novelhk Chapter 515: A Group of People Seeking Death
Chapter 515: A Group of People Seeking Death
Facing this group of strangely dressed people, Fang Xiaoxiao remained calm. She took out three taels of silver from her sleeve and said gently, "Brothers, we are from the capital city. We urgently need this snow lotus to treat our friend. We hope you will be kind enough to let us have it."
Before he could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by the leader of the group. This burly man was dressed in ethnic minority clothing, with a fierce and menacing look on his face, especially the long, horrifying scar on his cheek, which stood out even more in the sunlight.
The burly man, holding a sharp sickle, glanced at the silver in her hand with a forced smile and sneered, "We don't care who you are. We've already made it clear that all the medicinal herbs here belong to us. Don't even think about it."
"Get out of here while we're in a good mood, don't waste any more time." His four henchmen swarmed closer, rubbing their fists together, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent, looking like they wanted to devour him.
Fang Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in her gaze, but her voice remained calm: "Brother, everything should be done reasonably. These snow lotus and medicinal herbs are unclaimed. We found them first, so there should be a first-come, first-served order."
The burly man roared, "Reason? In this place, what I say is the reason!"
Pei Yan stepped forward, blocking Fang Xiaoxiao's path, and said in a deep voice, "Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for such arrogance and domineering behavior?"
The burly man brandished his sickle and said viciously, "Divine retribution? I'll see who dares to stop me today!"
As he spoke, the burly man raised his sickle and swung it at Pei Yan. Pei Yan dodged to the side, avoiding the fierce attack.
Fang Xiao had already made up her mind, and she quietly took out a small sachet from her bosom.
"Since you are all so unreasonable, then don't blame me for being impolite." As soon as Fang Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she gently raised her hand, and a wisp of light pink smoke drifted out of the sachet and quickly spread.
The burly man and his men were caught off guard and inhaled the smoke. Soon after, they felt their limbs weaken and their heads spin.
"You little brat, what kind of sorcery did you use?" the big man roared in terror, but his voice was clearly weak and feeble.
Fang Xiaoxiao gave a cold laugh: "This is not sorcery, just a little bit of poison. But don't worry, it won't kill you for a while, it will just make you weak and obedient."
The burly man tried to struggle, but his body wouldn't obey him, and the sickle in his hand clattered to the ground. His men also staggered and lost their footing.
At this moment, Fang Xiaoxiao walked up to the big man, squatted down, looked directly into his eyes and said, "Now you know fear? I have the antidote for this poison. As long as you stop bothering me, I will give you the antidote."
The burly man turned pale and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Miss, spare our lives! We were blind to your greatness. The snow lotus and medicinal herbs are yours, please give us the antidote."
Fang Xiaoxiao stood up and said, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Just then, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from afar. It turned out that the big man had sent out a signal earlier, and his reinforcements had arrived.
The leader was an old man with sharp eyes and an air of authority.
The burly man, as if seeing a savior, shouted, "Boss, this little girl is using poison! We've fallen for her trick!"
The old man sized up Fang Xiaoxiao and Pei Yan, then looked at his subordinates who were lying on the ground, his face grim.
Fang Xiaoxiao was not afraid at all and said, "Senior, you can tell right from wrong at a glance. Your people are unreasonable and forcibly took our medicinal materials. I was just using a little bit of force to defend myself."
The old man sneered, "Little girl, using poison is not a fair and square method."
Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Why bother with being fair and square when dealing with unreasonable people?"
The old man waved his hand: "Go! Take them down!"
The newly arrived group rushed towards Fang Xiaoxiao and Pei Yan.
Fang Xiaoxiao remained calm and pulled out several small bottles from her bosom, throwing them at the oncoming people. The bottles shattered, spilling their liquids. Anyone who came into contact with the liquid instantly felt an unbearable itch and pain.
Upon seeing this, the old man was startled, realizing he had encountered a formidable opponent.
"Young lady, let's call it a day and call it a day, shall we?" The old man's tone was no longer harsh.
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "As long as you stop bothering me and promise not to steal from others, I will give them the antidote."
The old man nodded in agreement: "Alright, we'll do as you say, young lady."
Fang Xiaoxiao then took out the antidote and gave it to the poisoned person.
After the crisis was over, Fang Xiaoxiao and Pei Yan packed up the snow lotus and other medicinal herbs.
The peasant woman and her husband were already dumbfounded.
Fang Xiaoxiao smiled and said to them, "Uncle and Aunt, we're sorry to have startled you. We should be going now."
After bidding farewell to the peasant woman, Fang Xiaoxiao and Pei Yan, carrying Xue Lian, hurried back to the capital city.
Autumn had arrived, and a slight chill permeated the streets and alleys of Kyoto. Yellowed leaves drifted down in the wind, adding a unique charm to this bustling city.
The two of them, without even appreciating the autumn scenery, headed straight for the Fang family's courtyard.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Fang Xiaoxiao rushed anxiously toward Hongxiu's room without even having time to brush off the dust. Pei Yan followed closely behind.
Fang Xiaoxiao's skirt fluttered in the wind, and her heart, like the skirt, was flustered and anxious. Finally arriving at Hongxiu's room, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and slowly pushed open the door.
A faint medicinal fragrance filled the room. Hongxiu lay quietly on the bed, her pale face as lifeless as a withered flower in autumn.
Fang Xiaoxiao's heart clenched suddenly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hongxiu, I'm back. I've found Xuelian. You'll get better."
Fang Xiaoxiao murmured softly, walked quickly to the bedside, and gently took Hongxiu's hand.
The icy coldness of her hand made Fang Xiaoxiao's heart sink even further.
She carefully took the snow lotus from her bosom. In the autumn light, the snow lotus emitted a soft and mysterious glow, as if it carried all hope.
Fang Xiaoxiao's eyes became incredibly focused. She knew that this was the only hope to save Hongxiu, and she could not afford to make the slightest mistake.
Fang Xiaoxiao placed the snow lotus on a jade plate that had been prepared beforehand, and then took out various exquisite pestles and medicine bottles from the cabinet.
She first carefully washed the snow lotus, not missing a single petal, her focused expression as if she were treating the most precious treasure in the world.
Then, she picked up the pestle and gently crushed the snow lotus. She was careful with each crushing motion, afraid of ruining the medicinal effects of the snow lotus.