334: Chapter 209: Attacked on a Snowy Night 334: Chapter 209: Attacked on a Snowy Night Thoughts flashed rapidly through her mind as she quietly reached for the long xiao by the bedside, gently pushing out the short knife hidden within.
She carefully moved out from under the covers, crouched behind the bed, and reached for a small blue bottle placed on top of the dicine chest.
Ran Yan pressed her ear against the ground, trying to distinguish the footsteps, but to her surprise, she realized that there seed to be more than one person!
From the curtain to the inner chamber, a distance of rely two or three zhang, if she were to shout for help now, she feared that the rescuers might not arrive before she was caught or silenced, and moreover, Wan Lu was still sleeping in the outer room…
With this thought, Ran Yan’s heart grew sowhat cold, hoping nothing had happened to Wan Lu…
Ran Yan took a brief glance and thought that hiding behind the curtain and catching them off guard would be the best strategy, but she estimated that those people would reach the inner chamber any second now, leaving no chance for her to get there.
She gently pulled the stopper from the blue bottle and scattered the powdery dicine inside at random throughout the room, especially into the nearby brazier where she threw in a good amount of the powder, soon filling the entire room with a rich floral scent.
Having quickly completed this task, Ran Yan covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and pressed her ear to the ground, trying hard to judge the distance, but she sensitively picked up on a faint rustling noise.
Ran Yan felt a cool breeze brush over her head, indicating that the intruders had already entered the room.
She gripped the handle of the short knife in her hand tightly, its icy-hard texture helping to calm her significantly.
The footsteps drew closer, and the intruders seed to pay no mind to the overly rich fragrance in the air, probably thinking that most ladies’ boudoirs were like this.
They slowly approached the bed, and with lightning speed, one of them yanked away the bedding, only to discover the bed was empty.
The intruder quickly touched the bedding, pressing down and whispered in a low voice, “It’s still warm!”
The bed was broad, and with the stacked up bedding, it was nearly impossible to see inside from this side.
Moreover, the intruders would never expect a young lady to be so bold as to lie directly by the bed upon discovering an intrusion.
Ran Yan knew that although she might temporarily be undiscovered, it was not a long-term solution, but all she needed was this bit of ti.
The powder she had sprinkled earlier required so ti to react.
With this ti, Ran Yan believed she could have a better chance at subduing the many intruders.
It was just uncertain whether there were any accomplices outside.
The intruders began searching for soone inside the room, utilizing the faint snow light filtering in from the windows.
They initially targeted large chests and cupboards that could fit a human body.
Tang Dynasty furniture was generally very low, like platforms protruding slightly from the ground, and those were certainly not hiding places.
Apart from various curtains and screens, the bedroom was pretty much clear at a glance.
They quickly focused their search inside the bed, and Ran Yan felt that being discovered while prostrated on the ground would be very disadvantageous.
Therefore, she decided to take the offensive.
She waited until there was only one shadow at the curtain leading outside and then sprang up from the ground with a swoosh.
The person standing by the curtain saw Ran Yan rushing towards it and thought she was trying to escape.
Far from stepping aside, he moved to block her.
Ran Yan’s lips curled up ever so slightly; this was exactly what she was waiting for!
With a sudden crouch, her hand flashed coldly, and the short knife accurately stabbed into the prepatellar ligant in front of the niscus on the knee.
Ran Yan was sure she hadn’t injured the niscus and had only cut about half of the ligant.
The man suddenly scread in pain from such a severe injury and fell to the ground with a thud, his injured leg writhing in agony, almost causing him to lose consciousness.
The few people behind him paused for a second before swiftly drawing their swords and moving in to capture Ran Yan.
“You best not move, otherwise this leg is done for!” Ran Yan’s cold voice cut through the air, eerie and chilling to the bone.
Ran Yan guessed they had co to kidnap her rather than to kill her, otherwise, they wouldn’t have thought about drawing their weapons after being attacked.
“Miss Ran Shiqi, our master just wants to have a word with you and ans no harm.
There’s no need for such ruthless defenses,” one of the n in black spoke.
Ran Yan believed what he said but did not let her guard down, “Who is your master?”
Seeing the hesitation on the other side, Ran Yan scoffed, “You act in secrecy, showing your head while hiding your tail.
Why should I trust you!”
The n had not expected Ran Yan to be so difficult.
Although they had been inford before they ca that this young lady had dical skills and might know how to use poison—hence they prepared a lot of antidotes—they had not anticipated that she would also know martial arts!
In fact, Ran Yan’s Taekwondo skills, which she obtained by taking advantage of opportunities to earn a black belt, would not match any of them in a face-to-face fight.
She would probably be subdued in just a couple of moves, but her sudden sneak attacks—fast, accurate, and fierce—were sothing they had not foreseen.
“Not good!” the one who seed to be the leader among the n in black exclaid softly.
She knew how to use poison, and the tone of her voice just now seed unusual.
No sooner had he spoken than several of them felt dizzy almost simultaneously.
Having reached her limit in lung capacity, Ran Yan grabbed a short knife and quickly backed out of the room.
The curtains were thick, hardly letting any scent escape.
Ran Yan took a few relieved breaths of air and was about to turn and check on Wan Lu when suddenly a cold voice ca from behind her, “I truly underestimated you!”
Ran Yan spun around and saw a man in black dragging soone out of the darkness.
When Ran Yan saw the person he was holding, her pupils contracted sharply, “Wan Lu!”
“Don’t worry, she’s unhard.
But if you don’t cooperate, I can’t guarantee that will remain so!” the man’s deep and cold voice rang out, “Drop the short knife.”
Ran Yan pursed her lips tightly and after a mont’s stillness, her hand released the short knife with a clang.
Perhaps because he had witnessed Ran Yan’s thods, the man was more wary than the others had been earlier.
He did not approach Ran Yan but instead placed his sword at Wan Lu’s neck, directing her from a distance.
Ran Yan carefully examined Wan Lu and realized she might have been sedated or knocked unconscious, which eased her anxiety sowhat.
“Give them the antidote.” The man in black seed not to trust her and added, “Don’t try any tricks!
This maid’s life is in your hands!”
Ran Yan snorted in disdain, turned, and went back inside.
She still held her breath, calmly donned her outer garnt, tied her hair back with a silk belt, and then bent down to take out a small earth-yellow bottle from the dicine box.
After taking a pill herself, she threw the bottle to them from a distance.
The powder Ran Yan had sprinkled just now was extracted from Datura and bellflower, combined with so poisonous herbs to create a hallucinogenic drug.
Inhaling the fragrance would cause symptoms like dizziness, nausea, limb weakness, pupil dilation, hallucinations, and in serious cases, unconsciousness or even death, within a short period.
The group took the antidote and, supporting those who were hurt, left the inner room.
Outside, the man said, “Miss Ran Shiqi, please co with .”
Ran Yan took out so handkerchiefs and silk belts soaked in poison and tucked them into her clothing.
As she was leaving, she noticed an unadorned umbrella leaning against the wall.
Thinking it might snow outside, she picked it up.
(To be continued.
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