Chapter 253 The Luminous Lake
The congee was toxic?
Qin Yunuan looked at the porridge naturally. She had drunken most of the porridge. Leng Changxi got nervous and held the pulse of Qin Yunuan more tightly. Among all people here, there were only Cha and Qin Yunuan who drank the porridge, and the other people were fine. Lu Wuyi frowned and treated A Mo. He finally concluded that there was virulent gelsemium elegan in the porridge. Only a small amount could make people die in a short time.
Suddenly, Leng Changxi felt a quiver in his heart heavily. He wanted to summon Lu Wuyi to treat Qin Yunuan, but Qin Yunuan stopped him.
“Did you feel anything abnormal about my pulse just now?”
Leng Changxi calmed down. He pondered clearly and said, “Nothing abnormal. Your pulse is stable and strong.”
“Cha and I drunk the porridge. Cha gets some trouble, but I am fine. There are only two possibilities. Someone wanted to hurt Cha and added poison into his porridge, or he just directed the whole thing by himself because he wanted to hurt other people. Changxi, what’s your opinion? Which one is more possible?” Qin Yunuan smiled with her shining and wise eyes.
Leng Changxi was afraid that Qin Yunuan got hungry. He stayed near the pot early and served her a bowl of porridge. Everybody did not know that Madam Tuoba had drunken the porridge first and thought it was Cha who drunk the porridge first. When everybody was warning the danger mutually, Qin Yunuan had poured the porridge on her hands away on the big stone behind her secretly.
“What happened?” Leng Changxi carried the long spear on his back sideways casually and finally found the abnormal condition here.
Even Wanyan Su became so astonished. He had never thought that there was gelsemium elegan in their short food.
“Somebody got poisoned.” Wanyan Su straightened up his body. He got pale recently and looked so worried, “After a preliminary check, the porridge is toxic. I have ordered people to pour all the porridge. Doctor Lu is checking the horsemeat and rice. I hope the other food will be clear.”
At the same time, three to four soldiers tried to lift Cha to a cool place for rest. Lu Wuyi had acupunctured him and required to find a lee place for him. Cha was so tall and robust that three to four soldiers could not lift him up. Leng Changxi came here and called, “Young Master Tuoba, please help us. We can’t lift Cha up. You were born with superhuman strength and even can hold the super heavy long spear. You must have the ability to lift it easily.”
The soldiers seemed to provoke Leng Changxi or asked him for help. People around Cha heard their words, and all consciously gave a way to him.
Leng Changxi put away his long spear on his back. It was a good touch for the black boot to tread on the wet and soft dirt after raining. He walked slowly and glimpsed at Cha lying on the ground.
“Look, Young Master Tuoba, over there. You just put Cha into that cool place.” Looking along with the soldier’s hand, Leng Changxi found that it was the back of a very secluded hill, where everyone camped.
“OK.” Leng Changxi smiled and reached his hands to drag the belt of Cha. He concentrated and hoisted Cha over his head easily. He put Cha on his shoulder and walked towards the hill. On his way, he found that there were fewer and fewer people. Leng Changxi put Cha down slowly until he reached the secluded hillside. He suddenly said unkind words, “I feel so strange that they should find a place with many people so they can look after you at any time if you feel sick. But they still chose such a cool place.”
Having heard the words, Cha on the back of Leng Changxi suddenly opened one of his eyes. The bright eye was like a polished bronze mirror. He jumped from Leng Changxi. He was about to drag the collar of Leng Changxi and lectured Leng Changxi. But with several light sounds, Leng Changxi suddenly exerted his strength and dragged Cha onto the ground. He used his arms to press Cha’s body so as to keep him the posture of creeping. At the same time, Leng Changxi observed the surrounding prudently. There were two short upright arrows with special patterns on the moist dirt. The top of the arrows was weirdly red, which seemed to be a kind of unique mark.
If Leng Changxi had not pressed Cha down, the two short arrows would have hit the heart of Cha instead of the ground. Cha checked the depth of the shot arrows in the dirt and estimated that the top of the arrow would go inside the body completely. Leng Changxi still saved Cha in such an emergent situation even if he knew that Cha would hurt him.
Leng Changxi had no intention to observe the inside thinking of Cha but observed clearly the circumstance around. He suddenly noticed that the bush three meters away moved, and then he was about to chase it but found the brown bush had been gone.
