Chapter 261: Who Are You Exactly?
After the Lin family left, Bai Ruozhu also put Little Dengdeng to bed. She extinguished the candle, her heart starting to worry again. She didn’t know what was up with Jiang Yichun, whether he’d found the medicinal materials and if he was still in Anyuan town? Would he come by in the night?
Was she hoping for him to come? When Bai Ruozhu realized this, her face flushed crimson. She touched her burning face, criticizing herself for being so desperate for company. Where was her dignity?
Yet, she began to worry about the leader of the assassins she saw during the day. The man was already suspicious of her. Would the assassins discover Jiang Yichun if he came looking for her?
After a long period of turmoil, her eyeslid shut. She stuffed some clothes into her blanket and slipped quietly into her space with Dengdeng to sleep. However, she kept the ’big screen’ open using her mind. If someone came into her room, she would wake up immediately.
Luckily, the night passed without incident. Neither Jiang Yichun nor the assassins came.
Bai Ruozhu washed her face with water from the pond, significantly clearing her head. She then awkwardly crawled out of her space with Dengdeng in her arms.
In the daylight, nothing seemed unusual. She utilized the time when there were fewer customers to ask the blacksmith to create a hook needle. She showed the blacksmith the hook needle and explained how to improve it. Thankfully, the item wasn’t very complex, and the blacksmith was skilled, so he said it would be ready by the afternoon.
After Bai Ruozhu left, someone went inside to check the item she requested. However, they didn’t openly inspect it. They made small talk with the blacksmith and glanced at the hook needle. Bai Ruozhu hadn’t asked the blacksmith for secrecy, hence he showed it to the person without hesitation.
In the underground money house, the leader of the assassins was standing with his hands behind his back.
"Sir, it seems the lady has asked the blacksmith to make a secret weapon." The man who spoke took out a hook needle, saying, "I snatched one to show you. Please have a look."
"Oh?" The leader of the assassins took over the needle and examined it. Then he threw it at the wall like a hidden weapon, and it plunged into the wall immediately.
"This is a formidable weapon. The hooks on top could cause bleeding with a stronger killing power than steel needles," one of the subordinates noted, looking at the half-buried needle in the wall.
The leader of the assassins squinted his eyes, saying, "Keep an eye on Bai Ruozhu to see if these hidden weapons are meant for Jiang Yichun."
"Yes, sir." His subordinate accepted the command and left.
The leader of the assassins started pacing around the room. Bai Ruozhu had no martial arts training, so these weapons were definitely not for her, meaning they had to be meant for Jiang Yichun. He decided to get involved himself. Otherwise, his subordinates would be no match for Jiang Yichun. Thinking about the loss of his six men on the mountain, the leader of the assassins clenched his fist.
Bai Ruozhu took Little Dengdeng home for a nap in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, there was an extra person in the room when they entered, startling her into a gasp.
Fang Guizhi, who was in the yard, heard her and quickly asked, "Ruozhu, what happened?"
"It’s nothing. Dengdeng just startled me," Bai Ruozhu gave a smile towards her son. Good boy, Dengdeng, you’ll have to take the blame for this.
"Look at you, so jumpy. Do you want me to come and help?" Guizhi laughed.
"No need, no need. I’m going to have a rest, you should take a break too. Don’t tire yourself out," Bai Ruozhu hurriedly responded.
"Alright, I’ll go back to the room to rest after cleaning up the vegetables." Fang Guizhi said.
Bai Ruozhu heaved a big sigh of relief. As she turned back around, she saw Jiang Yichun casually sitting there with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"You..." Bai Ruozhu glared at him, angry enough to chastise him for his deliberate scare but the pressing situation led her to think better of it.
"The assassins are watching me now. Why are you still here? Don’t let them catch you!" Bai Ruozhu lowered her voice, urgency clearly radiating in her tone.
Jiang Yichun’s face remained unbowed when he heard her, only the glint of amusement in his eyes and the curve of his lips revealing his mood.
For an instant, Bai Ruozhu felt a flash of light in her eyes. It would be better if this man stopped smiling. His smile was so radiant that it sparkled in her eyes and mesmerized her soul.
"Are you worried about me?" Jiang Yichun asked smugly.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened. This guy was completely unperturbed and even had the time to tease her.
"I’m not worried. I just don’t want you to get me into trouble," Bai Ruozhu huffed, turning her head away, refusing to look at him, and stubbornly stated.
Jiang Yichun chuckled softly, "You don’t mean that."
Bai Ruozhu was really anxious, but yet he appeared so calm. She glared at him once more, stomped her foot, and stated, "Can’t you be more serious? Even the leader of the assassins has appeared!"
This time Jiang Yichun’s face showed some seriousness. He asked, "You recognized him?"
Bai Ruozhu put Dengdeng back to sleep and got a brush and paper from the desk, beginning to sketch.
"He visited my stall yesterday. They’ve begun to suspect me, just that they’re not ready to act recklessly yet. I saw his movements that day while hiding, so I’m sure it’s him. Initially, I wanted to draw his portrait for you earlier, but I was afraid they were spying on me and might try to silence me if they saw the portrait," Bai Ruozhu explained while sketching, her anxiety resulting in quicker speech.
Jiang Yichun walked over to look at Bai Ruozhu’s sketch, his expression turning grave.
"He has a hole in his left ear. My eyesight is excellent, and I saw it clearly when his face was covered. You should arrest him as soon as possible. ’Catch a bandit by catching the ringleader’; as long as the leader is missing, the others won’t be able to raise any more problems," Bai Ruozhu added.
Jiang Yichun’s eyes lit up, "You know about ’catching a bandit by catching the ringleader’? Have you read about military tactics?"
Bai Ruozhu wanted to casually say that she had, who in the modern world didn’t know about the military tactics of Sun Tzu and the Thirty-Six Stratagems? But her eyelids twitched, remembering that military books at this time were incredibly precious. Apart from the royal family, only highborn families had access to them, her answer would lead to suspicion.
"No, there are no books on military tactics in my older brother’s room. But once, I heard the storyteller speak about it. I’ve always been quite curious about military tactics," Bai Ruozhu shook her head, putting on a look of longing.
In fact, Jiang Yichun had just asked aimlessly and didn’t suspect her of anything. Hearing her reply, he grinned, "I’ll bring a copy for you to read someday."
Now, it was Bai Ruozhu’s turn to be stunned. Weren’t books on military tactics supposed to be extremely precious in this era? Could people just casually let others read them? And why did he have a book on military tactics? That meant his identity was very special, right?
Bai Ruozhu’s heart sank. As she frequently saw him around Anyuan town, she had guessed he was no ordinary man. However, due to their frequent encounters, she felt his identity couldn’t be too distinguished. The wealthy young masters from highborn families wouldn’t willingly come to a place like this. But now, she felt she was just deceiving herself. The discrepancy between their statuses was too vast.
She inhaled deeply and looked up at him, asking, "Who are you, really?"