Chapter 36
Chapter 36
“Who told you that?”
The voice from the fortress wall, which had just been tricked into speaking, was immediately followed by a sharp cry of pain.
From Qin Ying’s vantage point, she could see the back of the head of the young man who had lost his composure and spoken up being slapped hard.
He clutched his head, looking helplessly at the person who had struck him-his own father.
On Han Lie’s side, upon hearing the response from the Duan Family members, Wang Chang immediately began to clamor.
He had spent the journey on horseback, and now, well-fed and hydrated, his voice was booming. “Then why don’t you hurry up and help us out?”
“We’re waiting to save a life!”
With his blunt, thick-skinned nature leading the charge, the stalemate was broken.
Han Lie gripped his reins with one hand and raised his voice. “I do not intend to take the Ear Rat for nothing. I am willing to trade a treasure for it.”
The item he intended to exchange was the remaining stalk of Yao Grass.
In theory, the value of Yao Grass was far higher than that of an Ear Rat.
If the Duan Family agreed to the trade, they would not be at a loss.
Han Lie stepped forward two paces, displaying the box resting on his horse’s back.
On the way here, they had slain two waves of Monstrous Beasts that had come to snatch it, protecting it all the way to this gate.
The box was closed, but the fragrance of the Yao Grass was incredibly potent.
From a distance, a young man standing atop the Duan Family Fortress walls sniffed the air. “Father, it seems to be…”
They were, after all, a prestigious clan with deep roots. Standing on the gate’s crossbeam, the young man, Duan Yi, recognized what Han Lie had brought.
Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted again by his father, Duan Chen.
“Shut up!”
Duan Chen barked in a low voice, his hand pressing down on the railing of the crossbeam.
He had seen both Han Lie’s hidden meaning and his sincerity.
However…
Duan Chen gave a bitter smile and signaled for his foolish son to step back. He raised his voice and shouted down toward the base of the fortress.
“Squad Leader Han, we have felt your sincerity. It is just a pity…”
The elder’s attitude was relatively cordial as he weighed his words before stating the reason. “It is just a pity that the Ear Rat was used in medicine today and consumed by my eldest son.”
Hearing the first half of the sentence, Han Lie had felt a flicker of joy.
Upon hearing the latter half, Han Lie slowly put away the Yao Grass. His right hand, which had been resting on the saddle, moved toward the Ring-Pommel Saber at his side.
He didn’t say a word, but Wang Chang, whom he had brought along specifically for this, spoke up.
“What kind of ghost-story nonsense is this!”
The scarred and talkative brute pointed a finger at the wall and cursed. “How could it be such a coincidence that it was eaten today?”
“I think you just don’t want to trade!”
Accustomed to being looked down upon by the elite, Wang Chang was thoroughly disgusted by these high-ranking families.
Believing they were being played, he shouted loudly, “We came here with full sincerity! If you won’t trade, just say so plainly. Why make up lies to deceive people!”
Han Lie tugged the reins, and the yellow-maned horse beneath him let out a snort.
There was plenty of fodder in Yunwu City; fed on ground fine rice, the military horses in the city had grown somewhat sturdier.
As the horse’s hooves stepped onto the stone stairs before the Duan Family Fortress, Han Lie spoke again. “The Ear Rat is not some extremely rare or unique creature. It is simply difficult to catch right now as they usually appear in spring. We have come with sincerity; I hope you will make things easy for us, sir.”
The Ear Rat actually only had one function: removing toxins. Great families usually kept them just in case, and they were rarely of use in ordinary times.
Han Lie believed his sincerity was more than sufficient, having escorted a stalk of Yao Grass-which could dispel illness and prolong life-all the way to their door to trade for something that was usually useless.
“A bunch of boorish soldiers, actually coming to the gates of my Duan Family to flaunt their might!”
Duan Yi could no longer contain his temper and prepared to order the retainers to fire arrows to drive them away.
“Nonsense!”
It was Duan Chen who shouted to stop this reckless behavior.
Under the weight of the great disaster, the Duan Family had retreated to their fortress, but they were still well aware of the upheavals within Yunwu County City.
There was much speculation regarding Han Lie.
However, one thing was clear: the young man standing before them was the one currently calling the shots in Yunwu City.
Duan Chen had no patience for dealing with these military types, but at this moment, he had to suppress his temper. “Squad Leader Han, please do not be angry.”
“Listen to me.”
“My eldest son was bitten by a poisonous creature while hunting in the wild the day before yesterday. The Ear Rat has already been used in his medicine.” Duan Chen stroked his beard, adding tentatively, “Squad Leader Han, if you do not believe me, you may come inside and see for yourself.”
“My son is still bedridden.”
“Go inside and take a look!” The Supreme Deity’s instructions reached Han Lie’s ears.
“Once inside, if you encounter danger, try to get to a place where you can see the sky.”
“I will protect you.”
Qin Ying made the promise while holding her barbecue tongs.
If he truly ran into danger, she would use the tongs to tear down the Duan Family’s houses.
Hearing her words, Han Lie nodded.
He ordered his accompanying soldiers to wait outside and handed the Yao Grass to Wang Chang for safekeeping before dismounting.
“You’re going in alone?” Wang Chang, who cherished wealth above all else, tightly gripped the box containing the Yao Grass.
Han Lie nodded. “Yes. I will be right back. Wait here; if anything happens, do not panic and return to Yunwu County City immediately to report.”
With that, he strode toward the Duan Family Fortress.
“What courage!” Duan Chen dropped his forced, insincere expression and replaced it with a genuine smile. “Open the gates!”
At his command, the two heavy gates of the Duan Family Fortress slowly swung open.
Han Lie straightened his attire and walked inside.
Following Qin Ying’s instructions from time to time, he slightly adjusted his pace and angle.
To be fair, compared to modern architecture, this fortress was not particularly grand or breathtaking.
However, as Han Lie walked deeper inside and she could clearly see the roof tiles, Qin Ying couldn’t help but feel a subtle sense of excitement.
If it weren’t for the fact that taking things out of the box made them too small, she would have wanted Han Lie to fetch her a few of those ancient tiles.
Seeing that Han Lie had indeed entered alone, Duan Chen came forward to greet him.
“Squad Leader Han, please follow me.”
*Creak-*
After the long, drawn-out sound of a door opening, Han Lie was led into a bedroom thick with the scent of medicine.
A man in his thirties lay on the bed, his face as white as paper.
Duan Chen dismissed the maidservants and lifted the blanket covering the man to show Han Lie.
“If not for the Ear Rat we raised being used as medicine to neutralize the poison, I’m afraid he would have already…”
Han Lie looked closer and saw a patch of lingering purple-green bruising on the calf of Duan Chen’s eldest son, which was wrapped in white cloth.
Judging by the color, it was indeed a bite from a Fei Yi.
He frowned and asked, “Mister Duan, may I ask if your son was bitten by a Fei Yi?”
Duan Chen nodded. “Indeed.”
“Fei Yi are appearing everywhere; many people have been bitten.”
Han Lie unwrapped the cloth on the young master’s leg. After confirming it was a Fei Yi bite, he abruptly stood up to take his leave.
“Since the Ear Rat is gone, I shall depart.”
“I apologize for the intrusion. I will return to offer my formal apologies once matters are settled.”
Before Duan Chen could react, Han Lie walked swiftly out of the Duan Family estate.
In his ear, Qin Ying said, “Go back immediately. I will give you some Toad Venom to see if it works!”