One.

Strike!

Chen Kezhao quickly lay down, his face buried in more than a foot of humus soil. The black liquid spilling from the rotting leaves stained the corners of his mouth, and the viscous sensation was disgusting.

However, he couldn't care about that much. Chen Kezhao was surrounded by a tense feeling that was a hundred times stronger than this disgusting. The tension came from the groans of his comrade-in-arms, the motor. The moaning of the motor is a hundred times more dangerous than this miasma-filled environment (poisonous gas emitted from rotting leaves, animal carcasses, etc.).

He and his comrades were in the heart of the enemy. Nanban (also known as Miao Jiang, which is now the collective name of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and other regions) is a gathering place for barbarians, who like to decorate themselves with red and white tattoos. The most ferocious ethnic group in the Southern Barbarians is called the Nu tribe. The place where Chen Kezhao and the others are located is the territory of the Nu tribe.

The Nu, as the name suggests, is the "angry people". This name can be said to be a true portrayal of the character of their people. The Nu are a nomadic people who have been skilled in riding and archery since childhood, and they still maintain the practice of cannibalism.

Chen Kezhao can accept that others eat people to satisfy their hunger when they are hungry to the limit, but he can't accept that he has become the food for others. In this dense jungle, no wind or grass can hide the eyes and ears of the Nu people. Therefore, he had to be very careful.

He lay on the ground, writhing like a snake and slowly backing away, minimizing the sound and protecting himself from detection. However, it was all in vain. The motor called out to him in pain.

"Yes...... Zhao, save me. Please......!"

Although the motor lowered his voice, as long as there were Nu people nearby, he would not be able to avoid their ears and eyes. Chen Kezhao frowned, but still sighed and got up slightly. It's easier to notice, but it's faster to move.

The motor rested his hands on his knees and lay two feet behind him. Through the thick cloth that covered the mouth and nose to prevent inhalation, the motor groaned in pain. His face was hideous and scorched, and it was unbearable to look at him.

Chen Kezhao didn't speak, silently pulled out a knife from his arm, tore open the motor's pants, and then bandaged his knee with the torn cloth. The skillfulness of the movements shows his old experience.

The calves of the motor became more and more swollen and black. Chen Kezhao found two small needle-like holes from the center of the swollen area. The hole was so small that it would have been difficult to detect if it weren't for the sticky black blood coming out of it.

Chen Kezhao frowned. The wound of the motor comes from some kind of poison in this miasma. The land of the Southern Barbarians is full of poison, and the culprit who bites the motor must be the smallest, fast and poisonous guy among them. In general, the smaller the wound, the more toxic it is. If the wound is not treated immediately after the bite, the patient will surely die. Even if you can get treatment in time, the chances of survival are not high.

Although Chen Kezhao's knife is short, it has a wide blade and is extremely sharp, which can be described as a divine weapon for people like them who have been sneaking in the forest for a long time. The knife cut a "ten" on the calf of the motor, and black poisonous blood immediately gushed out like a spring. Chen Kezhao aimed at the wound and sucked out the poisonous blood with his mouth. This was repeated many times, and the black blood gradually turned red.

Chen Kezhao spat out a mouthful of blood and asked in a low voice.

"Characteristics of a snake?"

Motor shook his head in horror and said.

"I don't know. ”

"If you know the type of snake, maybe there is a cure...... There's no way, you choose!"

"Elect...... What to choose?"

"Start ...... here. ”

Chen Kezhao pointed with a knife at the place below the motor's knee and above the wound bandage.

"If you cut it, you can save your life. ”

Mada's swarthy face became darker.

"The second ...... How?"

"I have a few herbs. Although it can detoxify, there is no guarantee of effect. Probability of detoxification...... Probably only fifty percent. ”

"Fifty percent ......?"

"Die or die...... Either live. ”

There are only two roads. Either break your leg to save your life, or resign yourself to your fate with medicine. The motor broke out in a cold sweat and didn't say a word. Looking at the motor in the dilemma, Chen Kezhao didn't say anything, just waited quietly.

Actually, they don't have a lot of time. However, Mada's decision is a matter of life and death and his future life path. With such a big decision, it is understandable to give him more time.

He raised his head and looked up at the sky. To be precise, it's an attempt to look up at the sky. Although it was daytime, the strangely shaped trees in the Nanban jungle were intertwined with each other, obscuring the sky and the sun, and the sky could not be seen at all, only one or two rays of sunlight could be faintly seen, shining through the leaves covered by the diffuse miasma.

Miasma sinks at dusk and rises at sunrise, so the best time to pass through the Miasma Land at night. Even if it's not night, avoid passing midday. In the old days, Kong Ming marched south and only marched at night.

