Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 538 Girl and Poison

Inside a gray-covered carriage in the middle of the caravan.

Suddenly, a series of rapid clanging sounds came from the earthenware jar beside the girl, accompanied by the continuous gurgling of water.

She suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in them.

"parking."

The soldier driving the carriage immediately tightened the reins and turned his head to ask, "Miss, what are your orders?"

The young girl lifted the carriage curtain, her sharp gaze sweeping towards the inner cliff: "Tell the Marquis that there are at least a hundred men lying in ambush on the mountain."

The soldier's expression changed drastically. Although he didn't know the woman's identity, the Marquis had treated her with great courtesy throughout the journey. He was about to signal his companion to send a message—

"call out--"

An arrow pierced the air with tremendous force, instantly piercing through the soldier! The arrowhead was deeply embedded in the vehicle, clanging incessantly.

"Enemy attack! Form ranks! Protect the Marquis!"

Several lieutenants drew their swords and shouted, their voices echoing through the valley.

The well-trained soldiers remained calm in the face of danger, quickly forming a defensive formation to protect Zhenbei Hou in the center.

Marquis Zhenbei's face was frosty. He took the longbow from his lieutenant, drew it, and fired three arrows in quick succession. After the sound of arrows piercing the air, three dark figures plummeted down from the distant cliff.

Lieutenant Zhang cupped his hands and asked for instructions: "They are just a bunch of bandits, Your Excellency. This humble general will go and wipe out this rabble!"

Marquis Zhenbei raised his hand to stop him, his voice cold and stern: "Protect Miss Chu first."

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of arrows rained down from the heights like a storm. Almost simultaneously, the sounds of battle erupted from the forests on both sides, and dozens of boulders weighing hundreds of kilograms tumbled down, completely blocking the official roads in front and behind.

Marquis Zhenbei gripped his longbow tightly, his gaze sweeping across the mountainsides on either side like lightning—this was no ordinary bandit formation. "Form a circular formation, archers, prepare!" His voice was clearly audible amidst the shouts of battle. "Today, let me see who has such a grand scheme to pull off."

Deep in the dense forest.

Zheng Shan squinted at the gray carriage below and whispered, "The Marquis has sent a letter. The Marquis of Zhenbei's real purpose in coming to Yuzhou is for a Yi girl in the carriage. Madam Zhou, we have men below to provide backup. I will lead the brothers to attack, and you are responsible for taking down the carriage. Remember, the Marquis instructed that no one should be taken alive."

Madam Zhou had a blade of grass in her mouth, and her black longbow was fully drawn and ready to be released.

She nodded slightly, and the arrow was already released from the bow!

A whooshing sound rang out as the arrow pierced the horse's neck with deadly precision. The horse neighed and collapsed, the carriage overturning and raising a cloud of dust.

Almost the instant the carriage touched the ground, Zheng Shan, his face covered, leaped out of the woods like a cheetah, shouting, "Attack!"

Mingwu was about to draw her sword and follow, but was stopped by Madam Zhou.

She sensed an unusual danger. "You will stay by my side. Madam's order is not really to take Zhenbei Marquis's life. There is no need for us to risk our lives."

Inside the carriage, as the train overturned, the girl clutched the ceramic jar with one hand and gripped the window frame tightly with the other. Once the train came to a stop, instead of leaving the carriage, she curled up cross-legged, pulled a dagger from her sleeve, pricked her fingertip, and dripped her blood into the jar.

Her face quickly turned pale, and then she took out a thin leaf and put it between her lips.

The sounds of battle outside the carriage were deafening, the two sides facing off like two armies. However, in just a short while, Zhenbei Hou's side had already lost dozens of men.

Just as Madam Zhou was about to draw her bow and finish off an arrow, a faint, strange melody drifted into her ears. Upon hearing it, her blood and qi began to surge.

Before she could warn her apprentice, the entire mountain forest suddenly became agitated.

Snakes, insects, rats, and ants surged out in a frenzy. Hundreds of long snakes had appeared on the official road without anyone noticing, hissing and coiling as they rushed towards the two sides in the battle!

Mingwu was shocked and hurriedly pulled out several packets of medicinal powder from her bosom: "Master, before I left, I asked Xiangru for some medicinal powder, including one to repel poisonous insects..."

