Chapter 147: Croton Powder

Baozi knew very well that the two of them were currently no match for that old crone. Forcibly trying to rush in to save someone would only harm Dongnuo, so with no other choice, he could only leave with Zhou Yi for the time being.

"What was that thing you threw just now?" Seeing Baozi looking gloomy, Zhou Yi tried to strike up a conversation in hopes of diverting his attention away from Dongnuo.

"Human dirt, right off my own body!" Baozi glanced sideways at Zhou Yi and lowered his head again.

"Tomorrow, when Dongnuo is taken away, the two of us will intercept and rescue her midway. Whether we can pull it off this time depends entirely on you. I'll take you to get a bath later—you've gotten way too filthy!" Zhou Yi could easily imagine what it felt like for that Miao tribesman to swallow something like that, and a wave of nausea churned in his stomach.

"What about him?" Baozi pointed at the Miao tribesman still unconscious on the ground.

"Cut the weeds and dig up the roots; scum like this is no use keeping around!" Zhou Yi was vastly different from how he used to be. In the past, how could he ever talk about killing someone so casually? Growing increasingly mature, he understood the fundamental principle of leaving no future trouble behind.

The two of them had just intended to deal with the remaining five Miao corpses when the tribesmen discovered them. Once discovered, trying to dispose of the bodies would be useless, and to make matters worse, they might expose themselves.

"Let's go, they took care of our cleanup for us. Time to get you washed up!"

The night passed in silence. Awakening at dawn the next day, the two of them went to check the potter's field, only to find that Dongnuo had already departed. However, the previous night's incident had made the Miao tribesmen even more vigilant, and the escort party guarding Dongnuo had been reinforced with extra men.

The Miao people traveled along the main post road, which was wide with an unobstructed line of sight. Any commoners approaching from afar would immediately trigger the tribesmen's alertness, making it rather difficult for the two of them to get close.

"Brother Yi, what do we do now? We shouldn't have killed those lackeys yesterday!" Baozi shook his head and sighed.

Zhou Yi knew Baozi said this purely out of concern for Dongnuo. If it were the old Baozi, he would never have been so anxious and restless as he was now.

"Stop sighing and groaning. There's always a time when they nod off!"

The Miao group traveled at an extremely fast pace, reaching Qinhuangdao by evening. They sought out a restaurant for dinner. Since they entered a restaurant rather than an inn, it was likely they intended to press on through the night.

"Brother Yi, do you think this stuff is any good?" Baozi retrieved a paper packet from his bosom and handed it to Zhou Yi.

"What on earth is this?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Croton powder. I picked it up in Shenyang while wandering around last night. I originally wanted to buy poison!" Baozi said, scratching his head.

"It's a good thing you didn't buy poison. If we tried poisoning the Miao people, the two of us would die a horribly miserable death!" The Miao were all experts in poisons. If they used poison in the food, the tribesmen would surely detect it. Croton powder, however, was different—it suited their purpose perfectly.

A wicked grin spread across his face as he marched straight into the restaurant's back kitchen.

Ordinary people's lives were not wealthy in this era; restaurants were only busy for a brief period around noon, mostly catering to laborers who would order a bowl of noodles just to fill their stomachs.

Since it was already evening, there were very few people in the restaurant. Leaving Baozi outside to keep watch, Zhou Yi turned and stepped into the kitchen.

"Who are you? This is the back kitchen, unauthorized personnel are not allowed!" There was only one master chef inside stir-frying dishes. Seeing someone enter, he pointed his spatula at Zhou Yi and said.

"Do me a favor. A dozen or so Miao people just came in; mix this thing into their food!" Zhou Yi said, pulling out two silver dollars and placing them directly on the chopping block.

Upon seeing the silver dollars, the chef curled his lips and didn't even bother to pick them up. "Get out of here!"

Zhou Yi fished out another three silver dollars and placed them beside the others on the chopping block, but the chef snatched up a cleaver and moved to chase Zhou Yi away. "Get out right now, or I won't be polite!"

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm here for before kicking me out?" Zhou Yi frowned. The chef was unappreciative of favors, and Zhou Yi felt a faint surge of anger.

