Chapter 2890 - 2891: Testing the Disciple

Chapter 2890: Chapter 2891: Testing the Disciple

"What’s going on?" Gao Zhou noticed something amiss and asked quickly.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t make much of it either. The poison had been expelled, and with a few more doses of medicine, it could be cleared completely. Though perilous, the danger lay in its strong concealment, making it hard to detect, but detoxifying it wasn’t too difficult.

So theoretically, it shouldn’t be painful.

"Probably, there’s something wrong with the meridians in this arm," Jiang Yichun said, his voice slightly trembling.

Bai Ruozhu felt a pang in her heart. Her husband was in such good shape, almost losing an arm before, and now in so much pain — could it have worsened?

If it weren’t so painful, with Achun’s tolerance, he wouldn’t make a single sound.

She gently touched his left arm, only for Jiang Yichun to wince in pain, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Fortunately, Gao Zhou’s sharp eyes and quick hands supported him, urgently saying to Bai Ruozhu, "Don’t touch him for now, let’s wait and see."

Bai Ruozhu capped the poison bottle and kept it safe, cautiously observing his reaction nearby. After about fifteen minutes, his complexion improved, and his forehead no longer sweat.

"How is it?" Tang Yin inquired.

Only then did Bai Ruozhu remember Tang Yin, surprisingly having forgotten him completely. It was rare for him to wait here so long, and standing all the while.

"The poison is almost gone, but the old injury has flared up again; let’s monitor for a while," she bowed to Tang Yin. "On behalf of Achun, I thank Your Majesty. You’ve had a tiring day too; please rest."

Tang Yin looked at Jiang Yichun. "Old injuries need nurturing. Take good care of yourself; don’t worry about other matters, you have me."

He wasn’t a pretentious person; having said that, he turned and left.

Jiang Yichun smiled at Bai Ruozhu, "When His Majesty mentions other matters, he’s referring to you—he’s on our side."

Bai Ruozhu nodded; Tang Yin was no incompetent ruler.

"What’s wrong, Ruozhu?" Chushuang asked.

Bai Ruozhu felt a bit awkward, stiffly bringing up the incident of Sun Zhou suddenly dying.

"The body was moved before you arrived; I was busy detoxifying Achun and couldn’t inspect it, besides, I thought it’s best to avoid suspicion," Bai Ruozhu said.

Gao Zhou burst out laughing, "I should have come quickly—I would’ve seen your awkward ’I didn’t kill anyone’ expression publicly, Ruozhu, you’ve really embarrassed yourself this time."

Chushuang hit him, "How could you say that? Aren’t you worried about the kid, just gloating over misfortune?"

"You don’t know how much this girl fooled me before, hah, I’ll surely eat an extra bowl of rice tonight," Gao Zhou laughed.

Outside the hall, some Shadow Guards and guards hadn’t left, hearing this, were all taken aback, wondering if this person was really the father of Lord Jiang, the father-in-law of Lady Bai—was he here for comedy?

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t be bothered with him, supporting Jiang Yichun back to the room, while Little Dengdeng insisted on supporting his father on the other side. But due to his small stature, Jiang Yichun ended up pressing down on his head.

He jumped up in frustration, "I’ll also eat an extra bowl of rice; I want to grow tall."

His words made everyone laugh, dispersing the prior nervous atmosphere. Though the event was sudden, leaving everyone caught off guard for the aftermath, it seemed everyone was safe.

Ao Song hurried back to inform the Astrologer, and when Jiang Yichun returned to the residence, others came to visit.

Seeing he was alright but needed rest, everyone exchanged greetings and left.

"Dengdeng, stay with your father, and immediately give a signal if anything happens; I’ll check around since I’m worried about the guest palace having issues," Bai Ruozhu said.

"Okay, leave it to Dengdeng," Little Dengdeng said, patting his chest.

Given Gao Zhou and Chushuang were guarding, Bai Ruozhu felt assured, waved a greeting, and left the room.

"Aren’t you staying with your husband?" Just stepping outside, she encountered Ao Song, who approached her and asked.

"I want to see if anyone’s tampered here; this incident involved a very skilled Poison Master," Bai Ruozhu replied.

"I’ll go with you," Ao Song called out.

Bai Ruozhu nodded, guiding her around the guest palace.

Soon, they encountered the Astrologer and Zhao Shu—Astrologer was guiding Zhao Shu in Yin Yang Techniques, and Zhao Shu seemed quite adept, having good aptitudes.

The Astrologer smiled at them, "This boy is hardworking, fast-learning—quite good."

"Looks like you’re fortunate—got yourself a good disciple," Bai Ruozhu said.

Ao Song glanced at Zhao Shu, her eyes turning a bit, and suddenly said, "We just met the girl from your village outside."

"Kuai Xian?" Zhao Shu was surprised.

"It’s her," Ao Song chuckled. "You know what happened? She wandered off, got caught by a brothel, and begged us to rescue her. But she didn’t think that she almost got one of us killed—why should we save her?"

Zhao Shu’s face turned dark, "A brothel—it’s that kind of place with men, right?"

Growing up in Cliff Village, and never leaving it, he’d never seen a brothel.

Ao Song showed a playful expression, "Wow, you’ve never seen a brothel? Why not let me broaden your horizons tonight?"

Zhao Shu blushed, "No, no need."

Bai Ruozhu already knew Ao Song’s intention, saying, "I heard that Kuai Xian and Li Shufang—one of them is to be your wife. Which did you prefer first?"

Zhao Shu’s face reddened further, "I don’t want to marry any of them; they both look down on me as an idiot."

"Who says so? Li Shufang said she’d rather marry you than be someone’s concubine," Bai Ruozhu said.

"Did she say that?" Zhao Shu seemed surprised, apparently unaware of Li Shufen’s thoughts.

Bai Ruozhu nodded, "You and Kuai Xian are from the same village, surely played together as kids?"

Cliff Village had few people, few children; they must have played together while young.

"Yes, but since I became foolish, they ignored me," Zhao Shu said, smiling bitterly.

"I won’t save Kuai Xian—you know she might be ruined tonight. If you want to rescue her, do it yourself—I won’t help. She nearly got my subordinate killed," Bai Ruozhu said.

"I don’t know her well; if she chose that path, she should bear the consequences," Zhao Shu said with gritted teeth, unable to hide his worry.

"Good, you don’t see me as cold-hearted. Even if you did, it wouldn’t matter—we’re strangers. Just listen to your master," Bai Ruozhu said.

Her words were direct and forthright, leaving Zhao Shu a bit embarrassed, hastily saying, "No, she brought it on herself—hurting others is wrong, and you saved her life."

The child had proper values; Astrologer’s disciple was decent.

Ao Song’s testing of Zhao Shu was clearly worrying over Astrologer’s apprentice.

Feeling delighted, Bai Ruozhu sensed another opportunity for successful matchmaking.