The wooden doors of the abandoned granary had long since rotted away. Whenever the wind blew, they let out a creaking wail. The walls were covered in cobwebs and cracks, moldy grain sacks lay piled in the corners, and the air was thick with the stale, damp smell of decay.
Liu San crouched in the shadows deep within the granary, his black clothes blending into the surroundings. He raised a hand to wipe the dust from his face, his stream of curses never stopping.
"Sima Ling, you stinking bitch, have you gone mad?
You chased me for over a thousand li. Do you really think I'm so easy to bully?"
He kicked a broken wooden crate beside him, exposing several nail heads that glimmered blue at the bottom.
"I stole government military pay and killed soldiers who blocked my path. What the hell does that have to do with a General Banner Officer of the Imperial Guards like you?
You just have to hound me to the bitter end. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?
Push me too far, and I'll fight you to the death!"
As his words fell, a flash of viciousness crossed his eyes. He pulled a palm-sized wooden box from his robes. Inside, after opening it, were densely packed tiny copper tubes, their bodies carved with eerie patterns.
These were the Soul Chasing Poison Tubes he had kept at the bottom of his chest. They contained the Qianji Poison, deadly upon drawing blood. A single needle was enough to make a burly man breathe his last within half an hour.
Liu San had no intention of hiding in the granary for long.
He circled the granary three times, repeatedly inspecting the beams, cracks in the floor, and gaps between the moldy grain sacks. A