The imperial guards led by Zhou Quan had already reached the edge of the dense forest, only a few steps away from entering. Duobang knew that Aliduo would not be able to escape.
With this thought, he unhesitatingly raised his repeating crossbow and pulled the trigger at Aliduo, followed by a barrage of gunfire towards Zhou Quan.
The repeating crossbow could fire twenty bolts at once. Duobang spared none of them, unleashing them all madly before retreating.
He had fired two bolts at Zhou Quan earlier, leaving eighteen. Two of these were specifically aimed at Aliduo, while the rest were directed at Zhou Quan.
Seeing the dense assault, Zhou Quan could only momentarily steady himself and dodge. After checking the vicinity of Yitong Prison and hearing no sound, Zhou Quan stood up.
Spotting the gray shadow in the distance, Zhou Quan sighed, lamenting his inability to catch up. He then looked at the figure lying on the ground before him.
Upon closer inspection, he found the man had already breathed his last. Aliduo's mouth was agape and his eyes wide open, a look of disbelief on his face. Clearly, he had not expected Duobang to attack him.
Zhou Quan searched Aliduo's body thoroughly but found nothing. It made sense, of course; under such circumstances, Aliduo wouldn't likely have anything important on him.
At this moment, the dozen subordinates from outside the woods rushed in. Seeing that the man was dead, they all shook their heads.
Zhou Quan pointed to Aliduo lying on the ground and said to his men, "He had accomplices. They fled in that direction. Continue the pursuit and see if you find anything!"
The men acknowledged the order and left. Zhou Quan quickly turned back to check on Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun was not faring well; his teeth were clenched, and his face was dark.
Seeing this, Zhou Quan inwardly despaired. Needless to say, he had been poisoned again.
Witnessing such a despicable act, Zhou Quan immediately thought of the Great Tu Kingdom.
But scolding was useless now; he needed to find a way to save the Prince.
Zhou Quan immediately ordered the horse cart, which had been used to carry incense, to be cleared out. They rushed the Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun back to the capital.
The distance of dozens of li felt as long as ten thousand li to Zhou Quan. They hurried along, and finally, they returned to the capital.
They quickly summoned imperial physicians. However, just like last time, several physicians were summoned, all of whom were helpless.
Zhou Quan pondered and thought of Chen Xiaobei. Last time, it was Chen Xiaobei's suggestion that saved Xiao Jingyun, and he wanted to try again.
When Chen Xiaobei heard that Xiao Jingyun had been poisoned again, he felt speechless. A crown prince being poisoned every few days was something that would make people laugh.
However, seeing Zhou Quan's anxiety, Chen Xiaobei knew the situation must be extremely critical.
Chen Xiaobei followed Zhou Quan to the Crown Prince's residence. Upon seeing Xiao Jingyun's condition, he was also startled. At this moment, a foul-smelling black fluid was continuously flowing from Xiao Jingyun's wound.
This was clearly a more potent poison than the last one.
Zhou Quan looked at Chen Xiaobei, his brow furrowed with worry, and said, "Brother Xiaobei, you must find a way to save His Highness."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, "What do I know about this? Last time, it was just because my father-in-law happened to give me a method."
"Brother Zhou, last time the antidote was just something I happened to know. I don't even know what this poison is now. I think the most urgent thing is to identify the poison first."
Zhou Quan wore a bitter expression. "Alas, it's easier said than done. The culprit was killed by his accomplice, and the men I sent to pursue him didn't catch him."
Chen Xiaobei's eyebrows rose. "Oh, if that's the case, then perhaps we can investigate backward. When did Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun decide to go to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense?"
Hearing this, Zhou Quan's face was filled with shame. "Brother Xiaobei, to be honest, the Crown Prince and I just finalized it last night. Many guards didn't know our destination this morning before we set off."
As he said this, Zhou Quan suddenly slapped his thigh. "Damn it, someone must have overheard the conversation between the Crown Prince and me!"
Chen Xiaobei showed no surprise upon hearing this. Chen Xiaobei knew that the Lotus Cult Leader and Shen Ziyan had caused immense trouble in the Great Tu Kingdom. Therefore, if a master came to eavesdrop on Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun's conversation, they would have no way to prevent it. Moreover, neither Zhou Quan nor Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun had been particularly vigilant.
It was understandable, in hindsight. Jiang Shangpiao's entire army had been wiped out; how could the Emperor of the Great Tu Kingdom let this go? Thus, it was entirely possible that he would send more people for assassination.
"Brother Zhou, please let me investigate this matter thoroughly when I return. I'll see if I can help."
Chen Xiaobei bowed and took his leave. He left the Crown Prince's residence and headed directly to Liu Xiangnan's mansion.
Upon meeting Liu Xiangnan, Chen Xiaobei stated the situation concisely and clearly, informing him of Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun's injury and poisoning. Liu Xiangnan sighed after listening.
"Alas, I told the Crown Prince long ago not to be careless, but he never listened. He was ambushed last time and still hasn't learned his lesson. Sigh!"
From Liu Xiangnan's sigh, Chen Xiaobei could tell how helpless he was. In truth, Chen Xiaobei was also feeling helpless. Sudan Novel Network. Chen Xiaobei understood that this sigh essentially signaled that his father-in-law, the elder Taishan, might not have many solutions for detoxification.
"Father-in-law, do you have any methods that can help the Crown Prince detoxify?"
Liu Xiangnan looked at Chen Xiaobei. "Xiaobei, I won't hide anything from you. The last detoxification method was secretly given to me by someone, and I wasn't supposed to step forward, merely letting you take the credit. How would I know any detoxification methods?"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei also sighed. It seemed that Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun was likely in dire straits.
"Xiaobei, to be safe, you should return to the inn first. It might not be safe here either."
Chen Xiaobei agreed with Liu Xiangnan's words. He knew the situation was serious; even Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun had fallen victim, so who knew if his father-in-law would be next!
"What Father-in-law says is very true. In that case, Xiaobei bids farewell."
Chen Xiaobei bid farewell to Liu Xiangnan and returned to his inn, lying there with his thoughts racing. The retaliation from the Great Tu Kingdom after Jiang Shangpiao's failure might indicate that Liu Rumei was causing them considerable trouble in Qingguang City. However, the more this was the case, the more worried Chen Xiaobei became. One could not always walk by the river without getting their shoes wet. What if...
As night fell, someone came looking for Chen Xiaobei again. It was Jiang Shangpiao's disciple.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei again, the disciple was less formal. He bowed and said to Chen Xiaobei, "Sir, we have received another letter from Qingguang City."
Chen Xiaobei took the letter. It stated clearly that Duobang, the guard captain of Qiaopson, the Emperor of the Great Tu Kingdom, had been missing for many days. Reliable intelligence indicated he had come to the Great Chang Kingdom to carry out an assassination mission. Chen Xiaobei was warned to be cautious.