Leng Changxi had guessed that that was the mysterious tribe that was protecting Yeren Valley. They wore clothes whose color was similar to the bush in order to hide themselves and catch and kill prey. This was good news that could prove that Qin Yunuan’s guess was right. But it might be bad news because it could prove that in such massive woods, a flock of people was monitoring this troop silently and attempted to kill them.
The person only shot two short arrows and then left quickly, who might go back to report. Given this situation, Leng Changxi decided to negotiate with Wanyan Su and advised that they should leave this place at night.
Leng Changxi was about to leave, but Cha beside suddenly held the leg of Leng Changxi and said sincerely, “Thanks for saving me, Young Master Tuoba. I am unable to pay back.”
Leng Changxi lowered his head to glimpse at Cha. This man from North Di was not too malicious but more impatient. Though he was good at skills, he always brawled. Leng Changxi disliked that. And he had seen that Cha pushed out the soldier who was besieged and attacked by leeches.
Cha thought Leng Changxi did not hear his words, and then shouted more loudly, “I will do everything for you to pay back your kindness.”
“No need to do that,” Leng Changxi moved his legs which were held by Cha tightly, “You let me go, and then you pay back my kindness.”
Cha got stunned and let him go. Leng Changxi walked towards the campfire quickly. Wanyan Su, beside the campfire, was serving Suya a bowl of soup which was just boiled. Qin Yunuan was sitting beside to keep her warm. Wanyan Su stood up unconsciously when he saw Leng Changxi was approaching quickly.
“How about Cha?” Wanyan Su asked, “Young Master Tuoba, thanks. You’ve had a long journey.”
“I am just pretending,” Leng Changxi told Wanyan Su what happened there briefly and said seriously, “Prince, we should leave at once.”
Having heard Leng Changxi’s explanation, Wanyan Su frowned again. He seemed to be always frowning after he entered Yeren Valley.
“The local tribe is familiar with the local terrain and weather. They were likely to attack us under the dark night fog. We have to be aware of this.”
“Even so,” Wanyan Su was a little bit hesitant, “But marching at night is not a wise strategy in military actions. And we do not know the right way to continue for the rest of our journey. Madam Tuoba only put the first and the fourth map together. The route in the middle is the key.” Wanyan Su always considered many things.
Leng Changxi looked at Qin Yunuan. Their eyes’ contact showed that they were negotiating.
“Actually, maybe not,” Qin Yunuan said suddenly, “I have compared the rest of two maps. We should choose the right or left way when we arrive at Yingguang Lake, which is flat and wide with sufficient water. We can stay there and plan the next journey tomorrow.”
When they were talking, the wind was blowing the woods with noises. They felt that someone was approaching slowly. Even the sound of squirrel moves was like a people treading on deadwood very much.
Leng Changxi looked at Wanyan Su with determined eyes. After a while, Wanyan Su ordered decisively, “Everybody takes down the camps. We continue to march at night.”
The potful of porridge was discarded away due to the prank played by Cha. People here had some complaints because they had not taken this potful of soup fully. This time, Cha behaved himself and walked in front of the troop patiently. He even comforted those exhausted soldiers together with his followers.
Qin Yunuan felt surprised at the change of Cha. She approached Leng Changxi and asked secretly, “What did you do to that man?”
“I have no idea,” Leng Changxi pouted and said innocently, “Maybe his head was ever kicked by a donkey.”
A donkey? In such a secluded mountain?
It was dark. There was only a lonely row of long troop marching slowly. For going across Yixiantian, Wanyan Su ordered all his subordinates to throw away many torches. Now they just used little grease from horsemeat to smear onto the thick sticks with rags as torches. Leng Changxi was walking in the front, and Wanyan Su, like all people, was waking.
In the distance, glowing blue ripples were found. And they seemed to sniff the smell of water when approaching.
That was Yingguang Lake.
Yingguang Lake was famous for the unite microorganisms in the lake. Each night, those microorganisms would glow with blue, gloomy and mysterious lights. From a distance, they were like a dark blue jewel in a fairyland.
“We are at Yingguang Lake!” The scout who waked in the front waved the flag to the troop behind. People behind cheered up immediately because Wanyan Su had said that they could have a rest when they arrived at Yingguang Lake.
“Wait.” Leng Changxi suddenly made a gesture of silence. Everybody held his breath. Cha even kept the silence in the back, and even the scout in the front was still.
The air seemed to be frozen. Everybody was waiting for the indication from Leng Changxi. Leng Changxi had become the leader of the troop of 160 people somehow.
“Get out!” Leng Changxi suddenly took a big step forwardly and took out the long spear behind to poke toward another side of the hillside heavily.