OBS Chapter 43: The Truth, Barry's Letter
Chapter 43: The Truth, Barry's Letter
Looking at the acupoint diagram on it, Wu He's expression grew increasingly solemn.
I remember now, Xichun Hall.
Previously, when I was brewing medicine and practicing martial arts at Xichun Hall, I had glimpsed Wen Qiaoniang drawing acupuncture diagrams, one of which was quite similar to the one in front of me.
As for whether it was exactly the same, Wu He couldn't guarantee it. After all, he had only caught a glimpse of it casually and hadn't paid much attention to it. Moreover, so much time had passed that he could only remember some general details.
"Wen Qiaoniang told me that her family has been a medical family for four generations, especially known for acupuncture, and the most famous of them is Mianyang acupuncture."
"When she was young, her father improved upon the Mianyang acupuncture technique and combined it with the medical skills of Jingxin Lake, one of the Seven Alliances of Jianghu, to create a set of rejuvenating acupuncture techniques."
"Now she is the only one left in her father's lineage, and according to family rules, she is to write a book to pass on the family tradition."
"Resurrection, resurrection..."
As Wu He pondered, a terrifying year came to mind.
That so-called Khitan Great Shaman... was it Wenxin?
A cold wind whistled as Wu He solemnly put away the items, setting aside his thoughts for the moment, and bent down to pick up Ba Lijuyu's severed arm.
huh~~
Moments later, a unique whistling arrow shot into the sky, its distinctive hole on the shoulder emitting a sharp sound that echoed far and wide through the mountains.
Meanwhile, several miles away in the mountains, a fierce battle raged among more than twenty people, with blood and severed limbs scattered everywhere.
In the chaos, those wearing the armor of the Zhenguan Army were clearly at a significant disadvantage. Each of them was seriously injured and, as the battle continued, they became increasingly exhausted, falling one after another.
"Don't linger in battle, break out on your own!"
One of the military envoys shouted loudly, his brows furrowing as he watched his comrades fall one after another.
Damn it! That's fucking insane!
It wasn't that their garrison troops were less skilled, but rather that they were caught completely off guard. No one expected the Khitans to be so audacious as to set up such a large trap at Baicao Mountain.
Most people who entered the ambush zone died instantly, and the rest, though they managed to hold on until now, were all poisoned and were at their last gasp.
It's really frustrating to be stuck here like this.
However, just when they were about to collapse completely, a sharp sound coming from the mountains and forests made the Khitan soldiers' faces change in shock.
The leader of the Bone Strengthening Realm gasped in shock.
Lord Bali!
He was quite certain that this was the sound of a whistle arrow used exclusively by their Khitan people, and judging from the rapid and sharp sound, it was indeed emitted by a specially made whistle arrow used by shamans.
Lord Bali!
bad thing!
"withdraw!"
He immediately abandoned the battle, and the surrounding Khitan soldiers also broke away from the fight, all rushing towards the source of the sound.
The remaining garrison soldiers looked at each other, none of them understanding what had happened.
It wasn't until an hour later, when it got dark, that they helped each other to leave. Just then, they encountered a large patrol of the town's military officers carrying torches, and it was from them that they learned the whole story.
Originally, it was a garrison commander named Wu He who killed the local Khitan shaman leader and used his whistle arrow to lure away the Khitan soldiers, allowing them to survive.
Those Khitan soldiers ultimately failed to escape, and were either annihilated or captured alive by the patrolling garrison troops.
Although none of the Khitans escaped, only a few of the garrison troops who entered Baicao Mountain in search of blood ginseng survived.
The others were already cold corpses.
They are unfortunate, but also extremely fortunate amidst their misfortune.
Meanwhile, their savior was using a fellow villager's wooden cart to haul the game they had caught back to Xiongzhou City.
After placing it in the Desire Immortal Pavilion for Lin Lianhua to handle, Wu He rushed to the Cherishing Spring Hall without stopping.
We need to verify this.
By this time, the night was completely dark, but a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of Xichun Hall, all of them standing on tiptoe to watch the spectacle.
"What's going on?"
"Did Xichuntang offend the Zhenguan Army?"
"I remember Doctor Wen was General Guo's savior, and he's been treating his injuries all these years. What's going on here today?"
……
Wu He squeezed into the crowd and saw many armored soldiers going in and out, carrying things. The apprentices and servants of Xichun Hall were all chained and restrained, among them Wen Qiaoniang.
She didn't look disheveled at all; her fair wrists were shackled, and she squatted alone in the corner, her hair hanging down, her eyes looking utterly lifeless and desperate.
Those slightly red corners of her eyes suggested she had just been crying.
"Lord Zhao ordered that everything be moved, not a single speck of dust be left behind!"
Zhao Guangyi's brother-in-law, Du Jianlian, rode a tall horse and loudly directed the operation at the scene.
Wu He spotted Yu Long among the soldiers and immediately pulled him out.
"Huh?! You're back!"
Upon seeing Wu He, Yu Long was surprised and then looked him up and down.
"Are you alright?"
Why do you think something's going to happen to me?
"Didn't you go to Baicao Mountain to search for medicinal herbs? Didn't you encounter an ambush by the Khitans?"
After Wen Xin's affair was exposed, they realized that Baicao Mountain was likely to become a battlefield.
The scouts sent out reported back just as they had said: all the officials at the post station at the foot of Baicao Mountain had died a violent death, their clothes barely covering their bodies.
So they sent the nearest patrol soldiers from the town to rescue them, and they shouldn't have returned by now.
Wu He waved his hand, too lazy to explain, and asked directly, "What's going on?"
"Sigh~"
At this point, Yu Long sighed deeply: "Wen Xinli is colluding with foreign powers and conspiring with the Khitans to harm the people of our Great Zhou. The evidence is conclusive, and his property should be confiscated."
"Wenxin is that Khitan high shaman?"
"That's right."
Yu Long explained, "After Governor Zhao arrived, he used the intelligence network of Baixiaomen, one of the seven Jianghu alliances, to find out Wen Xin's true identity."
"He was originally a Han Chinese from Zhuozhou, but he was devoted to the barbarians and registered as a Khitan at a young age. He was also known as Balixin. In the first year of Xiande, he was sent to Waqiao Pass by the Khitan royal family. After Xiongzhou was established, he opened Xichun Hall in the city."
"The recent commotion caused by the Khitan barbarians was all done by him in collusion with foreign enemies. They used something called... the Rejuvenating Needle Technique, which is very evil and can lock in the essence of a martial artist's flesh and blood."
It really was him.
Upon hearing this, Wu He pursed his lips. Seeing his complicated expression, Yu Long smiled wryly and said, "You find it unbelievable, don't you? General Guo finds it even more so."
"Over the years, they have developed a deep friendship and become close confidants. Upon learning this news, General Guo was so anxious that his condition worsened. Alas~"
"In such turbulent times, with the Northern Expedition imminent, this has happened. What a cruel twist of fate."
Wu He said in a deep voice, "It seems that General Guo's prolonged illness was due to Wen Xin's secret machinations, wasn't it?"
"I don't know either, anyway, General Guo now... sigh~"
Yu Long sighed three times in a row, his face full of helplessness.
Wu He then pointed to the people in Xichun Hall: "What about them?"
"Take them back for questioning. If they're accomplices, kill them. If not... heh."
Yu Long sneered: "I guess they should be killed. Such a scandal has caused so many deaths. If we don't kill a few of the people involved, it will be difficult to quell the anger of all the soldiers of the Zhenguan Army."