Chapter 702 - 704: Always a Baby
Upon hearing this, Lin Ping’er hastily said, "Go on, go on. I will call you when it’s time to eat."
After they returned to their room, Jiang Yichun quietly asked, "Do you think Dengdeng has been hexed by Wu Wanqing’s poisonous insect?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, her eyebrows knitted tightly together, "As soon as I arrived, I examined Dengdeng’s body. He didn’t show any signs of injury or poisoning. Everything seemed fine. But then Furball ran out, and I noticed it kept circling Dengdeng’s face, as if it were worried. I also asked my mother. She told me that Wanqing had scraped Dengdeng’s face with her nail."
Jiang Yichun’s face darkened, his eyes filled with murderous intent, "Don’t worry, I will meet with my master and ask my junior sister to remove the hex on Dengdeng."
Bai Ruozhu stopped him abruptly, "No, don’t turn to Wanqing. I don’t trust her. I refuse to believe that there are no others who can remove the hex. If push comes to shove, we could always seek out Elder Shougu. Knowing the kind of person Wanqing is, even if she agrees to help Dengdeng, she is likely to be up to something."
Jiang Yichun sighed, "You’re right. We don’t understand this poisonous insect. Even if we keep a close watch, we can’t be sure of anything. I’ll arrange for someone who knows about this poisonous insect, and Elder Shougu to come."
As Bai Ruozhu looked at the peacefully sleeping Dengdeng, concern filled her eyes. But soon, that concern was replaced with determination. She must be strong and not let anything else happen.
...
Soon, Jiang Yichun found someone who understood the art of poisonous insects. That night, the man came to the Bai Family’s courtyard to inspect Dengdeng. The man said gravely, "The person who placed the hex is cruel. This kind of hex cast on a child will prevent him from growing up."
"He won’t grow up?" Bai Ruozhu was startled.
"Yes, he will remained unchanged physically and his intellect will never develop, he will always remain a baby." The man sighed, "It’s too ruthless. I’m incompetent. I can’t break this hex."
Jiang Yichun’s face turned even darker. As the man left, he whispered to Bai Ruozhu, "I will arrange to have Wu Wanqing killed, even if it angers my master."
Teary-eyed, Bai Ruozhu broke down upon hearing his words. As she cried, she said, "We can’t make a move on her just yet. As much as I want her dead, if no one else can break the hex and she dies, we will regret it for the rest of our lives."
After saying these things, she couldn’t hold back her sobs. What mother doesn’t worry about her child? Especially when her child is afflicted with a hex from a realm she simply cannot control.
Jiang Yichun held Bai Ruozhu, gently saying, "We will take Dengdeng to find Elder Shougu first thing tomorrow. We’ll find him within ten days. I’ve already sent people to inquire and arrange a message for him."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, briskly wiping away her tears, "I’ll pack up right now and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow."
She isn’t pessimistic by nature, and at this point, she needed to stay strong.
Jiang Yichun helped her pack some of Dengdeng’s clothes and diapers. Thinking of Ruozhu’s words, he sighed. For now, he’ll spare Wanqing’s life. However, he will set someone to watch her, even if it risks revealing himself as a member of the upper floor.
Bai Ruozhu mentioned to her parents about taking Dengdeng to seek medical treatment and explained about the hex from Wu Wanqing. She originally didn’t want her family to worry, but it was unavoidable now.
Bai Yihong spent the day at the newly purchased field. He felt guilty for not being home, thinking that perhaps if he were, he might have been able to prevent this.
"Ruozhu, how about your father accompany you?" Bai Yihong asked.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "There are still a lot of things that need to be handled at home. Dad, you are the pillar of our family. You can’t go anywhere. We’ll resolve Dengdeng’s issue as soon as we can."
Lin Ping’er held Dengdeng in her arms. Little Dengdeng showed no abnormalities; he still loved to laugh and was very lively. Externally, one couldn’t tell anything was wrong. It wasn’t until Furball gave a sign that the Bai Family realized anything was amiss. A few months later when Dengdeng still hasn’t grown any bigger, it would have been too late.
The Bai household was shrouded in gloom throughout the night. Only Dengdeng carried on as his usual innocent self, eating and laughing. Yet watching his innocently joyful expression only made the hearts of the family ache even more.
Early the next morning, Bai Ruozhu left four guards at home, while she, along with six other guards, traveled south. Jiang Yichun had received news that Elder Shougu had previously appeared in Fushui City, which was a two-day journey from Beiyu City.
Jiang Yichun had sent a pigeon to his contact in the northernmost city asking them to pass a message on to Elder Shougu, requesting him to wait in Fushui City for two days. If they couldn’t find Elder Shougu, they would continue their search in nearby cities.
Not long after Bai Ruozhu and her party left by horse carriage, Wu Yunfeng showed up at the entrance of the Bai residence.
"I came looking for my disciple, and on behalf of my unfilial daughter, to apologize." Wu Yunfeng said to Bai Yihong, who opened the door.
Bai Yihong, with a grave expression, said, "They have already left. You can spare us your false pretenses. Your daughter is so cruel. She cast a hex on an infant less than a year old. Is that even human?"
Wu Yunfeng looked at Bai Yihong in surprise, asking, "What hex?"
"Hmph, stop feigning ignorance. We found out yesterday that your daughter’s hex is in my grandson, Dengdeng. If the hex isn’t broken, he will remain a baby forever." Towards the end, Bai Yihong couldn’t help but cry. Sobbing, he said, "He’s only half a year old, how could you all be so heartless, how could you all be so heartless!"
Wu Yunfeng was dumbfounded. He murmured, "Wanqing... Wanqing, how could she be so cruel..." He couldn’t believe it, nor did he want to. But seeing Bai Yihong’s tears, he couldn’t help but believe it. Who would curse their own child just to deceive others?
"This... this is ridiculous!" Wu Yunfeng was so furious, his beard stood on end. "I’ll ask Wanqing to break the hex on your grandson. Rest assured, if she does any more reckless things, I... I will personally clean up the sect!"
Bai Yihong wiped away his tears, waving him off, "Forget it, we’re scared. They’ve already left to find a cure. You don’t need to go to any trouble."
Afterwards, he paid Wu Yunfeng no mind and turned around to return to the main hall.
Wu Yunfeng stood at the door for a while before quietly taking his leave.
He returned to the Shangshu Province and immediately sought out Shangshu Sun Chengchao. Looking at Sun Chengchao, he said, "Sir, if you want to get rid of Bai Ruozhu, do it yourself. Why do you have to use my daughter?"
Sun Chengchao sneered a couple of times, "Do I need to manipulate her? If I wanted to get rid of Bai Ruozhu, a simple order would suffice. Your daughter asked me for this herself. I took pity on her, who knew she was trying to snatch someone else’s child."
"So all of this was not your idea, then? You did not instigate this to make my disciple and I enemies?" Wu Yunfeng’s tone became chilly.
"Do I need to? Do you think I would consider you a threat?" Sun Chengchao started laughing heartily, as if he had just heard the funniest joke.
"You!" Wu Yunfeng was so angry he was speechless, but he couldn’t do anything about Sun Chengchao. He could only turn around and leave in a rage.