ALL NOVEL “Mr. Han is right. Brother Zhuo is really good with this stuff. An old head of escort like me isn’t a match for him.” Looking at the half-cooked fish in his hand, then at the delicious roast chicken Secret Guard No.3 had, Zheng Kui was indeed jealous. By the time he caught a few fish, that reticent young man had already caught and roasted a chicken, besides sparing time to collect some mushroom in the woods in order to make soup. His lord looked at the fish in his hand, his fat greasy face full of dislike.
Ye Li looked at Han Ming Xi with smiles and said: “Zhuo Jing has been looking after me during this trip. He’s quick and clever so he has learned everything naturally.”
Han Ming Xi didn’t believe a word she said. He used to live in the wildness all the time and still didn’t dare to eat that black thing he had roasted himself.
Calmly dividing the chicken into three parts, Secret Guard No.3 handed Ye Li and Han Ming Xi each a piece, as if he hadn’t heard his master’s compliment. He was not going to tell this gentle lord that his master was better than him in terms of surviving in the wildness. Looking at Young Master Feng Yue who reveled in the roast chicken, Secret Guard No.3 felt a strange sense of superiority.
“Mr. Zhuo, are you good with poison?” Gulping down a few mouthfuls of water, the Sick Scholar stifled a cough and asked as he looked up at Secret Guard No.3.
Secret Guard No.3 turned around and looked at him, answering indifferently: “No.”
Raising his brows, the Sick Scholar clearly didn’t believe him and said: “Nan Zhao is a heaven to poisonous creatures. Most of its mushrooms are extremely poisonous. However, you only brought back harmless mushrooms.”
Twisting his lips, Secret Guard No.3 answered remotely: “Even kids know the more colorful a mushroom is, the more poisonous it’s going to be.”
The Sick Scholar smiled slightly. “Really? If so, I don’t think you should eat anything you collect, Mr. Zhuo, since not all poisonous mushrooms are colorful.”
“Thanks for your kind reminder.”
Apparently not happy with what his guard had got, the merchant threw away the roast fish after a few bites and said as he pointed at Zheng Kui: “You! Get me some wild game!”
Zheng Kui was a little hesitant since it was getting dark. They had camped outside the woods since it wasn’t safe inside when night fell.
The Sick Scholar sat up. Looking indifferently at the merchant, he said: “Let him go into the woods if you want him dead.”
The merchant seemed a little intimidated by the Sick Scholar so he shut up unhappily.
After supper, Han Ming Xi wasn’t as energetic as he was during the day so he leaned on a stone near the fire for a rest. Having put the luggage in order, Secret Guard No.3 jumped up a tree not far away, listening to the idle conversation of those sitting under it. Ye Li, on the other hand, was a bit bored. From time to time, she would throw a match into the fire as she chatted with Zheng Kui. During their chat, Zheng Kui told her his lord’s surname was Liang, a wealthy medicine merchant in the north-west of Great Chu who came to Nan Zhao for a famous rare medicine which was going to appear in an auction in June in the capital of Nan Zhao. Of course, it might just be a boast of that Mr. Liang. Ye Li told Zheng Kui she came from a family of scholars in Yunzhou and she was taking a tour with her guard. As for Han Ming Xi, he was a friend she met in Guangling, who accompanied her on a tour to Nan Zhao out of hospitality. Since they already knew Han Ming Xi, Ye Li didn’t try to hide that from them, saying he was a friend she made at the Cool Breeze Bright Moon House in Guangling. Hearing Cool Breeze Bright Moon House, Mr. Liang’s plump face glowed and he started to tell Ye Li about his experience in it.
“Mr. Chu, are you from Yunzhou?” The Sick Scholar who had been silent suddenly asked. “Do you know the Xu Family of Yunzhou?”
Raising her brows with a smile, Ye Li answered: “Sir, you must be joking. Everyone who lives in Great Chu knows Xu Family of Yunzhou. Though I never have a chance to study in Mount Li Academy, I have long admired those lords of Xu Family.”
