Chapter 438: Careful, there’s a high-level expert (1/2)
Chapter 438: Careful, there’s a high-level expert
The heavy fog rolled in slowly like all the other times it’d appeared, covering the entirety of the island and its surrounding seas. The Baili Navy thoroughly prepared their defensive positions, their eyes on every inch of the isle despite the low visibility. However, abnormalities soon sprang up all around the watch. The sentries on guard at each ship suddenly lost consciousness!
When the ship’s doctor arrived on the scene to examine these men, he cried out, “Not good! The fog is poisoned! He’s been hit, but I don’t know what kind of poison it is!”
The man in charge of the ship, Deputy General Baili Delong’s1 third young Baili Yuqi2, slapped his leg at the news and cursed. They were neither in a valley or a place with unique air currents, yet the fog was heavy and thick. There was no way it was natural. In other words, someone had created this poison fog!
Jun Yixie was highly accomplished in the poison arts and back up by the Hundred Poisons Sect. Anyone who had a handle on the man had to be extraordinary. He and his father had once asked Qin Wangfei about the possibility of attacks with poison. She had told them that it was impossible for Jun Yixie or the Hundred Poisons Sect to cover such a wide expanse of sea to oppose the navy. Moreover, there was some distance between the ships and the shores of the island itself. Even if Jun Yixie had formidable poisons on hand, he’d never to able to reach them from there.
In short, esteemed wangfei had told them not to worry! But somehow, this had hapened instead!
“Third Master, this shouldn’t be the Hundred Poisons Sect. Could another high level expert have arrived to rescue Jun Yixie?” his left-hand man asked urgently. If the Hundred Poisons Sect really had such skills up their sleeve, why would they have waited so long to save their leader?
“No matter who it is, we’re in big trouble now!” The Baili Navy had no way to resist such poisons at all!
Baili Yuqi was starting to panic, but he came to a prompt decision to sound the alarm. All ships went on high-alert as their crew put on face masks and set wormwood on fire as an attempt to dispel the poison fog. He personally penned a missive and tied it to the eagle that his father had left him, hoping to get the news as fast as possible to His Highness Duke of Qin and esteemed wangfei. Unfortunately, the fog soon spread to cover the entire fleet. The eagle hadn’t flown far before it fell into the sea, overcome by poison.
Baili Yuqi’s heart lurched at the sight! It looked like news wouldn’t reach them in time after all. Their gauze masks seemed ineffective as well; moreover, much of the sentry on deck was already unconscious. Fortunately, none of their lives were in danger.
“Third Master, what should we do? Should we lock down the ship’s hold?” his retainer asked.
The sentry guards stood on the front lines, while the archers were farthest back. Most likely, it wouldn’t be long before their archers fell prey to the poison as well. The only place to avoid the toxins was to go below decks and shut all the doors and windows until the fog lifted. But Baili Yuqi only punched his retainer for the suggestion.
“Scoundrel, we can’t fall back!”
Once they did, not only would Jun Yixie escape, it was possible that the enemy could ruin their ships as well!
The retainer rubbed his head. Despite his fear, he still asked, “Then what do we do now?” If they didn’t take cover and kept breathing in the fog, Heaven knows how many of them would fall unconscious, or for how long. It had to be said that poisons were a terrifying art, especially one as widespread as this fog. It had the power to cripple an entire army!
Baili Yuqi had no more ideas, either. He shot a look at the doctor on the side, who replied, “Third Master, judging from this subordinate’s observations, the fog isn’t fatal.” Doctor Li was quite prudent with his conclusion, but Doctor Chen was even firmer.
“As this subordinate sees it, this poison fog isn’t hypertoxic, nor does it affect every person! It’s very possible this is nothing but a bluff from our foes.”
“What do you mean by that?” Baili Yuqi asked hastily.
“Esteemed wangfei told us that the waters around Fishery Island are very particular. Sea winds and ocean currents alike can flow as they will, so it’s difficult for anyone to poison the air here. Even she herself wouldn’t be able to manage it. This subordinate surmises that the poison fog won’t last long and should disperse quickly. And judging from its current effets, we’ve had less than 10 victims fall prey to the fog, but they only turned unconscious. That’s why the fog doesn’t seem to be hypertoxic—at least, not enough to take a life,” Doctor Chen finished his explanation.
Baili Yuqi had his own thoughts on the matter, but Doctor Chen’s words cemented his convictions. He immediately issued orders. “Someone come, pass on my words. The poison fog isn’t fatal! It will disperse quickly, so don’t panic! Increase the men on guard and watch Fishery Island well!”
After steadying the soldiers’ morale and increasing their defenses, Baili Yuqi along descended into the ship’s hold. The main warship was home to a special branch of the naval forces—their mermaid soldiers! Though their numbers were scarce, they were amongst the true members of the Baili Navy and familiar with everything about the sea. They could even live freely in the ocean itself! As the honorable representatives of the Baili Clan, they were part of its most secret strength.
Baili Yuqi finished writing his missive and handed it over to a mermaid soldier with his instructions. “You must use the quickest speed to deliver this to our master!”
Their master was none other than His Highness Duke of Qin.
“Yes, sir!” the mermaid soldier obeyed before slipping into the sea.
The messenger eagle had failed to reach its mark, but there was still a path via the sea. It was likely the poisoner hadn’t foreseen this. The mermaid soldier quickly left Fishery Island behind and headed for Cloud Realm Continent. However, the situation looked pessimistic for the Baili Navy.
Doctor Chen’s diagnosis wasn’t completely accurate. The fog wasn’t fatal, but it lingered for a very long time. It had already been two hours since it first appeared. Many soldiers and archers had already fainted away, their numbers only increasing as the fog hung around. Although reinforcements were quickly sent in to replace the fallen, gaps in their numbers were unavoidable.