Your Majesty, We’re Counting on You to Ruin the Country! 48

Chapter 48: Poisonous Insects

Wen Ning’an woke up with a start.

Years of military campaigns had given him a higher level of alertness and a more precise sixth sense than ordinary people. Even though the room was silent at this moment, Wen Ning’an had still woken up subconsciously.

He opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see dense swarms of centipedes poking their dark heads in from the edges of the tent, squeezing their bodies inside.

Wen Ning’an was startled and immediately broke free from Feng Qi’s embrace, sitting up. Feng Qi was also woken by the commotion.

“Tsk.” Seeing the situation in the tent, Feng Qi looked up and saw the dark, thousand-legged insects slowly crawling in from the top as well. He had no choice but to give up the idea of escaping through the top of the tent with his lightness skill.

Wen Ning’an couldn’t help but feel relieved. Fortunately, Xingxing and Liangliang had been taken by Ah Bai to sleep in his own tent today. Otherwise, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect them.

Taking a torch and the long sword from the bedside, the two of them were about to head for the tent’s entrance when they felt a strong gust of wind coming at them from behind.

The two reacted extremely quickly, turning around and drawing their swords to cut down the two men in black who had ambushed them.

This was just the beginning. Then, more men in black rushed in one after another. Wen Ning’an was very surprised. Firstly, these centipedes actually seemed to be able to recognize people and did not attack the men in black at all. Secondly, with the patrol and the Left Army coming and going outside the tent, how could no one have noticed these attackers? Could it be that something had happened? But if something had happened, it was impossible for him to have been completely unaware.

Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi turned and stood back to back, one watching the front and the other the back. They coordinated flawlessly, without any openings. Coupled with their high martial arts skills, the men in black couldn’t gain any advantage. However, the centipedes were slowly approaching them. They could defend against people, but these small, dense insects, like sand, were even more difficult to deal with than people. So, the two of them did not linger in the fight, but slowly moved towards the entrance.

An intermittent sound of a flute came. Wen Ning’an was startled and immediately said to Feng Qi, “Be careful! This flute sound has the effect of bewitching people’s minds.”

“Mmm, you be careful too.” Feng Qi flicked his sword, and with a flexible wrist, he cut off the arm of one of the men in black.

The two had deep inner energy and were not affected by the demonic sound, but their movements were slightly slower.

On one hand, they were on guard against the dense swarms of centipedes, and on the other, they were facing the continuous attacks of the men in black. Wen Ning’an’s face was cold. Looking at the men in black, who seemed to be tireless, without feeling, only knowing how to attack, a deep unease welled up in his heart.

They were surrounded by strong enemies and crises. They were only a few meters away from the tent entrance, but they were making no progress.

Wen Ning’an couldn’t help but feel anxious. He quickened his attacks on one hand and looked for an opportunity to send Feng Qi out of the tent first on the other. It was at this moment of distraction that two men in black with fierce attacks flipped over and attacked him from two directions.

Wen Ning’an only had time to turn and block the attack from the left. He could no longer defend against the long sword coming from the other direction. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dodge, but if he did, then Feng Qi behind him might have to bear the other party’s surprise attack. Wen Ning’an instantly made a decision. That person must not get into trouble under my watch.

Wen Ning’an’s gaze was firm. He kicked the man on the left in the chest, shattering his ribs. The moment the ribs pierced his lungs, the man’s face contorted, and he flew back, spitting blood. At this time, the attack from the right was already unavoidable and unstoppable.

Feng Qi parried the attack at his side with his sword. With a thrust and a pull, he was about to defend when he saw Wen Ning’an’s perilous situation. In a flash, Feng Qi acted on instinct.

At the cost of being stabbed in the shoulder, Feng Qi extended his long sword and dangerously blocked the unavoidable strike for Wen Ning’an.

“Huaitian!”

Wen Ning’an’s long sword went back, the blade blocking the attack. With a turn of his wrist, he wrapped one arm around Feng Qi’s waist and, with the other, quickly cut off the man in black’s head.

“You!” Wen Ning’an looked at Feng Qi’s shoulder, which was quickly being stained red with blood, and his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t be afraid.” Feng Qi stood up straight and re-entered the fight.

Wen Ning’an’s mind was in chaos, his heart and eyes filled with the image of the injured Feng Qi. He wished he could be stronger, so he could get rid of these men in black and the insects.

“Swish—”

The wind of the sword rose. Wen Ning’an, his eyes red with killing intent, took two heads with one strike but didn’t notice the several centipedes that had crawled up the hem of his robe. Feng Qi, at the side, saw this and, while defending against the desperate attacks of the men in black, bent down to swat away the creepy insects for him.

Thud.

Feng Qi was startled. He felt a sharp, needle-like pain and a numbing itch on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw a centipede on his shoulder. It must have fallen from above.

Feng Qi just let out a muffled grunt and silently swatted the centipede away. He didn’t want to distract Wen Ning’an.

“Boom—” A deafening sound of cannon fire came from outside. Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi were both stunned. It seemed to be mixed with the alarm of an enemy attack.

“General!”

Immediately after, Ren Feiyang rushed in. “The enemy is attacking. Should we… General?”

Ren Feiyang was shocked when he saw the scene in the tent and immediately called for help.

With the help of the shadows and the Left Army, Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi were much more relaxed. At least they could fully dodge the centipedes’ attacks and escape their encirclement with their lightness skill.

