Chapter 104: Stay with Me

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Baozi pointed at the vanilla seeds with a face full of disdain. “What use could this stuff possibly have? Poison it? Who are you trying to fool?”

Mu Chen then tossed the vanilla seeds to the ground, grabbed the last steamed bun on the table, popped it into his mouth, and picked up his sword as he started walking back.

Baozi thought Mu Chen would explain how those vanilla seeds were poisonous, but Mu Chen wasn’t buying it at all. He just curled his lips and muttered, “Who cares?”

But halfway along the way, curiosity got the better of Baozi. He crept closer with a mischievous grin and asked, “So what exactly are those vanilla seeds for? Tell me.”

“You’ll find out tonight. Why so many questions? Hurry up and get back to the mountain, we still have work to do.” Mu Chen deliberately kept him in suspense, wanting Baozi to be anxious. These two were truly a pair of love-hate companions.

Baozi anxiously spun around behind him, calling him “Brother Mu Chen” repeatedly, but Mu Chen just wouldn’t fall for it.

When they returned to the mountain, Mu Chen pointed to a pile of mugwort. “This is sweet mugwort. Cut plenty of it. Tonight, I guarantee no mosquitoes will bite us.”

“That’s just mugwort, right? I know it can keep mosquitoes away when burned, but won’t lighting a fire at night alert those Miao people?” Baozi was puzzled by Mu Chen’s plan.

“Get to work, stop wasting time,” Mu Chen said as he drew his dagger and began cutting the mugwort.

Mugwort, known as “Aihao” in the northeast and “Xiang Ai” in the south, when burned, emits smoke that repels mosquitoes, though the smell is quite unpleasant. The burial ground was surrounded by it, and before nightfall, they had already gathered a large bundle.

Looking at the pile of mugwort, Mu Chen pressed his palms together at his chest and whispered, “May the Three Pure Ones bless us—let the southeast wind blow tonight.”

As night fell, whether it was Mu Chen’s prayer or simply the natural shift in wind, the southeast wind arrived.

Seeing the wind change, Mu Chen once again bowed to the Three Pure Ones, then took out a match and lit the dry wood beneath the mugwort. The wind fanned the flames, the fire grew stronger, and a sharp, pungent mugwort scent drifted toward the burial ground.

The two of them kept their distance, occasionally adding dry wood and mugwort to the fire.

Baozi shielded his face from the burning heat and threw a handful of mugwort onto the fire, instantly thickening the smoke.

“What’s the use of this stuff?” Baozi still didn’t fully understand.

When Mu Chen thought it was enough, he explained, “Those Miao people often put vanilla seeds in sachets to ward off insect bites, but what they don’t know is that when the scent of vanilla seeds mixes with this mugwort smoke, it creates a mild anesthetic effect. It’s not deadly, but it’ll knock you out for at least a couple of hours.”

“The Miao people are idiots! We just burn smoke, and they’ll inhale it, getting knocked out without any poison, and we’ll be the ones to get trapped.” Baozi, though convinced by Mu Chen’s explanation, still argued with him.

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As they continued burning the smoke and bickering, the Miao people nearby grew wary at the sight of the mugwort smoke drifting their way.

They wanted to get the majority of the Miao to move away from the smoke to avoid it, but fearing it might be a trap by their enemies, they only shifted most of their people, leaving a small contingent behind to keep watch.

Yet, as soon as they left the smoky area, swarms of mosquitoes immediately buzzed toward them. The bites didn’t hurt much, but the itch that followed was unbearable.

The Miao leader noticed the guards left in the smoky area were unaffected.

He sent two men to find Mu Chen and Baozi. “What are you two doing?”

Mu Chen threw another dry branch onto the fire, stood up, and said, “Driving away mosquitoes. This mugwort keeps them at bay.” He held up two stalks of mugwort.

After some back-and-forth, the two Miao men felt reassured and returned to inform their leader. They cautiously entered the smoky area and found no mosquitoes biting. Quickly, they called the others over.

Mu Chen, seeing it had worked, clapped his hands and laughed. “It’s done.”

Baozi pouted. “Done what? This method drives away mosquitoes, sure, but why aren’t they falling asleep? We wasted a whole day for nothing. Terrible idea.”

The Miao people in the smoke seemed to mock Baozi, as no sooner had he finished speaking than his eyelids began to droop, his body grew weak, and the two of them, back to back, sank to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

Mu Chen chuckled and gave the back of Baozi’s head a light tap. “Told you it worked.”

Baozi scratched the back of his head and scowled. “Fine, fine, it worked. Why did you hit me? Damn, you actually hit me!”

He reached out to grab Mu Chen in retaliation, but Mu Chen quickly straightened his expression. “Cut it out, time to get to work.”

The two of them headed toward the burial ground.

Upon reaching the edge of a large pit, they looked down. The blood spring was still flowing, but no corpse was flying about.

“Who dares to commit such a vile act?” Before the words had even left his mouth, an elderly Miao woman hurried toward them.

Mu Chen and Baozi exchanged a glance and turned to run. But they hadn’t gotten far before the old woman caught up, blocking their path with a sinister smile.

“Speak! Why did you release toxic smoke?” Her tone was harsh and commanding, sending a shiver down their spines.

“It’s summer, mosquitoes are everywhere. We just cut some mugwort to smoke them away,” Baozi said, fearful from past encounters with this old woman.

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“Do you take me for a child?” The old woman’s aged face was stern.

“You’re so old, why not peacefully enjoy your retirement in Miao territory instead of coming here to throw your weight around?” Before she finished, a sharp shout came from the south.

Hearing the voice, Baozi and Mu Chen felt both surprised and relieved—the voice belonged to Zhou Yi, and the fact he could project his voice from miles away was astonishing. More importantly, Zhou Yi was finally well again.

“Who’s the meddler this time? Thinking they’ve lived long enough to interfere?” The old woman frowned as she faced south. She sensed the newcomer’s strength and tightened her brows.

After a cold sneer, Zhou Yi appeared before the three of them and gave Baozi and Mu Chen a knowing glance.

He then turned to the old woman. “It’s you, the old hag again. Why are you chasing my brothers?”

The old woman smiled coldly and snapped, “Rude words deserve a smack.” She swiftly moved in front of Zhou Yi, raising her hand to slap him.

Zhou Yi, nimble as ever, dodged back. The old woman’s fingertips grazed his nose but missed the slap.

As she lunged forward again, Zhou Yi grabbed her arm. “I respect your age and frailty, so I won’t fight you. Don’t think you can bully me.”

Finishing his words, he glanced back at Baozi and Mu Chen, who were still standing there in shock, and urged, “What are you waiting for? Run!”

Without hesitation, he seized their arms and fled northeast.

Zhou Yi had managed to avoid the old woman’s slap only because she underestimated him, thinking his youth made him less capable. If it had come to a real fight, he would have stood no chance. Zhou Yi knew this well.

“Think you can run? The three of you will stay here with this old lady...”

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