Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1400: Chapter 1402: Gaining Trust_1

The great elder, upon hearing Xuan Jizi’s report, said with a stern face, ”If you were about to succeed, how did you let them escape?”

Lin Lian hurriedly stepped forward and said, ”To the great elder, Lin Zhu is proficient in using poison. I had already inflicted two wounds on her, and I was about to cut off her head when she suddenly threw something at me. I was startled, and to my surprise, it wasn’t poison but seemed like a strange human hand. Distracted for a moment, she threw a poisonous smoke bomb and managed to escape.”

As Lin Lian spoke, he presented the severed hand wrapped in a handkerchief to the great elder. The great elder’s mustache trembled, and a look of disgust quickly appeared on his face. Others might not recognize this object, but how could he not?

Honglian, who stood beside him, showed a slight look of surprise upon seeing the severed hand, but she quickly regained her composure and said, ”Just hand it over to me.”

Lin Lian gave the severed hand, still cushioned by the handkerchief, to Honglian, who didn’t even look at it before tucking it away.

Xuan Jizi, feigning curiosity, asked, ”Holy lady, is that the Ghost Hand?”

Honglian replied indifferently, ”Don’t ask about what you shouldn’t know.”

Xuan Jizi, with a sudden chill, bowed and said, ”This subordinate knows his mistake.”

The great elder, seizing the moment to smooth things over, said, ”Even though you didn’t succeed this time, the fact that you injured that Lin Zhu is commendable. The success rate of my magic technique has greatly increased. Now, you’ve worked hard; go and rest.”

After they left the great elder’s presence, Xuan Jizi and Lin Lian exchanged glances, both showing deep concern. The great elder and Honglian were acting mysteriously, and it was unclear what the magic technique the great elder spoke of was. Fortunately, they had temporarily gained the great elder’s trust and should have a chance to probe for some information.

In the room, the great elder looked at the severed hand in Honglian’s possession and frowned disapprovingly, ”What, do you want to reattach it to her?”

”Her strength would recover to some extent if her hand were reattached, and she could be a force to be reckoned with, even serving as a shield in a critical moment,” Honglian replied indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the great elder’s expression softened slightly, ”That would be good, but don’t get sentimental over sisterly affection. Diao Mo is gone, and you no longer have any ties to Jin Jing.”

Honglian’s expression turned colder. Her father speaking of her mother as if she were just someone who had died without a shred of sadness revealed that he had no feelings for her mother, who was nothing more than a woman he had violated in a moment of lust.

And she was only standing here because, by chance, she had a decent appearance and some talent, or else he would have discarded her like trash, wouldn’t he?

Honglian found it all very ironic. Her face showed no change, but her heart was becoming encased in frost.

”Lin Zhu has been fussing with Jin Jing’s severed hand, doing her research on how to deal with such dead matter,” the great elder said again, ”Forcing her to throw it away shows that she was desperate. It seems that what those two said was true; they really do want Lin Zhu dead.”

Honglian, feeling irritated, nodded offhandedly, not dwelling on the reliability of Xuan Jizi and his wife. She soon excused herself to return to her room for cultivation.

...

Bai Ruozhu had been lying in the room for two days, and if it hadn’t been for the Space she could enter, where Xiaohei was there to keep her company, she would have been bored to death. Now she could understand the misery Jiang Yichun experienced while feigning internal injuries.

She had just turned on the large screen to eat fish with Xiaohei when she suddenly heard Muyu’s voice from the other side of the screen, ”Madam, Princess Yingtong has come to see you!”

Muyu’s voice wasn’t soft at all, meaning to remind her to keep up the pretense of illness and not give herself away. She quickly emerged from the Space and settled herself properly under the covers.

”Let them in,” she said weakly.

Muyu led Princess Yingtong into the room, and Bai Ruozhu glared at her secretly. Why did she have to shout like a lunatic? Didn’t she think it sounded far too fake?

Muyu, thinking that allowing Princess Yingtong to enter would result in punishment, shrank back and retreated to the doorway.

”Madam Bai, I, I have learned some things from the Imperial Doctor and now know how to take care of a patient,” said Princess Yingtong, her head lowered and a faint blush on her face as if she were a wronged young bride.

Bai Ruozhu was taken aback; she remembered how Jiang Yichun had harsh words for Princess Yingtong to make her leave that day, yet unexpectedly, Yingtong had taken his words to heart and really went to learn from the Imperial Doctor.

Mixed emotions filled her heart for a moment. Yingtong was known for her bad temper, a pampered lady in the presence of the sovereign; she probably had never experienced hardship, nor had she ever done so much for someone other than her parents. At this moment, it would be false to say that Bai Ruozhu was unaffected.

”There’s no need for this; my injuries are only superficial, whereas you suffered internal injuries. Though not serious, you should also take good care of yourself, in case it leads to lingering issues and accelerates your ageing,” Bai Ruozhu said with heartfelt concern.

”Actually, I’m only taking care of you for a few days. Otherwise, I really feel like I’m of no use at all,” Yingtong said with some agitation, her face turning redder still.

That day, Jiang Yichun’s few words had filled her with shame. Yes, she had been so spoiled; what could she possibly be good at? Even though she had learned some magic techniques from Master Hao Feng, she hadn’t mastered them.

Seeing her this way, Bai Ruozhu could only say, ”You don’t have to take care of me; just keep me company and talk. My husband is out on business, and I’m feeling quite bored.”

Yingtong was about to agree when she suddenly sniffed and asked, ”Hey, why do I smell fish? You haven’t eaten fish, have you?” The last sentence was almost a shout, and her face showed sheer panic.

Bai Ruozhu inwardly cursed her bad luck but quickly improvised, ”My husband had fish early in the morning, that...”

Princess Yingtong seemed to understand Bai Ruozhu’s implication, her face turning red again, as she thought Jiang Yichun had eaten fish before kissing Bai Ruozhu, hence the smell of fish on her.

”It’s good that you haven’t. Fish can cause inflammation, which is not good for your wounds,” she said and then took out a box of ointment to give to Bai Ruozhu, ”This is a scar-removal ointment stored in the Palace; apply some so that you don’t scar.”

Bai Ruozhu accepted and opened it to take a look—it was indeed a good scar-removal ointment, the royal palace of the Western Regions certainly had its treasures.

She couldn’t help thinking of Sangta’s face, which had been marred, and thanked Yingtong as she accepted the box of ointment. She herself needed to prepare medicine, which would require gathering ingredients and consume time, not knowing how long it would take; she wished to repay this favor sooner.

Yingtong and Bai Ruozhu weren’t close and sitting together they didn’t know what to talk about, and fell into silence after a few sentences.

”Tell me about your childhood, there must also be many interesting things in the Western Regions, right?” Bai Ruozhu suggested.

Upon hearing this, Yingtong began to speak, and soon she was sharing many happy memories. She became the spirited princess once again and even burst into hearty laughter when recounting amusing events, which seemed to lift the somber mood she had been in for days.

”I’ve shared so much, now it’s your turn to talk about your childhood,” Yingtong suggested, her voice taking on a teasing tone, implying that it would be unacceptable for Bai Ruozhu not to share her stories.