Seventh jar catches turtle

  Taking advantage of the twilight shining through the stone crevice, Xiaowu discovered that inside was actually a different world. On a natural stone platform were placed several earthen jars, in one corner was piled a heap of firewood, and in another corner was spread a thick layer of straw, scattered with several animal hides. In the middle of the empty space in the stone cave, there was also a simple stove made of stone blocks, inside which still remained black wood ash. It was clear that someone had lived here before, possibly a hideout for an assassin on their journey.

  Xiao Wu laid the assassin down on the thatch, feeling his pulse, which was still steady, and slightly relieved. He then helped Han Jiu'er sit down, covering her with several animal hides. Seeing that she was still shivering with cold, her usually chatty mouth tightly pursed, he felt a pang in his heart and hurriedly busied himself.

  Honestly, no nonsense! Xiao Wu put down his bow and arrow, first opening the earthen jar to check. Inside, there was water, rice, salt, and a jar of braised pork, everything needed for eating and drinking, but he didn't find the most important thing.

  Qing Fei got up, Xiao Wu frowned and turned to search the assassin who was still unconscious. He bent down and searched his body, but only found a deerskin waist pouch on him. When he poured out its contents onto the ground, several objects fell out.

  Wu found the thing he needed most at the moment - a lighter. If there was no fire, it would be difficult to get through the night. His gaze was again attracted by a wooden tube, which he clearly remembered seeing somewhere before, but couldn't think of where for the time being. There were also a silver plaque and a feather, with unfamiliar characters engraved on the plaque, and the color of the feather was somewhat strange, with a circle of snow white in the middle and dark blue on the outside, it was unknown what kind of bird it was from.

  Xiao Wu's heart suddenly moved, and he carefully searched his waist pouch again, but ultimately let out a disappointed sigh, unable to find anything like an antidote. After all, he was a decent person, and he didn't take advantage of the assassin's unconsciousness to lift up his headscarf and take a look. Instead, he put everything back in his waist pouch, leaving only the fire starter behind.

  Xiao Wu first started a fire for Han Jiu'er to warm her up, then mixed rice, meat and water in a clay pot, added some salt, and lit the stove to cook it, very efficiently. As a poor man's child, he had to take care of the household chores early on, and being naturally filial, he learned to do them quickly to help his parents.

  Han Jiuer leaned against the fire heap, his body gradually warming up. Although he didn't know that he had been poisoned severely, he also felt that something was wrong: "Fifth Brother, is our family going to die?"

  "Silly girl, don't think nonsense..." At this moment, Xiao Wu had completely forgotten Han Jiu'er's identity and treated her as a younger sister. He was not good at speaking, wanting to say some comforting words but didn't know how to say them, so he simply lowered his head to add firewood and stir the fire.

  It's already dark outside, and the distant howls of wild beasts can be faintly heard, as well as the sharp cries of some nocturnal bird, accompanied by the whistling of the mountain wind, which sounds like someone crying.

  "Brother Five, I'm so scared..." The girl was already timid and suspicious, and Han Jiu'er was no exception, shrinking her body.

  "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! General Fei is here, what evil spirits and monsters dare to come?" Xiaowu squeezed out a sentence of cute words.

  "General Fei, why do you value this little woman so much that you would risk your life to chase after her?" Han Jiu'er couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile, and her originally pale face was lit up by the flickering flames, revealing an unusual charm.

  "I...". Xiao Wu was suddenly at a loss for words, only feeling a surge of emotions in his chest that he had never experienced before in his life, not even towards the women in his household. He didn't know how to express it, just as the lid of the pot started to emit hot steam, and he hastily changed the subject, "Dinner's ready!"

  Han Jiuer's bright eyes were like water, gazing thoughtfully at the robust back of Xiao Wu, whose originally rosy cheeks now clearly showed a circle of blush.

  Xiao Wu's craftsmanship is not bad, as soon as the lid is opened, the aroma overflows, and the millet porridge with meat is already cooked. There are no bowls or chopsticks in the cave, only a wooden spoon can be found, and food can only be scooped from the clay pot.

