Chapter 38 Elusive

Words : 1648 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Upon entering the forest, Wang Anfeng did not descend the mountain, but instead, he walked towards the exit for a moment, intentionally creating many traces. Then, he used the method of Nine Palace Steps to change direction and went uphill, leaving all other pursuers unaware and simply following the path in pursuit.When they reached the location of the signboard, they saw the tragic state of the two guards, which triggered a series of shocked cries. At this time, Wang Anfeng had already grabbed his two friends and was sprinting all the way, heading straight for the dwelling of Xue Qinshuang. Xiahou Xuan was being dragged along by him. With the situation being so critical, his heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest. Seeing this, he whispered, "You're planning to hide at Xue Shisan's place?" "No, it's here." Wang Anfeng replied and ran straight towards the house of Liu Wuqiu beside the Jiangnan style pavilions, shouldering his way through the half-closed door, rushing in, and carefully closing the wooden door before finally exhaling with relief. He sat down on the ground with a heaving sigh, his forehead dripping with sweat, and he gasped, "Good... alright, here... we can..." Xiahou Xuan fell silent for a moment, then said, "The most dangerous place is often the safest, but many people know this logic." Wang Anfeng glanced at him and after catching his breath, said, "I just want to find the antidote." "If it could fool you, then this poison must be very valuable, and the antidote must be carefully hidden." Xiahou Xuan frowned and said, "But the antidote could very likely be on his person." At that moment, Wang Anfeng had already started rummaging through things, flipping through them as if flying, and without turning his head, he said, "Unlikely. Libai said that those who are deeply scheming and sinister tend to hide their antidotes, so even if they are killed, the person poisoned will fall from ecstasy into even greater despair, often choosing to take their own life." "Only poisons used solely for threats are likely to have antidotes that can be found on the person's body. Besides, we have no other options. The two guards watching the main path.... I'm simply no match for them." Although he had instinctively reacted to this situation, Wang Anfeng still felt something was not quite right. Just now, he had misjudged the strength of a master, as Liu Wuqiu's palm had hit him squarely on the back. The strike came with a fierce sound but was only a gentle force helping him to escape. He came away without a scratch, yet the old man had exclaimed in horror about something called Royal Qi Armor. The coat he was wearing had been given to him by Xue Qinshuang, and the clothes underneath were made from fabric he had torn himself, costing thirty Silver Coins per chi—how could it possibly be some Royal Qi Armor? Additionally, the method of poisoning through food and drink, although seemingly severe, would fail if someone did not drink alcohol or did not like those dishes, wouldn't it? Wouldn't poisoned smoke be better? Xiahou Xuan, oblivious to Wang Anfeng's internal musings, found his reasoning to be extremely sound. Outside, the sounds of shouting drew closer and then receded into the distance. Wang Anfeng's hands moved faster and faster in his search. Even though he did his best to be quiet, the inevitable friction of his movements, each minuscule collision, sounded like thunderclaps in Xiahou Xuan's ears, making his heart race. He had lived for fifteen years but had never experienced such trepidation as he did today. The house consisted of a front and back hall and wasn't very large. Wang Anfeng quickly searched everywhere, but he found no medicine—only a jar of vintage wine that had been sitting for who knows how long. He tossed it carelessly onto the bed. Xiahou Xuan watched Wang Anfeng's brows furrow slightly, feeling somewhat parched and said in a low voice, "Tap on the walls, see if there's a secret chamber." Wang Anfeng nodded and tapped gently but found nothing out of the ordinary—the walls were solid. Xiahou Xuan's heart sank with each passing moment and he silently sneered to himself, "To think my ruse to divert the guards has led me into such a predicament...." "Sugarcoated haws, oh sugarcoated haws... Your master is about to die here... Remember to stay faithful to your husband...." Crack! Just then, a crisp sound suddenly rang out. Xiahou Xuan's body trembled slightly, and his heart rapidly accelerated. Once he realized no enemies had been attracted, he breathed deeply and turned his bright eyes towards Wang Anfeng. The latter had carefully opened a hidden compartment by the bed. Xiahou