Ren Feiyang said, “General, when I came from the distance, I saw that the people outside your tent had all lost their senses, as if they were bewitched. It was the sound of the cannon fire that woke them up.”

Wen Ning’an nodded. It seemed that although the flute sound could bewitch people’s minds, its range was limited.

The two of them fought their way out of the tent and saw that the sky outside had already been dyed by the light of the fire. The surroundings were in chaos, and the enemy had broken into the military camp and was fighting with the Left Army. The sound of clashing weapons and the roars of the soldiers were incessant. The sand gradually changed color, and the smell of blood and rust filled the air, making one feel extremely uncomfortable.

This was the smell of the battlefield.

Wen Ning’an’s eyes turned cold. For the enemy to be able to break into the heart of Fengzhou so quickly, there was either a secret passage or an insider. The former should be impossible; the enemy couldn’t be more familiar with Fengzhou and the desert than he, Li Huaisheng, and Gao Lan. And if it was the latter…

“Ngh…”

Feng Qi, beside him, seemed to be suppressing something. Wen Ning’an finally broke off his thoughts and, turning his head abruptly, saw that Feng Qi’s eyes were bloodshot, his face blue and his lips white. Looking closely, his whole body was also trembling slightly.

“Huaitian!” Wen Ning’an’s eyes widened. He reached out to support Feng Qi but was roughly pushed away.

“You… stay away from me.”

Feng Qi felt that something was very wrong.

The centipede’s poison was not like an ordinary insect’s poison. It seemed to be mixed with other deadly poisons, causing the inner energy in his body to run amok, desperately wanting to rush out and be unleashed…

“Huaitian, what’s wrong with you?” Wen Ning’an had never seen Feng Qi in such a strange state. He felt a little uneasy, his eyelids twitching.

“Yixin, you… stay away from me…” Feng Qi immediately leaped onto his horse, hastily whipped the reins, and galloped off into the distance.

“Huaitian!!”

Seeing that Wen Ning’an also wanted to chase after him, Ren Feiyang immediately grabbed his arm and shouted, “General! If you leave, who will command the Left Army and set up the formations!”

“You!” Wen Ning’an said. “The Xulong plaque is with you, isn’t it!”

Xulong was a system in all the armies of Bei Miao. To prevent the army’s morale from collapsing and becoming leaderless if a general suddenly died, a general would usually give one of his adjutants a Xulong plaque before a campaign. If the general really met with a mishap, the person holding the Xulong plaque would immediately take his place and command the army. And the person holding this plaque was naturally a soldier with courage and deeply trusted by his brothers.

Ren Feiyang was stunned. When he came back to his senses, Wen Ning’an was already gone.

Before the fire hit the tent, Qin Zhaohuang was still staring blankly at the jade pendant, lost in thought.

Just as he was about to sleep, he heard a loud boom. The next moment, the top of the tent began to catch fire. The flames crackled, and hot wood chips fell from above. Qin Zhaohuang was startled and hurriedly escaped the tent before the beams and supporting frame collapsed.

Outside was a scene of blood and fighting. Qin Zhaohuang couldn’t help but shrink back.

Qin Zhaohuang knew that Wen Ning’an had placed shadow guards around him for protection, so he was not afraid. He gathered the coat he had hastily grabbed before leaving the tent and was about to run to the rear camp.

Ah Bai, Fang Qingqing, and a group of physicians, horse keepers, military strategists, and scribes were also there. The rear camp was the safest place and also the last line of defense for Fengzhou. If the rear camp fell, then Bei Miao would also be defeated.

Qin Zhaohuang quickened his pace, but a conversation that he couldn’t help but overhear came from his ear…

“That snake man is really strange!”

“Yes, you have to be careful. His flute sound can confuse the mind.”

Qin Zhaohuang was stunned and immediately turned to stop the two soldiers who were passing by him.

“Big brothers!” Qin Zhaohuang finally caught up with them, panting, “Cough, the snake man you were talking about, where… where is he?”

“Over there.” One of the soldiers pointed in a direction for him. “The training ground in the south.”

“Thank you!”

The soldier nodded. “It’s very dangerous here. National Preceptor Qin should hurry to the rear camp!” With that, he and his companion left.

After they left, Qin Zhaohuang turned and headed south.

Before he had taken a few steps, a shadow jumped out and knelt before him. “National Preceptor Qin, please reconsider.”

Qin Zhaohuang walked around the shadow, his eyes firm, showing no intention of changing his path.

A shadow was a shadow, after all, and had no right to interfere with its master. So, he just frowned slightly and followed.

“Boom—”

Another explosion sounded, and Qin Zhaohuang felt the sand under his feet tremble slightly.

After straightening himself, Qin Zhaohuang saw a flash of silver before his eyes, and then a sharp long sword was at his chest, blocking his path.

“Yo.” A man in golden armor on horseback looked down at Qin Zhaohuang, his eyes full of amazement and greed. The man was tall, with a romantic air and an arrogant expression, and behind him was a neat row of guards.

“This king has never seen such a beautiful person. Tsk, tsk, after seeing this face, I feel that all the dancers and courtesans I have worked so hard to gather have all lost their color.” The man—the King of Youzhou, Duo Bo—shook his head.

“Men, capture this beauty for this king.” Duo Bo smiled and added, “Remember to be gentle. If you hurt such a beauty, this king’s heart will break.”

Qin Zhaohuang’s face was pale.