Chapter 752 - 754: Love Rival Comes to Deliver Medicine
Bai Ruozhu’s heart was pounding. Could it be Wu Wanqing, no doubt she is a Gu cultivator, and must surely have a familiar Gu. Could Yichun be in danger?
"How can this situation be resolved? Will this affects the child in any way?" asked Bai Ruozhu anxiously.
"The child should be fine. It just so happens that he has the rash right now and it will persist for one or two months, but it’s the person who passed the Gu to the child who will be in trouble." The old man said, sighing.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, "What could happen?"
"It’s fine if he doesn’t get sick, but if he falls ill or gets poisoned, things will get exponentially worse. All we can do now is hope the Gu on him doesn’t activate." The elder explained.
"Does the venerable gentleman know of any methods to lift the Gu?" Bai Ruozhu asked, hoping for some reassurance.
The old man shook his head, "I beg your forgiveness, but I am incapable of lifting a familiar Gu. It would be better to seek instructions from someone more knowledgeable."
Bai Ruozhu noticed his sigh and realized he was truly helpless, her heart sank further.
"Master, quickly send a message by pigeon to Ah Chun to be careful, and also send someone to find Elder Shougu."
Upon hearing the mention of Elder Shougu, the old man’s eyes lit up, "That’s right, Elder Shougu can definitely lift a familiar Gu. If you can find him, please introduce me as well. Fulfilling this wish would bring me great peace."
"If he can be found, I won’t forget your contribution, sir. Please keep today’s matters confidential and don’t let anyone else know." Bai Ruozhu hurriedly requested.
"I understand, and I swear not to reveal the slightest thing." Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s apprehension, the old man knew not to disturb her any further and so took his leave.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s demeanour, Lin Zhenghui could not help but ask, "Did Yichun boy provoke someone’s familiar Gu? A familiar Gu would only be used when someone is about to die, or did he kill someone?"
Bai Ruozhu looked troubled, "Master, it’s not that I intentionally kept you in the dark, but I fear that this matter would get troublesome. It’s better not to drag another person into this, right?"
"At my age, what do I have to fear about getting embroiled?" Lin Zhenghui said seriously.
Bai Ruozhu pondered for a bit and finally sighed in resignation. Lowering her voice, she said, "It’s the woman who hexed Dengdeng."
Lin Zhenghui had more or less expected it, but to hear Bai Ruozhu confirm it was still somewhat alarming, and indeed, things were troublesome as Bai Ruozhu had described.
"That woman not only has a formidable father, but also a mysterious master who taught her Gu crafting. You’ll have to be extra careful in the future." Lin Zhenghui sighed, "I’ll go and try to contact Yichun now, and you also try not to overthink things, at least the child will be fine."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, but she was still worried about Yichun who had gone to Qizuo Mountain.
The next day, the house manager delivered news. Bai Ruozhu had instructed him to buy land in the suburbs of the capital, and he announced that he had found a suitable lot.
Initially, Bai Ruozhu was not in the mood to deal with these matters, but on further thought, they have a life to live in the future, and the entire family would be living in Capital City. In the end, she decided to meet with the house manager.
Unaware of Bai Ruozhu’s sour mood, the house manager excitedly chatted on and on. However, Bai Ruozhu did not want to dampen the enthusiasm of her subordinate so she perked up to listen through the meeting, after which she finalised the land purchase and rewarded the house manager with twenty pieces of silver.
As the house manager exited, a servant arrived to inform Bai Ruozhu that a young lady was seeking an audience, claiming her surname was Yu.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned, her acquaintances in the capital who were daughters of esteemed families were few, and those surnamed Yu were even fewer. However, she quickly realized, it must be Princess Diao Bin.
With the princess paying a visit, and seemingly incognito, Bai Ruozhu could not just turn her away. Thus, she instructed the servant to usher her in.
The woman who entered was garbed in a large holster hat. Upon seeing Bai Ruozhu, she lifted her veil to reveal her face - and indeed, it was Princess Diao Bin.
"Sister Bai, I heard your child was unwell, I wanted to come over and visit." Princess Diao Bin said politely.
Bai Ruozhu hastily courtesied, "Your highness is too kind."
"May I see the child? I heard rumors outside that the child has smallpox, is that true?" The worry was apparent in Princess Diao Bin’s large eyes. Bai Ruozhu felt uneasy upon hearing this. What did the princess mean by this? Was she here to see whether her son would survive or not?
"It is nothing serious, just a rash. It will recede in a few days. Otherwise, the Commerce Association wouldn’t allow us to continue residing here." Bai Ruozhu did her best to keep her tone light.
Princess Diao Bin clutched her chest in relief, "That’s fortunate; I was genuinely scared. I asked my imperial brother for a medicine that’s known to cure all ailments. Keep it, whether you need it now or later, having extra medicine on hand wouldn’t hurt." She finished speaking and handed a box to Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu initially thought it would be something like ginseng or Ganoderma, and since it was a gift from the princess it would be impolite to refuse. But when she opened the box, she found a pill. The entire pill was lustrous and pure white, one could easily mistake it for white jade carving upon first glance. It emanated a faint medicinal scent that gave a refreshing sensation after inhaling it.
Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. She had read in a miscellaneous book of a drug called "Linglong Baiyudan" that was said to cure all diseases and remove toxins. However, this drug is extremely valuable due to the rarity of its ingredients and the pill-forming technique, likely to be lost to time. Even the Imperial family of Danliang Country probably didn’t hold many of these.
Did the Emperor really gift such a precious medicine to Dengdeng? Or perhaps Princess Diao Bin asked him for it, and knowing how much the Emperor adored her, he gave it to her?
Bai Ruozhu’s impression of Princess Diao Bin improved significantly. The princess must have thought Dengdeng had contracted smallpox and sought out a pill capable of curing any disease to save the child.
Bai Ruozhu pushed the box back, "This is Linglong Baiyudan, it is far too precious. I can’t accept it. Besides, Dengdeng doesn’t need it anyway."
Princess Diao Bin did not accept the box and even backed away two steps. She blushed and said, "Once a gift is given, it’s improper to take it back. If the child doesn’t need it, you could give it to Brother Yichun. He is often away on official business, carrying more medicine would ensure his safety."
As Bai Ruozhu thought of Yichun’s current situation, she decided this pill may prove useful. Thus she put aside the formalities, thanked Princess Diao Bin on behalf of Yichun, and accepted the medicine pill.
After Princess Diao Bin left, Bai Ruozhu stared at the Linglong Baiyudan in a daze. Before long, she stowed the pill away in her space storage. Suddenly, she seemed to regain her spirit.
Things hadn’t reached their worst point yet. She had medicine on hand now, what was there to fear?
Gathering her composure, Bai Ruozhu called for Jianqi to discuss some matters, "Jianqi, you currently have around twenty people under you, do you think that’s enough? Would you be willing to manage more people?"
Bai Ruozhu squinted her eyes. She looked like a cunning fox trying to coax someone, causing Jianqi to shiver slightly. He asked uncertainly, "Does mistress have any orders?"
"Don’t you have any aspirations or desires?" Bai Ruozhu stared at him, questioning.
Jianqi’s gaze deepened, as if he was recalling a painful memory...