Chapter 995 - 997: The Belated Surprise_1
"It seems you recognize it, speak, what is this? Your master’s emblem?" Jiang Yichun sneered victoriously, his guess was indeed correct—the emblem was the clue.
The man’s eyes flashed before he clamped his mouth shut again. His jaw had been dislocated by a lightning strike earlier and had been reattached after he feigned death. Jiang Yichun raised his hand and dislocated the man’s jaw once more.
"Ah..." Screams rang out again, but Jiang Yichun paid him no further mind, carefully putting away the wooden box and walking towards the cave.
He had thought that since he was able to wake up, the others would soon come to as well, but there had been no one looking for him despite the commotion he caused, which meant they were all still unconscious.
Indeed, including Yao Yuxuan, everyone was still lying on the ground. Jiang Yichun had no choice but to carry them out of the cave one by one, first administering the detoxification medicine he had on him to Yao Yuxuan. Fortunately, Yao Yuxuan’s poisoning was relatively mild, and he woke up shortly thereafter.
"Mr. Yao, everyone has been poisoned. Do you have a way to detoxify them? We need to leave this place quickly. That traitor was feigning death, and I’m afraid he has already sent a message to someone hidden," said Jiang Yichun.
Yao Yuxuan, weakly, took out a small bottle of medicine from his person, swallowed a pill himself, and then asked Jiang Yichun to distribute it to the others while he sat quietly to recuperate.
Thanks to Yao Yuxuan’s medicine, everyone woke up, but the poison was only temporarily suppressed, and the team’s strength was greatly diminished. Jiang Yichun dared not delay any longer, leading everyone to leave the cave overnight. Once outside, he sent a signal for his subordinates to meet up with them, ensuring a safe return to Wuyuan City.
Bai Ruozhu and the others waited in Luohe City, where the water journey ended, for a day before they finally saw Jiang Yichun.
Just seeing him appear so mysteriously in black, Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly closed the window through which he had entered.
"Why did you come through the window again? What happened?" asked Bai Ruozhu.
Jiang Yichun wrapped his arms around her, his voice trembling as he whispered in her ear, "Ruozhu, I’ve missed you so much."
Bai Ruozhu shivered, her rigid spine softening instantly as she leaned into his embrace, her face blushing as she said, "I was very worried about you."
He didn’t want to let go, inhaling her scent, but he knew there was no time to waste.
"Listen to me, I came here in secret, and no one must know I’ve been to see you. We’ve found something on this trip, but a traitor has emerged among my men, likely signaling the enemy. I must escort the item into the palace right away," Jiang Yichun took a deep breath, speaking much faster.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart leapt, could it be some incredible treasure?
"Don’t overthink it; it’s just another sheepskin scroll, but we can’t let it fall into the enemy’s hands, or I’ll be in big trouble. I didn’t dare join up with you either, for fear of bringing danger to our families during an enemy attack," Jiang Yichun added.
Bai Ruozhu realized that if the hidden enemy knew he had visited her, they might suspect the object had been passed to her, and might even harm her and her family.
She wanted to help Jiang Yichun, but with her family in tow on the trip to the capital, she had to protect them and the children.
"Go without worry, take good care of yourself, we’ll be joining you in the capital very soon," Bai Ruozhu said with determination in her eyes, even if she couldn’t be of help, she wouldn’t hold him back.
He kissed her cheek, wishing he could devour her whole, but now was not the time.
"I delivered a gift to the palace and then hurried over to pick you up," Jiang Yichun said through gritted teeth as he released her, then gave her a deep look before climbing out the window.
His return was brief; if not for the lingering scent of him in the room, Bai Ruozhu would have thought it all a dream.
Considering his current duties, Bai Ruozhu grew worried; he seemed to have sustained some minor injuries, but fortunately, she had taken care of the poisonous insect on him.
She glanced at her son sound asleep on the bed and, feeling sleepless herself, quietly made sure the doors and windows were secured before softly carrying Dengdeng into the Space.
Once inside, she couldn’t help but gasp—how had a new pond appeared not far from the fish pond?
Upon closer inspection, she noticed some mist hovering over the small pond. She quickly placed the sleeping Dengdeng onto the bed prepared inside the Space, then walked over to the small pond.
It was much smaller than the fish pond, with a diameter of only about two meters. She reached out to touch it and instantly her face lit up with ecstatic joy.
It was warm—it was a hot spring! Yes, it was the very hot spring she had once channeled in here. She remembered the small pit she had dug right at this spot. At the time, not a single drop of water was left, and she had pushed the matter out of her mind. Now, after so many days, the Space had finally given her a big surprise.
She immediately stripped off her clothes and stepped into the tiny Hot Spring Pool, submerging herself. The pool was small, but it was deep enough for her to squat down. She pondered the idea of finding a clean, large rock to place in the small pond; it would make sitting in it more comfortable.
Although she was generally in good health, the journey had worn her out, and soaking in the Hot Spring Pool felt exceptionally comfortable. She almost fell asleep.
When she blurrily emerged from the water, she suddenly noticed that her skin seemed even whiter and more delicate. Instantly, the desire to sleep vanished. What woman doesn’t cherish beauty? She was immediately filled with excitement.
"Eh, where’s the bruise?" She scrutinized her leg closely, remembering that two days ago, when getting out of the horse carriage, Dengdeng had been fidgety. She had been worried that he might bump his head, so she’d protected her son but inadvertently bruised her leg. At the inn that evening, she’d seen it had turned quite purple.
She hadn’t thought much of the minor injury, but after soaking in the Hot Spring Pool, the bruise was gone.
What if it had been a wound?
At that thought, she bit her lip and made a small cut on her fingertip with a dagger, then dipped her hand into the small pond. After a while, she lifted it to see that although the cut was still there, the wound had healed, as if it had already formed a scab and the scab had fallen off, suggesting that in a few days, even the scar would heal.
This discovery exhilarated Bai Ruozhu even more. She had excellent medicines for stopping bleeding and healing wounds, but healing always took time. Now with the small pond, it was as if she had activated a cheat, able to heal much faster.
Early the next morning, Bai Ruozhu greeted her family, refreshed and full of energy. Initially, she wanted to enter the capital immediately, but upon reflection, it seemed inappropriate—she had already told her companions to wait for three days, and changing her decision abruptly could arouse suspicion. If spies could infiltrate Achun’s entourage, was hers truly safe?
With this in mind, she still allowed everyone to rest at the inn, and those wanting to go out for a stroll could do so; she would arrange guards to protect them.
Bo Zheng did not urge her, but Bai Ruozhu could see that he was somewhat anxious. She smiled at him and said, "Alternatively, Manager Bo can return to the capital first to send a message; we’ll follow soon after."
"No need, I’ve already sent Xi Shun back to report," Bo Zheng replied. "I’ll stay with you here and rest for a couple of days as well."