Naturally, the pastries contained Fan Xian's meticulous concoctions. They were essential for every household, and on this trip to the north, he could not afford to miss out on some good poison.
Given Xiao En's status, he would not resort to trickery. Seeing that Xiao En had seen through him, Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "I believe that this powder has no smell at all. How did Mr. Xiao En detect it?"
Xiao En looked at him, then slowly closed his eyes. "You are Fei Jie's student. No matter how you try to come up with your own ideas, you cannot escape Fei Jie's domain. In your prison, I ate Fei Jie's poisons for more than ten years. He and Chen Pingping could not bear to kill me, so they could only use these poisons to damage my meridians. If it were you, eating pastry from a stall for more than ten years, and suddenly one day, the old master of the stall takes in a new disciple and makes another pastry, although it is made to taste like scallion oil, I think you would still be able to taste that it is from that stall. "
Deep in Fan Xian's heart, he sighed and said, "It's probably because the amount of flour and water at each stall is different."
"Yes." Xiao En smiled, but his smile was chilling. "It is the same with poisons. For an old man like me, the taste of poisons is no longer about the taste, but the texture."
...
...
Fan Xian opened his mouth, wanting to say something. In the end, he just smiled and sighed. "What kind of realm is this? This is the realm of eating poisons as if they were rice. " Since Xiao En could taste the poison in the pastries, and still ate them calmly, the poison must have had no effect. Fan Xian continued with a smile. "There are three great masters of poisons in the world. My teacher is one, and the other is dead. I almost forgot that Mr. Xiao En was one of the three. You have overestimated yourself."
Xiao En flexed his wrists, and the chains clanked as Fan Xian delivered fresh water into his hands.
After finishing the bowl of water, Xiao En suddenly closed his eyes and smiled. "What if I have to go to the toilet?"
"There is a toilet in the carriage."
"The sun is good outside."
"The sun has already set."
"It is good to see the night sky of the Kingdom of Qing."
"The night is cold and the dew is heavy. Sir, you are old. You should stay in the carriage and rest."
Of the two, one old and one young, one closed his eyes and spoke softly, while the other responded with a smile. Xiao En opened his eyes and said calmly, "I've been in prison for many years, and I've only seen a sliver of sunlight at the gate. Master Fan, would you allow me to go out and have a look?"
Fan Xian shook his head firmly, but a smile still hung on his face. "It's very dangerous."
"I'm not dangerous." Sean said gently, "Since you have already reached an agreement with the north, anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence would know that following the diplomatic mission safely is the wisest choice for me."
Fan Xian replied calmly, "Mister Xiao, before leaving the capital, the security of the diplomatic mission is the responsibility of the capital garrison. I think you should be able to guess why the Kingdom of Qing is willing to return you to Northern Qi. This is a very humiliating matter, so I am very worried that if you really do get off the carriage with your hands and feet shackled, many arrows might suddenly fly from afar and turn you into a porcupine. "
Xiao En knew that the words of this young man from the enemy kingdom were not false. He smiled and said, "Don't you want to kill me? If I return to the north, within three years, I will certainly cause unbearable damage to your kingdom. "
Fan Xian shook his head. His handsome face was filled with confidence. "I am not of the older generation, so I only have the respect of legends. I never thought that even if you returned to the north, you would still be able to summon wind and rain as you did in the past. Of course, if I could kill you, that would be the simplest way to deal with it. But in comparison, I value the safety of the bargaining chip I exchanged with you more. So rest assured, I will ensure your life, all the way to the capital of Northern Qi, and hand you over to your friends. "
Xiao En was silent.
Fan Xian smiled and said, "Up until now, I am still unable to accurately determine how much power you currently have, so I will be very careful along the way. As for the outside of your carriage, I will maintain sufficient power at all times to ensure that when you want to come out of the carriage to get some fresh air, we will be able to immediately respond accordingly."
Xiao En laughed, but still did not say anything.
Since his attempt to secretly poison Xiao En had been seen through, and it was clearly ineffective, then he could only resort to the barbaric method on the surface. Fan Xian let out a soft breath, then stood up. He stretched out his foot and stepped on the iron chains that bound Xiao En's hands. Strangely, he tied a piece of black cloth around Xiao En's elbow, then gently but rudely patted the back of the old man's hand.
Then, he took out a flat iron box from his bosom. Opening it, he took out a long, thin, and incredibly sharp needle. The thin needle tube was skillfully made hollow, and there was a bulge at the back of the long needle. It was unknown what material it was made of, but presumably it was a medicine storage device.
Xiao En's eyes were bloodshot, and he stared coldly into Fan Xian's eyes. Fan Xian approached with the needle in hand, without a trace of panic.
