A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

There was still unmelted snow in the grass.

Gu Xixi lay there, feeling the chill creeping up her back, and the dry, hard grass tips stinging her cheeks.

Mu Nanzhao's low, husky voice echoed in my ear, "Don't move."

Although he was on top of her at that moment, he was only half-supporting himself and not pressed tightly against her.

Gu Xixi stood frozen, too afraid to move, as people occasionally darted past, skimming along the grass. The sounds of clashing weapons continued unabated in the distance.

After waiting for a while, there was finally no more movement of the enemy near the bushes.

Mu Nanzhao got up, glanced at the scene, grabbed Gu Xixi, and ran. "Don't look up, try to bend over, there are archers nearby."

Gu Xixi did as Mu Nanzhao said, her heart pounding wildly.

This was definitely a first for her.

The two ran in the opposite direction from where they had originally run, across the grass, and straight towards a poplar grove.

Gu Xixi was slightly out of breath and asked softly, "Didn't we say it's best not to be alone?"

"Are we getting further and further away from General Meng? Is that alright?"

Mu Nanzhao scanned his surroundings with eyes like a hawk, saying, "The other side has too many people, and they even brought archers."

"If everyone stays there, it's easier for the whole army to be wiped out. It's better to split up and run away, disrupting the enemy's plans."

Gu Xixi asked, "What if someone catches up to us?"

Mu Nanzhao suddenly stopped and darted behind a tree with Gu Xixi.

He stared into the darkness ahead, his eyes sharp. "A mere few men are much easier to deal with than a group of cavalry."

"Crouch down with your back against the tree trunk, and no matter what you hear, don't move."

Gu Xixi nodded and immediately did as instructed.

Then, in surprise, he watched as Mu Nanzhao slowly drew a slender, soft sword from his belt.

The blade is as thin as paper, and when fully extended, it is as long as an arm.

In the darkness ahead, five Northern soldiers drew closer and closer, gradually revealing their figures.

They were not on horseback, and each of them carried a weapon.

Gu Xixi hugged her small cloth bag tightly, not daring to look anymore.

But she could clearly feel the intimidating aura emanating from Mu Nanzhao, like a wild beast that could erupt at any moment.

"Since they've come after us, let's kill them all."

The soft sword pierced the air, emitting a bloodthirsty hum.

The Northern Li troops were greatly alarmed and hurriedly formed their battle formation to meet the attack.

Gu Xixi crouched behind the tree, listening intently to learn about the battle situation.

She was not skilled in martial arts, so all she could do in this situation was protect herself and not cause trouble for Mu Nanzhao.

After several rounds of clashing weapons, the first scream rang out.

Gu Xixi silently thought to herself, this is not Mu Nanzhao's voice, it must be him who has taken down one of the other party.

The moon tore through the clouds, and its light dispelled the darkness.

As the battle intensified, Gu Xixi suddenly heard a whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a feathered arrow flashing past her line of sight.

Gu Xixi was immediately alarmed when she remembered Mu Nanzhao saying that there were archers among the enemy.

It was already quite an achievement for Mu Nanzhao to fight five opponents alone.

Now, illuminated by moonlight, archers launch sneak attacks from afar.

Isn't this situation extremely unfavorable for Mu Nanzhao?

Gu Xixi no longer cared about obeying and hiding. She crouched down, turned her head, and peered forward against the tree trunk.

Two Beili soldiers lay on the ground, leaving three remaining to fight Mu Nanzhao.

The three attacked together, and Mu Nanzhao's soft sword was equally formidable, leaving a trail of blood wherever it was wielded.

Two more arrows came flying in quick succession.

Mu Nanzhao had clearly noticed the presence of the archers.

He kicked away a person in front of him and immediately blocked an arrow with his backhand, but he was still a little short of dodging it.

The arrow grazed his right arm, leaving a bloody mark.

Gu Xixi's heart sank. Oh no, he was injured.

When the Beili soldiers saw that Mu Nanzhao was injured, they focused their attacks on his right arm and became even more frenzied.

Mu Nanzhao's old wounds had just healed, and he still had some deadly poison in his body, so he was not suited for a prolonged battle.

He was clearly struggling; his previous attacks had turned into mostly defensive maneuvers.

Gu Xixi's heart was pounding in her throat. If this continued, she was definitely doomed!

She crouched back behind the tree, forcing herself to calm down and think things through.

What exactly?

With her abilities, what can she do now, and what should she do most...?

archers...

Oh, right, archers!

At this moment, the archers were in the shadows, while Mu Nanzhao was in the open.

Only by eliminating the archers can the situation be turned around.

Gu Xixi took out a rhombus-shaped bronze mirror from her cloth bag.

She had bought a small mirror, about the size of her palm, and kept it in her bag to tidy her appearance when she went out.

Gu Xixi aimed the mirror at the moon, adjusted the angle, and let the moonlight reflect on it.

Sure enough, a patch of light was successfully projected onto the tree trunk behind them.

At that moment, another arrow was shot out, and Gu Xixi seized the opportunity to reflect the moonlight in that direction.

By the grace of heaven, the silver arrowhead reflected a cold glint in the spotlight.

With only a split second to act, Gu Xixi could no longer hide herself and immediately shouted, "Mu Nanzhao, from the first angle due north-southwest, kill him!"

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Nanzhao had already pulled an arrow from the ground and thrown it with a backhand.

A muffled groan was heard, followed by the sound of someone falling to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, Mu Nanzhao swung his soft sword, and a soldier from the Northern Li tribe had his neck explode in a burst of blood.

Only two enemies remain on the field, one of whom is already injured.

The advantage has shifted back to Mu Nanzhao's side.

Gu Xixi was also surprised to find that the archer was hiding only seven or eight steps away from her.

Considering that it was still uncertain whether the person was truly dead or not, there were still variables at play.

She hesitated for a moment, then took out a packet of powder, opened it, held it in her palm, and slowly crawled over along the ground.

Thick, withered grass grew under a poplar tree.

Gu Xixi mustered her courage and approached. Suddenly, the bushes moved. Without thinking, she scattered all the powder far away.

At the same time, he lay down on the ground and covered his mouth and nose.

This was the first time she had concocted poison herself.

After examining the medicine, the old doctor said that the technique was excellent, the powder was fine and highly pure, and it would be effective whether taken orally or inhaled.

The moon disappeared behind the clouds again, and the surroundings became dark once more.

Gu Xixi lay quietly, her ears still perked up, listening intently to any sound.

First, the sound of someone collapsing and convulsing came from the bushes, followed by continuous retching sounds.

Gu Xixi carefully counted the steps in her mind. The first step was when her body stiffened and convulsed, and she couldn't move.

The second step is to vomit until you vomit blood.

The third step is death from excruciating abdominal pain...

She hadn't had the heart to experiment on living animals before, so this was a good opportunity to observe the drug's reaction.

The rustling sound of the withered grass grew increasingly intense.

Perhaps the person's body was convulsing more violently due to severe abdominal pain.

Gu Xixi was focused on waiting for the archers to be poisoned to death, forgetting to notice that the commotion outside the woods had subsided.

Mu Nanzhao dealt with all the Northern Li soldiers.

He drew his sword and walked toward the poplar tree where Gu Xixi had been hiding, but after thinking for a moment, he stopped.

The longsword shot out into the air, gave a powerful jolt, and the bloodstains were instantly cleaned away.

Ordinary people are not used to seeing blood, and he didn't want to see Gu Xixi's startled reaction.

But when Mu Nanzhao went around to the back of the tree, he found that there was no one there.