  She was the first to eat, but she had no appetite and couldn't help eating a few mouthfuls. She then lost her appetite and pushed the clay pot to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu knew it was poisoned and picked up the clay pot, eating half of it hastily before turning his attention to the assassin.

  The assassin's hand still held the poisonous knife tightly, Xiaowu was furious, stepped forward and snatched it away, throwing it far to one side. At the same time, he noticed that the assassin wore a shiny jade ring on his thumb, obviously also an expert archer. He also discovered that his arms were unusually long, which was indeed the innate talent of a divine archer.

  "Ahh..." The assassin suddenly let out a loud cry, startling himself awake. He lay on the straw mat, waving his arms and legs wildly, shouting out a string of strange words that made no sense.

  "Brave warrior! Brave warrior?" Xiao Wu was startled, seeing that the assassin seemed somewhat disoriented, and hastily used his hand to feel his head, indeed he had a fever, which must have been brought on by the arrow wound.

  "Second Brother, what's wrong with him?" Han Jiu'er looked at the assassin's appearance and was also somewhat frightened, moving away to the other side.

  "We have to get the arrow out." Little Wu's eyes were filled with anxiety. He had learned some basic first aid skills from his master, and he knew that when an arrow enters the body, it can't be pulled out immediately unless there are conditions for treatment, otherwise it will cause the injured person to bleed to death. However, his master also said that if the injured person develops a fever, they must quickly remove the arrow, or else the injury will become serious and untreatable.

  Are there any medical conditions in this cave? Xiao Wu looked around the simple four walls again, took a look at the feverish assassin, and then looked at Han Jiu'er who was still cold, with conflicting emotions in his heart.

  Since the assassins have done this, it's better to take Han Jiu'er back and find the messenger team to seek help from the Liao people. Maybe they can detoxify. Xiaowu thought for a moment and shook his head again. If the assassins dare to use this poison to assassinate the Emperor of Liao, it's unlikely that the Liao people can detoxify either.

  Now that it's come to this, we can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive and save one person as if saving two. Xiaowu's jaw clicked, his cheek muscles twitched, this was his habitual expression when making difficult decisions, he said in a low voice: "Xiaojiu, turn your face away."

  Han Jiuer had already taken Xiao Wu as the most trustworthy person and didn't ask why, obediently turning around.

  Xiao Wu didn't want the girl to see blood, so he went forward and slapped the assassin's neck with his palm, knocking him unconscious. He pulled out a dagger from his waist and carefully cut open the deerskin on the assassin's shoulder, revealing a white birch arrow shaft inserted into the assassin's dark copper-colored skin, the lower part of which had been soaked in fresh blood and turned blackish-purple.

  This kind of arrow wound is the most difficult to treat, as the arrowhead is still inside the body and can only be pulled out backwards. Originally, the injury inside the body had been sealed by the arrow shaft, but once the arrowhead turns back, it will split open again, and if there is a large amount of bleeding, it will be impossible to save the person's life.

  Xiao Wu didn't dare to think too much, and first stabbed the dagger into the fire heap. Then he used a pot lid to scoop out the unburned wood ash from under the stone stove, brought it over, and knelt down on one knee. He grasped the spindle-shaped arrow feathers with both hands, shook slightly for a moment, then steadied himself, and suddenly exerted force, pulling out the front half of the arrow from the assassin's body.

  The assassin, though in a coma, his body suddenly convulsed, and a stream of blood spurted out. Xiaowu's movements were as swift as lightning, and he immediately sealed the wound with the scorching hot dagger. Instantly, a smell of charred flesh filled the cave, and then he poured an entire can of wood ash onto the wound. Whether the bleeding could be stopped depended on this one move.

  Xiao Wu watched intently for a long time, then let out a sigh of relief as the bleeding stopped. He wiped his forehead and only then realized it was covered in sweat. Looking again at the arrowhead that had been pulled out, he saw that it was a small rhombus-shaped tip. This type of rhombus-shaped tip arrow was sharp and fast, with a small striking surface and strong penetrating power, specifically designed to counter cavalry or armored troops. Fortunately, it was this type of arrow; if it had been the kind with a large cutting surface and broad blade, the assassin would not have been so lucky.

