Scientific Travel

"Are you planning to get me drunk so you can leave?" The county magistrate asked with a mocking smile, his eyes fixed on Wang Moyu, not missing a single expression on her face.

Wang Moyu looked surprised and said, "Why would you think that about me? Didn't we agree to choose Wang Xi only when there was really no one else? Then why are we in such a hurry to leave?"

The county magistrate didn't notice anything amiss in his mood, and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, saying, "Just kidding, don't take it seriously."

Although Wang Moyu didn't show it on her face, her heart was churning like a giant wave at sea.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. The county magistrate glanced at the empty cup, then looked at the wine jar. Wang Moyu understood her meaning and quickly poured her another cup of wine.

Although this wine has a sweet taste, like a fruit drink, it is indeed a strong liquor.

Even the person with the best alcohol tolerance can't drink three bowls.

But the county magistrate now drinks from a teacup; it takes three or four cups to equal one bowl.

The county magistrate did not rush to drink the wine, but sipped it slowly.

Wang Moyu was extremely anxious. The people she had found were just ordinary people. Even if they were willing to risk everything to go against the government for a meal, there was still a limit.

Once you see blood, that's about the right amount of blood.

If we wait until that point, then we can forget about leaving today.

The county magistrate drank only a third of the wine in his teacup before stopping.

There are some things that don't need to be said between husband and wife, but the other person will know. When Wang Moyu was serving as the magistrate of Guan County, Li Pingyue was preparing snacks to go with the wine.

By the time the county magistrate stopped touching his teacup, the appetizers were ready.

To make the food more palatable with alcohol, Li Pingle deliberately added extra salt and cooked dishes that were heavy on oil and spice.

Although it's high in salt, it doesn't taste overly salty; rather, the flavor is just right, as if this dish was meant to be made this way.

When the county magistrate saw the table full of dishes, he immediately understood the other party's intention.

But she didn't say it aloud; instead, she went along with the other person's suggestion and drank three more glasses of wine.

He had already drunk almost two bowls of wine, and the county magistrate's face was flushed, as if he had drunk too much.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Wang Moyu immediately smashed the bowl beside him and used the broken porcelain shards to hold the county magistrate hostage.

Others might not know, but Wang Moyu knew very well that the county magistrate was skilled in martial arts, and not just any ordinary martial arts. At least for now, Wang Moyu was absolutely no match for her.

"What are you doing?" The county magistrate's face turned cold, and even the blush on his face seemed to fade a little.

Wang Moyu forced the county magistrate to stand up and whispered in her ear, "I just want to spare my daughter's life. Don't worry, all I need is for you to let us out of the city. I will never harm you."

"Heh." The county magistrate showed no fear and chuckled softly, "Why go to such lengths to save her? If you stay, I can let her go."

This statement contained a lot of information. Before Wang Moyu could analyze it, the people outside had already sensed something was wrong and kicked the door open.

"Don't move! If anyone dares to move, I'll kill her right now!"

Wang Moyu exerted force with his wrist, and a bead of blood immediately appeared on the county magistrate's neck.

Seeing that the county magistrate had been coerced, the private soldiers dared not move.

"Everyone stand back!"

Li Pingle carried Wang Xi and followed behind Wang Moyu.

The method was indeed effective. The group boarded the carriage, which had double doors, one at the front and one at the back.

The back door was not closed, and Wang Moyu and the county magistrate sat at the very back to ensure that those people could always see them.

The county magistrate didn't say a word throughout the entire process, as if he didn't care about his own life or death.

After getting into the carriage, Wang Moyu did not relax at all, and had Li Pingle tie the county magistrate's hands behind his back with a rope.

"Aren't you afraid?" Wang Moyu's hand still held the broken porcelain shards firmly against the county magistrate's neck, and blood was already flowing down.

"Why are you afraid? Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?"

"You actually believe me."

The county magistrate didn't say anything more and simply closed his eyes to rest.

The journey was unusually quiet; none of the four spoke again. Although Wang Xi pretended to be strong on the surface, she was actually terrified. Her fear did not lessen in the slightest until they reached the city gate.

Now that we have the county magistrate as a hostage, there's no need to sneak away; we can simply leave through the main gate.

"Who's in the car? Get out and get checked."

The guards were all standing in front of the carriage, so naturally no one saw the county magistrate behind the carriage.

Wang Moyu called out, "Come to the back of the carriage, I'm ready for inspection."

