Zhuque City, one day driving.

It was just after Youshi, and the setting sun had not completely set over the city. The sky and the earth were dim and everything was hazy.

Zhang Anping didn't pick up a single customer today, and he didn't have any new coins in his pocket, so he ended the day's boring waiting early and returned the rented carriage to the backyard of the car dealership.

"Here, twenty cents, no more, no less."

With a distressed look on his face, he took out the coins from the bottom of his pocket and counted them one by one to the stable boy at the door. This was the lowest daily rent. If there was still fare money coming in, the dealer would get 90% of the money and he would get 10%.

Zhang Anping looked at the old man who was led into the stable. He was all skinny. He complained to the stable boy: "I said that the car dealership makes so much money every day, why don't we give the horses better food?"

The stable boy had a black mole on the corner of his mouth. When he spoke, his mole would move up and down. The stable boy pointed at the horse feed next to him and said, "It would be nice to have grain and grass to eat. If you want to rent it on your own daily, If your horse runs fast, how about if you pay an extra five cents a day and I will feed it soybean bran?"

Zhang Anping's brows were raised, his face could not be darker, and he said rudely: "Damn, the twenty cents I give you every day is still too little. I don't earn a penny today, but I give you twenty cents. What else do you want?" ?”

With that said, Zhang Anping rolled up his sleeves and wanted to step forward and beat someone.

"From now on, I will feed Lao Zhang's horse soybean bran."

Hou Yiyong's voice appeared next to the two of them.

The stable boy seemed to have seen his savior, and he shouted aggrievedly: "The shopkeeper!"

After Zhang Anping saw Hou Yiyong, he dropped his attitude of rushing forward to beat someone, put his hands together and bowed, and said, "Thank you so much, shopkeeper Hou, for your kindness."

"Old Zhang, I have a new bird's tongue here. Let's go to the front to taste it."

Hou Yiyong made an invitation gesture. Zhang Anping knew that he was a rough guy. Hou Yiyong probably came to him because he had something else to ask, so he didn't postpone it.

A sketch appeared on the table next to the teacup. After Hou Yiyong invited Zhang Anping to take a sip of tea, he asked straight to the point: "Old Zhang, have you seen this person before?"

Zhang Anping can tell from the portrait that the person in the portrait has a pair of imposing eyebrows tilted to both sides, a high nose, and a beard. He is probably in his thirties.

He closed his eyes and meditated. After searching in his mind for a while, he shook his head at Hou Yiyong and said, "I have never seen the shopkeeper."

This portrait was taken by Hou Yiyong from the foot of the bald eagle earlier. There was a letter from Tieguzhai. The letter told them what they encountered today and focused on describing a caravan they encountered. One of them was a man named Mu Qing. , his portrait was also drawn and sent to him for questioning.

"A caravan, very powerful people", Hou Yiyong's very keen intuition told him that the clues that his subordinates had broken off in Qingyun Street came back again, so the current scene happened.

When he saw Zhang Anping shaking his head in denial, he didn't feel disappointed. For him, who was already the spy chief, disguising himself was a very common thing.

So he took out another portrait with still wet ink and continued to ask Zhang Anping: "What about this one?"

This portrait was drawn out of thin air based on Lao Zhang's previous introduction about good scholars and the painting of Tieguzhai.

Zhang Anping looked steadily at the portrait that Hou Yiyong took out, and a person's face instantly appeared in his mind: the scholar who bought food and gave it away in Mudleg Alley a few days ago.

Many thoughts flashed through his heart quickly. He didn't know why Hou Yiyong was still looking for clues about the scholar. He felt vaguely sorry in his heart, so he said half-truthfully to Hou Yiyong: "It seems that I have seen him before." I can’t remember clearly either.”

Hou Yiyong looked unhappy and stared straight at Zhang Anping and said, "Old Zhang, I remember you said before that you will never forget the guests you have transported, right?"

He didn't give Zhang Anping any chance to explain, and said straight to the point: "Does this person look like the scholar you drove to Liuye Bookstore before?"

Zhang Anping nodded helplessly, and Hou Yiyong pursed his lips and smiled.

He handed Zhang Anping half a piece of broken silver, patted Zhang Anping on the shoulder and said, "Old Zhang, your memory has always been excellent!"

His voice lowered and he continued in a gloomy tone: "You may have guesses about some things, but it's best not to talk about them everywhere. Do you understand?"

Zhang Anping nodded, and was about to take the hush money from Hou Yiyong, but Hou Yiyong's hand paused, and he said with a warm smile on his face: "Old Zhang, don't get me wrong, this is not a hush money." Fei, this is the money my uncle gave to make new clothes for Ah Jiu, oh, Lao Zhang, your daughter is called Ah Jiu, right?"

Zhang Anping's arms were stiff, his teeth were clenched, and he nodded his neck very sourly, saying, "Yes, I thanked Uncle Hou on behalf of Ajiu."

After sending Zhang Anping away, Hou Yiyong stood alone in front of the table. The tea was cold, but his thoughts became warm: Since you can't catch up after others, why not let others jump in?

…

Outside the gate of Tieguzhai, charcoal is burning, green smoke fills the air, and the smell of plant ash is mixed with a special smell.