Before she could finish speaking, a blue-striped venomous snake silently slithered to her feet, about to raise its head to attack. Zhou Niangzi raised her bow and struck, accurately sending the snake flying several feet away.

"Don't panic."

Madam Zhou's sharp gaze swept over the ever-growing swarm of snakes around her. "Ordinary deworming medicine may not be effective against these poisonous creatures controlled by music."

She drew three arrows from her quiver with a backhand motion, but instead of shooting them at the crowd, she planted them in the ground in a triangular formation in front of her. Then she took out a dark whistle and put it in her mouth.

Cover your ears.

A short, piercing whistle suddenly rang out, unlike music which could be captivating, but instead carried a sharp echo like metal striking stone.

The snakes, which had previously attacked anyone without distinguishing friend from foe, suddenly slowed down, and several in the front row even began to tear at each other.

The girl inside the carriage suffered a backlash and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

A venomous creature, bright red and gecko-like, crawled out from the rim of the earthenware jar, darted towards the young woman's neck with a "whoosh," and bit down hard.

Outside the carriage, the soldier who had once saved Qin Baolian outside Yuzhou was approaching the carriage step by step. Just as he lifted the curtain with his sword, a sinister glint flashed in the poisonous creature's eyes, and it suddenly transformed into a crimson shadow, biting his wrist that held the sword tightly.

With a clang, the longsword fell to the ground. The soldier, in pain, swung his arm violently, and the poison was thrown to the ground.

As luck would have it, Madam Zhou, carrying Mingwu in one hand, leaped back to the main road and stood still. Seeing this, she flicked her wrist, and a hidden weapon shot out, striking the poisonous creature precisely.

The poisonous creature instantly broke in two, its dark green liquid splattering on the ground and hissing with white smoke.

"No!"

The girl let out a shrill scream and then fainted.

Several feet away, Marquis Zhenbei witnessed this scene from afar, his eyes wide with fury. A sense of urgency rose in his heart, and he was truly decisive and ruthless. Almost without thinking, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, which pierced the air and went straight for the girl's heart.

Zhou Niangzi was too far from the carriage, and it was too late for rescue. She could only watch helplessly as the arrow "thud" pierced the girl's chest.

The girl's body trembled slightly, and she breathed her last in an instant.

Madam Zhou and Zheng Shan in the distance exchanged glances, nodded in tacit agreement, and then waved to signal everyone to retreat.

Marquis Zhenbei ordered a pursuit. Zheng Shan leaped up, swiftly tore off a piece of his clothing, and quickly gathered the poisonous creature, now broken in two, while simultaneously grabbing the poisoned soldier. With a few quick movements, he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Deputy General Zhang drew his sword to give chase, but a rapid sound of hooves approached from afar, shattering the silence of the valley.

Marquis Zhenbei looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He saw a light cavalry troop galloping towards them, led by a man in white robes and a silver saddle, with clear and bright features. It was none other than Xu Yizhao, the son of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

“Deputy General Zhang,” Marquis Zhenbei’s voice was low and unease was evident, “quickly erase the traces inside the carriage.”

After giving his instructions, he gently spurred his horse, his face still composed, and headed straight for the approaching group.

Deputy General Zhang immediately understood, and a personal guard quickly stepped forward. Sparks landed in the carriage, and flames instantly erupted...

......

Since the day Zhou Niangzi left, Madam Yun's heart has never been at peace. Especially on this day, just as she was about to leave the mansion to attend a banquet, she received a secret letter from Tang Xian.

The letter mentioned that Marquis Zhenbei was ordered to go to Yuzhou to suppress bandits and pacify the people, but those bandits were actually soldiers who had already been registered and reported as dead, numbering nearly eight hundred.

Even more chilling is the fact that the letter mentioned that when the disaster in Yuzhou was at its worst, someone secretly bought up infants under one year old, and all of these children ended up in the hands of a barbarian girl... According to a secret report from an informant planted in the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion, the girl was hiding in the deep mountains where bandits were entrenched.

Madam Yun's expression changed drastically, and she immediately instructed Wei Mama: "Send a letter to the palace, we will not attend the banquet."

An hour later, at Huining Palace.

Upon receiving the news, Meng Shu did not delay for a moment and immediately took Green Willow to Consort Chun's palace.