Chapter 093: Under Attack (Please Subscribe)

Of course. When the chance comes, I will introduce them to you. Speaking of which, my Tiger King has a foul temper too; he and the Fire King would be a perfect match.

Wu Qingluan ordered her attendants to fit the Fire King with the finest saddle. Once outfitted, he looked every inch the most magnificent warhorse, yet he remained as docile as a well-behaved child beside Fang Xian.

During the meal in the military tent, Fang Xian suggested several methods for training soldiers’ physical strength—push-ups, frog jumps, weighted cross-country runs, and the like. After hearing them, Wu Qingluan immediately had Wu Ji alter the training regimen and add these basic conditioning methods.

Though soldiers of this age generally practiced martial arts, most ordinary troops only learned the most common foundational techniques, leaving their roots shallow and unstable. Their physical conditioning was scarcely better than that of ordinary folk.

Training according to Fang Xian’s methods would not only strengthen the body but also stabilize the foundation, improving the strength of these common soldiers. With long-term practice, their combat effectiveness would rise markedly across the board.

“So Fang Xian also understands how to train troops? Truly remarkable,” Wu Ji flattered.

“It’s only because I’ve read a few more books. I’m merely talking theory from the page. Whether it works will still depend on the general observing and drawing conclusions during training,” Fang Xian said modestly.

“You needn’t be modest, Fang Xian. Aren’t you about to take the imperial examinations and aim for first place? There’s no need to fear them finding out,” Wu Qingluan said with a smile.

“Fang Xian is going to sit the examinations and seek first place?” Wu Ji asked in astonishment.

“You didn’t know? Fang Xian is a proper licentiate from Kaiyang Prefecture. He came to Wudu precisely to take the autumn examination half a month from now, and he is certain of winning first place,” Wu Qingluan revealed, earning a wave of admiration from the officers.

“As a gift for the princess giving me the Fire King, I shall give the princess something in return,” Fang Xian said on the way back, walking beside her. The Fire King, meanwhile, kept lowering his head to nuzzle with the little mare beside him from time to time, as though openly flirting.

“What sort of pill is this?” Wu Qingluan asked after taking the Blood Oath Pill Fang Xian handed her.

“This is a Blood Oath Pill I made. It can strengthen the bond between a person and a pet, allowing minds to connect as one, and it can also promote a pet’s evolution. You’ll need to soak it daily with a single drop of your blood for seven days, then let the pet take it,” Fang Xian explained its effects and use.

“Is a pill like this easy to make? If cavalry and their mounts could all establish such a bond, wouldn’t their battle strength soar?” Wu Qingluan asked.

“You’re thinking too much. Making one of these takes me half a month, and it requires a great deal of precious medicinal materials. It’s worth more than ten thousand taels of gold. Do you think something like this could be used to train ordinary cavalry?” Fang Xian said, giving her a sidelong glance.

“I was indeed thinking too much,” Wu Qingluan said with a laugh, though inwardly she was exceedingly happy. Such a priceless thing, and Fang Xian had given it to her without the slightest hesitation; that alone showed how important she was in his heart.

The two of them chatted and laughed all the way, and before long Wudu was drawing near. Suddenly, Fang Xian reined in the Fire King and brought the procession to a halt. Wu Qingluan also stopped and cast a wary glance around.

“Hmph. Trying poison tricks before me? If Qiu Qianqiu himself came, perhaps it would be another matter. You lot are not even worth my attention.”

Fang Xian suddenly spoke out in a loud voice. Then he shot up into the air and swept forward, flicking his sleeve to send out a burst of white mist that scattered over the surrounding trees and grass.

“So the number one divine physician really does live up to his fame. But medicine is not the same as poison. Tomorrow will be the day you are offered up as a sacrifice.”

As Fang Xian moved, a chilly, sinister voice rang out from within the surrounding woods. A dozen or so black-clad figures then emerged from the forest, waving their hands as they hurled all manner of poisons and venomous hidden weapons toward the group.