  "Brother Wu, is it over?" Han Jiu'er asked timidly.

  "It's alright, it's alright." Little Wu cut off a corner of his white robe to bandage the assassin.

  "Eldest brother, I'm exhausted." The poor little girl couldn't help but feel tired, having been jostled about on horseback for half a day, and with all the shocks and scares, she had also been poisoned by some kind of toxin. She had never suffered so much in her life.

  The cave finally quieted down, the thatched floor was laid out, Han Jiu'er lay on one side close to the fire pit, the assassin lay on the other side, and Xiao Wu leaned against the entrance of the cave with an iron spear, watching over the fire.

  The mountain night was cold, and Xiao Wu couldn't bear it either. He went out of the cave to check on the horses, then returned to add some firewood. Seeing Han Jiu'er sleeping soundly, he sat down by the fire with his gun, feeling warm and cozy. This half-day had been quite unbearable, and fatigue and drowsiness took turns attacking him, gradually lulling him into a dreamland.

  In a daze, Xiao Wu seemed to have returned to the day he married into the Hun family. He wore a red silk shirt, a black hat on his head, holding a birch tube in his hand, and wearing black boots on his feet. On his chest hung a "same heart knot" woven with red and green silk threads, walking backwards. The bride was covered with a red veil, hanging the same heart knot on her hand, being led by him into the main hall. Under the joyful gaze of relatives and friends from both sides, he slowly lifted the red veil with a scale bar, revealing a stunning face under the seven-color cloud crown, the bride lowered her eyebrows and smiled shyly: "Fifth brother..."

  " Ninth Sister?" Xiao Wu was shocked and lost color, how did the bride turn into Han Jiuer, just then, outside sounded horse neighing...

  Xiao Wu suddenly opened his eyes, feeling a chill run down his body. He realized that the fire had gone out and a ray of sunlight was shining at the entrance of the cave, indicating that it was already daytime. How could he have such a ridiculous dream? He felt guilty towards his wife back home and couldn't help but feel embarrassed to face Han Jiu'er. Just then, he heard the horse whinny twice before falling silent. Could it be that the horse's neighing wasn't just a dream after all?

  But then an assassin suddenly sprang up from the thatched roof, in high spirits and staring at him: "Not good, the pursuing soldiers have arrived!"

  "What?" Xiao Wu also reacted, the horse's cry was not right, and there must be a problem. He grabbed his iron spear and poked it towards the entrance of the cave. Seeing no movement, he carefully approached and stealthily exposed one eye to observe outside. He saw that the horse had fallen into a pool of blood with an arrow in its neck. Looking further out, he saw a large group of Liao army infantrymen, numbering over a hundred, holding knives and guns, slowly surrounding them from afar, some still in the woods, others only tens of steps away.

  "Khitan dog..." A low hum sounded beside him, and an assassin also squeezed over to investigate.

  "Are there any other exits?" Little Wu asked with his mouth open, outnumbered and outmatched, retreating was the best option.

  "No, unless you jump off a cliff!" The assassin's voice was fearless.

  "Jump off the cliff?" Xiaowu only just realized that the large rock where the stone cave was located was actually on a precipice. Yesterday, it was dark and he hadn't noticed. Now they were trapped with no way to escape. All sorts of ideas flashed through his mind, but because the assassin's life was linked to Han Jiuer's life, none of them were feasible plans.

  "Hmph, if it weren't for this shoulder injury, I could have shot all these curs dead with just one hand!" The assassin forced out a long sentence in a stiff tone, full of the resentment of a tiger fallen into a plain.

  "How can there be so many arrow branches?" Xiaowu blurted out, also thinking along the same lines as the assassin, unconsciously revealing his own confidence in his archery skills.

  The two men thought that the stone cave was located on a cliff, and although it was a desperate situation with no way out, it also eliminated any worries about being attacked from behind. They only needed to deal with the enemy in front of them, and the narrow entrance of the cave was just like a single man holding a pass, where a thousand men couldn't open it.

