69novels Page 74
Page 74
Jiang Kehan seemed to see herself when she first transmigrated to this world, when she was unaware of how much help she had received from others.
It wasn't until later that she realized that the reason others were initially willing to help her wasn't because she was so outstanding, but for a very simple reason—she was also a witch.
So now, Jiang Kehan understands better what she needs to do and the helplessness in the other person's heart.
……
As she deciphered the mystery, the caravan was ready. Ed returned to the front carriage and was not surprised to see the sleeping butler, Hall.
The two of them hadn't closed their eyes for three days. Hall, unlike him, wasn't a knight who had experienced the trials of war; he was originally just a butler enjoying a life of leisure, so it was normal for him to fall asleep.
However, he couldn't help pinching his nose and looking at the lord's corpse.
"Has it rotted to this extent? The ice brought from the lord's manor is almost used up. Fortunately, we're about to leave this place, otherwise we'd be in big trouble."
Ed casually kicked the face of the lord to whom he had once knelt and sworn allegiance before sitting down, staring at the gem with fascination.
"Eternal life, eternal life..."
A faint mockery seemed to rise from the spot, but he was lost in his own fantasy, oblivious to it.
P.S.: The author's backend crashed, which caused some typos. Sorry.
Chapter 108 Knights Don't Die Barehanded, But They Die from Their Rice Bowls
The caravan was not moving fast; the nearby road went through a forest, and that section of the road was narrow and not very smooth.
The butler, Hall, was jolted awake. He instinctively reached out to rub his eyes, but then immediately realized his predicament and was so frightened that he was wide awake.
He stared wide-eyed down at his feet, and only when he saw the lord's corpse lying there obediently did he breathe a sigh of relief, patting his chest and collapsing.
Ed was startled by his movements and couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like this.
"Don't be nervous, Hall. I'm here watching over things. Nothing will go wrong."
Hall took a water bag from his waist, poured water into his mouth with trembling hands, and only after drinking a few mouthfuls did he catch his breath and speak to Ed.
“I know, I know everything, Ed, I trust you completely.” He suppressed his unease and forced a smile. “You know me. I’m always calm, otherwise I wouldn’t be the lord’s chief steward.”
"But I still remember the moment I stabbed the lord in the back with the dagger. We were just going through the motions of a polite embrace, as usual, but I killed him..."
Seeing Hall's expression, Ed, whose face was hidden under his helmet, curled his lip in disdain, but he still pretended to comfort him.
"It's alright, it's just killing someone. Hall, I've killed far more enemies on the battlefield than you think, so relax."
Besides, after we achieve immortality, we'll have plenty of time to make up for it, such as taking care of the lord's children, won't we?"
For example, you'll be able to go down and see him soon, Hall... Ed thought to himself, his smile growing even brighter.
"Hmm, by the way, has that young lady been dealt with?" Hall gradually calmed down, and his quick mind once again took over.
"Not yet. We've only been gone a few hours. If we dump the body here, it'll probably be discovered in a few days." Ed knocked on the wooden wall of the carriage, his tone somewhat somber.
"As you know, nobles are such troublesome things; they can turn their territories upside down at will. We can only be more careful."
Once we're out of the forest, there's a lake by the roadside; we'll sink her there.
Hall was confident in Ed's professional competence, and seeing that he already had a plan, he let the matter drop.
"So it's getting close to evening now?" Hall pondered, peeking outside. Sure enough, the sky was getting dark.
He turned his head back, tucked the water bag back into his waistband, and said to Ed.
"Let everyone have a bite to eat before we continue. We need to travel at night later."
Ed nodded, then raised his voice and shouted, "Stop! Eat first!"
Their coachman was the first to bring the warhorses to a stop. Although the others didn't hear what he said, they stopped as well when they saw their carriage stop.
"Did something happen?" Jiang Kehan poked her head out of the carriage window and asked in a slightly startled tone.
Seeing that the others also looked confused, she simply got off and happened to run into Ed and Hall who were walking towards the back.
"It's alright, Miss. We just need to eat." Ed patted his chest, making a crisp metallic clanging sound, as if to demonstrate his reliability.
"Please forgive us if the food in the caravan doesn't suit your taste."
Are you the Backstab Knight?
Jiang Kehan glanced at him sideways. She had seen their actions clearly and knew exactly what kind of person this knight was.
Ed thought she was unhappy with the food served to the servants, and with a pang of sympathy, he took out a small bag from his waist containing some biscuits.
“If you don’t mind, I have some biscuits here, which were a gift from the lord. They should suit your taste.”
Actually, it was looted from the lord's room. Ed was really heartbroken; cookies were a rare luxury for him.
However, in order to achieve great things, he was willing to endure humiliation for the time being, but the way he looked at Jiang Kehan under his helmet had changed.
The sharp words seemed to be saying to Jiang Kehan, "You have already chosen your own path to death!"
