, "Go on."
Gu Jiao said, "Among those Yan Country people, there was a general surnamed Nangong. Also, today a Zhan Country man had dealings with General Nangong. Before he left, he said to General Nangong, ’General Nangong, thank you.’
Princess Xinyang frowned in suspicion, "General Nangong? General Nangong, thank you?" freёwebnovel.com
Gu Jiao was in a hurry to send the antidote back to the Imperial Palace at full speed, and Princess Xinyang had Long Yi accompany her.
The two of them picked out the most robust horses.
Sitting astride the horse, Gu Jiao cautioned Princess Xinyang, "The four of them have been poisoned; it’s better not to let them ride horses in case something happens on the way. When we return to the Capital City, I’ll detoxify them."
Princess Xinyang said earnestly, "Understood, you hurry along now. You must save Xiaoqi!"
Gu Jiao tightened the reins and turned the horse around, looking back at the carriage, "Also, those people from Yan Country might give chase; you be careful."
Princess Xinyang replied, "Don’t worry about that! Get moving!"
Gu Jiao and Long Yi quickly spurred their horses into the night.
It was just past midnight; theoretically, there should have been plenty of time, but unluckily the Yan Country’s Dragon Shadow Guard had caught up.
There was only one Official Road, and no matter how Gu Jiao and Long Yi tried to shake them off, the pursuers kept getting closer.
Long Yi pulled at the reins, coming to a stop.
Gu Jiao looked back, exchanging a tacit understanding with him.
Nanxiang said, "His condition is worse than I imagined! My poison can’t suppress it any longer! We can’t wait until dawn!"
She glanced at the hourglass on the wall with a complex expression, "At most... there is only one more 2 hours. If Jiaojiao can’t bring back the antidote by the fourth watch of the hour..."
Then I’m afraid... not even the Daluo Immortals descending could save him.
Empress Xiao collapsed on Qin Chuyu, wailing loudly: "Xiaoqi! Xiaoqi—"
Outside Phoenix Pavilion, it was a dark and windy night.
Gu Jiao and the man in the black robe had exchanged a hundred rounds, time trickling away bit by bit, as did Gu Jiao’s physical strength.
She had underestimated the realm of Sky Wolf; last time on the snowy mountain, she had deceived him, preventing Sky Wolf from displaying his true strength.
Now facing a second Sky Wolf, she realized how terrifying a master of this realm truly was.
Gu Jiao had sustained minor injuries on her arms and torso, and that was only because she was wielding the Red-Tasseled Spear. Otherwise, if it was a common weapon, it would have been no match for her opponent’s blade that could cut through iron as if it were mud.
Moreover, Gu Jiao had noticed something; this guy coveted her weapon.
Why did every Sky Wolf master want to get their hands on her Red-Tasseled Spear?
The man in the black robe made another slash with his long blade.
Gu Jiao thrust her spear like a dragon, entangling his long blade!
Their weapons clashing in the dark night, striking sparks in a series!
Neither yielded, their eyes just inches apart, the murderous intent in their gazes intensified in the fierce combat.
Gu Jiao kicked out, he countered with his foot, both retreated—Gu Jiao even more so.
It was the ugly hour.
If the fight continued like this, he would not be killed by dawn.
Gu Jiao knelt on one knee, using the long spear to support her nearly exhausted body, and gasped as she glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly, Gu Jiao stood up, her eyes fierce like a ferocious young beast.
She raised her left hand, her fingertips hooked, and grabbed the amulet around her neck.
She tore off the protective amulet Princess Xinyang had given her, holding her fist inward, and as she opened her fist, the amulet slowly fell to the ground.
The man in the black robe watched the young man across him with curiosity, not understanding what he was doing.
The young man extended his tongue, licking the blood at the corner of his lips.
The next second, the young man’s aura surged dramatically!
The slayer had returned!
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