79 The Threat of the Ill Scholar

an, indicating that he wouldn’t speak out of turn. Mo Xiuyao sat down beside the couch and said, "I am grateful for Duke Nan's efforts and everyone else's." Duke Nan quickly stood up and said, "Your H...79. The Scholar's Threat

“Hold back!”

"Zhuo Jing!" Ye Li called out in a stern voice. Dark Three’s expression darkened momentarily before he quickly retracted his sword and landed lightly on the branch of a nearby tree. In this way, there were three people now perched atop trees on their side, ready to launch an attack at any moment. If the other side could not control the snakes in time, they would definitely be at a disadvantage.

A tall middle-aged man clad in Nanjiang attire emerged from the forest. The totem design on his clothing and the air of superiority he exuded made it clear that this person must be someone of high standing within Luo Yi tribe. The middle-aged man hurried over, and the snakes he passed quickly parted ways for him, evidently fearful of his aura. "Dear friends from Chu State, my unruly son has offended you all. Please show mercy. We will treat our esteemed guests with utmost respect."

Ye Li sneered inwardly. Unruly This man had been hiding in the forest since the beginning until his son was truly in danger and only then did he step forward, now trying to brush off this incident with just a simple "unruly" comment.

Han Mingyi stood on a tree branch, his slender figure swaying along with it. “Indeed, quite unruly. Chief of Luo Yi tribe, how dare you let such an insolent son run around” The middle-aged man’s expression was equally displeased as he glanced disdainfully at the young man. The youth instantly wilted like a leaf exposed to fire and shrank back in fear, unable to look up. Only then did the middle-aged man lightly snort before approaching Ye Li and the others with clasped hands. "I am Chief Le Jiang of Luo Yi tribe, this is my son Le Nan. We have offended you greatly and ask for your forgiveness."

Ye Li replied, “Though your hospitality may be a bit shocking, I think Chief Le Jiang should first get these little creatures under control.” They were standing in the circle surrounded by snake repellent herbs and fire; the out-of-control snakes began to flee elsewhere. Over time, it would become difficult to find them all even if they sent someone. The chief nodded and gestured towards the snake handlers around him who started blowing into their flutes again. Some of them walked off, presumably to chase down the wandering snakes. After issuing these orders, Chief Le Jiang turned back to smile at Ye Li and the others, “As you have passed through our territory and were disturbed by my son’s misconduct, why don't we rest in our village It will be my way of apologizing."

Ye Li thought for a moment as she glanced sideways at the three people on the tree branches. Han Mingyi looked indifferent while Dark Three naturally wouldn’t oppose Ye Li's decision either. The Sick Scholar frowned, saying, “We are in a hurry to travel and won't trouble Chief Le Jiang."

Chief Le Jiang raised an eyebrow and shook his head repeatedly, "This is no trouble at all. Having our guests from Chu State frightened would damage the reputation of our hospitable Luo Yi tribe. Please rest in our village; we will send someone to escort you to the capital tomorrow."

Hearing this, several people from Central Plains couldn't help but roll their eyes inwardly. The Nanjiang people were notoriously xenophobic, so apart from some daring merchants and those with self-defense abilities, ordinary Central Plainers wouldn’t dare enter Nanjiang. However, compared to other tribes deep in Nanjiang territory, the Luo Yi tribe was indeed known for its hospitality, especially since it bordered Chu State. Having a local guide would certainly make their journey much easier.

"Well... then we'll take up your offer," seeing that the Sick Scholar had agreed, Ye Li merely raised an eyebrow without voicing her disagreement.

The chief seemed very pleased and warmly arranged for his servants to attend to their luggage. Since they only had a few possessions, Ye Li tossed one of the bags on the rocks to Dark Three still in the tree while she kept another herself. The Sick Scholar appeared relaxed too, but Mr. Liang was busy with assistance from his steward and bodyguards. However, how he carefully guarded his belongings against contact by Nanjiang people made Ye Li curious as to what might be in that large package of his. It didn't seem like it contained gold or silver.

The Luo Yi tribe's village wasn’t far away where they would camp. They arrived at the destination within less than half an hour on horses provided by the tribe, their original mounts having fled or been exhausted when the snakes appeared earlier. Besides this place, the nearest inhabited area with a chance to purchase fresh horses was over two hundred miles away. If they didn’t go there now, it could mean walking for much of their journey.

