novelraw Chapter 184
Chapter 184
Ye Siyin thought everyone was busy finding a place to rest and that no one was paying attention to her.
But the moment she ducked into the woods, Ye Chutang saw her.
Ye Chutang wasn't specifically watching Ye Siyin; she had only glanced at the spot when Qi He'an rushed into the woods earlier, just in case something happened.
She said to Qi Yanzhou, "Ye Siyin is probably up to something. Go check on Third Brother."
No sooner had she spoken than Ye Siyin came screaming out of the woods.
"Ah! Go away! Get away from me!"
She flailed her arms, running wildly as if trying to escape something.
At first, no one paid much mind, watching Ye Siyin's chaotic dash as if it were a joke.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound filled the air.
Someone shouted, "Hornets! So many hornets!"
Ye Chutang quickly pulled the waterproof oilcloth from the cart and covered the Qi family members with it.
"Crouch down! Hornet stings are very potent. While not usually fatal, the pain after being stung is excruciating."
Moreover, too many stings, or an unlucky sting to a nerve or other sensitive spot, could still be deadly.
The Qi family immediately crouched down, tucking in the edges of the oilcloth to prevent the hornets from getting inside.
Concubine Xu, thinking of her son who had gone to relieve himself, was on the verge of tears.
"He'an is still out there! What do we do?"
As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake.
Her son was, of course, her responsibility to save!
"I'm going out to find He'an. I'll move out slowly, I won't let the hornets in."
The yellow oilcloth was slightly translucent, allowing them to clearly see hornets landing on it.
Their venomous stingers twitched, ready to deliver a life-threatening sting at any moment.
Ye Chutang grabbed Concubine Xu's arm.
"Concubine Xu, let Ah Zhou go. He's skilled in martial arts."
She made this decision not to send Qi Yanzhou into danger recklessly.
But because the sudden appearance of these hornets was suspicious, and they had to be prepared.
Hiding under the oilcloth could protect them from the hornets, but not from other dangers.
Qi Yanzhou understood Ye Chutang's meaning and nodded.
"Don't come out until I call for you."
Ye Chutang hurriedly reminded him, "There's another piece of oilcloth on the cart. Hornets fear smoke. Take the damp fodder meant for the donkey, set it alight."
"Understood. You be careful too."
With that, Qi Yanzhou swiftly slipped out from under the oilcloth.
He immediately secured the edges again, not allowing a single hornet to enter.
The conversation between the two made Old Master Qi sense that something was amiss.
He asked worriedly, "Tang'er, were these hornets... caused by someone?"
Ye Chutang couldn't be sure and shook her head.
"Father, I don't know, but it's possible."
After speaking, she placed her hand on the grass, sensing everyone's positions.
The footsteps were chaotic and frantic; everyone was running for their lives.
The occasional "splash" of someone falling into water could be heard.
Likely, someone, unable to bear the stings, had jumped into the lake to escape.
Cries and shouts rose and fell, masking the sounds of approaching danger.
Concubine Xu was so tense she was sweating profusely, barely holding back her tears.
She prayed sincerely, "May the Second Young Master and my He'an be kept safe!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ye Chutang caught the smell of smoke from damp fodder burning incompletely.
She was just about to move the three of them closer to the thick smoke when Qi Yanzhou roared, "A-Tang, get down!"
The moment the sound reached her, Ye Chutang's body reacted faster than her mind. She swiftly pushed the other three to the ground.
"Swish!"
A faint sound of something cutting through the air passed overhead.
Not an arrow, but a short, small sleeve dart.
Ye Chutang knew that staying hidden under the oilcloth meant they could only be passive targets.
"Father, Mother, stay hidden. I'm going out to help Yanzhou."
Concubine Xu, worried something might happen to Ye Chutang, instinctively reached out to stop her.
Her fingers had just brushed the hem of Ye Chutang's clothes when the woman vanished.
Yes, vanished!
Concubine Xu thought her eyes were playing tricks on her and rubbed them vigorously.
The more she rubbed, the blurrier her vision became.
Old Madam Qi saw Concubine Xu rubbing her eyes until they were bloodshot and immediately grabbed her arm. "Xu, what's wrong with your eyes?"
"Old Madam, I just saw..."
Concubine Xu trailed off, not daring to continue.
No one would believe her.
Besides, after being knocked down by Ye Chutang, her head had hit the ground, leaving her dizzy and seeing stars.