"Who do you think you are..." Before he could finish speaking, the soldier saw the county magistrate being held hostage.

"You...you...you..."

"What? Do you have the qualifications now?"

Wang Moyu tightened his grip, and fresh blood flowed again onto the dried bloodstains. No one could remain unafraid with a knife to their throat, let alone when blood had already been drawn. The county magistrate, somewhat frightened, hurriedly ordered, "Open the city gates."

She wouldn't lose face, and despite her inner fear, you couldn't tell from her voice.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers quickly signaled to a few men to open the city gate, acting swiftly for fear that the county magistrate would be lost if they were even slightly slow.

"Can you let me go now?" The county magistrate asked as soon as the carriage passed the city gate.

"Of course not."

"you!"

"What's the rush?" Wang Moyu held a knife to the county magistrate's neck with his right hand, while his left index and middle fingers held a small pill between them. He used the other three fingers to pinch her cheek, forcing her to open her mouth and feeding her the pill. "This is a muscle-relaxing powder. Its effects will naturally wear off in four hours."

The pill melted instantly in his mouth; before the county magistrate could even react, it had already dissolved in his oral cavity.

Seeing that the medicine had been ingested, Wang Moyu relaxed a bit and removed the knife from the county magistrate's neck.

"Since you're going to feed me medicine, why not just put it in my wine? It tastes awfully bitter this way." The county magistrate smacked his lips twice, revealing a dissatisfied expression.

"This medicine is black, and the wine is colorless. If you really put it in the wine, what's the difference between that and putting mud balls in it?"

“That makes sense.” The county magistrate showed no awareness of being a hostage, leaning against the carriage as if he could fall asleep on the spot.

Wang Moyu patted the county magistrate's leg and said speechlessly, "You're not safe yet. Isn't it a bit too early to relax?"

"Then..." The county magistrate suddenly moved closer to Wang Moyu, so close that they could feel each other's breath. "Will you hurt me?"

Wang Moyu smiled, the years having left their mark on her face, but not in the slightest, but rather adding to her charm. Wang Moyu swiftly drew her knife, the tip pressed precisely against the bloodstain.

"Tsk, you really are heartless."

The medicine took effect quickly, so the county magistrate simply relaxed and slumped down opposite Wang Moyu.

Seeing that the county magistrate had sat back down, Wang Moyu withdrew the knife from her neck, but the corner of her mouth remained upturned.

"What? Don't you want to know the answer?"

The county magistrate smiled broadly, his eyes narrowing into two crescent moons. "If the answer isn't what I want to hear, then sister, you'd better not say anything more."

"Whoa." Li Pingle, who was sitting in front driving the carriage, immediately stopped the horse when he saw the people in front of him.

Wang Moyu lifted the curtain in front of her and looked outside.

There were at least thirty people in front of them, and each of them was riding a horse; they didn't look like easy targets.

Wang Moyu grabbed the county magistrate by the collar and said angrily, "Did you bring those people here too? You're quite the schemer, magistrate."

"Who is it?" The county magistrate looked blank, as if he really didn't know, and it didn't seem like he was faking it.

Wang Moyu didn't believe that this matter had nothing to do with her. He threw her in front of the carriage and pulled back the curtain: "There are only a handful of people in the whole city who can afford to support so many people and horses. Besides you, who else would send so many people to surround us from so far away?"

"I really didn't know. I didn't even expect you to kidnap me in the first place, how could you possibly have thought of sending people to guard this place?" The county magistrate carefully looked at the people outside the carriage and said, "These people look like bandits."

“What she said is probably true.” Li Pingle’s voice came from outside the carriage. “Judging from the way these people act, they are most likely bandits. Don’t go out, I’ll negotiate.”

Li Pingle got off the carriage and walked to a distance of 500 meters from the bandits, making sure they could hear him clearly.

"I'm leaving the city to take my family to live with distant relatives. We don't have much money at home. I'll give you all the money I have on me. Can you let us go?"

The bandit leader looked robust, with a wheatish complexion that made his teeth appear very white. "How much?"

"15 silver coins and 43 copper coins." At this point, you can't say you have too much money. If you say too much, the other party will easily take notice, and even if you give it all to them, you won't be able to leave.

But it couldn't be too little, or the other party wouldn't believe it. Li Pingle's clothes were very ordinary, making him look like someone who could only scrape together this much money.