In less than half an hour, Feng Hao returned.
He was panting hard, his eyes full of fear.
"What happened? Brother Feng Hao, where's the medicine chest?"
Shen Han hurriedly asked.
Feng Hao had gone back to get the medicine chest, but his back was still empty. He looked exactly as he had when he left.
"Senior Brother Shen, the Green Garment Gang wants to kill us!"
Feng Hao gasped, trembling.
"What!"
Shen Han paused in surprise. "Did the Returning Cloud Pill cause this?"
Feng Hao shook his head. "I don't know the exact reason either. I'd just returned to the side courtyard and was about to go inside when I saw that Young Gang Leader Cao Lin was already there. Cao Lin had brought five martial artists. The courtesan Guan Shu and those two women were there too."
"What did he say to Guan Shu?"
"Guan Shu said she'd tried everything, but still couldn't get you to drink the poisoned wine, Senior Brother Shen."
"That wine really was poisoned!"
Shen Han said coldly. "No wonder Guan Shu kept trying to get me to drink, time and again."
Feng Hao continued, "It wasn't just your cup, Senior Brother Shen. The wine those two women poured for me downstairs was poisoned too. Luckily, I didn't fall for it either."
Shen Han took a deep breath. "And then?"
"Cao Lin was furious and blamed Guan Shu," Feng Hao said. "Guan Shu didn't say a word.
"Then the martial artists Cao Lin had brought suggested that they catch up to us and kill us outright.
"Cao Lin disagreed. He said the best plan was still to have us die beneath a woman's pomegranate skirt."
Shen Han was speechless. "Those people will stop at nothing. They're born rotten!"
"Exactly."
Feng Hao said, deeply worried, "Cao Lin immediately ordered Guan Shu to keep using her charms after she returned to Three Rivers County, and poison the two of us with drugged wine."
"They won't stop until they get what they want!"
Shen Han snorted.
Feng Hao clenched his teeth. "After hearing that, how could I still dare to go back for the medicine chest? I hurried straight back to report to you, Senior Brother Shen."
Shen Han nodded. "I suspect the Green Garment Gang is worried we'll tell people about the Returning Cloud Pill. But now isn't the time to dwell on that. We're not completely out of danger yet. To avoid further complications, we have to get back to Three Rivers County tonight. Only then will we be relatively safe."
"Right!"
And so, the two hurried on their way.
Shen Han had already reached the Flesh Refining Realm, and his speed and stamina were countless times greater than Feng Hao's. But he couldn't run at full speed, since he still had to look after Feng Hao, an ordinary man.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a faint whistle cut through the air.
Shen Han turned his head.
A sharp arrow shot out of the darkness with terrifying force, heading straight for Feng Hao's forehead.
"Brother Feng Hao, watch out!"
"Huh?"
Feng Hao looked bewildered. He hadn't noticed the danger at all.
But when Shen Han suddenly shouted, he still instinctively dodged to the side.
Thwack!
The arrow missed his head and plunged into his chest.
"Argh..."
A tremendous force instantly sent Feng Hao flying. His body hurtled five or six zhang through the air, completely out of his control, before crashing into a large tree and finally coming to a stop.
"Pfft..."
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.
Clutching his chest, he writhed on the ground, in agony.
"Stay with me!"
Without hesitation, Shen Han rushed over and supported Feng Hao's badly wounded body.
"I... I..."
Feng Hao struggled to force out two words.
The next moment, his head lolled to one side, and he lost consciousness.
"He's not dead. He's still breathing..."
Shen Han checked Feng Hao's breath.
But the medicine chest wasn't with them, so he couldn't treat him with silver needles.
Who was the vicious archer?
Had Cao Lin already caught up with them?
Had they changed their minds and decided to strike tonight, killing the two of them?
"Hahaha!"
A boastful laugh drew closer from the distance.
Then, in the dark forest, the sound of more than ten horses galloping rang out.
"The Young Gang Leader's strength is incredible!"
"With the Young Gang Leader here, our Black Dragon Gang is invincible!"
"Young Gang Leader, you just shot someone dead. Should I go take care of the aftermath?"
"No need!"
The man who had laughed moments ago shouted, "I, Du Chong, killed someone. So what? What's there to take care of?
"An ordinary man dying at my hands should count himself lucky!
"Come on. We have more important business tonight. By tomorrow morning, I, Du Chong, will be famous!"
Neigh!
The horses swept past, ten zhang away.
Before long, they vanished into the darkness without a trace.
"So they're from the Black Dragon Gang, and their leader is the Young Gang Leader. I wonder what they're heading to Stone Ox Town for. Never mind. Saving Brother Feng Hao comes first..."
Holding Feng Hao, Shen Han found a secluded cave in the mountain.
He laid Feng Hao down and built a fire.
"The arrow is poisoned!"
By the firelight, Shen Han immediately realized something was wrong.
Feng Hao's face had already turned purple.
The blood seeping from his chest was gradually turning black.
"This is troublesome..."
Shen Han gently pulled out the arrowhead.
The arrowhead had barbs, and Feng Hao cried out in pain several times before fainting again.
"If I had silver needles, I could seal his meridians and stop the poison from spreading. But right now, I can only use massage to slow the poison's effects."
Shen Han furrowed his brows and used his consummate medical skills to massage Feng Hao's chest, slowing his breathing and stopping the bleeding.
Soon, Feng Hao's breathing became steady again.
But with the poison already spreading, he couldn't wake up for the time being.
Shen Han moved the fire a little farther away and muttered to himself, "This won't do. There's no medicine here.
"If he doesn't take an antidote, Feng Hao may not last until dawn.
"No matter what, I have to take a risk!"
He made up his mind in an instant.
The side courtyard in Stone Ox Town was right next door to a medicine shop. It must have closed for the night by now, but he decided to go there anyway and find a way to buy herbs to brew for Feng Hao.
"Brother Feng Hao, hang in there."
Shen Han stepped out of the cave, took the Human Skin Mask from the bronze mirror, and put it on.
In an instant, he became an ugly, middle-aged man once more.
Since he was alone, he could use his inner strength to run at full speed as he pleased.
The few miles didn't take him long.
"I'm here!"
After several turns, Shen Han quietly arrived outside the side courtyard.
Just as he'd expected, the medicine shop next door had already closed for the night.
"Hm? Those dozen or so horses?"
A dozen fine horses were tied beside the side courtyard's outer wall, their hooves stamping restlessly as their heads jostled together.
Could they belong to the Black Dragon Gang's Young Gang Leader and his men?
Shen Han stayed alert.
With a ghostlike flicker, he quickly climbed a locust tree outside the courtyard wall and concealed himself among the leaves.
From the tree, he had a clear view of everything inside the side courtyard.
At that moment, the courtesan Guan Shu was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard. Two groups of people stood facing each other, weapons at the ready.
One side was naturally the Green Garment Gang. Their leader, dressed in fine clothes, was none other than Young Gang Leader Cao Lin.
The other side was dressed all in black.
Shen Han remembered those clothes well. They were the Black Dragon Gang's uniform. The last time Protector Cai Long of the Black Dragon Gang had come to the clinic to collect protection money, he'd worn that same black outfit.
The Black Dragon Gang's leader was young. He stood smiling at Cao Lin, who was right in front of him.
The atmosphere in the courtyard was exceedingly strange.
Before you continue