Chapter 614: Back Mountain
The others instantly shook their heads, fearing that the damned Chui Shi would never return once he left.
However, they didn’t dare scout the way themselves. On such a high mountain, even if there was a way out, all that awaited them were sheer cliffs. Moreover, they didn’t believe that the venomous woman would intentionally leave such a glaring loophole for them. It was likely a dead end.
“Do you guys find it strange today? The medicine doesn’t seem to have had much of an effect. I don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere, and my previous exhaustion seems to have vanished,” Yamaguchi said, rubbing his stomach. Usually, they would suffer terribly after taking the medicine, but today was highly unusual.
“Yeah, why is there no reaction? Could it be that the venomous woman’s medicine has lost its potency?”
“I don’t think so. They probably gave us the wrong medicine.”
“I actually think she’s run out of her previous poisons. Maybe she gave us tonics this time.”
They chattered on, stalling for time and assuming the medicine’s effects were simply delayed. To their surprise, by the time the guards delivered their meals, they were still alive and kicking.
This left them somewhat uneasy. Something felt completely off about today’s medicine.
“Do you think they’re planning to let us go?” Yamaguchi’s tone was filled with hope.
“Haven’t you heard of a last meal before execution? I heard they always feed people a good meal right before they die.” Ishishita Saburō closed his eyes. “They probably think we’ve outlived our usefulness, so they’re letting us spend our last day in comfort.”
“I don’t want to live every day in constant fear anymore. I’m leaving tonight regardless,” Chui Shi said boldly. “I’ll head to the back mountain today. If I don’t come back, you’ll know that path is a way out.”
The others exchanged bewildered glances. What kind of ridiculous pact was this?
“Are you sure it won’t be a one-way trip to hell?” Tanaka Heikun said mockingly. “Even a fool could figure it out. If there are no guards there, it means there’s simply no path.”
Chui Shi remained stubborn. “No matter what, I’m leaving this place today. Even if it’s a dead end, it’s better than living in constant terror here.”
Yamaguchi took a sip of water. “Since you’ve made up your mind, we won’t stop you. We’ll help keep a lookout for you tonight.”
“Thanks a lot.” Chui Shi secretly tucked his day’s rations into his clothes. Since he had no idea what the escape route would entail, these rations might just save his life.
As the night deepened, Chui Shi and the others felt no drowsiness. By the moonlight, they saw that the guards stationed nearby were still at their posts. Quietly sliding open a door, Chui Shi hunched over and slowly melted into the darkness.
“Will he succeed?”
“Whether he succeeds or not depends on his fate. But I suspect the back of the mountain is full of either cliffs or reefs. Escaping with his life won’t be that simple.”
“How do you know?”
“Anyone with a brain could guess it. Have you forgotten when we went to the back mountain to gather firewood? We could hear the crashing waves from far away.
“Given the height of this mountain and the distant coastline, do you think Chui Shi can sprout wings and fly?”
Everyone suddenly realized the truth. “Then why didn’t you stop him?”
“How could I? As they say in the Central Plains, good advice cannot save a damned soul. This isn’t the first time Chui Shi has harbored this idea. Do you think he wouldn’t sneak off even if we tried to stop him?”
The group finally quieted down. True enough, if they harbored even a shred of hope in their hearts, they too would want to take the gamble.
“Is there really nothing wrong with the medicine today? Why haven’t any of us felt a reaction?”
“We’ll find out tomorrow. Let’s hurry up and get to sleep now. Remember, none of us saw where Chui Shi went today, and none of us know anything.” Before falling asleep, Ishishita Saburō made sure to give this final instruction. Only when everyone murmured their agreement did he satisfiedly lie down and close his eyes.
They didn’t even have to wait until the next day. The guards patrolling in the middle of the night noticed one person missing and immediately lashed out with a whip. “Where did the other guy go?”
Most of the captives shook their heads, while a few hesitated to speak. Two men were promptly dragged out to the courtyard, where the guards quickly bound them to wooden stakes, preparing to subject them to severe torture.
Before the torture even began, they cracked and confessed everything.
Upon hearing that her guinea pig had run off, Bai Suihe quickly rushed over. Unfortunately, she was too late to witness the drama.
“Where is he?”
A guard pointed toward the back mountain. “We’ve already sent people to find him.”
Bai Suihe was somewhat surprised. How brainless did one have to be to choose that dead end?
Below the mountain peak were steep cliffs and a labyrinth of jagged reefs. Unless he was fully equipped with ropes to slowly descend, there was no chance of making it out alive. Otherwise, either the treacherous reefs below or the crashing waves could easily claim his life.
“This really has nothing to do with us,” Ishishita Saburō hastily pleaded his innocence. “We were all sleeping, and he sneaked away on his own.”
“He sneaked away? Then how did you know he went to the back mountain?”
Inoue Saburō and the others glared at the traitor who had just spilled the beans. They had agreed on their story beforehand—how were they supposed to answer this now?
Bai Suihe didn’t bother interrogating them further. Instead, amused by the situation, she led her people to the back mountain. There, she found Chui Shi in a standoff with the guards who had tracked him down.
“I was just looking at the scenery…” he explained stiffly when he saw Bai Suihe.
“And how is the scenery here?” Bai Suihe glanced at the pitch-black sea. The moon was entirely uncooperative tonight, hiding behind the clouds and making his excuse seem utterly laughable.
“Dark… but not bad. The sea breeze feels nice,” Chui Shi said in a final, desperate struggle to maintain his lie.
“So, are you going to stay here, or go back?” Bai Suihe offered him a choice.
Chui Shi hadn’t expected the venomous woman to be so agreeable today. He was just about to say he would stay, but quickly caught himself. The people of the Rong Dynasty were notoriously cunning; there was definitely a trap in her question.
What was there to stay for on this mountain? Was she implying he should leave his life here?
He hastily blurted out, “I’ll go back right now.”
Bai Suihe smiled and nodded. “Since you went out of your way to cause trouble for us tonight, I’ll send you two extra bowls of medicine tomorrow as a reward.”
Chui Shi thought that she truly was a venomous woman. This wasn’t a reward at all; this was an outright attempt on his life.
Usually, coping with just one poison was enough to leave them physically and mentally exhausted. Now he was getting two extra bowls. However, he didn’t dare argue and fearfully trudged back to their pigpen.
When Ishishita Saburō and the others saw him return, their eyes were filled with disappointment. It seemed the route through the back mountain was completely unviable. But if they tried to escape through the village, they would have to pass through countless checkpoints. The venomous woman was probably just waiting for them to walk right into her trap.
Bai Suihe couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on them. Once she observed the effects of the medicine tomorrow, she would increase their dosage. If they had so much energy that they could go sightseeing in the middle of the night, it clearly meant sleep wasn’t important to them…