Chapter 216: Unexpected Finding

Early the next morning, all the herbs Wu Yi had asked for were prepared. He spent another two hours in the room before he announced that he would help Ji Yuxian remove the poison when the sunlight was strongest at noon.

Except for Ji Yuxian, everyone else could not help but feel nervous.

On the contrary, Ji Yuxian looked calm.

“Eldest Young Master, you look relaxed. Do you trust me that much?” Wu Yi asked. His white robe was spotless, and his fair, long fingers were holding a teacup. His countenance was ordinary, but people were always stunned by his charm at first sight.

Ji Yuxian replied softly, “Young Master Wu, if you don’t want to help me, then I don’t have much time left to live. Why should I worry too much?”

Wu Yi’s lips curved into a smile. He sipped his tea without saying a word.

Wu Yi told him that he would begin when the sunlight was extremely blazing. He chose a room that had no windows and was extremely dark. He then took out a piece of incense and handed it to Jin Feng, telling him to ignite the incense in the room two hours before midday. Afterward, he asked the servants to place a huge wooden barrel in the room and to prepare enough hot water available at any time.

After he finished his instructions, Wu Yi went back to his room and took a break. He did not show up until noon.

“Eldest Young Master Ji, please!” Wu Yi, who was standing in front of the door in a white robe, smiled softly at Ji Yuxian.

Ji Yuxian had already talked about this to Jin Feng and Shangguan Yunkun in the morning, and he had nothing else to say to them at this time. He merely stretched his arms to hug Su Jiu and said to her, “Wait for me!”

Su Jiu nodded hard, her eyes bright and clear. “I’ll be outside if you need me!”

If Ji Yuxian could not come out, Wu Yi, a member of the Buyi tribe, would not be able to leave the room safely either.

Ji Yuxian bowed his head and kissed Su Jiu between her eyebrows. After staying there for a moment, he slowly stood up, nodded at Shangguan Yunkun and Jin Feng, and went into the room behind him.

Wu Yi turned to look at Doctor Gu and asked, “Are you Doctor Gu? The most famous doctor in Daliang Country? I’m experienced with poisons produced by venomous insects, but what I achieve is far from your feats, Doctor Gu. Why don’t you go into the room with me to help the Eldest Young Master together?”

Su Jiu immediately turned to look at Doctor Gu.

She had not let her guard down around Wu Yi. It would be better if Doctor Gu could stay with Ji Yuxian.

Doctor Gu got up from the chair and said half-jokingly, “As long as you’re not afraid that I’ll steal your treatment methods!”

“I invited you to help me, so this is certainly not bothering me!” Wu Yi smiled.

“Good!” Doctor Gu nodded and agreed.

Su Jiu grasped Doctor Gu’s arm and said solemnly, “Doctor Gu, I’m counting on you this time!”

“Relax, girl. No matter what, I’ve lived in the Ji Manor for so many years, and I’m counting on Master Ji to pay for the rest of my life. He’s not allowed to die anyway!”

Su Jiu nodded appreciatively and replied, “Thank you, Doctor Gu.”

The three of them entered the room. Outside, Shangguan Yunkun saw Su Jiu’s worried face and comforted her with a smile. “Master Ji can finally get rid of the poison in his body. We should feel happy for him!”

Seeing Doctor Gu entering the room, Su Jiu felt the burden in her heart being lifted and she nodded. “Yes, if they succeed, Ji Yuxian no longer has to suffer the pain from bone erosion every month!”

Jin Feng leaned against the wooden door with his arms folded across his chest, his face riddled with worry. He lowered his head without saying a word.

Until the evening, only the servants went into the closed room with hot water twice, and neither Doctor Gu nor Wu Yi came out of the room.

In the evening, the veiled woman who came with Wu Yi delivered dinner for the people in the room. Su Jiu noticed that there were only two portions of dinner, which implied that Ji Yuxian was currently in a coma.

The dinner was vegan, just as Wu Yi had requested. Doctor Gu was probably complaining about this in the room.