The Luo Yi village was situated halfway up a mountain; its path wasn't as mysterious and rugged as what was rumored about Nanjiang villages in Central Plains. Wooden houses dotted the mountainside sparsely. As it was late at night, the chief led them to a guesthouse where he had food and hot water brought before leaving hurriedly with young Chief Le Nan.

Young women dressed in tribal attire were dismissed from their presence. Han Mingyi washed his face and sighed happily, “It's still better to have somewhere to stay. If only we had come straight here when we first arrived."

Ye Li sat by the table, fiddling with some food as she said with a smile, "Do you think if we'd just barged in earlier, your room would have been full of snakes"

Han Mingyi imagined the scene and shuddered before smiling at Ye Li. “Speaking of which, Jun Wei, be careful! Nanjiang women are known for their affectionate nature and especially fancy fair-skinned young men like you. Be cautious... hahaha.” He hid behind his fan as he laughed mischievously. Ye Li responded similarly with a sly smile, "Brother Han, rest assured that if I were to have such good fortune, I would definitely share it with you. Besides… there's no one in this village who cares about my face." At the mention of Le Nan, Han Mingyi’s handsome face darkened and he snorted coldly. The Master of Flowers was notoriously vengeful!

Dark Three stood by a closed window, turning to低聲說道：“外麵有人。”

葉璃挑眉，站起身來一揮袖熄滅了桌上的燭火。有點點暗淡的月光從牆上的窗欞灑了進來，雖然依舊昏暗卻並不影響葉璃的行動。從容的漫步到暗三旁邊，“不是監視我們的。”暗三點點頭，指了指旁邊的一棟小屋道：“是監視他們的，不過也有一個人盯著我們這邊，應該隻是順便的。”韓明晰也很快適應了屋裡的昏暗，低聲笑道：“這幾個人果然有古怪麼？那麼他們拉上我們是什麼意思？”葉璃淺笑道：“既然他們又算計那麼總會顯露出來的。累了一晚上我認為我們現在應該先休息。

Dark Third nodded and pointed to the bedroom inside, saying, "Young Master, please go in for some rest. I'll stay outside with Han公子 to keep watch."

Han Mingxi wished to argue back but saw Ye Li unhesitatingly nod and turn around, waving at them before heading inside to rest. Blinking his eyes, Han Mingxi complained, "I want to rest too." Wasn't Jün Wei the only one who hadn’t slept well in the wilderness Dark Third gave him a cold glance and pointed to the bamboo bed in the hall, saying, "You can sleep there." Han Mingxi was speechless. How could that bamboo bed be half as long as he was The bed inside looked so spacious. It seemed that Dark Third had read his mind because without changing expression, he moved the spot to right outside Ye Li’s room and sat down on a chair instead. His meaning was clear: if Han Mingxi wanted to enter the room, he would have to step over him. Fuming but with no choice, Han Mingxi slouched into the bamboo bed for some rest. He regretted his words deeply in his heart: Why did I say that I live together with Jün Wei

As usual, Ye Li woke up early in the morning. Before getting out of bed, she knew they probably wouldn’t be able to leave today. The sounds from outside showed it was raining heavily now. Southern regions had rainy weather and Ye Li was used to that, but this rain came too suddenly for her expectations. If they had camped last night, things would have been very unfavorable. With these thoughts in mind, Ye Li started feeling less angry with the young lord of Luo Yi Tribe. She dressed up properly and left the room. Dark Third sat on his chair by the door, closing his eyes to rest but Ye Li knew he wasn’t sleeping. He opened his eyes immediately upon hearing her footsteps.

"Go in first and take a short rest. We can't leave early this morning," Ye Li said softly after casting a glance at Han Mingxi’s curled up figure on the bamboo bed, frowning.

Dark Third hesitated for a moment before nodding and getting into the room. Ye Li went to the main hall where she pushed open half of a window to look out at the rain curtain.

"Jün Wei, you have such a cold heart. You take up the whole bed while I sleep on a bamboo bed," Han Mingxi said lazily from his spot on the bamboo bed without Ye Li knowing when he had opened his eyes. His bewitching eyes looked at her pitifully. Smiling and looking back at him, Ye Li said, "You can enter and share a bed with Zhuo Jing." Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled while looking at her, saying, "I have no problem sharing a bed with Jün Wei. I’m very hygienic."

"I love to eat alone and keep good things for myself," Ye Li said calmly.

Han Mingxi muttered something indistinctly before getting up. He frowned slightly as he tidied his soft dark red robe and walked over beside Ye Li, looking at the rain curtain with her. He sighed softly, "Southern regions’ rainy days are unique but it’s a bit too much for people." Before Ye Li could respond, footsteps were heard from outside. Soon after, someone knocked on the door.

