CHAPTER 2065: CHAPTER 2063: POISONING THE WELL

Bai Ruozhu also found her second brother and told him her thoughts. They weren’t doing it for anything else, just to help their grandmother breathe a sigh of relief and hold her head high among the clan members again. They were going to give it their all.

"I hadn’t thought about this before, but you’re careful. Let’s do as you say," Bai Zepei said sincerely.

Seeing her second brother had no objections, Bai Ruozhu asked, "Do you know what the Enlightenment Tablet is for? It seems like very few people go to the Enlightenment Tablet, yet you’ve become a hot item here."

Bai Zepei glanced at his little sister, "Hot item? Don’t say things like that. What would Yihuan think if she heard?"

Bai Ruozhu chuckled, "Oh, has my second brother become so concerned about second sister-in-law’s opinion now?"

"She’s married into our family, she’s my wife. Do I seem like an irresponsible person?" Bai Zepei said with a stern face, but his ears gradually turned red.

"Okay, okay, all the men in our family love their wives. Dad is like that, you and big brother are also like that. I’m proud of you all!" Bai Ruozhu said with a grin.

That night, Bai Ruozhu coaxed the children to sleep. The two little buns were still as easy to eat and sleep, and they fell asleep early. However, Little Dengdeng clung to Bai Ruozhu and refused to sleep.

"Mom, has Dad sent a letter? I miss Dad," Little Dengdeng said with a pout.

"The Commerce Association can’t find this place, so they can’t send a letter in. I’ll check with the Commerce Association in a few days when I participate in the trial," Bai Ruozhu said.

"Do you think Dad will be in danger? I heard that war is scary, with lots of people getting hurt. Will Dad get hurt?" Little Dengdeng’s eyes turned red as he asked.

Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "Don’t think about that. Your dad is highly skilled in martial arts and is with Grandpa, the medical sage. He’ll be fine."

"But..."

Bai Ruozhu interrupted him, "No buts, go to sleep quickly, or Mom will get angry."

After a long time, Little Dengdeng finally fell asleep, but Bai Ruozhu couldn’t fall asleep anyway, wondering about Achun’s situation. Maybe because of Little Dengdeng’s words, she couldn’t help but worry again.

It was a long time before she drowsily closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

"Achun!" She suddenly called out, her eyes snapping open. She saw Achun covered in blood. He glanced at her, then turned away and walked off, his eyes filled with reluctance and determination. He walked further and further away, his figure turning into a faint blood-colored mark. She chased after him frantically, shouting his name, but he never stopped nor looked back.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t close the distance between them. She could only watch as he moved further away, becoming a small blood-colored mark.

She woke up with a start, panting heavily. Could her overthinking have caused such a nightmare?

Before she could think further, she suddenly heard faint footsteps outside. Her entire body tensed up. Who would be walking outside in the middle of the night?

A figure of the Second Elder instantly popped into her mind, but she quickly calmed down. If the Second Elder wanted to deal with them, he wouldn’t need to act personally. Otherwise, if discovered, he would lose both his reputation and his position, wouldn’t he? As long as it wasn’t a very powerful expert, she wasn’t afraid. Besides, the Third Elder still lived in the building.

She slowly moved to the window and peeked outside through the crack, indeed seeing a masked person sneaking around, pouring something into the well.

She narrowed her eyes. If she rushed out and caught the person red-handed, once the matter was blown open, surely some clues would be uncovered?

However, in the next second, she held back the impulse to rush out. The Second Elder wouldn’t have achieved his position if he were as reckless as appearances might suggest.

To have someone orchestrate the poisoning was likely a precaution against the clan watching him and her conflicts. If something happened to her and her second brother at this time, the Second Elder would find it hard to explain.

But if he used some covert poisons to cause her and her second brother to underperform during the trials and the Enlightenment ceremony, it wouldn’t easily arouse suspicion.

Even if they discovered something was wrong with their bodies and spoke out, others might think they were just making excuses for their lack of ability.

Therefore, the poison used wouldn’t be too common, at least not something the Jiuli clan’s doctors could identify.

And since the Second Elder could send this person to poison them, he must have prepared long in advance. Even if this person was caught, they wouldn’t implicate the Second Elder. Making a fuss would only be gratifying for a moment, the Second Elder would scheme again if one plan failed, what if she wasn’t careful next time?

So, she decided to play along, first lulling the Second Elder, and after she and her second brother finished the trials and enlightenment, she would see what kind of expression the Second Elder had.

But she couldn’t let the poisoner off so easily either. Bai Ruozhu flicked her fingers and sent a small pill rolling near the well. It quickly vaporized in the air.

Before long, the poisoner cautiously left. Bai Ruozhu wanted to check the well, but was afraid of the other returning suddenly, so she held back, waiting half an hour before leaving the room.

She drew up some well water for inspection, indeed finding it colorless and odorless, a very sophisticated poison.

She took some water back to her room and checked it in the Space, finding nothing toxic.

There seemed to be only a faint floral scent, could it be the scent of Tao Hua?

Bai Ruozhu finally decided to taste a bit, as many poisons must be tested to be identified.

Indeed, as soon as she touched a bit with her tongue, her sensitive nature immediately detected a slight bitterness on her tongue, and she realized it was Mandala Flower Powder.

There are no Mandala flowers within the Jiuli clan’s secret realm, making it hard to detect. Additionally, Mandala Flower Powder is rarer than the flower itself, so not many people recognize it. Consuming a small amount isn’t particularly harmful, but doing so for three days in a row can render a person somewhat sluggish and prone to hallucinations, surely affecting one’s reaction and judgment.

Her trial might not be affected much, but her second brother going to the Enlightenment Tablet could be greatly impacted.

The Second Elder’s tactic was indeed cautious, and since Mandala Flower Powder disperses through excretion or sweat once intake stops, it’s difficult to catch someone using it.

But now that the well water contained Mandala Flower Powder, what should they do about their family’s water?

Thinking of this, Bai Ruozhu stealthily went to the kitchen, with a mere thought, she filled both water jars with water from the Spatial Fish Pond, so she could just instruct her family by morning.

Afraid the family would drink the well water early in the morning, Bai Ruozhu decided not to sleep afterward, cultivating sssence while keeping an ear out for the household activity. As expected, Jiao Ling was the first to wake at dawn, ready to make breakfast for everyone. Luckily, the water jars were full, so she didn’t need to fetch water from the well.

After a while, the family gradually woke up, and Bai Ruozhu gathered everyone together to report the previous night’s discovery.

"What? I’ll go settle the score with him!" The Third Elder jumped up upon hearing, but Bai Ruozhu hurriedly held him back.