“Is that so? *Cough… Come to think of it, Mr. Chu, since you know Xu Family of Yunzhou, you must have heard of Mr. Qing Chen, haven’t you?”
Ye Li turned to him. There was more admiration in her tone now. “Mr. Qing Chen… Everyone knows that the first son of Xu Family has made a name for himself at a young age. I am ashamed of myself for being half a year older than him while having achieved nothing.”
Looking up, the Sick Scholar sounded her out with a little smile: “Is that so? You might be able to see him during this tour to Nan Zhao.”
Shocked, Ye Li acted as if she was surprised: “Really? He’s in Nan Zhao right now?”
Sitting up, the Sick Scholar answered: “Right, Mr. Qing Chen is in Nan Zhao at the moment.”
“Terrific. I hope to see him in the capital of Nan Zhao so that I can learn from him.” Ye Li said casually in a small voice with her head lowered. Ignoring the Sick Scholar’s inquisitive stare, her mind spun rapidly. Xu Qing Chen had traveled extensively since he was young, whose whereabouts were uncertain. Ye Li didn’t think he couldn’t hide his tracks. However, the Sick Scholar, who came from Xi Ling, knew where Xu Qing Chen was… Besides, he seemed to know very specifically where Xu Qing Chen was which gave her a bad feeling. Did the Sick Scholar’s trip to Nan Zhao have anything to do with Xu Qing Chen?
Into the night, the fire began to die down. In the veil of darkness, the woods was quiet except for the occasional chirps of insects and birds. Asleep on the branch, Secret Guard No.3 moved a bit and coughed slightly. Ye Li, who lay near the fire slowly opened her eyes. She looked clear-headed without a single trace of sleepiness. Turning to look at the tree, she saw Secret Guard No.3 nod slightly then she closed her eyes again, fast asleep.
All of a sudden, a foul smell filled the air, accompanied by a strange rustling sound and a vague tune, as if something was crawling across the grass. With a slight frown, Secret Guard No.3 thought of something he hated very much. He sat up and landed on the ground without a sound. As soon as he was on the ground, the Sick Scholar who was asleep a second ago suddenly opened one eye. Looking at Secret Guard No.3, he frowned inquisitively. However, Secret Guard No.3 ignored him. He went to Ye Li and said in a small voice: “My Lord, something’s coming.”
The moment Ye Li woke up, Han Ming Xi and Zheng Kui sat up as well. Yawning lazily, Han Ming Xi asked: “What’s up?”
Secret Guard No.3 answered calmly: “Something is coming.”
“Something? What thing?”
Secret Guard No.3’s voice turned deeper. “I guess… snakes.”
“Snakes.”
“Snakes.” Ye Li and the Sick Scholar said together. The Sick Scholar turned to Ye Li, who stood up and said: “I smell their foulness. A lot of them.”
Han Ming Xi understood her and said: “I almost forget you are good with scent, Jun Wei, so you have a keen sense of smell.”
Zheng Kui said worriedly: “That aside, what are we going to do?”
Not worried at all, Han Ming Xi said: “What else? Let’s go.” With unparalleled flying skills, Young Master Feng Yue didn’t have to worry about not being able to get away no matter where he was.
Secret Guard No.3 said with a frown: “I’m afraid we can’t. Listen… they are everywhere.”
Everyone except Mr. Liang and the steward knew martial arts so they could tell that Secret Guard No.3 was speaking the truth by listening.
Snorting slightly, Han Ming Xi jumped up a branch then got back to the ground in no time, cursing between his teeth: “I hate it every time I’m here. Where are all those snakes from?”
Everybody ignored his complaint. By now, Secret Guard No.3 had already taken out all kinds of medicine which were used to keep away poisonous insects and snakes. The Sick Scholar shook his head as he said: “I’m afraid that won’t be of much help since there are too many of them.”