Perhaps she had seen wrong.
Perhaps the mistress's martial arts were so profound, her speed was like a disappearance.
Old Madam Qi, not hearing the rest, pressed her. "Xu, what did you see?"
Concubine Xu said, "I never realized the mistress's martial arts were so high. She went right out through the oilcloth in an instant."
Old Madam Qi hadn't expected Concubine Xu to hesitate for so long only to utter such a pointless remark.
She wasn't entirely clear on the extent of Ye Chutang's martial arts.
But she had seen her display some skill when disciplining Luo Rou at the Chen Prince's residence, which suggested she was quite capable.
"Let's stay hidden and not cause trouble for the children."
Knowing she'd be no help if she charged out, Concubine Xu nodded.
The moment Ye Chutang teleported out from behind the oilcloth, she appeared beside the smoldering damp fodder, positioning herself downwind.
She held her breath, closed her eyes, and let the thick smoke drift over her.
Qi Yanzhou was extremely worried when he saw Ye Chutang leave the safety of the oilcloth regardless of the danger.
While deflecting the poisoned sleeve-arrows shot at him, he used the smoking fodder to drive away the wasps.
"Chutang, the enemy is to the east. Get behind a tree quickly. Leave the rest to me."
His men had been following covertly and would arrive soon.
Just as Ye Chutang was about to respond, she sensed danger.
She swiftly moved away from the smoke.
Three throwing darts flew past her face, accidentally wounding a government escort.
Ye Chutang quickly took cover behind a large tree.
Then she saw the terrifying, almost apocalyptic scene.
The wasps were like a plague of locusts, blotting out the sky, chasing and stinging people.
The omnipresent buzzing of their wings was oppressive, making one's chest feel tight and heart race.
Those without martial arts skills were stung and rolled on the ground in agony, emitting piercing screams.
Those with skills fled madly but couldn't escape being stung.
The smarter ones jumped into the lake, holding their breath to evade the wasps.
"Get into the water!"
Wu Chenggang shouted and then plunged into the lake.
Having escorted exiled convicts for over a decade, this was the first time he'd encountered such a terrifying swarm of wasps.
If someone said this wasn't man-made, he'd never believe it.
"Pfft!"
Old Madam Ye, who was nearest to Ye Chutang, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious.
Seeing this, Ye Chutang's expression changed.
Resonant frequency!
When the buzzing frequency matches the rhythm of the heartbeat, it can cause the heart to rupture.
No wonder her heart raced when she heard the buzzing.
That meant someone was controlling the wasps!
"Everyone, cover your ears!"
Though Ye Chutang's internal energy was shallow, her shout was loud enough for all to hear.
She crouched, placing her hand on the ground, trying to locate the person controlling the wasps.
But she didn't sense anyone stationary on the ground.
The person was in a tree!
When they had arrived at the small lake, Ye Chutang had surveyed the surroundings.
To the northwest stood a towering tree, and to the east were hills.
If the person controlling the hornets stood in these two locations, they could have a clear view of the entire lakeside scene.
How could she avoid everyone's sight and slip away to find someone?
As Ye Chutang was thinking, the Qi family members immediately covered their ears with their hands.
Qi Yanzhou knew perfectly well that the hornets chasing him were problematic, but he couldn't afford to play deaf.
Because compared to hornets, hidden arrows were far more dangerous.
The person behind this attack, while primarily targeting him, was also launching indiscriminate attacks against everyone else.
There was a kind of madness to it, as if intending to trap everyone here.
This didn't quite seem like the Emperor's usual method.
Qi Yanzhou had no time to ponder further as another wave of hornets descended, and the fodder in his hand was almost burnt out.
At the same time, two figures in black rushed towards the large tree where Ye Chutang was hiding.
The hornets automatically avoided the black-clad figures—clearly foes, not friends!
"Ah-Tang, be careful!"
Ye Chutang had already sensed someone approaching with her special ability.
When Qi Yanzhou warned her, she quickly said, "Ah-Zhou, don't worry about me. It's a diversion. Be careful of the southwest direction."
Qi Yanzhou wanted to go protect Ye Chutang, but the hornets had already arrived.
If he went over, he would only put her in greater danger.
"Alright, protect yourself!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, an iron ball covered in barbs hurtled towards him, and sleeve arrows shot in his direction.
The two black-clad assailants targeting Ye Chutang also suddenly changed direction, charging towards Qi Yanzhou instead.