  "A whole bunch of arrow branches!" The assassin caught the implication behind Xiao Wu's words and gave him a somewhat disbelieving glance. He turned around, lifted up the stone pedestal, and the vase on top of it shattered into pieces with a loud crash. Underneath the pedestal was a hollowed-out pit filled with over a dozen bags of arrows and several bows.

  "Great!" Xiaowu's eyes lit up like a treasure hunter who had discovered a treasure trove, and he immediately thought that this must have been left behind by the deceased companion of the assassin. The bow and arrow were essential equipment for warriors, and the assassins had only placed them here in order to carry out their assassination plot against Emperor Liao.

  Unexpectedly, the Liao army outside heard the movement in the cave and knew they had been discovered. They no longer held back, shouting in unison as they charged forward.

  "Ready arrows!" Xiao Wu didn't say another word, grabbed his large bow and quiver, and was about to approach the cave entrance.

  "Halt!" The assassin didn't prepare an arrow for Little Five as he had spoken, but instead shouted to stop him and handed over an object.

  He instinctively caught it, feeling the soft deerskin headgear of an assassin. His mind suddenly cleared and he realized that as a member of the Song Dynasty's diplomatic team, he couldn't openly be an enemy of the Liao people. He glanced at the assassin with gratitude, but was taken aback - the assassin was a young man about his age, with the characteristic shaved head of the northern tribes, but different from the Khitan people, with the front of his head shaved and two long braids hanging down his back, gold earrings dangling from his ears, sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes, a hooked nose and a cruel mouth, exuding an aura of arrogance mixed with villainy, yet also with a hint of heroism, making him unforgettable at first sight.

  In just this daze, the footsteps outside had already approached the entrance of the cave. Xiao Wu didn't delay any longer, put on his headscarf, slung the quiver over his shoulder, drew out three arrows with one hand, held two in his mouth, and nocked another arrow onto the bowstring. With his left hand gripping the bow, half of his body suddenly protruded from the cave entrance. In just one glance, he had taken in all the enemy's tracks. Almost simultaneously, his right hand drew open the string, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" three arrows shot out in succession, followed by three muffled grunts.

  These three arrows have a name, called "Three Lights Open Tai", also known as "Three Arrows Set the Tone". It's because when the archer first gets on the bowstring, their hands are cold and they need to find the feeling through the first three arrows. Generally, an archer who can hit one of the first three is already very good, but someone like Xiao Wu who hits the target as soon as he opens his bow is a high-level expert among high-level experts.

  It's true that a master can tell with just one move, and the assassin's attitude changed in an instant, eyes revealing admiration, as he hastily brought over all his quivers.

  After the string was fixed, Xiao Wu didn't stop at all. His left hand holding the bow remained still, while his right hand moved swiftly like a flying wheel, quickly drawing and shooting arrows. In one breath, he shot out all twelve arrows in the quiver, and outside the cave, there were continuous cries of pain. This was also known as "Twelve Linked Pearls".

  The assassin had long been waiting, seeing Xiao Wu's quiver was empty, he immediately loaded the other twelve arrows. After one bag was shot, Xiao Wu's left and right hands immediately swapped positions, becoming right hand holding the bow and left hand drawing the string, another round of "Twelve Linked Pearls", this is the widely spread in folk "Left and Right Shooting".

  After two arrows, the outside had quieted down. On the empty grassland in front of the stone cave, twenty-four infantry corpses were scattered about, all with arrow wounds to the neck, killed instantly by a single arrow. Such archery skills are rarely seen in this world. The remaining Liao soldiers were so frightened that they lost their souls and retreated back into the forest, planning another strategy.

  "Good archery!" The assassin gave a thumbs up and genuinely praised him.

  Wu leaned against the stone wall, his eyes wide with shock. He had never killed so many people before, and although they were Liao people he had always wanted to kill, he couldn't help but feel that his methods had been too ruthless, leaving no survivors. His heart, which had remained calm while shooting arrows, suddenly began to race, and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He could only try to comfort himself: "I was forced to do it, I did it to save Ninth Sister..."

  As soon as he thought of Han Jiu'er, Xiao Wu suddenly felt that something was off. With such a big commotion, and the sound of pots shattering and arrows shooting, how could she not be woken up, yet she was still sleeping?