Mu Qing took the medicine bowl handed over by Cao Mo, took another sip, and tasted the medicines including hellebore, aconitum, licorice, etc. He didn't feel anything strange. In order to show his kindness, he smiled at Cao Mo. Mo said: "Mr. Cao, there is no need to do this again. There is still nothing wrong with the medicine this time."

"No problem, um, that's fine."

Cao Mo nodded and laughed inexplicably.

Mu Qing looked at the old man in front of him who was smiling a little strangely, and felt puzzled in his heart. He didn't know why the other man kept staring at him and couldn't move away.

He looked beyond Cao Mo in front of him and towards the iron pot.

All the surviving guards in the caravan were seen gathered around the iron pot, taking bowls and drinking the third dose of medicine.

Mu Qing was suddenly startled, his vision jumped, and his heart tightened at the same time. The group of people not far away had a double image. He shook his head heavily, and his vision became clearer.

The guards' medicine bowls fell to the ground and broke into pieces. Their faces were brighter and redder than the dancing firelight under the big iron pot, and blood flowed from their noses, eyes, and ears at the same time.

When Mu Qing shook his head vigorously, blinked and looked again, the group of people had already collapsed silently around the big iron pot.

At this time, a gust of wind passed by outside the village, and the crackling sound of burning wood and the shattering sound of the medicine bowl falling to the ground were intertwined, but there was no sound of human beings.

Looking around, the grooms who had not taken medicine also fell into the smoke at some point.

"you……"

A stream of heat flowed out silently from the nose orifices, stuck to the lips and seeped into the teeth. Mu Qing's seven orifices began to bleed.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Cao Mo's originally stooped body stood up straight. He, who was only one forehead shorter than Mu Qing, laughed loudly, as happy as a naughty child who had succeeded in his prank. Generally, only people who were about to die would have the chance to see him.

He put his hands behind his back, not thinking that any accidents would happen. He smiled and said to Mu Qing: "Young man, I have to admit that you are very talented in identifying medicines. Even I have a hard time distinguishing the ones that have been cooked." You can tell which medicines are in the medicine soup, but you can tell them."

"I was a little worried at first, but it turns out that my thoughts were unnecessary. What can you do if you can tell the difference? Aren't you poisoned?"

Cao Mo stood in front of Mu Qing, like a kind-hearted master teaching his disciples, and said, "These three medicines are all good medicines, but sometimes good medicines are not only bitter in taste, but can also kill people."

"Why?"

With different drops of blood, Mu Qing asked intermittently. Things can still turn around, but he still needs time!

Among the assassins of the same period in Hidden Valley, Mu Qing's pharmacist talent and level have never been on the same level as others.

While others were still tinkering with single-component venoms or poisons, he was already exploring compound poisons composed of different poisons, but he really didn't understand why all three medicines were good medicines but had life-threatening problems.

Cao Mo enjoyed the struggle on the dying man's face when he longed for the truth. He stroked his gray beard and answered like a preacher, "It actually takes a day for the pharmacological effects of a medicine to completely dissipate. You all drank the first medicine, and everyone who was injured drank the second medicine. But they are indeed tonics, but the third medicine is different. Although it is still a tonic, as long as you drink it, it doesn’t matter whether you drink it or not. The first dose of medicine or the second one will eventually turn into poison.”

"The Book of Ten Thousand Poisons" can be said to be a unique book. Cao Mo secretly felt proud that even though the boy in front of him was in his thirties, there was no way he could know its secrets.

Cao Mo enjoyed the feeling of being in control of the overall situation for a moment, and found that although the boy in front of him was still bleeding from all his orifices, he would not fall.

He frowned, looked at Mu Qing sideways like a bug, and said in a scornful tone: "What a pity, what a pity. It looks like you have to go to Grandpa Cao and I will personally send you on your way."

There was no wind at the hem of Cao Mo's clothes. He was so angry that his Dantian was filled with anger. With luck in his palms, he planned to crush Mu Qing's heart with one palm.

"go to hell!"

Mu Qing's body is where heaven and man are fighting, and the toxins haven't been completely digested by the special internal force. He staggers back, trying to dodge the palm, but he still can't use his physical skills. The speed of Cao Mo's palm is obviously faster than his Retreat quickly.

"Bang...puff..."

A mouthful of sweet blood sprayed on Mu Qing's face.

Liu Weirui, who was wearing a face covering, hugged him face to face and fell to the ground together. After rolling around for a few times, a mouthful of blood spurted out.

Liu Weirui noticed something was wrong with everyone earlier than Mu Qing. She was too exhausted today to drink the medicine Cao Mo prepared for everyone. When she discovered that the smoke rising from the bonfire was also poisonous, she immediately took out the face towel she had prepared and put it on. , so when Mu Qing's life hung in the balance, he blocked the blow that was about to directly shatter his heart.

"Hmph! My little girl is really in a hurry to be reincarnated, so I'll give you another ride!"

Cao Mo hooked his left foot and picked up a wooden branch beside the campfire. His internal energy was poured into the branch through his arm, and he gathered all his internal energy to shoot at the back of Liu Weirui's head, trying to shoot both of them directly.