Seeing this, Ye Chutang used earth to entangle their feet, drew anesthetic needles from her space, and shot them, hitting both men.
As the two black-clad men fell, she swiftly retrieved the empty anesthetic needles.
Meanwhile, Qi Yanzhou not only dodged the sleeve arrows but also used his sword to entangle the chain controlling the iron ball.
However, the hand holding his sword was stung several times by hornets.
He pulled the chain with force; it tautened and snapped under the great strain.
At that moment, Nan Xiao arrived with his men.
To avoid exposing their identities, they were also dressed in black, with black cloth covering their faces.
Having been briefed on the lakeside situation beforehand, their clothes had been smoked with thick fumes, preventing the hornets from getting close.
If Ye Chutang hadn't recognized Nan Xiao, she would have attacked them.
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou now had assistance, she said, "Ah-Zhou, I'm going to find Third Brother."
With that, she used her lightness skill, swiftly entering the woods.
Once inside the dense forest, she could "disappear."
Before Qi Yanzhou could utter a word to stop her, Ye Chutang's figure vanished.
He wanted to chase after her, but the hornets clung to him like a shadow.
Seeing this, Nan Xiao threw Qi Yanzhou a smoked set of night-clothes.
Qi Yanzhou immediately caught it, putting it on as he ran to pursue Ye Chutang.
Confident in his lightness skill and tracking abilities, he thought he would catch up to her quickly.
Yet, Ye Chutang seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind.
"Ah-Tang, where are you?"
His voice, infused with internal energy, carried for five li in all directions.
Ye Chutang, who had already arrived beneath the giant tree, heard Qi Yanzhou's call but couldn't answer him.
Otherwise, she couldn't explain how she had appeared a li away in the blink of an eye.
She looked up, but saw no one.
This meant the person controlling the hornets was on the eastern hill.
Ye Chutang teleported to the top of the hill.
There were many trees; she couldn't determine which one the controller was in.
But she immediately thought of a method.
To control hornets, one must either use scent or specific sound frequencies.
The distance from here to the lake was nearly two li, making scent control very difficult.
Low-frequency sounds are inaudible to the human ear.
She flashed into her space and quickly found an instrument for measuring audio frequencies.
Ye Chutang emerged from her space in an instant and quickly located the man controlling the hornets.
She didn't charge directly at him. Instead, she used her ability to silently guide the earth up along the tree trunk, weaving it into a net.
Tighten!
The man controlling the hornets was instantly entangled in the net woven from yellow earth, his mouth sealed shut, before he fell to the ground.
The bone whistle he had been playing fell with him.
Ye Chutang teleported over and picked up the specially crafted bone whistle from the ground.
She looked down imperiously at the rough, heavily bearded face on the ground.
The man glanced at the seemingly flowing yellow earth binding him, his eyes filled with terror.
He thought Ye Chutang was a monster. He dared not look at her, his body writhing violently in struggle.
The earthen net binding him tightened further.
A splitting pain spread across his skin, and blood soaked through his black clothes.
"You were quite capable when you were controlling the hornets to kill people just now. Why so scared now?"
Hearing Ye Chutang's mocking voice, the man thought to himself, "Who wouldn't be scared when encountering someone who uses demonic arts?"
But he wouldn't say that out loud.
Ye Chutang used the tip of her shoe to lift the man's chin.
"A Northern Barbarian. Why are you here? And why did you want to kill members of the Qi family?"
After asking, she unsealed his mouth.
The man knew death was inescapable.
He gathered his inner energy, wanting to warn his companions, to tell them to flee quickly.
But Ye Chutang detected his intention and sealed his mouth shut again.
Ye Chutang suddenly noticed the man's thick beard was fake.
She ripped it off.
The fake beard was glued on too tightly, tearing off some of the skin on his face, leaving it a bloody mess.
"Your skin is quite delicate and fair, which means you haven't been weathered by the harsh northern winds for many years."
As she spoke, she threw the beard on the ground.
"I suspect you are a Northern Barbarian spy who has been lurking in the capital for years. But why would you expose yourself so suddenly?"
Every country plants agents in others to gather intelligence.
But usually, they are tracked down and eliminated before long.
Those who can remain hidden for years are exceedingly rare; they would not expose themselves unless absolutely forced.
The man's body trembled violently from the pain, his blood staining the green grass beneath him.
He tried to bite down on the poison concealed in his tooth.
