Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1356: Chapter 1358: Beaten to the Punch_1

Two days passed, yet Master Hao Feng still hadn’t replied, which started to worry the sovereign. He said to Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun, ”She normally wouldn’t take this long to respond. Could something have happened?”

Jiang Yichun’s face darkened, his pair of pitch-black eyes particularly glossy.

”The great elder from the Holy Hall went out on business a few days ago and seemed to have sustained some minor injuries upon returning. Once he learned of Lady Diao Mo’s well-being, he sent people to escort her out of Gaochang City to join Jin Wanliang the next day,” he explained.

”Do you think the great elder took people to attack Master Hao Feng? But Master Hao Feng is always careful and cautious. How could they have found her?” the sovereign frowned.

Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat uneasy, as her intuition was usually spot on. ”Nothing in this world is absolute. I think we should make plans to search for Master Hao Feng sooner rather than later. It’s not a solution to keep waiting like this. If she’s in danger, we’ll be able to help more quickly.”

The sovereign pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

That day, everyone discussed and prepared to secretly leave the city early the next morning. Lian Jia would lead the way, but to avoid attracting attention from the Holy Hall, the group couldn’t be too large.

After the discussion, both the sovereign and Jiang Yichun arranged for ten people each to join the mission. The rest would wait outside Gaochang City, ready to reinforce them at a moment’s notice should any situation arise.

The next day came, and before dawn, Bai Ruozhu and her companions stealthily left the city. Meanwhile, Qingyou Hall was placed under lockdown to cover up the departure of Jiang Yichun and his group.

Chu Hai, still injured, insisted on accompanying them. He was concerned that others might not be able to coax Master Hao Feng out of hiding or might miss important clues. He felt he needed to be there to be reassured.

By the time daylight broke, they had already covered a considerable distance from Gaochang. Lian Jia then led them into a range of mountains. Since they had to cross over the mountains, they reluctantly abandoned their horses and proceeded with light body techniques.

For the next two days, they continued their journey on the road without encountering any dangerous predicaments, and their pace was not slow.

On the third day, they finally arrived at an even steeper range of mountains. Consulting the maps she had studied, Bai Ruozhu surmised that crossing over these mountains would take them near the boundary of the Turkic Country.

”We should arrive today; it’s just beyond those mountains,” Lian Jia pointed at a large mountain ahead.

”Indeed, this place is difficult to find,” Jiang Yichun remarked with admiration. No wonder the Holy Hall hadn’t found Fen Wan in all these years; Master Hao Feng’s skill in concealing herself was indeed formidable. With only two of them and these expansive mountain ranges, searching for two people without sufficient manpower would indeed be very difficult.

The path became increasingly difficult to navigate, and the group followed Lian Jia up the steepest peak next to the mountain they were climbing. Jiang Yichun, worried about Bai Ruozhu’s safety, stayed close behind her, occasionally lending a hand.

At last, they saw a mass of vines overhead. Lian Jia pointed and said, ”It’s inside here.”

”Wait!” Bai Ruozhu called out. She looked up at the rocky formations not too far above and said, ”Someone has been here. Look at that green moss—it definitely wasn’t stepped on by Master Hao Feng herself.

One would have to push aside the vines to enter the cave, and because the vines grow in such disorder, it’s not obvious when they’ve been disturbed. But the moss on the rocky ground is different.

If it were Master Hao Feng, she wouldn’t even damage the moss. She’s a person who’s so careful, how could she overlook these details?

But now the moss has been stepped on, surely by more than one person.

Everyone’s expressions grew serious. It seemed that Master Hao Feng had indeed run into trouble. But how had she always managed to remain so hidden, and how did the great elder find her?

Without time to ponder these questions, Jiang Yichun gestured for everyone to be cautious, in case of an ambush. He then gave Jianqi a look, signaling him to protect Bai Ruozhu, and followed Lian Jia into the cave first.

The cave was marked by a disorder of footprints, and its depths were empty. Items had been tossed about as if someone had been searching for something.

Lian Jia’s entire body slumped down, ”It’s over, Master Hao Feng has been abducted, and I fear... I fear the odds are not in his favor.”

”Don’t lose heart just yet, let’s have everyone come in and take a look,” one suggested.

Jiang Yichun spoke and walked towards the edge of the cave, then called out to those still waiting below: ”There’s no one here, all of you come up...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly keeled over.

”Achun!” Bai Ruozhu was shocked and reached out to grab him, while Chen Feng, Muyu, and Jianqi above quickly extended their hands to catch Jiang Yichun.

Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath, having been scared stiff for a moment as the fall wasn’t terribly high, but it wasn’t low either. Though it wouldn’t be lethal, one could suffer multiple fractures. Fortunately, with many quick reflexes, a disaster was averted.

The group haphazardly pulled Jiang Yichun into the cave, and Jianqi helped pull Bai Ruozhu up. Bai Ruozhu rushed to check on him and discovered that Jiang Yichun had been poisoned!

Looking into the cave, indeed, Lian Jia also lay unconscious on the ground.

”There’s poison in the cave, cover your mouths and noses,” Bai Ruozhu quickly said.

Luckily, the poison wasn’t too potent, only causing unconsciousness, but it acted quickly. That’s why Jiang Yichun, off guard, nearly fell down the cliff, and Lian Jia also collapsed without even realizing.

”The poison is placed deep in the cave, it’s safer here, you all take the medicine first,” Bai Ruozhu told the others, and she herself took a Detoxification Pill.

Her Detoxification Pills weren’t claimed to counteract all poisons, but they could slow the onset.

”How could there be poison? Was it the attackers of Master Hao Feng who placed it?” Jianqi asked.

Bai Ruozhu shook her head, ”They had the numbers, they wouldn’t need poison to capture Master Hao Feng. This poison must have been set by Master Hao Feng himself to counter them.”

As she said this, her mind churned. She had always thought her knowledge of half the Poison Scripture made her formidable, and even considered herself quite capable here. But now she realized there were always higher mountains, and there were always people better than herself; she should not underestimate the wisdom of the ancients.

The deadliest aspect of Master Hao Feng’s poison was its swift effect, incapacitating victims without them even realizing it. Even the most severe poison would give an individual with inner strength a chance to resist momentarily, but this kind of poison, although not deadly and with effects that wear off after two hours, could knock out even those with strong inner strength without any warning, which was valuable enough.

She didn’t rush to administer the antidote to Jiang Yichun and Lian Jia, as their inner strength was profound, and they should wake up in less than two hours anyway.

The immediate priority was to find the source of the poison within the cave, or else others might keep fainting unexpectedly.

”Ruozhu, go look inside; there should be a stone totem. That should be it,” Chu Hai suddenly said.

Bai Ruozhu turned to glance at him, noting that he seemed to be familiar with Master Hao Feng’s habits.

Not daring to be overconfident, she took another Detoxification Pill. Even though her body could resist many poisons, she wouldn’t underestimate Master Hao Feng’s poison.

Indeed, as she walked deeper into the cave, she saw a simple wooden bed, some scattered clothing beside it, and a stone carved totem in the corner.