Chapter 130
“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 . ”
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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 .
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“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?
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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 . ”