Suddenly, a very strange feeling arose in the carriage. Fan Xian's nose suddenly tasted something sweet, and the air was filled with the scent of blood, faintly red. This smell came from Xiao En's faintly angry body.
...
...
Outside the carriage, the Tiger Guards and officials of the Overwatch Council immediately sensed the abnormality in the carriage. They silently rushed over, weapons in their hands. Wang Qinian, who was guarding the carriage, looked back and frowned slightly. He then waved his hand at the people beside the carriage, who looked as if they were facing a great enemy, indicating that there was no problem.
In the carriage, Fan Xian slowly removed the thin needle from the back of Xiao En's hand. He took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the tip of the needle, then raised his head and smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for your cooperation."
He did not know what acupoint the needle had pierced, nor did he know what medicine had been poured into the needle. Xiao En's frightening aura had weakened considerably, and even his face seemed a little haggard.
"I respect you, but respect the elderly." Fan Xian walked out of the carriage. "But you must remember, you are no longer the head spy of Northern Wei, nor are you a world-shaking villain. You are only my prisoner. If you try to escape, I have many ways to kill you."
— — —
"Sir, there is no need to be so careful." Wang Qinian accompanied him to sit under a tree by the road. He looked at Fan Xian's slightly tired face. "If Xiao En wants to regain his freedom, he should cooperate with us and enter the borders of Northern Qi."
Fan Xian shook his head. "You don't understand. For someone like Xiao En, even if he had been imprisoned for ten or twenty years, so what? Look at his eyes. What is there other than hatred? There is also the frightening insight, and the burning ambition. If he only wants freedom, then he will cooperate with us. But if he wants more, then he will certainly find a way to escape. The Overwatch Council's prison keeps a close eye on him, so he doesn't have a sliver of a chance. However, on this long road to the North, he has too many opportunities. Thus, I have to think of all ways to weaken his fighting ability and desire to fight while ensuring his survival. "
"Why would he want to escape?"
"Because the regime in the north is not the Northern Wei that he has served for many years, and was even imprisoned for. It is Northern Qi." Fan Xian smiled. "Although the royal family of Northern Qi is the Zhan family, and Marshal Zhan Qingfeng was on good terms with Xiao En, the dynasty has changed. Xiao En has been imprisoned for so many years, and I don't know how the royal family of the north will treat him. If the royal family of Northern Qi feels that he still has value, then naturally they will treat him as an honored guest. But if there is no such benefit, think about it. If the royal family of Northern Qi goes crazy, will they allow a terrifying spy leader like Xiao En to establish a foothold in Shangjing again? "
"Then why is Northern Qi willing to trade Master Yan for Xiao En?"
"Because of two people." Fan Xian didn't go into detail. "One is Zhuang Mohan, and the other... I guess it should be that famous northern general called Shang Shanhu."
"Sir, do you think that Xiao En risked his life to escape because he doesn't trust the royal family of Northern Qi?"
Fan Xian thought of what Wu Zhu had said to him, and sighed faintly. "People in our line of work don't trust anyone. As for Xiao En, he must have other plans, but I can't guess what they are. All I know is that he must reach Shangjing alive. It's that simple. "
"Where will Xiao En make his move?"
"Before leaving the country. If he enters Northern Qi, then even if he escapes, it will still be Northern Qi's responsibility," Fan Xian said lightly. "Since Xiao En wants Northern Qi to recognize his position, he can't mess up this agreement," said Fan Xian lightly.
He suddenly stood up and yelled, "Today we won't go to the relay station. We'll set up camp in the wilderness."
His subordinates responded in unison, and went to organize the arrangements for setting up camp. Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian with some doubt. Fan Xian shook his head. "It's a bit of training and getting used to it. After leaving Cangzhou, there won't be any relay stations in the north that can be used. Taking advantage of the fact that we're not far from the capital, let your subordinates get used to the atmosphere as quickly as possible."
"Fighting in the wilderness is not playing house." Wang Qinian saw that Fan Xian was still worried, and very tactfully began to play the role of a sidekick.
Fan Xian lightly clapped his hands, smiled, and waved for him to leave. Then he sat silently under the tree, looking at the carriage and thinking about the old man inside.
"I don't want you to suddenly change your name to Shawshank."
Earlier, when injecting poison into the carriage, Fan Xian had still been a little nervous. He didn't know whether or not Xiao En would suddenly attack. After several investigations, he still didn't know how much power this ninth-level ace, who was one of the best in the world, had retained after more than ten years in prison. But he knew that until the best opportunity came, the terrifying Xiao En would be very obedient.
The mountain wind blew from the forest behind Fan Xian, blowing through the sweat-soaked clothes on his back. It was damp and cold. After a while, he stood up, expressionless, and walked toward Si Lili's carriage.
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