Cong Lin’s method is really simple and crude.
He put the medicine he had prepared in the morning into the bandits’ wine, drank with them for a while, then went to a corner to vomit everything. When he came back, he saw that the others were already so drunk that they had no resistance at all.
With a horse, Cong Lin and Xu Hang went out of the mountain holding torches. He led Xu Hang to a small path and walked for half an hour before stopping.
“Alright, go now. They won’t be able to catch up with you in time.” Cong Lin loosened the reins. “I won’t untie you. After all, I have to be careful too.”
Xu Hang’s wrists were tied together, so it was enough for him to hold the reins. He looked around slightly and kept listening, fearing that there were bandits following behind.
Now it seems that the surroundings are quiet and there are indeed no ghosts.
“Aren’t you worried that the bandits will discover what you’re doing? If you surrender with me now, you might still have a chance to save your life.” Xu Hang asked.
But he knew in his heart that Cong Lin would not agree. Since he had the ability to do it, he also had the ability to exonerate himself. Even if hundreds of bandits were put together, they would not be as smart as him.
Sure enough, Cong Lin smiled sinisterly: “Young Master Xu, you just defeated me once. It’s too early for me to admit defeat.”
All these assassins, with their bloodstained blades, trust in a last-ditch counterattack, so how could they easily admit defeat?
Xu Hang lowered his eyes to look at him, his eyes were indifferent: “I’m afraid you will lose too badly.”
“If you can get down the mountain safely, I will consider your words.”
Xu Hang turned his horse around and was about to leave when he was caught by Cong Lin.
“Antidote.” He reminded Xu Hang.
Xu Hang looked down from above and pulled the reins: “Let go first.”
Their eyes met once more, and Cong Lin slowly loosened his fingers, one by one, until his entire hand was free. Xu Hang then said, “Now, look down at your hand again.”
He lowered his head and lifted his sleeves. Cong Lin discovered that the red rashes had actually disappeared a little. He looked up suddenly and saw Xu Hang’s horse neighing and running forward several feet already.
In the darkness, the cold voice seemed particularly ironic as it reached Cong Lin’s ears from afar.
“The so-called poisonous weed is nothing but hemp. Go home and wash your hands with soap beans a few times, and it will be fine. It won’t kill you.”
When Xu Hang fell by the roadside, he didn’t have any new tricks up his sleeve. It was only when he noticed the hemp on the side of the road that an idea suddenly struck him. He had prepared it in advance, waiting for the right moment to use it. Perhaps, it could even give him an active advantage.
Hemp is not very toxic. It will just cause slight redness and swelling on the skin. It will be fine after cleaning.
If it weren’t for someone as clever as Cong Lin, he might not have been so easily deceived. This is what happens when someone is too clever and scheming, only to end up being outsmarted.
With no time to think, Xu Hang urged the horse beneath him and sped down the mountain. If Cong Lin knew that he had been tricked, there would be more tricks in store, so naturally, the farther away he was from him, the better.
He looked at the moon in the sky and estimated the time. Duan Yelin should have known the news by now. If he didn’t want the Military Control Commissioner’s plan to succeed, he had to meet him before Duan Yelin sent out his troops.
Thinking of this, he rode faster.
The mountain road was full of gravel, and the hooves of the horses made a constant sound when they stepped on it. Suddenly, there was a crisp clattering sound, which was not very noticeable, but Xu Hang stopped the horse in time.
When he dismounted, he saw that both of the horse’s front hooves had been tampered with!
If he goes a little longer, it will definitely lose its footing and fall down—at best he will just be seriously injured, but at worst he might fall off the cliff and die!
This Cong Lin should not be underestimated.
A fierce tiger was lurking behind him, ready to strike at any moment, and no one knew how long the road ahead would be. Xu Hang, seriously injured and untreated, had reached his limit. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
The wind was fierce and cruel, always trying to blow out the torch. Xu Hang simply put out the fire to avoid being exposed as a target.
Even so, once the fire was out, the mountain road became more difficult to travel.
He could only walk down the mountain, and the more he walked, the more painful his wounds became. It was not until he saw a sharp stone that Xu Hang squatted down and cut the rope tied to his wrist along the sharp side.
“Umm…”
The stones were rough and uneven, and Xu Hang kept accidentally cutting his skin while moving, leaving deep red marks on his wrists. It took him about a cup of tea to finally free his hands.
“Woosh…” Exhausted, Xu Hang sat on the ground to relax for a while before he supported himself by a tree trunk to stand up.
He dared not go on the original road, so Xu Hang had to change to another path. He supported his injured arm, stumbled, and walked forward with tenacity.
Can’t fall down, can’t fall down, can’t fall down.
He is Xu Shaotang. He has overcome so many hardships and difficulties in the past. Even if his life is full of twists and turns, how could he fall in such a place?
The more he told himself this, the darker it became.
While he was dazed, Xu Hang seemed to hear footsteps, and he couldn’t help feeling scared.
Is it the bandits? Or Cong Lin? Or the Military Control Commissioners forces?
Or…?
Just as he was hesitating and guessing in his heart, a familiar voice came like a bonfire on a winter night, instantly illuminating all his sadness.
“Shaotang!”
When he looks up, he can see the stars in the sky. A man in military uniform stands under a withered vine and old tree, on a narrow path, looking like a god of war.
Duan Yelin took a different route up the mountain along a small path, but unexpectedly, he ran into Xu Hang by chance.
However, the moment Duan Yelin saw Xu Hang clearly, his blood ran cold! Xu Hang resembled a walking corpse—unable to stand, covered in blood, his clothes torn. Even when he heard Duan Yelin’s screams, there was no light in his eyes.
Duan Yelin rushed forward, and Xu Hang seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength and fell straight into Duan Yelin’s arms.