Ye Chutang, her shoe still against his chin, sensed his movement.
She grabbed his jaw and dislocated it with a sharp motion.
"Want to die? Don't be in such a hurry. Once I get the answers I want, I'll grant your wish."
After saying this, she took silver needles from her space and stabbed them into the man's pain points.
The man's eyes widened in agony, veins bulging on his face.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Chutang directly gouged out one of his eyes.
She also forced mud into his mouth.
More and more mud filled it, dislodging all his teeth.
"I have many methods of torture. The sooner you talk, the less you'll suffer."
Although the man was in unbearable pain, he had no intention of betraying anyone.
A qualified spy must be able to endure all manner of torture without speaking a word; only then are they sent out on missions.
Therefore, even if it cost him his life, he wouldn't utter a single word!
Ye Chutang looked at the man who had closed his eyes, knowing torture was of little use against him.
Then she would use a truth serum instead.
She loosened the earthen net binding the man slightly and reset his jaw.
She also removed some of the mud from his mouth to make it easier for him to answer.
Having completed her preparations, Ye Chutang took a syringe from her space and injected it into the man's neck.
The transparent liquid in the syringe gradually diminished, and the man's body relaxed accordingly.
Drowsiness washed over him, his consciousness being pulled away bit by bit.
He wanted to open his eyes, wanted to speak, but couldn't muster any strength.
Ye Chutang used her thumb and forefinger to pry open the man's uninjured eye.
Seeing his unfocused gaze, she knew the truth serum had taken effect.
She asked bluntly, "How many accomplices do you have?"
The man's lips moved, but not a single word came out.
His dilated pupils trembled slightly, clearly struggling against the serum's effect.
"As expected of a spy, such formidable willpower."
After saying this, Ye Chutang extended her index finger and placed it before the man's remaining eye.
"Watch my finger closely."
This instruction didn't touch upon the secrets the man wanted to protect, so he complied immediately.
His eyeball followed Ye Chutang's finger as she moved it left and right, and the struggle in his eyes soon vanished.
Satisfied, Ye Chutang withdrew her finger.
Someone who could resist both truth serum and hypnosis would be hard to find even in the entire Beichen Kingdom!
"Speak. How many people were sent this time to deal with the Qi family?"
The man answered at once, "Sixteen."
"How many Northern Barbarian spies are left in the capital?"
"None."
To kill the Qi family members, all of the Northern Barbarians' spies had been mobilized.
They had originally thought that as long as the officials didn't aid the Qi family, success was guaranteed. They never expected to fail.
"Are there any other helpers?"
"I don't know."
Ye Chutang asked further, "Why expose yourself to kill the Qi family?"
"Because the Qi family army once killed the Northern Barbarian monarch, forcing our nation to cede cities and surrender."
This happened during the generation of Qi Yanzhou's great-grandfather.
It was also the greatest humiliation for the Northern Barbarians. They believed only by reclaiming the cities and exterminating the Qi family could they regain their honor!
Now that the opportunity had come, the man naturally wouldn't let it pass.
"Who gave you the message, letting you know the exiled party would rest here?"
"Around noon yesterday, I found out the exiled party would rest here."
Upon receiving the news, the man had suspected it might be a trap.
But the opportunity was too rare; he chose to take the risk and came here in advance to set up.
If the information was false, a ploy by the emperor to lure the enemy, he could still use the hornets to escape unscathed.
If the information was true, then he would avenge the Northern Barbarian nation's disgrace!
Ye Chutang clearly knew the message had been leaked by the emperor.
He wanted to kill with a borrowed knife.
After all, many wanted to destroy the Qi family.
But the emperor didn't know who would act; he didn't dare to actively collaborate, fearing someone might obtain evidence of his plot against the Qi family.
Fortunately, he was cowardly, and fortunately, the Northern Barbarians wanted to kill everyone.
Otherwise, if the two sides had collaborated against the Qi family, she would have had to use the identity of "Ghost Thief" to escape, spending countless merit points!
After her moment of relief, Ye Chutang questioned the man again.
"Qi Yanzhou possesses formidable martial arts. How did you plan to kill him?"
"Each Northern Barbarian spy has their own specialty. I excel at controlling hornets, Hezhe is skilled with poisons, Amin is proficient with hidden weapons..."
After introducing each person,
"The hornets are raised on poison; the toxicity in their stingers is very potent. If stung too many times without timely antidote, death is certain.
