Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2209: Chapter 2207: Tracing the Spice

Bai Zepei instantly opened his eyes. Judging by the title alone, the person wasn’t a simple character.

A young man with a fat head and ears walked in; as he was about to enter the prison cell, he was stopped by the servant.

”Your Highness, please don’t get close. He can perform a Divine Sense Attack that causes intense headaches. The jailer just fell for it and went to see a doctor.” The servant cautiously said.

”Oh? Interesting, then how did you catch him?” The young man with the fat head and ears asked.

”There were many of us at the time. Even a Martial Arts Expert has a limit to their inner strength, let alone someone with his special attack.” The servant replied.

Zhou Shixuan sized up Bai Zepei and suddenly laughed, ”Let me go in and have a look. You guys step back for now.”

”Your Highness, you mustn’t!” the servant exclaimed anxiously, ”It’s too dangerous.”

”Isn’t he unable to move? What’s there to be afraid of? Besides, I’m not going to harm him.” Zhou Shixuan said nonchalantly, ”Hurry down, or are my words no longer effective?”

Everyone else withdrew, except for the guard behind him who remained unmoved. The guard barely made his presence known, but Bai Zepei sensed he was an expert.

Zhou Shixuan swaggered into the prison cell. Whether he was extraordinarily confident or just plain ignorant was anyone’s guess.

Bai Zepei coldly cast him a glance and did not hurry to use his Divine Sense to attack him. He wanted to see what this ”little prince” had planned.

”You’re Bai Ruozhu’s brother, right? I happen to be Zhou Shibin’s brother—my name is Zhou Shixuan, the King’s heir.” Zhou Shixuan said with a cheerful grin. ”Oh, and by the way, you might not know Zhou Shibin. My good-for-nothing brother was taken hostage by your sister.”

Bai Zepei recalled what the jailer had said earlier, that Ruozhu had rescued Tang Feng and taken the second Young Master of King Ying Residence hostage.

He still didn’t speak, quietly waiting for Zhou Shixuan to continue.

”Let’s put it this way: my brother is just the son of a concubine, yet he’s very ambitious, always thinking about overthrowing me. Do you think I’d tolerate someone like that? However, my father values his offspring and forbids us brothers from killing each other, so I had to endure. Now that your sister’s taken him hostage, I’m not worried. I can pretend to rescue him, and you just need to take the opportunity to kill him in the chaos.” Zhou Shixuan finished, laughing heartily as if his plan were about to succeed.

Bai Zepei looked at him coolly; was this person foolish? If he killed Zhou Shibin, Zhou Shixuan could use this as an opportunity to blame them and claim credit. Wouldn’t everything ultimately benefit him?

Besides, if Ruozhu hadn’t killed him, there must be a reason. Why should he kill a Young Master of King Ying he had no grudge against?

”What, you’re scared?” Zhou Shixuan said with a hint of provocation; this tactic was too obvious.

”No, it’s too risky.” Bai Zepei replied.

”Everything these days is risky. Is it better to lose your life, or to take a risk?” Zhou Shixuan responded.

This time, Bai Zepei said nothing, seemingly contemplating. Zhou Shixuan smiled smugly, ”Think it over. Once you’ve decided, let someone tell me.”

He strode out of the prison cell, and soon someone came in to release Bai Zepei from the rack, bringing him food and water, though the room door remained tightly locked.

Bai Zepei ate and regained some strength. He decided to ’consider’ it, then agree to Zhou Shixuan’s proposal.

Just as Zhou Shixuan could fool him into murder and then ambush them for credit, Bai Zepei could trick Zhou Shixuan, pretend to agree, and ultimately decide whether or not to kill him.

But did Zhou Shixuan know how to find his sister and the others? Or had he always known and intentionally delayed, letting his half-brother suffer?

...

The next day, everyone came across a small river, and Tang Feng mockingly suggested washing Zhou Shibin because he smelled too bad. It’s not good if he caught an illness and passed it to others.

Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes, saying, ”Do as you like; if you’re up for the task, go ahead and wash him. Ask Muyu to assist you.”

Muyu wailed, ”Madam, must you always be like this? What did I do wrong? I’ll change, alright?”

”Nothing, I just enjoy seeing your hilarious expressions.” Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.

Muyu was left in disarray, realizing that perhaps he should stay calm in the future. If he didn’t react so dramatically, the Madam might find it dull and stop tormenting him.

Look at Jing Lei with his deadpan face all the time; the Madam never wants anything from him.

Muyu solemnly decided that from now on, he would be a handsome man with a deadpan face, just like Jing Lei.

Soon, Tang Feng dragged Zhou Shibin to the river, but his movements were anything but gentle. He directly dunked Zhou Shibin in the water, causing him to gulp a mouthful.

But he couldn’t move, so he could only let himself sink, though Tang Feng lifted him out again shortly after.

Bai Ruozhu and Yizi took Little Dengdeng downstream to avoid the situation. Jiang Yichun and the others prepared lunch not far away, occasionally keeping an eye on the river.

Before long, a faint red color seeped from Zhou Shibin’s clothes, drifting downstream with the flow as if the fabric were losing color.

Bai Ruozhu quickly scooped the water with a jug, capturing the red hue.

Afterward, no more unusual traces appeared on Zhou Shibin, leading them to believe this was his objective.

Bai Ruozhu took the jug to show Gao Zhou and Jiang Yichun, and Jiang Yichun soon identified what it was.

In the water, Zhou Shibin was tormented beyond measure, constantly at risk of drowning, oblivious to Bai Ruozhu intercepting the red hue from his body.

Seeing Bai Ruozhu had found the answer, Tang Feng lost interest in the game. He lifted Zhou Shibin out of the water and threw him onto a big stone nearby.

”Stay here and dry out. We’ll flip you over later.” Tang Feng said, then reached out and struck Zhou Shibin’s sleep acupoint.

He strode over to ask, ”What is it?”

”It’s a special substance. Among nobles in Chengshui Country, there are secret tracking insects bred to find it. Then, tracing upstream would reveal the clue.” Jiang Yichun explained, ”I saw such insects during my time in the Ministry of Investigation.”

”Could it be Poisonous Insects?” Bai Ruozhu inquired.

”Not sure, but they aren’t aggressive, just good at tracking. For safety, we should distance ourselves from this river.” Jiang Yichun suggested.

Everyone agreed promptly, and Zhou Shibin wasn’t flipped. They tossed his soaking form onto the horse carriage. When he awoke, he sneezed twice, finding himself even more miserable, drenched all over.