Opening the door, Scholar of Illness held an oiled paper umbrella by his side with his pale face looking even more waxy and colorless than before after resting half a night in this environment. Lifting his free hand to cover his mouth from time to time as he coughed quietly, "Han公子, Chu公子, did we disturb you"

Ye Li smiled coldly and said, "It’s okay. Please come in."

Scholar of Illness stepped into the room and looked around before his gaze settled on the bedroom entrance. Ye Li smiled calmly and said, "Zhuo Jing is still resting. Would you like to sit down What brings you here this morning"

Scholar of Illness sat down beside them, coughing twice softly before saying, "I didn’t expect to meet Han公子 during my journey to Southern regions. Han公子… cough… should know me."

He started off bluntly with his introduction which surprised Han Mingxi for a moment but he quickly smiled and said, “Indeed, I have heard of the reputation of the third leader of Yán Wáng Pavilion for many years.” From this statement as well as the way he addressed Scholar of Illness, it was clear that Han Mingxi didn’t want to provoke him and was extremely wary of him. Scholar of Illness smiled faintly, "No need to be polite. The leader of Yán Wáng Pavilion is my brother's best friend and I have some acquaintance with your brother too. However… you seem unfamiliar." Ye Li thought in her mind while a calm smile formed on her face, “I’m not someone from the world of martial arts so I am rather ignorant about it. Please forgive me for that.” We don’t know each other, therefore we are even. Scholar of Illness stared at Ye Li as if evaluating something but Han Mingxi didn’t want him to keep staring at her and interrupted with a smile, "I heard you rarely leave home in recent years, sir. What brings you here Is there anything that Tī Yī Pavilion can help with"

Scholar of Illness was slightly taken aback but smiled and shook his head, saying, “It’s just some personal matters. I don’t want to trouble Han公子.” He didn’t wish to talk about it so Han Mingxi wouldn’t ask him further either. In fact, he wished they were as far apart as possible from each other. Back then why hadn’t Moxiu Yao killed this plague god Han Mingxi inwardly criticized with a smile on his face. Scholar of Illness didn’t seem to want to dwell on his personal matters and looked at Ye Li smilingly, saying, "What do you think about the village"

Han Mingxi frowned and said, “I’ve traveled through Southern regions twice or thrice but I haven’t noticed that Luo Yi tribe’s village was so close.”

"Chu公子, what do you think" Scholar of Illness asked Ye Li.

Ye Li furrowed her brows and said, "Luo Yi tribe is supposedly one of the largest tribes in Southern regions. But I feel there are no more than a hundred people here. The encampments of tribal groups in Southern regions are generally very secretive but why would Luo Yi tribe build its village right at the roadside" Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled as he looked at Ye Li, saying, "It seems that Jün Wei had spotted this last night already. Why did we still come here then"

Ye Li arched her brows, “Did we have a choice We don’t have any horses and there are venomous snakes everywhere around us. They invited us to be their guests in the first place so it looks much better than being thrown into this like a rice dumpling by force. However… I’m curious about what they want to do with such an array of preparations. Apart from offending the young tribal chieftain slightly in Yonglín City, there doesn’t seem to be anything that would make them go through so much trouble.” Finished speaking, Ye Li’s gaze fixed on Scholar of Illness. He sighed softly and said, "Chu公子, despite your young age, you have a sharp mind indeed. Yes, they are after us."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, “I would like to hear more about it.”

"I believe both of you noticed last night that there were people outside monitoring us. The Lo Yi Bureau's goal is actually quite simple; they are after a precious treasure on Lord Liang’s person," said the sick scholar calmly.

Han Mingyi laughed and said, "This humble one has never heard that Master was ever in the business of escorting valuables."

The sick scholar frowned as he suppressed his cough and looked at Han Mingyi with a calm expression. "You're right; I'm not here to protect Lord Liang," he said.

Han Mingyi leaned back against the chair and glanced at the sick scholar. "I know, Master also wants that thing. If so, why don't you just kill the old man directly Why go through all this trouble and send him to Southern Yi" The sick scholar looked at Han Mingyi; his previously fair and smiling brows were now shadowed with a hint of cruelty, making him look even more sinister and gloomy compared to before.

