Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2268: Chapter 2267: Buddha’s Hand in the Air

Jianqi, hiding in the shadows, squinted his eyes. This woman was trying to use the poison on her face to harm others.

Sure enough, Zhu Ning released a small mechanical puppet, then smeared the flesh from the hairpin onto the puppet, and sent it out.

Jianqi hurriedly followed, seeing the small puppet resembling a squirrel running towards the temple kitchen, slipping inside when no one was watching. The puppet circled around, finally finding the soup pot, and quickly slipped inside it.

Jianqi suddenly rushed over, grabbing the lid and slamming it shut. The monk cooking next to him was startled and asked, ”Why did you come into the kitchen? What’s this about?”

”Go notify your abbot and inform Lady Bai in the backyard that someone intends to poison everyone in the temple,” Jianqi said with a serious expression.

He was extremely displeased at the moment. He initially thought Zhu Ning was trying to harm Bai Ruozhu, but now understood that Zhu Ning would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, even poisoning everyone in the temple.

The cooking monk didn’t believe at first but suddenly heard a clanging noise coming from the pot, as if something was trying to break through the lid. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly went to report it.

Bai Ruozhu got the message, instructed Jiang Yichun to stay well inside the room, and said she would check it out and be back soon.

When she arrived at the kitchen, the abbot and several elders from the temple had also arrived.

”What’s in this pot...?” Even the abbot heard the banging sounds from inside the pot.

”A mechanical puppet,” Jianqi replied, ”I just came to the kitchen for some food and saw a Jiuli Clan mechanical puppet sneak in. It was glowing blue, likely coated in poison, and before I could think too much, it jumped into the soup pot, so I quickly put the lid on it.”

Master Puzhu, the abbot, looked alarmed but then calmed down. ”How could there be a Jiuli Clan puppet in the temple? There must be some misunderstanding.”

Bai Ruozhu sneered, ”Master, are you trying to cover for someone? Such a big pot of soup could be shared by the whole temple. If it’s poisoned, wouldn’t everyone be doomed?”

After she spoke, she nodded at Jianqi, who swiftly lifted the lid, and the mechanical puppet leaped out. Jianqi swung his sword and cut it in half.

Elsewhere, Zhu Ning spat out a mouthful of blood, her teeth clenching tightly.

”Just test it for poison, and we’ll know.” Bai Ruozhu pointed at the soup pot. The cooking monk immediately took out a silver needle, dipped it into the soup, and when he took it out, the front half had turned black!

The onlookers gasped collectively. If Jianqi hadn’t noticed the situation, they would all have been doomed today.

”Abbot, that woman is too vicious, we cannot let her go just like that!” The young monk Hou An finally couldn’t hold back and shouted first.

The others followed suit, agreeing that this could not be brushed aside.

Puzhu looked extremely displeased but finally said to the crowd, ”In that case, let us go and see.”

He then looked at Bai Ruozhu, ”I hope Bai benefactor will show mercy.”

He had already realized that Bai Ruozhu was aware of Zhu Ning’s existence from the start and had someone watching her, otherwise, they wouldn’t have discovered the poisoning.

Bai Ruozhu glanced at him coldly, ”It should have been handled by the Jiuli Clan people. I wouldn’t normally interfere, but she intended to poison everyone. This can’t go unpunished, can it?”

Puzhu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, ”I, a monk, was entrusted with a mission. Please understand, Bai benefactor.”

”Let’s go and see first,” Bai Ruozhu said.

Puzhu led everyone to Zhu Ning’s room. Zhu Ning had already wiped the blood from her lips, but due to the damage to the mechanism, she had suffered some internal injuries and looked a bit pale.

”Abbot, someone stole my mechanical puppet and destroyed it, causing me to get hurt. Please uphold justice for me!” Zhu Ning preemptively said.

Bai Ruozhu chuckled, ”If I wanted to kill you, I’d do it directly. Why go through such a roundabout way?”

”The poison on that puppet came from the wound on her face. I didn’t restrain her and gouge it out, did I?” Jianqi glared at Zhu Ning and said, ”If I could do that, I’d just kill you outright.”

”Abbot, Master, they’re afraid of inciting your dissatisfaction by killing me, so they’re framing me like this. I have no home to return to and cannot go anywhere. I have food and shelter here, so why would I poison you? If you were all dead, how would I stay here?”

If Zhu Ning hadn’t caused such a fuss before, her words now might have been more convincing.

”You haven’t wanted to stay for a while. You often caused trouble, either breaking things or complaining that we’re keeping you locked up. You’ve long wanted to poison us,” the young monk said angrily.

”Amitabha...”

A deep voice sounded above the crowd, instantly spreading throughout the temple. All the monks hurriedly knelt in worship, some even showing fanatical expressions.

”Heaven cherishes life, let today’s matter end here. This monk will deal with Zhu benefactor,” Master Pudeng’s voice echoed around, even the most infuriated young monk lowered his head, no longer conflicting with Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning, who was very nervous before, fearing exposure, was now overjoyed, thinking Master Pudeng supported her. She wondered what Bai Ruozhu could do to her now.

”Thank you, master, for proving my innocence,” Zhu Ning quickly said.

Master Pudeng’s figure was nowhere to be seen, but his voice continued, ”Zhu benefactor misunderstood. This monk isn’t proving your innocence. Don’t you know what you’ve done? I’m pleading for mercy, specifically for the life in your womb.”

This statement directly confirmed Zhu Ning’s poisoning. The crowd was angry, but no one dared question Master Pudeng’s decision or trouble Zhu Ning further.

Zhu Ning’s face paled further, ”Master, you can’t see, so how can you be so arbitrary?”

”Insolent!” Puzhu shouted angrily, ”Although my junior brother isn’t here, his voice spreads throughout the temple. What can he not see? You, woman, are sinister. If not for your pregnancy, I would have sent you to the Government Office long ago!”

”I...”

Zhu Ning still wanted to argue but suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand appeared and slapped her face, swelling it to the size of a pig’s head, rendering her unable to speak.

Bai Ruozhu looked in astonishment at the void where the phantom hand had appeared earlier, which was now empty, yet she still felt its immense power.

Zhu Ning began to sob, losing her prior arrogance, whimpering like a kitten. It was unclear if her swollen face restricted her voice or if some method was used to silence her, but she quieted significantly.