Chapter 91: All Their Blood-Boiling Courage Was Doused
Ning Xiyue poured all her strength into a sprint toward where the burly man had fallen, and Ning Qingyuan moved in perfect sync with her, rushing to the same spot.
They both knew that only the weapons on that man could give them a chance to fight back.
In the blink of an eye, Ning Xiyue crouched beside the unconscious man, scooping up the brick and grabbing the pistol from his waist. She stayed alert, eyes fixed on the direction where the gunshot had come from — the path the bullets had flown.
With life and death hanging in the balance, Ning Qingyuan was only a step behind. He crouched beside her, snatching up his machete from the ground.
The same thought flashed in both their minds: they could use the unconscious man as a human shield — prop him up in front of them, and if anything else happened, push him forward to block the bullets.
Only two seconds passed from the moment the man hit the ground to when the siblings used him as cover. Two heart-pounding, nerve-racking seconds.
Rustling sounds came from the direction of the earlier gunshot.
Ning Xiyue pulled two homemade pills from her pocket, swallowed one herself, and handed the other to Ning Qingyuan.
“Brother, take this. I’m about to do something big.”
Without hesitation, Ning Qingyuan took the pill and swallowed it. It melted instantly on his tongue.
Ning Xiyue motioned for him to pinch his nose shut. Then, holding her breath, she opened the small vial in her hand. As the wind picked up, she released the powder into the air, letting it disperse and drift toward the source of the sound.
Since they were upwind, and the noises were coming from downwind, the powder dispersed perfectly, leaving nothing behind and floating straight toward the other side.
Just then, the rustling grew closer. A voice suddenly called out, “Comrades, don’t be afraid. We’re not the enemy!”
The siblings didn’t move. They continued to crouch behind the man’s body, observing silently.
A young man appeared. There was some camouflage on his body and face, and his aura didn’t feel hostile — but the gun in his hand kept them from acting rashly.
Ning Xiyue tightened her grip on the pistol and silently counted in her mind: “One… three… down.”
The man stumbled, his steps unsteady, staggering a few paces before collapsing to the ground. He bit down, forcing himself to stay conscious long enough to fire a single shot into the air — then passed out cold.
“Brother, run.”
The gunshot was clearly a signal for reinforcements, and who knew how many others might be nearby. Ning Xiyue was confident in her drug, but there was always the chance that someone cautious might have avoided it.
Better safe than sorry.
If things got too dangerous, she was prepared to knock her brother out and drag him into her storage space to hide.
“Stop! Take another step and I’ll shoot! Hands up and turn around!”
Knowing when to yield was a virtue. Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan stopped moving. They didn’t raise their hands but tightened their grip on their weapons as they slowly turned around, ready to act if needed.
Ning Xiyue contacted the system in her mind. “System, help me check the situation behind us. That guy should’ve been affected by the drug too. Give me an exact location — I’ll try to shoot him the moment we turn around.”
“Host, I can only guarantee that neither of you will die. As for everything else, you’ll have to judge on your own.”
Great. In other words, the system was saying it couldn’t help.
Still, knowing their lives weren’t in danger was a huge relief. Ning Xiyue’s courage surged. She was ready to risk it all.
She shot her brother a meaningful look — time to act. This was an era of passion and blood — how could they back down from a fight? If their lives weren’t at risk, what was there to be afraid of?
Ning Qingyuan responded with a firm, resolute look.
“You two little troublemakers, get over here! Who told you to wander around the mountains?!”
…What?
The siblings’ blood-boiling courage evaporated instantly at the sound of that all-too-familiar scolding voice. At the same time, relief washed over them.
Both of them instinctively lowered their heads, ears drooping as they slowly shuffled backward.
“Big Brother~”
“Big Brother, why are you here?”
“If I wasn’t here, the ones lying on the ground would be you two! Absolute nonsense!”
Ning Qingzhi’s face was dark with anger. He couldn’t bring himself to scold his little sister, so he turned on his younger brother instead.
“Ning Qingyuan, was it you who brought her into the mountains? I told you to take care of your sister, not to drag her into dangerous places. Forget everything else — what if a wild boar came charging at you? Are you going to fight it off, or let it eat you?”
Ning Qingyuan hung his head and obediently endured the lecture. His brother was furious — this was no time to talk back.
Ning Xiyue also kept her head down, waiting for her brother to finish venting before speaking.
Nearby, Ji Yanming noticed Ning Xiyue standing there with her head bowed, quiet and meek like a little quail. He stepped forward, gently pulling his comrade back to ease the situation.
“Alright, Old Ning, that’s enough. Let’s deal with the situation first.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Ning Qingzhi grumbled twice before finally stopping the scolding. He shifted his attention to the two people lying on the ground.
His gaze eventually settled on the young man who had already been helped up. Judging from the expressions of those around, Ning Qingzhi was a little less worried now. He turned to Ji Yanming, who had already checked on the situation. “How’s Gangzi? Nothing serious?”
Ji Yanming, still searching the body of the man who was now tied up like a dumpling, replied, “He’s fine. Just unconscious. No idea when he’ll wake up though. We’ll need to find the antidote.”
“Right. It’s definitely on this bastard,” Ning Qingzhi muttered, kicking the burly man on the ground.
“Um, I have something to say.”
Ning Xiyue raised her hand cautiously, speaking softly.
All four comrades, including Ning Qingzhi and Ji Yanming, turned their attention to her.
“Speak.”
Ji Yanming tried to make his voice less stern, but it didn’t work — even that single word was enough to make Ning Xiyue feel pressured.
Comrade Ji was just as cold and intimidating as ever. That single word made her feel like she’d committed a terrible crime. If this were ancient times, he’d definitely make a perfect ruthless and merciless regent prince.
Still, Ning Xiyue wasn’t afraid. She hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.
Ning Qingyuan, on the other hand, clearly didn’t like Ji Yanming. He stepped in front of Ning Xiyue, blocking her from his gaze.
“Little sister, what do you know? Speak slowly.” Ning Qingzhi’s voice softened as he turned to glare at his comrade and muttered quietly, “Tone it down. Don’t scare my sister.”
Ji Yanming realized his mistake the moment he’d spoken. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time sounding a little gentler. “Go ahead, Comrade Ning. Take your time.”
Ning Xiyue glanced at Ning Qingzhi, then at Ji Yanming, surprised at how much Ji listened to her brother. Was it just her, or did they seem to have… CP potential?
Ugh, what nonsense. She shook the thought out of her head.
“Um… I’m sorry, but that comrade accidentally inhaled our knockout powder. Without the antidote, he’ll stay asleep for three days and three nights.”
As she spoke, she pulled out an ugly-looking pill from her bag and handed it over. “Here’s the antidote. Feed it to him, and he’ll wake up within ten minutes.”
Seeing Ji Yanming’s cold expression, Ning Qingyuan quickly stepped forward to take the blame so his sister wouldn’t be affected. “I was the one who used the knockout powder. We didn’t mean to — we just thought he was an enemy.”