Jiang Kehan hadn't expected the other person to have so much inner monologue. She took the small bag from the other person and looked at her like she was an idiot.
"I'll accept it. You have good taste." After saying that, she patted the hem of her skirt and returned to her carriage.
"Hoo." Ed exhaled a sigh of frustration, not as calm as he appeared.
Hall placed his hand on his shoulder, offering words of comfort: "That's how nobles are. Just bear with it for now. We don't need to argue with a dead man."
"Ah."
The two managed to move on from this minor incident and continued organizing the others to prepare food.
They built a campfire on the spot, threw in a lot of potatoes, then put a large pot on it, poured in the prepared wild game meat and seasonings, and waited by the fire.
Soon the food was ready, and everyone took a piece of black bread and a potato from Hall, and then took the stone bowls to the pot to fetch soup and meat.
The soup was milky white, but it had a strong fishy smell. Their main source of meat was hunting, so they were used to the taste.
But the flavor today isn't just because of the meaty smell.
Soon, Hall and Ed, who were the first to drink the broth, felt short of breath and couldn't help but fall backward.
"Ugh." Hall covered his throat, reached out to Ed, his eyes full of pleading.
"Poisoned..." he stammered, but he couldn't hold back the blood and foam gushing from his mouth. His eyes were filled with fear as he died, not peacefully.
It's just unclear whether he fears death or the possibility of seeing the lord.
Ed, relying on his good physical condition, managed to stand up, took a burning piece of wood from the campfire, and looked around.
Who is it? !
His heart was filled with resentment, and he had completely lost his mind.
I was just one step away from achieving immortality, just one step away! Who was it?!
With this spirit, he watched as others fell one after another, leaving only a somewhat unfamiliar man standing. He had no bowl in his hands, only potatoes and bread.
Ed remembered that this was a new servant who wasn't familiar with the others; they had only taken him along because the lord had specifically instructed him to.
"Who are you?" He stared intently at the man, blood beginning to trickle from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm just a thief, who knows why you're looking for me?" Under the knight's imposing aura, the thief shamelessly shrank back, not daring to move.
Thief? Ed couldn't help but look at the sculpture in the carriage. He seemed to have guessed why the lord would specifically seek out such a person.
Only a seasoned thief could remove the gemstone from the sculpture intact.
However, no one expected that the thief would also poison the food.
Thinking of this, Ed revealed a ferocious smile and used his last bit of strength to throw the burning wood in his hand towards the carriage.
The flames spread rapidly, almost instantly engulfing the wooden carriage and billowing thick black smoke. The warhorses, startled, broke free of their ropes and ran away.
"If I can't have it, I can't have it!" With that, Ed closed his eyes and fell to the ground.
The thief shrugged; he didn't care what was inside. As long as the money in the back carriage was safe, that was all that mattered to him.
However, his curiosity compelled him to wait for the flames to die down and peer inside.
Inside, a bright green gem fell from the statue, its brilliance shining even brighter in the reflection of the flames.
The thief was immediately captivated, as if someone was whispering in his ear.
Do you also yearn for eternal life?
"Immortality...I want immortality too!" The thief, unaware of what evil had possessed him, answered to himself and reached out towards the gem.
His eyes held an unprecedented longing, a longing so intense that he abandoned his principle of survival—not being overly greedy.
Jiang Kehan watched from behind him, her figure concealed by magic, which was why the thief seemed to have forgotten about her.
She simply stared silently at the gem in the flames, a bad feeling creeping into her mind.
"If the immortality they initially sought was you, then what burns beneath this flame..."
The firelight illuminated her eyes and swirled smoke around the gemstones like venomous snakes.
There seemed to be an infinite distance between her and the gemstone.
Chapter 109 Cherishing and Imprisonment
The thief quickly picked up the gem from the still-warm ashes, ignoring the scorching heat that burned his hands, and hurriedly held the gem in his arms, carefully wiping it with his clothes.
Even though there wasn't a speck of dirt on it, he still carefully wiped it clean, his heart deceiving his eyes.
Even the most flawless things will appear unbearable when excessively cherished.
No matter how he touched the umbrella, there was an inexplicable repulsive force between his hand and the gemstone. The gemstone seemed like a treasure from another world, impossible to touch.
But this only made the thief even happier, and the obsession in his eyes grew even stronger.
"What a wonderful treasure! It's best suited to be in my hands."
"Eternal life... eternal life."
He hurriedly ran to the back carriage, found the most exquisite wooden box inside, and carefully placed the gemstones inside, even padding them with a beautiful handkerchief before doing so.
He also casually took a few handfuls of the largest denomination coins, enough for him to live a carefree life.
Everything else lost its color in his eyes; even the goods that would have made him abandon his conscience to poison and kill were no longer important.
He seems to have found the best thing.
Jiang Kehan, holding an umbrella, was watching him from a distance, having reverted to her original appearance.
In a normal course of events, even if the defenseless young lady were lucky enough not to be poisoned, she would be easily killed by the other party.