"That's right, I can indeed kill that guy. But unfortunately... he’s not stupid either. That thing is in the capital of Nanzhao, but on his person, there is only half of a token necessary to claim it. In this world, nobody knows where the other half of the token is except for himself, and no one understands how to use that token after obtaining it." The sick scholar’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as he was clearly frustrated by Lord Liang's cleverness. Han Mingyi raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Perhaps you could consider torturing him"

The sick scholar snorted coldly and asked, "Does Master really not know who that person is"

Han Mingyi shrugged nonchalantly; seeing Ye Li turn to look at him, he said with a smile, "Yes, I know. The fifth wealthiest family in the Great Chu besides the four major merchants Feng, Yan, Jin, and Lu—the Northwest Liang Family—is richer than even my elder brother. Moreover, if you say that my elder brother is obsessed with money, then this Lord Liang regards money as more important than his life. I’ve heard that a bandit once kidnapped his most favored concubine and demanded 20,000 taels of silver in ransom; he ignored it completely. Although he appears very wealthy, he lives frugally; even ordinary merchants lead better lives than him. Last night wasn't he boasting about going to Qingfeng Mingyue Tower My elder brother dislikes him the most because on that one night at the tower, he only ordered a cup of tea, spending less than twenty taels of silver. If such a person has something valuable, even if you kill him, he probably wouldn’t give it up."

Ye Li looked at the sick scholar and said, "I'm curious as to why Master wants to tell us this information Are you not afraid that we might also be tempted by wealth"

The sick scholar said calmly, "I need your help. Last night I saw that Young Master Zhuo had good martial arts skills; while Master Chu’s abilities are unclear, he is surely no simple person either. As for Master Han, after the event, I will naturally not let you suffer losses."

Han Mingyi propped his chin and tilted his head to look at him and said, "I thought earlier that Master didn’t need Tianyi Pavilion’s help"

The sick scholar nodded. "I do not need Tianyi Pavilion to provide intelligence; I'm just asking you since I happened to meet Master Han."

"Can we refuse" asked Han Mingyi.

"Probably not," the sick scholar said sternly, his dark gaze slowly sweeping over both of them. Han Mingyi felt as if he had been stabbed by a knife, making him uncomfortable. Ye Li's expression remained unchanged, but her hand tucked in the sleeve beside her tightened involuntarily.

The sick scholar’s smile was cold and terrifying; elegantly lifting his left hand to admire the slight difference in color of his fingers compared to those on his right hand, he said with a calm smile, "I believe Master Han will not refuse, don’t you think"

Han Mingyi's expression changed as he warily looked at the sick scholar. "You poisoned us!"

The sick scholar smiled back but did not answer; however, his face darkened significantly.

Seeming to have anticipated that Han Mingyi would not refuse, the sick scholar turned to look at Ye Li, “What about Master Chu”

Ye Li poured herself a cup of iced tea and frowned slightly as she tasted its bitterness. "I reject."

"Reject" The sick scholar was somewhat surprised; after staring blankly for a moment, he looked at Ye Li with a more threatening expression. “Are you sure, Master Chu”

Ye Li smiled calmly and put down the teacup. "I heard your name a few days ago and know that you are unparalleled in poisons. However… unless you intend to use immediately lethal poison, it would be best not to act."

"What do you mean" The sick scholar glared at Ye Li with darkened eyes.

Ye Li lowered her gaze to look at the hands resting on her knees and said softly, "I heard that Master injured your heart meridian some years ago Although I am not familiar with such injuries, I do have a little understanding of related pathology. In my opinion, unless you can kill your opponent in an instant, it would be best not to act because… your heart may not withstand the prolonged shock, wouldn't it"

The sick scholar’s murderous intent instantly became tangible; gritting his teeth, he asked, "Are you certain I can’t kill you"

Ye Li smiled and said, "Master might as well try."

The sick scholar of course had no intention to test this out; the only thing Chu Jun did on the road was sit quietly, and he didn't appear to be a person with great internal power. However, his intuition told him that this calm youth was not simple. Moreover, there was another Han Mingyi in the room who looked at him menacingly, as well as an unseen guard skilled enough to handle himself. Han Mingyi leaned back into the chair and propped up half of his handsome face while looking at the sick scholar with a gloomy expression then glanced at Ye Li, whose serene smile made her blink. He seemed to hear something important.

"Haha, Young Master Chu is indeed no ordinary person. However… it's too late to regret now," the sick scholar sneered.

"What do you mean" Han Mingyi narrowed his eyes and asked.

The sick scholar said, "Right after I left the small pavilion earlier, I guess that man surnamed Liang is no longer there."