Xuan, unable to contain his agitation, asked urgently, "How is it? Is it medicine? Bring it here for me to see...." With a slight sigh, Wang Anfeng stood up and approached, holding nothing but a folding fan in his hand. On it, a poem was written in a feminine script with delicate strokes, evidently the work of a woman. The fan's paper had yellowed with age, clearly an old keepsake from many years ago. Xiahou Xuan took it with effort, but could not discern anything unusual, only realizing with his judgment that this fan was likely from sixty or seventy years ago. A moment of vain joy, Xiahou Xuan finally fell into a despair of helplessness. He carelessly threw the fan down, sighing: "There's nothing to be done. In a moment, I'll stir up some noise, and you should leave first. That fool and I are still worth some silver coins. Go down the mountain to the county city, and look for a consumptive ghost holding a zither in the biggest inn. If you're quick, we might still be drawing breath..." Wang Anfeng fell silent, but his gaze landed on the withered yellow folding fan. It had been well preserved without any damage, but on the poem written on it, someone had circled four characters in bright vermillion ink, as if admiring them. Besides this, there was nothing else peculiar. He looked up at Xiahou Xuan, saying: "...Be careful yourself, no need to make a sound; I have my own way to escape." S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Hang in there." Xiahou Xuan, surprised, asked anxiously in a low voice, "What are you going to do?!" "I'm going to set their stable on fire. The noble clan's horses are enough to cause some chaos." Wang Anfeng shed his somewhat loose outer gown, dressed only in vigorous attire, tightened his wrist guard, placed his hand on the door, and said, "Be very careful, and don't worry about me." "You..." Before Xiahou Xuan could utter another word, Wang Anfeng, with keen sensitivity, had opened the door and rolled into a clump of bushes; he then crouched and headed toward the stable they had passed today. If it weren't for the green-maned horse being so violent, it would have probably been locked in the stable as well. In the deep of the night, Wang Anfeng moved swiftly through the enemy's lair, extremely cautious and careful. Yet, for some reason, the more he walked, the clearer the little poem on the fan became in his mind. The four newly added vermillion characters were strikingly red, like fresh blood... Wait, newly added?! Wang Anfeng's steps suddenly faltered, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the uneasiness that had just begun to rise in his heart became increasingly apparent. It was an old relic... cherished and precious, so why would there be fresh vermillion ink? The four characters circled were... Big illness cures drunk. Poem... poem... Wang Anfeng's brow furrowed tighter, an increasing sense of wrongness made him somewhat agitated. Just then, he heard footsteps nearby. His pupils contracted slightly, he pressed down his body, his breathing as light as a forest animal, his right hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at his waist. Two middle-aged men, carrying long swords, talked as they walked. "This thing today, our father has completely miscalculated..." "Isn't it? The guard at the mountain pass was killed, those two kids have probably already left. And to think he bought a poem, wanting to show off in front of the Sect Leader, heh, all in vain, and now you and I have to suffer... that old bastard!" The two men moved off into the distance, yet Wang Anfeng stood frozen, his eyes faintly shining. All the things that felt wrong came flooding back into his mind, linking up like lightning to form a picture. "This old man is no prodigy, but has written a poem for the young gentlemen to appraise." A newly created poem, fresh vermillion ink, an unlocked door, a poisoning method where both meat and wine were needed but one was missing, and that palm force which seemed to be attacking but actually only had pushing power. Big illness proves guilt, these four characters exactly correspond to the four lines of the poem. The great dao is originally hard for people to understand Illness nurtures the spirit after taking medicine Determining the scene, where is Old He now Drunk, searching for nighttime rain at the flag pavilion for wine If those four lines of poetry were arranged, they naturally wouldn't fit the rules of poetry, but if the hidden start corresponded to the hidden end, then those four characters would be... Wang Anfeng's pupils suddenly dilated, and he remembered the aged good wine that he had carelessly tossed onto the bed. "The antidote is in the wine!"

Chapter 38 Elusive

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