However, now, Chen Kezhao and the motor have entered the miasma hinterland under the scorching sun. Poisoning, however, was expected. Chen Kezhao and Ma Ma did not resent the general who sent them to danger because of this. The general's decision was really unavoidable. Chen Kezhao and Mada's mission is to find the base of the Nu people, and although it is safe to move at night, they cannot spy on the enemy's whereabouts, and only during the day when the enemy is active frequently, they can find their traces.

Mada also had no reason to resent the general. In addition to them, there are at least a dozen reconnaissance teams like them wandering desperately in this poisonous miasma. For nobodies like them, it is common for life and death to be determined by destiny. If you want to blame, you can only blame their identity as criminals, blame them for not being born at the right time, blame them for not dying in this wild place earlier, and they have survived to this day.

Chen Kezhao naturally has nothing to complain about. He was not condemned for his sins, but came of his own free will for twenty taels of silver. It is only right to take people's money and eliminate disasters for others. For the sake of his parents, he had to get that money. In any case, being alive is more important than anything else.

Therefore, Chen Kezhao, to be precise, should be under the pseudonym Chen Kezhao, Wang Yi, who spent 7 spring and autumn seasons in this southern barbarian land, did not complain. Here, he has to face countless life-and-death situations every day. He doesn't need or have time to think about the meaning of life. There is only one thing he has to do, and that is to survive. Returning to his hometown alive is his biggest and only thought.

"Don't cut it!"

The motor bit his lip and struggled to spit out two words. His eyes were bloodshot, but there was a proud glint in his eyes.

"Even if you break your leg and save your life, you can't guarantee that you will get out of this forest alive. Rather than being crippled for life, it's better to give it a go. ”

Chen Kezhao looked at the motor silently, and the motor's resolute gaze showed his determination. Chen Kezhao took out a belt from his waist, which contained several medicinal herbs, some medicinal powders, pills, and a jade bottle.

Tobacco is a precious herb imported from Portugal that works wonders for detoxifying snake venom. Mash it into powder, stir it with water and apply it to the wound that has been bitten by a snake. It can also be mixed with garlic and then applied to the wound. In addition, celery, persimmon, Philippine, jujube and other materials can also be used to dispel stasis and detoxify.

In the Central Plains, these things are readily available, but in Nanban, they are hard to buy. Chen Kezhao spent a lot of effort and gambled his life to save this bit of belongings.

Chen Kezhao carries these things with him in case of emergency. He didn't know how many lives he had snatched from death with these things. Of course, this also brought him a lot of benefits, either material rewards or spiritual comfort. Often, material rewards are more favored by him. But since the people who had received his favor and vowed to repay him had lost their lives on the battlefield one after another, he no longer expected the reward from others.

Chen Kezhao's hand groped around in the leather bag, and suddenly touched something, and stopped. Although there are many things in the bag, he can identify them by touch. What he came across was a lump of leather wrapped in a ball of cloth. It was a deerskin, but it was so dirty that it was hard to tell. When unfolded, the palm-sized deerskin is sewn in two layers with seven thin needles stuck in it. At first glance, it looks like a silver needle used in Lang, but it is used for the opposite purpose. It is a secret weapon used by people in the rivers and lakes to kill people, and it is known as the Seven Poisonous Locust Bee Needle.

Chen Kezhao's hand trembled for a moment, and the moment his fingertips touched the thing, a terrible thought flashed through his mind. Anyway, the motor will not be long in life, so it is better to kill him, and it will be a hundred. As long as you prick this needle gently, the motor can be freed on the spot......!

Chen Kezhao pulled his hand out of the leather bag. The motor looked at him uneasily, but Chen Kezhao's face never had any expression, which was difficult to understand. Chen Kezhao reached out and grabbed the motor's leg.

Mada's restlessness did not last long, and his treatment soon ended. Chen Kezhao took out an unknown leaf that the Nanban Miao people had applied when they were bitten by poisonous insects or poisonous snakes, mashed it and applied it to the wound, then sprinkled some tobacco powder and other medicinal powders around the wound, and then tore off a relatively clean cloth from the underwear to bandage the affected area, and the treatment was over.

Chen Kezhao still didn't take out the golden needle in the end. He got up and looked around, found a large tree with thick branches, put the motor on it, and cut some vines to tie him up.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Kezhao looked at the motor's panicked eyes and said.

"Once you start detoxifying, your body will heat up and go into a coma, and your legs will become more and more swollen. In this state, the person is immobile. You lie here and rest, and I'll take you away when I get back. If you're alive, of course. ”

"Are you going to leave me? Please, don't do that. Take me back now. ”

"If we go back like this, you know what will happen, right?"

Military law in the army is strict, those who retreat in the war die, and those who return without completing their tasks also die. If Chen Kezhao goes back with the motor, what awaits them is only cruel military law.

"So, so ......!"