Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2524: Chapter 2525: Can’t Miss Out

The astrologer subconsciously touched his face, was this face really that noticeable?

Bai Ruozhu thought that since the astrologer was so famous in Fusang Country, and often hosted ceremonies and other events, there must be many who had seen his face.

She thought for a moment, and simply took out the human skin mask that Gao Zhou had given her. Since Luzhi had already seen it, there was no use for it in Kyoto.

”Use this,” she said, handing it to the astrologer.

The astrologer curiously inspected it and then placed it on his face. Since he wasn’t very adept at wearing it, Bai Ruozhu called Qiu Zhi for help.

Thus, the scene displayed two men standing face to face, with one seemingly touching the other’s face. Although he was helping to put on the human skin mask, from another angle, it looked like he was gently caressing the whole face. The scene was simply too beautiful!

Bai Ruozhu covered her mouth and smiled secretly. Fo Lanying watched curiously from the side, wondering what strange idea Ruozhu had come up with this time.

Once the astrologer had the mask on, he took some of his subordinates and entered the city first. Considering the language barrier for Bai Ruozhu and her group, he specifically left a subordinate named Zhitian to accompany them.

Bai Ruozhu and her group also did some simple disguising; she disguised herself as an old woman, Yuan Licheng and Fo Lanying were her eldest son and daughter-in-law, Zhitian was her second son, and Qiu Zhi was the youngest son.

With that, the group silently entered Gangshan City.

The astrologer went to meet his subordinates directly to find the whereabouts of the person impersonating him. Meanwhile, Bai Ruozhu’s group did not act recklessly, instead, they found a restaurant to sit and eat.

After traveling day and night for three days, eating only dried food, the group finally got to enjoy a hot meal, which they thoroughly relished.

As instructed by Bai Ruozhu, Zhitian called a waiter over and asked with a smile, ”We heard along the way that we should avoid the Fushan Family. Since we are new here, we’re not sure what this is about.”

Bai Ruozhu gave Yuan Licheng a look, and he quickly slipped the waiter some broken silver. Qiu Zhi, watching from the side, was quite distressed, thinking how asking a few questions could earn silver. This day and age, being a waiter seems lucrative!

The waiter, skilled at reading people, naturally noticed Qiu Zhi’s reluctance. This made him relax a bit, as people who were reluctant to part with money were mostly from modest small families.

”You’re asking the right person, sir. But you don’t need to worry too much. The Fushan family’s head...” The waiter lowered his voice and made a throat-slitting gesture, ”he’s already dead.”

”Huh?” Zhitian feigned surprise, ”Who?”

The waiter whispered, ”It was the patriarch of the Fushan Family, a tyrant of Gangshan City who often bullied others. They say a demon, unable to bear it, was responsible, truly a good demon. It’s a pity he was vanquished by the Fushan family’s Yin Yang Master. Such a pity.”

Bai Ruozhu slightly raised an eyebrow, noting Fushan’s terrible reputation, with people unable to refrain from cursing him even after his death. It seemed the she-demon Yanzhi was likely telling the truth.

Zhitian engaged the waiter in a few more exchanges before letting him go back to work.

After finishing their meal, the group left the restaurant. They had Zhitian ask around while shopping at a street shop, and heard similar stories. Indeed, the late patriarch of the Fushan family was not a good person. The shopkeeper they asked got quite angry, saying, ”They once took things from a renowned hunter without paying. When the hunter resisted, they beat him to death right in front of my shop. No one dared to come buy things for days.”

After speaking, he regretted it and quickly said, ”But don’t worry, we’ve had a sorcerer come to cleanse the place.”

Zhitian quickly replied, ”Don’t worry, we’re not superstitious. We’ll come here for our future shopping needs.”

Seeing it was about time, Bai Ruozhu signaled Zhitian with her eyes, and the group left to head to the agreed meeting place with the astrologer.

Not long after, the astrologer rushed up anxiously, saying, ”I heard the imposter headed south just yesterday. If we pursue now, we might catch up!”

”How is it so fast!” Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped, sensing something amiss.

”We’ll discuss on the way. Let’s set off,” the astrologer said, ready to leave, but Bai Ruozhu stopped him.

”What if it’s a diversion? If we head south, what if they wait and leave for another place later?” She frowned, ”If he really was capturing a demon for the Fushan family, with a female demon still at large, would they leave so easily?”

The astrologer halted, looking conflicted, ”But what if it’s true, and we don’t go, we’ll miss another chance if they don’t show up for a while. It’ll be hard to find them.”

”Has the Crown Prince left?” Bai Ruozhu suddenly changed the topic. The astrologer paused before saying, ”It seems he hasn’t left yet.”

Bai Ruozhu pursed her lips, thinking, ”We must not overlook any possibility. You pursue south, while we remain in the city to investigate. Let’s also place someone outside the city gate to watch. If there’s news, signal immediately.”

The astrologer thought this plan was indeed safer and nodded, ”I’ll chase for three days. If I don’t catch up in that time, I’ll return immediately.”

”Alright, be careful.”

Looking at this face almost identical to Ning Yu’s, Bai Ruozhu felt very close, like he was her brother. She sincerely hoped the astrologer would be safe.

The two groups parted ways. Bai Ruozhu’s group returned to the city and found a small inn to stay in, then split into two groups to investigate. They planned to regroup in the evening back at the inn.

Fortunately, they were all in the city, so if something happened, they could signal one another.

Bai Ruozhu, with Qiu Zhi and Zhitian, stealthily approached the vicinity of the Fushan residence.

Unbeknownst to them, it was the day of the Fushan patriarch’s funeral. Bai Ruozhu calculated the days and asked Zhitian softly, ”Hasn’t he been dead for more than seven days? Why is the funeral only today?”

”Fusang has a custom that for someone of high status, the body must be kept for at least seven days. If it involves supernatural forces, it even takes longer for the Yin Yang Master to expel the evil filth,” Zhitian whispered back.

Bai Ruozhu frowned, ”Won’t the body rot?”

”They use ice to lower the temperature, which helps.” Zhitian said.

Before long, the sound of crying was heard, quickly accompanied by funeral music. Four people carried a coffin out of the mansion, followed by a long procession of mourners.

Bai Ruozhu suddenly frowned; her acute sense of smell was not a blessing. Even from a distance, she could smell the stench—it was unbearable.

Unable to pinch her nose, she had to endure it, while secretly observing the procession.

Sure enough, she caught sight of the Crown Prince inside the Fushan mansion’s main gate.

The Crown Prince couldn’t accompany the Fushan patriarch to the funeral, which wouldn’t be appropriate by etiquette. Therefore, he didn’t leave, just stood at the entrance watching, followed by a few guards.

Within the procession, a delicate Fusang girl suddenly turned back and gave the Crown Prince a tearful look. Bai Ruozhu discreetly noted the girl’s appearance, assuming she was the Crown Prince’s favored concubine.