  "Xiao Jiu!" Xiao Wu shouted, not caring about the external enemy lurking around, putting down her bow and rushing to the thatched grass. She saw that Han Jiu's face was as white as paper, her lips were black, her eyes were tightly closed, and she had no reaction at all. When she touched her forehead, it felt like ice, just like a dead person. Could it be that she really...

  Xiao Wu didn't dare to think further, his whole body trembling, his eyes bloodshot, he suddenly turned around, grabbed the assassin's neck and pinned him against the wall. Although Xiao Wu was shorter than the other person, he somehow managed to lift the assassin up, looking ferocious: "What happened to Xiaojiao? Tell me! What happened to her?"

  "She was poisoned with the venom of the ice scorpion, symptoms like an icy person." The assassin did not resist, calmly said, "As long as you arrive at my camp within seven days, there will be an antidote."

  "Where is your tent?" Little Wu was most concerned about Han Jiu'er's life at this moment, and did not let go, continuing to interrogate.

  "Traveling northeast, riding a horse for three to five days will get you there." The assassin's eyebrows didn't even twitch, also not a person who yields easily.

  At this time, a sharp whistle came from outside, which should be the signal for the Liao army to launch the second round of attack. Xiao Wu let go, picked up an arrow and broke it into two sections: "If you deceive me, there will be such an arrow!"

  The assassin rubbed his neck with a red mark and proudly said: "We Jurchen people have always kept our promises!"

  Jurchen people? Xiao Wu muttered to himself, but didn't have time to think much, turned to the cave entrance, just poked his head out, and the rocks at the entrance were showered with sparks, clanging loudly, a barrage of arrows sent him scurrying back. With just this one glance, Xiao Wu already knew things weren't good.

  The Liao army was mainly composed of cavalry, and infantry battles were not their strong point. This Liao army had to abandon their horses and fight on foot in order to search for the assassins in the mountains, and they also wanted to be light and agile, so many of them did not wear armor or carry shields. They didn't expect the assassins' archery skills to be so good, and as a result, they suffered heavy losses. Now they have learned their lesson, several high-ranking officers gathered some helmets and shields, had the leading soldiers equip them, and the rest followed behind. Archers were also dispatched to hide in trees for cover. This formation is indeed foolproof.

  After all, he had never been on the battlefield, and Xiao Wu was a bit flustered as he propped his iron spear at the entrance of the cave, preparing for close combat. The assassin, however, glanced at him and squeezed past him to investigate, only to be met with another round of random arrows.

  "Take out the archer first!" The assassin turned his head and ordered Xiao Wu, with a hint of a great general's demeanor.

  "Good!" Little Wu nodded, at this point, they could only unite against a common enemy.

  Time is pressing, Xiao Wu must shoot the archer before the infantry arrives at the cave, otherwise he will be caught off guard. However, first he needs to be able to expose himself in order to shoot an arrow.

  "Look at me!" The assassin had apparently made up his mind, and with a flick of his hands, he shed the deerskin he was wearing, revealing a robust physique. He then picked up the iron spear, hooked the deerskin with it, and gestured to Xiaowu.

  "Good!" Xiao Wu's eyes showed appreciation, and he couldn't help but give a thumbs up, busily holding his bow and arrow.

  The assassin stretched out the iron spear with deerskin towards the outside, shaking it left and right, provoking a rain of arrows. When they slightly subsided, he reloaded his bow again. Seizing this precious interval, Little Five leaned out and launched another round of "Twelve Linked Pearls", only to see on the opposite tree "thud, thud" as over ten archers fell down. How could there be more? It turned out that several who hadn't been hit by arrows were scared to death by their companions' deaths and lost their footing, falling to the ground.

  At this moment, the infantry on the ground had already pressed to within a dozen or so steps. Xiaowu let out a loud cry of "Arrows!", and the assassin quickly filled his quiver with arrows, revealing Xiaowu's exceptional archery skills. With each twang of the bowstring, one of the Liaodong soldiers holding shields and wearing armor would fall backwards, knocking over a row of soldiers behind him, while the troublemaker was pierced through the chest by an arrow that also penetrated his shield and armor.