"Ah," Mo Chou cried out, turning and heading back into the room.
The commotion outside had already disturbed Qing Yao. She was a light sleeper, and with recent events, her sleep had been poor and restless.
As Mo Chou entered, she furrowed her brow and asked, "What happened?"
"My lady, it's bad. Some people in the camp have been poisoned. General An has come to report."
"Poisoned? Those people are hidden in the dense forest; no one knows their exact location. How could they be poisoned?"
Qing Yao began to dress, her heart filled with anxiety. Mo Chou quickly stepped forward to help her.
"Summon General An."
Once dressed, Qing Yao instructed Mo Chou to bring in An Dingfeng, as she wanted to know the details of the situation.
"Yes," Mo Chou went out. An Dingfeng, leading his men, walked in, cupped his fists respectfully, and said in a deep voice, "My lady, it's bad. Some soldiers have been inexplicably poisoned. What should we do?"
Qing Yao's pupils were deep and dark, her face cast in an icy chill. She looked directly at An Dingfeng, "Where is Yin Xuan? How is he? Is he alright?"
"Reporting to my lady, Yin Xuan has not been in the camp for the past two days. This humble subordinate does not know where he has gone?"
"Ah," Qing Yao cried out, but then breathed a sigh of relief. Her greatest fear was Yin Xuan being poisoned. Since he was fine, that was good.
As for his whereabouts, he was probably hiding somewhere in anger. She didn't press further. She stood up, and Xiao Yu'er, who had been on the bed behind her, also got up.
The group exited the bamboo house, preparing to head towards the camp. The bamboo door next door opened, and Qing Feng pushed Wu Qing out.
Wu Qing looked at Qing Yao's anxious expression and raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Upon seeing Wu Qing, Qing Yao seemed to see hope. She quickly walked over, "Wu Qing, some of our brothers in the camp have been poisoned. Can you help me take a look?"
"Alright."
Wu Qing nodded without hesitation. Qing Yao felt relieved and walked over, pushing him gently. They followed An Dingfeng towards the camp. An Dingfeng glanced at Young Master Wu Qing; he was as beautiful as an immortal, but he gave off a slightly sinister and strange feeling.
However, he said nothing, as the Marshal seemed to be on very good terms with this person. It was rumored that last night, Bing Xiao had led men to assassinate Wu Qing and had been punished by the Marshal. They did not wish to incur her displeasure.
Xian Yue's military camp was hidden within a dense forest, among towering ancient trees where many tents had been erected. The snow in the forest was slow to melt, and their boots crunched on it as they walked towards the camp.
An Dingfeng led Qing Yao and the others directly into one of the tents. A temporary tent had been erected early that morning to separate the dozens of poisoned individuals from the others.
As Qing Yao and Wu Qing entered, they saw a tall figure squatting on the ground, examining the poisoned soldiers. Dark hair cascaded down, showing meticulous attention and care.
Qing Yao paused, opening her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. For a moment, she didn't know how to speak.
Wu Qing did not wait for any greetings and walked directly over, pulling a poisoned soldier to examine him.
Yin Xuan heard the movement by the door, raised his head, and looked over. His black eyes were dark and deep. He nodded faintly, "You've arrived."
"Mm," Qing Yao nodded and stepped forward, standing behind him. Looking at the soldiers, her cheeks flushed. Red blotches occasionally appeared on their faces and arms, and they were all somewhat dazed. Qing Yao observed these symptoms and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "What is this?"
Yin Xuan shook his head, "It seems like they've been poisoned?"
Xiao Yu'er, who had been observing quietly, walked back and forth and suddenly had a thought, "Mother, could it be a plague?"
"Plague?"
Qing Yao was startled, and so were the others in the tent. A plague was no laughing matter. Moreover, everyone had been fine yesterday, so how could they all have contracted a plague overnight? Could it be due to the water source?
Hua Wenbo had done the same thing last time. Qing Yao suddenly looked up at An Dingfeng, "Did these people drink water this morning?"
An Dingfeng understood the Marshal's thinking and quickly shook his head, "My lady, these people did not drink water this morning? It shouldn't be due to the water source."
As everyone was discussing, a small soldier suddenly rushed in to report, "Report, it's bad, more people have been poisoned, and it seems like many."
The people in the tent were shocked. Qing Yao immediately ordered An Dingfeng, "Immediately transfer these people over."
"Yes," An Dingfeng immediately led his men away and quickly transferred the soldiers over.
Qing Yao and Yin Xuan stood up and walked to Wu Qing's side, looking at him together. He frowned slightly and slowly said, "This is a type of toxic epidemic."
"Toxic epidemic? Is it contagious?"
Qing Yao was startled. With over a hundred thousand troops, they couldn't all be infected.
Yin Xuan's expression grew even more grim. He was quite proficient in medicine. Although he hadn't practiced medicine widely, he knew many things.
To truly spread a toxic epidemic, one couldn't poison each person individually, nor was it contagious. Instead, a poison would be released at the windward side, and in the direction of the wind, everyone would be poisoned. This was a ruthless tactic.
The person who administered the poison was incredibly wicked, clearly intending to harm these over a hundred thousand troops. But who would do such a thing?
A flash of inspiration struck Yin Xuan's mind. At present, besides the two countries, Yun Cang and Qing Luo, they would undoubtedly try every means to harm Yao'er and these over a hundred thousand elite soldiers. Only then could Yun Cang and Qing Luo ensure their own safety.
Could Wu Qing and Qing Feng actually be from Yun Cang and Qing Luo? Yin Xuan's heart pounded. Could it be Wen Yu and Changsun Zhu, these two men? Yin Xuan raised his head with trepidation. But how did they achieve such a seamless operation?
However, saving lives was the priority. Yin Xuan's body was enveloped in a chilling aura. He sternly commanded An Dingfeng, who had just entered the tent.
"Immediately issue an order: everyone must leave the dense forest and head towards the windward side. This forest is filled with poisonous smoke. If you don't evacuate soon, more people will likely be poisoned."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Qing and Qing Feng, standing in the tent, exchanged a quick glance, looking somewhat incredulous. Who was this man? His abilities were so formidable, knowing even this. Wu Qing immediately echoed his words.
"Yes, evacuate immediately."
However, if one listened closely, his voice carried a hint of suppressed anger.
Upon hearing this, An Dingfeng dared not delay any longer. He immediately accepted the order and rushed away, swiftly issuing commands. The over a hundred thousand troops immediately broke camp and moved out of the dense forest, positioning themselves on the windward side to avoid the poisonous smoke.
As for the over a hundred poisoned individuals, they were also moved out. However, by the time they were moved, they had all died. The toxic epidemic was unexpectedly potent.
Fortunately, the evacuation was carried out properly, preventing everyone from contracting the epidemic. Yet, Qing Yao's heart remained heavy. If these people had died on the battlefield, at least they would have died a noble death, and their parents and children would have been well taken care of by the court.
For the unified conquest of the seven kingdoms, Qing Yao had established new regulations. Any soldier who died in battle would receive a token of honor.
Families possessing this token would receive annual pensions from the court. This policy was enthusiastically embraced by all three armies, making everyone fight with no regrets, allowing the army to proceed without any worries.