207 Who Is the Mastermind? (1/2)
Wang Yutang breathed in deeply as his expression turned unprecedentedly glum.
A few of the more authoritative generals looked grim as well, while fury clawed its way out of their souls.
One of the generals said with barely contained rage, ”If this lowly general remember correctly, that eerie youth dressed in black who’s been following Han Sanhe is from the School of Spring and Autumn!”
”That’s right. I remember Han Sanhe mentioned it that day when some of us had gone gambling while the others kept the old sirs company to talk. He was rather proud of it at that time...” Another general chimed in with his thoughts.
”How did the School of Spring and Autumn’s Soul-Sealing Spike come into our midst?”
Wang Yutang’s brows locked into a deep frown.
”How else?” Another general said impatiently, ”Han Sanhe encourage the culprit to secretly make his deadly move. God of war, my foot...”
”Shamelessly contemptible!”
”Return to the country first. This lowly general must report this to His Majesty and send troops to Dongxuan to seek justice!”
”Agreed. We must seize that despicable Han Sanhe and avenge our marshal!” The generals were agitated, every one of them worked up with a burning rage.
If this incident was the brainchild of the Empire of Yutang, they would probably have been less enraged. After all, they were enemies; it was destined that they stood irreconcilable. It would have been more acceptable for them to tackle the enemy with whatever contemptible or tasteless tactics they could conjure, without giving much thought to honor and integrity.
However, things were entirely different if the perpetrator was Han Sanhe, an impeccable ally!
This was like dying on the battlefield; killed by an unexpected arrow from one’s own comrade!
Being betrayed by one’s own comrade or ally was the biggest battlefield taboo of all militants; it would only stir feelings of rage and hatred from generals and leaders alike.
Wang Yutang spoke loudly, ”Let us not act rashly now. Right now, it's more important that we save our marshal and brother's lives than to seek revenge against Han Sanhe. Everything comes after we return to the capital. Those with connections, quickly figure out how we can obtain the antidote for the Soul-Sealing Spike. Check yourselves carefully. Seeing as to how cunning Han Sanhe is, he might have more than this trick up his sleeves. Be careful; we might not have seen the last of his treachery!”
Wang Yutang’s grey beard swayed. ”Nobody does anything rash for now. Even if we want revenge, moving rashly will only add to our casualties. It does nothing other than wreaking havoc on our side!”
”Since Han Sanhe dared to pull this off, he must have set it up in advance. Making any move blindly will only put us deeper into his trap. It’s better to stay put and act only after we’ve thought things through!”
”We’ve all gone through countless battles. I believe all of you understand what I mean and need no further elaboration!”
Wang Yutang’s beard was still fluttering as he issued his commands, ”Let’s first head back to the capital as fast as we can to remedy those spiked.”
”Yes!”
The Empire of Ziyou’s troop then fled homeward hastily.
In the horribly shaky carriage that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment, Wang Yutang had bitten his finger, drawing blood to write his message on a white handkerchief, ”Your Majesty, Marshal Zi’s poison…”
The group frantically rushed home, refusing to stop for a break regardless of whether it was day or night.
The four physicians kept their worries under wraps. They had heard that the Soul-Sealing Spike had no antidote; those spiked would inevitably die as the poison would run its course and erupt in approximately ten days. Even if it never reached the heart, it would destroy the meridians and corrode the bones; one would die since the body would perish. However, despite the critical state the five men were in – paralyzed and tinted a greyish-green, their organs consumed by the poison as well, they did not show signs of dying on the spot. They could at least stay alive for ten days or up to half a month.
Could it be that the Soul-Sealing Spike's reputation was overinflated?
There was also the sound of the Eclipse Panther before it left.
”Meow…”
The four physicians were not very far away, they had heard it clearly. It had indeed come from the Eclipse Panther.
Mewling?
What was that?
Besides the four physicians, the leading expert of the Empire of Ziyou, a Tenth Perfection master, had heard it as well. It was a given that his senses were sharp but he, too, was puzzled, thinking he had heard it wrong.
How could an Eclipse Panther mewl? This was very peculiar.
…
The Empire of Dayuan’s troop that was making their way home had arrived at a forest.
There were also three people who had succumbed to the poison. After some panic, they had found out that it was also due to the Soul-Sealing Spike!
Dayuan’s old marshal wore an ugly expression.
”Han Sanhe! Everyone can see that you have a man from the School of Spring and Autumn. Why are you doing this to your ally? Why so brutal? Is it to suggest an alliance of empires to attack Yutang? Dayuan has suffered the most losses in this trip to Yutang; even Sir Liang has perished within the Residence of Nine Supremes. Dongxuan’s damage is the least significant among the nations and only Han Sanhe stayed behind when everyone else left together. If he hadn’t planned it long ago, how could this happen?”
The rest of the generals were disheartened as much as they were infuriated.