Jiaohua

Chapter 1629 Jiangmei's Art of Subduing Men

Dongfang Shi and Bian Yuanfeng did not stop, and continued to travel southwest. Half an hour later, they arrived at a bone tower set up in the wilderness.

Bone towers are an old custom that arose during the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty; they were originally called Rui Towers.

After the chaos of war ended, corpses littered the land. The new dynasty ordered the excavation of numerous mass graves throughout the country. Bone towers were erected on these mass graves to suppress plagues and stop wars.

Dongfang Shi couldn't hold on any longer. As soon as he got off his horse, he spat out another mouthful of thick blood.

"Young Master!" Two subordinates rushed forward.

Dongfang Shi, barely able to support his mount, coughed violently: "I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

"Young master, if all else fails, we shall set off for Xizhou now."

Dongfang Shi clutched his stomach and looked up at his subordinate.

The poison was put in the wine by Chongmen Heng.

At first, Dongfang Shi thought he could endure it; as long as he didn't die, he could always find someone else to help him detoxify.

But after learning that Nangong Qiuming and his men were going to make their move on June 23, they immediately rushed to Yong'an. It was only on this journey that he realized how terrible the poison was.

Chongmen Heng wanted him to go to Xizhou, where there was a Yue Tang Temple on Jixing Mountain, where Chongmen Heng could find what he wanted.

"Cough cough..." Dongfang Shi convulsed in pain, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "That insidious Chongmen Heng, that beast!"

He thought Chongmen Heng was one of his own, but Chongmen Heng pulled this stunt on him.

Bian Yuanfeng said, "Otherwise, let's rest here tonight."

Dongfang Shi looked back at the road he had come from. He wanted to continue on his way, but his body clearly wouldn't allow it.

"Boil some water," Dongfang Shi commanded with his eyes closed. "I want to drink water."

There were almost no villages nearby, and the area was desolate for miles around. They were not only next to the bone tower, but they also had a coffin with them.

After resting for a while and the pain subsided somewhat, Dongfang Shi looked at the coffin.

Several of his men tried to pry it open, but they couldn't.

One of his men said, "No wonder they're pulling so many tricks; this coffin really does hold a secret."

Dongfang Shi's lips curled into a mocking smile: "This Yan Qinglin was one of the few women in the world who wielded immense power, but now she's just like those ruthless warlords, ending up like this."

They pried for a long time, but the coffin didn't budge.

The subordinate said, "Young master, it can't be opened."

Dongfang Shidao said, "Take it to the bone tower and throw it down from there to see what happens."

“But the Bone Tower…” The subordinate looked up at the Bone Tower. “Young Master, it’s on the second floor.”

"Useless!" Dongfang Shi couldn't take it anymore. "Then find some stones to climb up. If you can't find any stones, then you can step on the coffins to get up first, and then hoist it up! You can even dig up this ground, find human bones underneath, and build a real bone tower!"

Overcome with excitement, he vomited blood again. His subordinates dared not say a word and hurriedly did as he was told.

But the bone tower was hollow inside, and once they got up there was nowhere to stand, so they looked for other solutions.

Bian Yuanfeng cooled the boiled water to a warm temperature, respectfully presented it to Dongfang Shi, and then went back to cook rice.

He learned his cooking skills to take care of Jiangmei.

From childhood to adulthood, others have always served him tea and water, cooked for him, and done his laundry.

If the food doesn't suit his taste, he can draw his sword and kill whoever he wants.

Even after Ali destroyed the stronghold, he still had his men serving him wholeheartedly on his escape route.

But he still lost to Jiang Mei.

Jiangmei was very skilled at dealing with men. At first, when he was in a bad mood, he would punch and kick Jiangmei, but gradually, all the sharp thorns on his body were pulled out by Jiangmei.

Later, Jiangmei would slap him for no reason, but he not only didn't retaliate, he didn't even feel angry anymore...

Even now, when Bian Yuanfeng thinks of Jiang Mei, his desire to possess and have her is stronger than his hatred.

Over at the bone tower, Dongfang Shi's men were trying to lift the coffin little by little. But with limited tools, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients. They used all the reins as ropes, but they still couldn't lift the coffin.

The nights in June are slow to fall, but they still managed to slowly grind the ink out of the sky.

After taking a nap, Dongfang Shixiao looked at the Bone Tower and saw that the coffin was still on the cart.

Dongfang Shi almost vomited blood again.

His men were clearly not stupid; was it really that difficult to climb a bone tower?
He sat up weakly and called out, "Start a fire! Throw this coffin directly into the fire!"

Bian Yuanfeng had just finished clearing the dishes when he heard this and came over, saying, "Young master, the contents of the coffin will also be burned."

"Do you think that's possible?" Dongfang Shi sneered. "Between wood and gold, which do you think will burn first?"

After speaking, he turned to his men on the other side and ordered them to start a fire.

Starting a fire requires combustible materials, but to slowly "stew" this coffin, even more materials are needed.

The men dispersed to cut down vegetation in the surrounding area.

The subordinate, heading northeast, was diligently felling trees. In the dim light, his knife flashed, and a large handful of vegetation fell to the ground.

He bent down to pick it up, threw it behind him, swung his knife down again, and then bent down once more.

Just then, a whip suddenly flew out from the weeds, wrapped around his neck in an instant, and was pulled quickly.

The man couldn't utter a single word; his body lunged forward, and a dagger plunged into his chest.

He died very quickly.

Xia Zhaoyi looked up at the coffin in the distance, worried about Yan Ziyan's condition.

Dongfang Shi had about thirty subordinates, of whom at least eight were highly skilled.

Xia Zhaoyi had an arm injury and limited physical strength.

She encountered a carriage on the way and paid a large sum of money to exchange the driver's horses.

The horse was of medium to low quality; it took her a long time to catch up.

Suddenly, Xia Zhaoyi's gaze fell on Bian Yuanfeng next to Dongfang Shi.

She thought she was seeing things.

It really was Bian Yuanfeng.

Just then, someone noticed that there was no movement and came over, calling out, "Hu Kun! You've finished chopping the firewood, where is he?!"

His rough voice drew everyone's attention.

Xia Zhaoyi gripped the dagger tightly, staring intently at him as he walked towards her step by step.

Suddenly, Xia Zhaoyi leaped up, and the dagger plunged directly into his throat.

Caught off guard, the man was suddenly thrown to the ground by the back of his head.

He exhaled with difficulty, struggling to breathe, his mouth full of bloody foam.

Xia Zhaoyi knelt on one knee, pulled out a dagger, and a large amount of blood gushed from the wound.

The men on the other side paused for a moment, then stood up in unison.

Xia Zhaoyi was about to go forward when she suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind her.

She paused and looked back.

In the darkness, a flash of silver light pierced the night as a spirited horse galloped, drinking in the wind.

As she got closer and could clearly see the rider's figure, Xia Zhaoyi was overjoyed and immediately ran over.

When Shen Lie saw her running towards him, his dark eyes seemed to light up, sparkling with starlight.

The dragon eagle slowed down, and Shen Lie secured his spear to the saddle before leaping off the horse.

Xia Zhaoyi rushed towards him and bumped into him.