"Was it deliberate on your part" Han Mingyi asked. The sick scholar nodded. "Correct, the man surnamed Liang came to Nanzhao originally to find Luo Yi tribe; and last night they weren't here for our trouble but rather to meet up with him." Han Mingyi frowned. "So what" The sick scholar snorted. "What He has already reached his destination, those who know of his whereabouts naturally need to… be silenced. If we hadn’t all been brought here, if even one person escaped them wouldn't they have wasted their effort"

"The day before yesterday when Zheng Kui came over and invited us to travel together was your idea" Ye Li looked at the sick scholar and calmly asked.

"Correct, Zheng Kui thought he was only escorting a man surnamed Liang for business in Nanzhao. I told him that you two are skilled martial artists and traveling together would ensure mutual protection on the journey. Honestly speaking… originally I didn’t want to choose any of you, but during this period there aren’t many people heading towards Nanzhao. Yet I need someone with good skills to help me out. Fortunately, Han公子與我有些關係不是麼？”

韓明晰笑道：“我對為什麼你不使用閻王閣的人更感興趣，相信閻王閣裡願意為您赴湯蹈火的人不在少數吧？”

病書生的臉沉了下來，冷冷道：“這是我自己的事情。”

葉璃站起身來走到視窗看了看外麵依舊大雨滂沱，才轉身道：“梁老爺所有的到底是什麼寶物讓公子如此費心？”

“這個楚公子還是不要知道的好。畢竟知道的越少越安全，看在韓公子的麵子上事後我不會對你們出手。”病書生沉著臉保證道。葉璃淡淡的瞥了他一眼，笑道：“很抱歉，我不喜歡被人矇在鼓裏當槍使。”

病書生冷笑道：“你不幫我一樣出不去。你自己好好看看外麵。”韓明晰飛快的飄到視窗往外看去，雨幕中遠處的景緻若隱若現，空氣中卻有淡淡的奇怪的香氣隱隱傳來。葉璃一把將韓明晰拉開，反手關上了窗戶。病書生看著葉璃點頭讚道：“我果然冇看錯，楚公子對毒也頗有瞭解。”葉璃搖頭道：“我對毒冇什麼瞭解，不過前段日子我剛被一種南疆出產的迷藥放倒了，所以比較警惕罷了。”

那次栽在了葉玥手裡事後葉璃多次仔細的回憶了當時的情形。最後終於確定葉玥並不是在自己進殿之後下的毒，而是從一開始那些迷藥就擺在那裡，瑤華宮大殿門口擺放著兩盆半開的蘭花，還有殿裡也擺了兩盆同樣的蘭花。而之後在墨景黎囚禁她的小院裡她也看到了同樣的蘭花。當然或許那不是蘭花，隻是長得像而已。

病書生道：“咱們上山的路都已經被截斷了，外麵山坡上的那些花草…現在韓公子聞一聞沒關係，並冇有什麼大礙。這種毒花隻有在白天晴天纔有效。但是一旦雨停這些花香就會變成劇毒，聞到的人寸步難行。”韓明晰望著他道：“你有解藥？”

病書生傲然道：“區區小毒，有何難之有？”

韓明晰走回座位上坐下來道：“所以，除非我們肯幫你不然你就不會給我們解藥了？難得我們不會趁著雨還冇停的時候下山麼？”病書生笑道：“習武之人上山下山自然用不著顧忌有冇有路。你們可以出去試試看，正好幫我把人和那些毒蟲都引開也是一樣的。”韓明晰想起昨晚那密密麻麻的蛇群，隻覺得雞皮疙瘩都泛起來了，連忙揉了揉胳膊巴巴的望著葉璃。

葉璃負手而立淡然道：“那麼我可以假設，公子不僅有對付那些毒花毒草的解藥，也一樣有對付毒蛇毒蟲的辦法。而我們要做的隻是對付那些人是麼？”

病書生心情不錯的點頭道：“不錯。”之前被人戳到短處的不痛快終於消散了一些，看著葉璃的眼神的殺氣也漸漸地散去了。葉璃沉吟了片刻方纔點頭道：“我可以答應公子。”

"Hey, Jun Wei, are you not afraid he’ll renege and silence us" Han Mingyi reminded him in a low voice. The sick scholar was no saint. Ye Li smiled, "I believe in the Third’s promise of the King's Hall."ewhat regretfully and said, "I am getting on in years, originally hoping you could be my successor and continue my medical skills. In this village... there will also be a doctor watching over."Ye Li a...