Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1991: Chapter 1990: Not in the City

”Bai Ruozhu, do you think the plague is being spread through the river water?” Ding Ji asked worriedly.

”I’m not sure yet, we need to investigate further. Ding Ji, please help our medical team to quickly educate the city on epidemic prevention to avoid further infections,” Bai Ruozhu replied.

”Yes, yes, that’s what I should do.”

Just as Bai Ruozhu was about to let him go, she thought for a moment and said, ”Have someone draw a simple map of Linchuan City, including the river’s location, and mark the residences of those infected by the plague. Use different colors for each batch and note it down for me.”

Ding Ji was a bit puzzled but still agreed.

That evening, Fen Jiu couldn’t sit still and said to Bai Ruozhu, ”I think that gu master must be active at night. I’ll continue to watch the city tonight and see if I can catch him.”

”Don’t be hasty, uncle. I think the priority is to cure the disease. Once we cure patients, it gives the people hope and makes the enemy desperate. It’s better to conserve your energy for the final confrontation with the gu master, and I’ll need your and aunt’s help then,” Bai Ruozhu advised.

Fen Jiu considered and said, ”Then assign someone to monitor the city at night; we can’t let him keep increasing the number of patients every day.”

”Yes, I should arrange for that,” Bai Ruozhu reassured Fen Jiu and returned to her room, entering the space.

She fiddled with the bottle of collected river water on her pharmaceutical table.

After inspecting it for a long time and using reagents to test, she found seemingly no poison.

Could there be another cause?

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t figure it out, but Furball excitedly jumped in and started washing inside.

”You’re saying there’s poisonous insect poison in here?” Bai Ruozhu received Furball’s message, ”Then why isn’t everyone getting sick?”

Furball turned over and changed to a backstroke posture, which looked particularly funny since it lacked arms and legs.

”You’re saying the poisonous insect poison only gets activated when it contacts sunlight, and because the amount is scarce, it only affects a few people?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

Furball nodded its little head and then happily swam around.

With Furball’s input, Bai Ruozhu felt more suspicious about the river and immediately arranged for people to stake out Riverside, watching for any suspicious individuals.

The next morning, Ding Ji delivered the map Bai Ruozhu had requested, and he had also discovered the problem.

”Bai Ruozhu, those infected are mostly living near Riverside, with only a few staying further away. I sent people at night to question them; they all mentioned having visited Riverside earlier. Could it be that they angered the River God?”

Bai Ruozhu twitched her lips. She initially thought this guy was sharp for identifying the problem and checking it overnight, but now he”she attributing it to the River God shows how devout people in this city are towards the River God.

”Why don’t you think someone is using the River God’s name to manipulate the river?” Bai Ruozhu asked with a twinge of irritation.

”Huh? Then who could it be?” Ding Ji started to worry.

”Someone from King Rui’s faction, spreading rumors,” Bai Ruozhu envisioned it more clearly in her mind. If rumors spread, it was the army passing through Linchuan City that angered the River God. The River God, in wrath, brought the plague, casting the Emperor’s army as the immoral one.

”This King Rui is vicious!” Ding Ji said angrily.

”Don’t rush to tell the townsfolk yet. Continue to reassure the city’s people, and immediately isolate anyone showing symptoms,” Bai Ruozhu instructed.

”Yes!”

After Ding Ji left, Bai Ruozhu took the map to discuss with Jiao Ling and Fen Jiu. Zu Mei joined them, despite having a sour expression, she seemed eager to help.

Bai Ruozhu pointed to the map and said, ”These are the locations of households where the plague has spread, wave by wave. You see, those close to Riverside were affected first. Gradually it moved towards the center, but in small numbers - one or two people a day. Yet suddenly many were infected yesterday. I suspect the gu master panicked and released a lot of the mother poisonous insect’s poison at once.”

”Could the gu master be lurking near Riverside? Should we go search now?” Fen Jiu asked.

Bai Ruozhu shook her head, ”He must not be at Riverside; if he could reach there to release the virus, why not do it directly in the more secluded city west? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

”You imply he’s outside Linchuan City?” Jiao Ling’s eyes widened suddenly.

Bai Ruozhu showed approval, indeed this was her aunt, quick-witted.

”We’ve searched for days without finding anyone suspicious, and the pattern of the poisonous insect poison ties closely to the river, so the gu master is likely upstream from the river, close to Linchuan City,” Bai Ruozhu explained further. ”I’ve checked, the poison isn’t abundant, and exposure to sunlight is needed to activate it, then it seeps into the well water, infecting the first person who drinks it.”

Jiao Ling, having studied poisonous insects more, excitedly said, ”Yesterday several people got sick, which means the mother poisonous insect released a large amount of poison. Could it be weak now?”

”Right, we’ll set out and catch him off guard,” Bai Ruozhu thought to herself, hoping it’s not Fu Yiyi.

The group departed Linchuan City clandestinely, heading upstream to the north.

To avoid alerting anyone, they hid in a forest not far from Riverside, watching the area without moving.

The moon reached its zenith soon, yet Riverside remained completely still. Bai Ruozhu frowned slightly. Could they be stationed in the wrong place? Should they head further upstream?

But if it were too far from Linchuan City, the poison might not reach the people?

”Could it be that the gu master released too many insects yesterday and can’t today?” Fen Jiu whispered.

Bai Ruozhu made a shushing gesture, ”No, he wants to intimidate us, create panic first, why would he stop?”

Fen Jiu thought it made sense and asked no further.

They crouched for half the day, their legs growing numb, afraid to move rashly until dawn approached the next day.

Many know that before dawn is the darkest, as it was then, a shadow appeared, darting from upstream straight to the Lake.

It was too dark for everyone to see what she was doing, but her silhouette indicated she was a woman.

”Now!” Bai Ruozhu softly called and charged forward.

Jiao Ling and the others followed suit, Jiao Ling and Zu Mei threw several mechanical beasts to block the way, fearing the gu master might escape. Bai Ruozhu’s palm struck with a blast of wind, aimed at the shadow.

With a whoosh, a winged poisonous insect lunged at Bai Ruozhu, its wings buzzing, glimmering of gold amidst the dark night, indicating it was a formidable poisonous insect.

”Fu Yiyi, you can’t escape!” Bai Ruozhu shouted her name, trying to disrupt her focus, but instead, she merely chuckled.

Just then, the sun rose from the east, quickly illuminating the surroundings, allowing everyone to clearly see the gu master’s face.