“Don’t reveal your cultivation yet. I’ll handle them.”

Just as Wu Qingluan was about to erupt, Fang Xian suddenly sent her a voice transmission. Then he appeared above the group and, with a sweep of his hand, caught every incoming poison and weapon.

“Take these pills. They can ward off most poisons.”

At the same time, Fang Xian produced some detoxifying pills and had Wu Qingluan distribute them among the personal guards. He then charged straight at the foremost enemy.

A cry rang out.

Fang Xian’s speed was swifter than lightning. Since the enemy’s poisons could not threaten him, every foe who came within his reach was cut down by a single sword strike. None of these opponents even had a first-rate expert among them.

“Kill them!”

By then, Wu Qingluan and the personal guards had already swallowed the detoxifying pills and surged into the fray with weapons in hand. With Fang Xian, the divine physician, at their side and most poisons rendered harmless, the guards fought with fearless ferocity, striking terror into the enemy. One after another, the attackers fell screaming to the ground.

“Retreat.”

Seeing that they could no longer threaten Fang Xian’s group, the hidden mastermind issued the order to withdraw. But the moment his voice rose in panic, Wu Qingluan had already swept past like a wisp of wind and closed in on him.

Whoosh.

It was an old man in a green robe, gaunt to the point of emaciation, his face black-green in color. Seeing someone streak toward him, he flung out a hand and released a foul-smelling cloud of black mist. It was an exceedingly toxic venom cloud, deadly enough to threaten a first-rate expert.

Yet Wu Qingluan was already a grandmaster of the transformed realm. She could restrain every trace of her aura, even down to her pores. Coupled with the detoxifying pill Fang Xian had given her, she had no fear of the poison mist at all. She plunged straight through it and drove her sword at the gaunt old man.

A cry of agony followed.

The gaunt old man was merely an ordinary first-rate expert. Though he held the rank of elder in the Five Poisons Sect, he had not mastered the sect master’s uniquely lethal poisons. Thus, Wu Qingluan’s sword pierced his heart.

By then, Fang Xian and the personal guards had finished off the remaining black-clad attackers and rushed over. Seeing Wu Qingluan emerge from the black mist, Fang Xian stepped forward, seized her wrist, and sent a surge of mysterious energy through her. Finding no sign that she had been poisoned, he finally relaxed.

“These are all disciples of the Five Poisons Sect. The leader is an elder,” Fang Xian said after examining the dead man’s identity.

“Some time ago, Royal Brother ordered the extermination of the Five Poisons Sect. He dispatched three grandmasters of the transformed realm and a large force from the Investigation Bureau. Their lair has already been destroyed, and only the sect master, Qiu Qianqiu, and a portion of their people escaped.

“They must have infiltrated the area around Wudu and begun retaliatory attacks. We need to hurry back at once, strengthen the guard at the clinic, and increase the effort to capture the remaining disciples of the Five Poisons Sect,” Wu Qingluan said with a nod.

“I previously prepared some antidote pills. Once we get back, I’ll distribute them to the personal guards. So long as the Five Poisons Sect’s toxins lose their effectiveness, they’ll be nothing but toothless tigers, there for us to butcher at will,” Fang Xian said.

Though he had no direct enmity with the Five Poisons Sect, Qingyun Fortress did. To eradicate the Five Poisons Sect in Wudu could also be counted as avenging the old fortress master’s grievance.

“Bastard. How could you ignore orders and go off on your own to assassinate the Grand Princess?” Inside the Ninth Prince’s manor, Wu Yuntian was venting his anger on Wang Yuanlang and the others.

“Your Highness, perhaps those men were blinded by hatred and went to assassinate the Grand Princess on their own. The surviving remnants of the Five Poisons Sect have already been hunted like homeless dogs. Qiu Qianqiu bringing them to hide near Wudu was never something they could conceal for long. Perhaps they simply wanted to vent their rage one last time,” Wang Yuanlang said.