Chapter 6 — Once I am reborn, I will not give him even a strand of hair

The man pulled out a short sword from behind his belt.

“General, there are only two hours left.”

“If you ask one more question, he will be one step closer to death.”

I took the fake jade block out of my sleeve and left a corner of the jade stick exposed under the light. The man's breathing immediately became visibly rapid.

"Set down."

“First tell me, who revealed the secret of the jade order.”

“Wait until the General stops breathing, you will automatically know.”

“Then I will wait for him to stop breathing.”

I withdrew my hand, turned around and walked straight out the door. Clearly the man did not expect me to be so decisive. The short sword cut through the wind and rushed forward, aiming straight at my back shoulder. Thach Thanh jumped down from the rafters, the heavy blade of the knife knocked the short knife out. The group of close guards waiting outside also rushed in at the same time, breaking open the pharmacy door. The man kicked the medicine counter over, the lamp fell to the ground, the flame immediately licked up the dried medicine drawers. Taking advantage of the rising dust and smoke, he rushed straight towards me, five fingers grabbing his sleeve. I had already prepared and immediately threw a handful of medicinal powder straight into his face. The man quickly closed his eyes, but his movements were still half a beat slow. The medicine powder went inside his nose and mouth. He staggered back, grabbed the medicine counter and coughed violently. Thach Thanh's sword was immediately close to his neck.

“Where is the antidote?”

The man gasped, suddenly gritting his teeth. I immediately took a step forward and squeezed his chin. A ball of black wax rolled down from under his tongue.

“Wanting to die... it's not that easy.”

I used silver needles to block two acupuncture points on his body, then yanked down the veil covering his face. The firelight immediately revealed a scarred face. Thach Thanh stared at that face, his expression suddenly changed.

“Ngo Thanh?”

“Didn't you die three years ago in Tay Canh?”

The man opened his red eyes filled with blood.

“Co Nghiem Hanh is not dead yet, why do I have to die?”

Thach Thanh tightened his grip on the knife's hilt a few more points. Ngo Thanh used to be a military doctor under Co Nghien Hanh. Three years ago, while escorting medicinal herbs to the front lines, he encountered an enemy attack. Seventeen people who were accompanying them all died in battle, their bodies burned beyond recognition. In the list of those who died, Ngo Thanh's name ranked first.

“Where did the Twelve Bone-Piercing Sutras come from?”

Ngo Thanh stared at me, the corner of his mouth slowly leaking blood.

“If only you could go back and ask your good husband.”

“The things he brought back from the Western Realm... are more than you think.”

“Who sent you to steal the jade order?”

Ngo Thanh just laughed. The fire along the medicine cabinet quickly spread, and burning pieces of wood continuously fell on the roof. Thach Thanh told the guards to escort people out, and personally escorted me back towards the store. When Ngo Thanh was dragged past the pharmacy counter, he suddenly used all his strength to crash into the wooden pillar next to him. A hidden door behind the pillar immediately opened with the sound of a collision. A strong stench arose from underground. Behind the underground door is no escape route. It's a stone staircase leading down to an underground bunker. Borrowing the firelight, I looked down. At the bottom of the step ladder, there are more than ten medicine boxes neatly arranged. Each box had a wax seal used to seal the military supplies of the General's palace. The outermost box has been opened. Inside was filled with black porcelain vases. Physician Zhang once said that the Twelve Bone Sutras only exist in ancient books. But the number of porcelain vases in front of me... At least enough to poison more than a thousand people to death. Ngo Thanh suddenly burst into laughter.

“Khuong Thanh Tu, do you really think he is just an ungrateful person?”

"If you open the innermost box, you will know why the old Khuong family collapsed in just one night."

At that moment, the beams of the house collapsed loudly. The fire carried broken pieces of wood down the door to the underground bunker. Thach Thanh pushed me out. And he himself was blocked by a falling crossbeam in the middle of a sea of fire. Taking advantage of the guards' panic, Ngo Thanh broke the rope and jumped straight into the underground bunker. Amid the billowing thick smoke. From underground came the dull sound of a moving organ. I turned my head and looked back. I just saw the deepest medicine box automatically crack open. Inside... There is no poison. But there was only one human head that was soaked red with blood. That person's head was more than half rotten, but in the middle of his hair was still a white jade hairpin. I recognize that brooch. It was the item my mother loved most during her lifetime. In the past, when the Khuong family encountered a great disaster, the bodies of both father and mother were not found. The government said the carriage they were riding in had fallen into the abyss, and the remains had long since been eaten by wild animals. I believed for seven long years.

“Madam, get out quickly!”

Thach Thanh stood on the other side of the sea of fire and called loudly. Heat from the underground tunnel rushed up the stone steps, each poison bottle exploded in succession. I used a wet towel to cover my mouth and nose and rushed straight towards the innermost medicine box.