The sound of the hornets' wings vibrating can not only affect a person's mind but also cause sudden death.
Today's hornets carried a poisonous powder that can induce the fire toxin. Qi Yanzhou won't live for many days."
After listening, Ye Chutang gave the man a thumbs-up.
If she hadn't suppressed Qi Yanzhou's fire toxin in advance, he likely wouldn't have escaped disaster today!
"Where is the antidote?"
"On Hezhe's person."
To avoid accidentally harming their companions, they naturally prepared an antidote.
Ye Chutang thought for a moment; it seemed there was nothing more to ask.
So, she hauled the blood-soaked man and traveled underground to the base of the towering tree.
To be on the safe side, she erased all traces of their presence there.
Qi Yanzhou's shouts were still continuing.
"Ah Tang!"
His voice was already hoarse, filled with obvious urgency.
Ye Chutang stuffed the bone whistle into the man's hand and commanded, "Recall the hornets and make them sting yourself."
The man placed the bone whistle to his lips.
Toothless, he struggled to blow it.
Blood soon stained the bone whistle red, like a summons from the underworld.
Soon, a dark cloud of hornets came flying.
She searched the man's body but found nothing of value.
As the hornets arrived, Ye Chutang shouted loudly, "Ah Zhou, I'm here!"
After shouting, she smeared some of the man's blood on herself.
Then she ran towards Qi Yanzhou's direction.
Upon hearing Ye Chutang's voice, Qi Yanzhou's taut nerves relaxed for a moment.
He pushed his qinggong to the limit and soon reunited with Ye Chutang.
Without time for questions, he immediately picked Ye Chutang up and carried her away from the approaching hornets.
They reached the lakeside.
His face pale, Qi Yanzhou set Ye Chutang down.
He wanted to touch her face.
His hand had just lifted when he fainted.
At this moment.
The lakeside was now free of hornets, the sky clear and the breeze gentle.
A thin layer of hornet corpses littered the ground, a stark reminder of the earlier terrifying scene.
Nan Xiao and his group had already left when the hornets flew back into the woods.
Many of the Northern Barbarians were captured, some dead, some wounded.
In the entire exile convoy, except for the two Qi elders and Concubine Xu who were hidden under the oilcloth, everyone had been stung by the hornets.
The Imperial Dragon Guards, skilled in martial arts, were not seriously injured.
One escorting guard and one of the Zhao family's concubines had died.
Old Madam Ye was breathing more out than in; without timely treatment, she wouldn't last long.
Wails of pain continued incessantly, like a scene from purgatory.
Concubine Xu was tending to Qi He'an, who had been stung by the hornets, her heart aching so much that tears fell straight down.
"He'er, don't worry. The mistress is highly skilled in medicine. When she returns safely, she'll detoxify you and apply medicine."
Qi He'an lay prone on the ground, his buttocks swollen high, burying his face in the ground in shame.
"Mother, usually among the escorting guards, there's a doctor assigned. Let's not trouble Second Sister-in-law."
The location of his stings was too indecent; how could he let a woman see?
When the danger occurred, Qi He'an had just pulled down his trousers to relieve himself.
The hornets suddenly flew out from the depths of the dense forest, crashing into his bare bottom and stinging him several times.
Terrified, he pulled up his trousers and ran.
Then he saw all the hornets fly towards the lakeside.
The deeper into the woods he went, the fewer hornets there were.
After noticing this, he ran deeper into the dense forest and escaped the worst of it.
Later, he was found by his second brother, who was searching for Second Sister-in-law, and was rescued.
Concubine Xu, blinded by concern, had forgotten about propriety between men and women.
"I misspoke. Let the mistress prepare the antidote, and let the master apply the medicine for you."
After saying this, she looked towards the two elders who were caring for Qi Jingyao and Qi Yun'an.
Although Concubine Su and Concubine Gao had chosen to live separately on the exile journey, the two children were still part of the Qi family and could not be neglected.
The four from Concubine Su's group knew no martial arts and couldn't swim, so they couldn't jump into the lake to save themselves; they were quite badly injured.
But their lives were not in danger.
The bundle filled with medicinal herbs had been retrieved by the two elders.
However, none of them knew medicine, and could only stare helplessly at the bulging bundle.
Old Madam Qi looked around, searching for a guard who might know medicine.
Just then, she saw Qi Yanzhou faint and be caught by Ye Chutang, whose clothes were stained with blood.