Chapter 594: Antidote
“That’s enough. Gu Kaiyuan is just worried about your safety. Besides, with your third-rate skills, you’d only hold them back.” This blunt truth from Bai Suihe felt like a physical blow.
Bai Jiannan looked at Bai Suihe with a sorrowful expression. “Suihe, how are my skills third-rate? If you don’t believe me, call those guards over for a spar. I can take them all on…”
Bai Suihe laughed aloud, showing no mercy. “Now that you’re the Family Head, your skin has gotten thicker. Do you even believe what you just said?”
“Well, there are so many guards anyway, so I wouldn’t even need to make a move,” Bai Jiannan retorted.
A man’s pride still needed to be preserved, so Bai Suihe stopped teasing him. “You are the Family Head of the Bai family. How could you put yourself in danger so easily?
“The place yesterday was small, and the number of people on the island was limited, which was why we let you tag along to gain some experience. Today is completely different. One wrong move, and you could get hurt. I brought you out here, so I must bring you back safely. Otherwise, how could I explain it to the Bai family and to Mother?
“Besides, look at me—I didn’t go join the fray either. A person needs to know their own limits.”
“Suihe, you’ve really been led astray by that man surnamed Gu,” Bai Jiannan grumbled. The husband and wife both spoke the exact same way, delivering one compelling argument after another. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they had rehearsed this beforehand.
“Show some respect,” Bai Suihe shot him a glare, then turned to leave with Gu Xingyang in her arms.
“Suihe, aren’t you worried?”
“Can’t you see your little niece is about to fall asleep? Or do you want to coax her to sleep yourself?”
Frightened, Bai Jiannan took two steps back. He could play with a child, but coaxing one to sleep was far too difficult a task for him.
Bai Suihe held Gu Xingyang closer. “Oh, baby, look at how much Uncle Jiannan dislikes you. When you grow up, don’t show him any respect…”
Gu Xingyang babbled, “AH AH,” as if in response.
Bai Jiannan grimaced. “Suihe, is it really okay for you to sow discord right in front of my niece?
“I wouldn’t dare dislike our little cutie. Uncle Jiannan will find some rare treasures later to add to our Little Xing’s dowry.”
“How old is your niece? I can’t believe you’re already thinking about marrying her off,” Bai Suihe said.
“Now you’re just being unreasonable…”
Gu Xingyang GIGGLED in her mother’s arms. “Mother, hurry up and agree to it! I want lots and lots of dowry…”
If Bai Suihe could use a painting to describe herself right now, it would be a portrait of a shattered expression. Her grip unconsciously tightened. “You little rascal. How old are you, and you’re already desperate to get married?”
“Mother, we can talk about the future later! Let’s secure the tangible benefits first…”
Bai Suihe thought about it and realized it made perfect sense. She cleared her throat and said, “Since you’ve offered, let’s see how well you follow through. Remember, I won’t accept anything that isn’t valuable.”
Watching the mother and daughter leave, Bai Jiannan smiled bitterly. He should have let his younger brother come on the ship. Why did he have to join in on the fun?
However, when he saw Gu Xingyang flash an exceptionally bright, toothless smile and wave her little hand at him, he couldn’t help but smile back. It was just a few valuable little trinkets. He would make sure to look for them later.
Meanwhile, Gu Kaiyuan led his men ashore. After swiftly dispatching several sentries, he realized that there were quite a few people on this island.
On the flat ground ahead, numerous men were lying haphazardly on beds of dry grass, resting.
They found a spot downwind. Since Nanny Pang had been eager to test out her poison, she had inevitably used a heavy hand. Before Gu Kaiyuan and his guards could even make a move, they watched as hundreds of men scrambled madly into the ocean.
“Nanny Pang, what kind of good stuff is this?” Gu Kaiyuan asked.
“I wouldn’t call it ‘good stuff,’ but it does make a person wish they were dead,” Nanny Pang replied. “Once that powder touches their bodies, it constantly corrodes their skin, eating away until it reaches their internal organs. Only then will it stop.”
Gu Kaiyuan and the nearby guards felt a chill run down their spines. No wonder those men had dashed into the water—they were likely trying to alleviate the agonizing pain.
“Is there an antidote?” Gu Kaiyuan asked. This substance was far too dangerous. If they accidentally touched it themselves…
“Of course there is,” Nanny Pang said, pulling a bottle from her robes and tossing it directly to Gu Kaiyuan. “If you want to save them, give them each a pill. However, their earlier suffering won’t be undone, and their wounds will still need time to heal slowly on their own.”
The poison was indeed a bit overbearing; they had previously only tested it on small animals. Nanny Pang had still held back on the dosage, otherwise, those men would have instantly melted into puddles of foul water.
“Then, by rushing into the water like this, will they…”
“Impossible. The moment the powder touches the skin, it seeps into the bone marrow. Without taking the antidote in time, not even the gods themselves could save them.”
If it weren’t for these Japanese pirates, Nanny Pang would never have used this poison. After all, it was too cruel and undermined universal harmony.
Over the past century, the atrocities committed by these people were countless. Gu Kaiyuan’s group had only been in Lingnan for a short time, yet they had already heard of numerous tragedies and witnessed the intense fear the local civilians harbored toward them.
They were perfectly able-bodied. With so many deserted islands around, they could have easily reclaimed vast tracts of wasteland for farming. Yet, they preferred to reap without sowing. They were nothing but a horde of irredeemable demons.
Dealing with such people, just as Mrs. Gu had said: if you didn’t want to be devoured by them, you had to beat them into the ground. Therefore, showing them any mercy would only bring harm to their own people.
Nanny Pang turned her head to look at Gu Kaiyuan. “Mr. Gu, if you want to save them, you’d better act fast. Otherwise, even if you have the antidote, their lives might be spared, but their bodies will be ruined.”
Gu Kaiyuan shook his head. “I was only asking out of curiosity.”
In his previous life, during the years he had dealt with these people, he had suffered his fair share of losses. Countless brothers-in-arms had perished because of them. The hatred from his past life could finally be avenged in this one.
The guards behind them didn’t dare utter a word. They quietly distanced themselves from Nanny Pang. With so many pouches, bottles, and jars on her person, it was best to steer clear.
This island was quite large. The commotion here quickly attracted the attention of those staying in the thatched huts. A volley of curses rang out, followed by the emergence of several sleazy-looking men. They were muttering something incomprehensible, but their disheveled appearances made it obvious that they hadn’t been up to any good.
As soon as they stepped outside, they noticed that their subordinates, who had been resting outside, were nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a messy, chaotic campsite.
Hearing the splashing noises, they hurried to the beach, only to find their men thrashing wildly in the ocean. Tonight, only a faint moonlight kissed the surface of the sea, making it impossible to see clearly.
“What the hell are you doing?” one of them shouted angrily. “Instead of resting, what are you fussing about in the middle of the night?”
“Mr. Tianxia, listen to their voices. Doesn’t something sound wrong? And there’s a stench of blood.”
The speaker mustered the courage to take a few steps forward, only to scramble backward in terror. “Blood… So much blood…”
He had already seen the scarlet blood floating on the water’s surface, as well as the agonized, twisted face of the man closest to him…