"I don't care what you're here for; anyone trying to tamper with food is no good. Clear out!" In this day and age, men of this chef's integrity were rare. Choosing not to make things difficult, Zhou Yi turned to leave.

However, the scene that followed instantly wiped away any favorable impression Zhou Yi had of him. The chef hurried back into the kitchen, hastily grabbed the silver dollars from the chopping block, blew a breath against them, and held them to his ear to listen to the ringing hum. Anyone who loved money loved hearing that sound, and the layers of fat piled on the chef's face told Zhou Yi clearly that his earlier disinterest in wealth was merely an act put on for others.

He didn't care about the five silver dollars because he wasn't short on money right now; rather, the chef's base character disgusted him. Taking a few strides back to the chef's side, Zhou Yi jammed his dagger straight against the man's neck.

Seeing a blade pulled on him, the chef's legs turned to jelly and he dropped straight to his knees, repeatedly begging for mercy, "Spare my life, young master! Spare my life!"

"Put that stuff in their food, and I won't make things difficult for you!" Zhou Yi said coldly. If he hadn't needed this chef's help, he wouldn't have deigned to waste words on such a person.

"Once it's done, I'll give you another five silver dollars!"

Hearing that there was more money to be made, the chef's cowardly demeanor vanished instantly. He got to his feet, flashed a ingratiating smile at Zhou Yi, and said, "Just leave it to me, sir! Let me whip up a signature dish of mine for them first!"

The food in the wok was already scorched and clearly inedible. The chef dumped it out immediately, scrubbed the wok and stove, and started stir-frying anew. Moments later, several dishes were finished and plated, though the croton powder had not yet been added.

"Why didn't you add the medicine?" Zhou Yi frowned.

"Not everyone eats every dish. This master chef will treat them to a bowl of custom egg-drop soup instead!" As the chef spoke, he spat a glob of thick mucus straight into the pot, causing Zhou Yi to frown repeatedly in disgust.

"What are you doing?"

"Since you can slip medicine into their food, they must be your enemies. Just grossing them out a bit." The chef thought he was doing a brilliant job, wearing a greasy, ingratiating smile.

"Dump it and redo it!" Zhou Yi said with a frown. In his view, such petty malice benefited nobody while causing harm, and only someone utterly base would pull such a vile stunt.

Not daring to disobey, the chef dumped the soup and prepared a fresh batch.

Seeing that the task was accomplished, Zhou Yi casually grabbed a scarf belonging to the chef and tied it around his neck, then smeared a generous amount of soot from the bottom of the wok across his face. Gazing into a mirror, he now looked entirely like a kitchen hand tending the stove. Since he hadn't shown his face much to the Miao people, that bunch of tribesmen shouldn't be able to recognize him.

With that thought in mind, he picked up the bowl of egg soup and strode straight into the front hall. In the front hall, the group of Miao tribesmen had nearly finished eating, leaving a scene of absolute clutter across the table.

"My lords, this is a special bowl of egg-drop soup I prepared just for you. The autumn evening is chilly, so please warm yourselves up after the meal!" Zhou Yi smiled as he served bowls of soup to the Miao men. When he reached Dongnuo, he exchanged a series of significant glances with her.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi, Dongnuo was equally astonished, but she kept her composure and continued looking down at her meal.

The Miao men each took a sip of the drugged soup and praised its delicious flavor. Only then did Zhou Yi breathe a sigh of relief. Tonight, they were going to be in for a miserable time.

Croton powder was a potent purgative, and its powdered form acted even faster. Shortly after finishing their meal, before they could even leave the restaurant, the Miao tribesmen felt violent cramps tear through their stomachs. Clutching their lower abdomens, their complexions turned exceptionally pale.

"Wait a moment before leaving, I need to hit the outhouse!"

"Me too!"

"You guys stay here and watch the Holy Maiden, I've got stomach cramps too!"

Seeing the medicine take effect, Zhou Yi finally let out a long breath. snatching up Dongnuo—who was still sitting there in a daze—he dashed straight out of the restaurant...