Wu Yi had his own special tableware, all of which were pure white. They looked like they were made of jade, but they were not in reality. People could not identify the actual material.

It was likely that Wu Yi was compulsively neat and clean, so he was extremely obsessed with white.

Shangguan Yunkun glanced at Wu Yi’s tableware and grinned. “It’s a rare thing for a man to be so neat and clean.”

When the veiled woman came out, she looked at Su Jiu and smiled. “Young Mistress, you don’t have to stay on watch all the time. Doctor Gu is helping my master. You don’t have to worry too much,” she reassured Su Jiu.

She then paused and turned to look at Jin Feng and Shangguan Yunkun. “You guys can go back and rest. My master doesn’t make a promise to others so easily. Since he said that he can treat the Eldest Young Master, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Su Jiu raised her eyebrows. It turned out that the woman was Wu Yi’s apprentice.

Wu Yi was a descendant of the Buyi apothecaries. Did this woman learn pharmacy from Wu Yi?

And where did this woman come from?

She was fluent in Daliang Country’s language, but Su Jiu felt that she was not from Daliang Country.

All of a sudden, Su Jiu became very curious about the woman, and she could not help but scrutinize her appearance from top to bottom.

Jin Feng stood upright and said to Su Jiu and Shangguan Yunkun, “Young Mistress, Young Master Shangguan, please go back to your rooms to rest. I’ll stay here on watch.”

“No.” Shangguan Yunkun sat sideways on the chair and smiled lightly. “I can fall asleep anywhere.”

Su Jiu leaned against the door frame. “I don’t want to go back either.”

She knew that she would not be able to sleep if she went back, so she might as well just stay here.

Seeing this, the veiled woman left. She disappeared with the jingling of the chimes in the breeze.

The servants brought dinner. Su Jiu, Shangguan Yundun, and Jin Feng only took several bites, before asking the servants to clear the dishes.

It was getting dark at night. The luminous moon slowly rose and hung on the treetops. Faint glimmers of light penetrated through the treetops, and it looked like it was going to rain.

Shangguan Yunkun sat on a chair, fiddling with the candlewick using a silver scissor. The candlelight flickered, which somewhat annoyed the others.

Su Jiu pointed at the candlestick, and it abruptly flew away from her on the table. Shangguan Yunkun looked back at her with a puzzled expression.

“Stop playing with it!” Su Jiu glanced up at him, making up an excuse.

Shangguan Yunkun stretched his arms and stood up. “I’m going for a walk.”

Outside the door, a wind blew in the courtyard, while the air was slightly moist.

The island was densely covered with trees, and the hazy moonlight could not pass through the foliage. The sky was becoming pitch-black.

Shangguan Yunkun strolled along a narrow path. The calm and sparkling waters in front of him was a lotus pond. At night, the light aroma of flowers that permeated his nose was intoxicating.

Since fresh water was scarce on the island, the Buyi tribe would collect rainwater and store it for daily cooking. Sometimes, they would also use the snow from the snow mountain in the north. Only Ji Yuxian had a lotus pond in his courtyard where he resided. Thus, the tribe saw it as a luxury.

Shangguan Yunkun smelled the scent of lotus and walked two steps closer to the pond. When he passed a blooming tree, he was slightly startled.

In the shadows, a woman was sitting by the pond. She had a slender figure, and her long hair was scattered and hanging over her shoulders. She was combing her beautiful hair with a wooden comb while facing the pond.

Judging by her clothes, she should be Wu Yi’s veiled apprentice.

It was a taboo for a man and a woman to stay together outside at night. Shangguan Yunkun turned around, about to head back.

“Master Shangguan, since you’re already here, why are you in such a haste to leave?” The woman’s voice was clear and exhilarating, like the jingling of the wind chimes tied around her ankle.

Shangguan Yunkun abruptly stopped and turned to look at her.

The woman combed her hair to the side of her shoulder and looked back. She took off her veil and unraveled her real appearance. To his surprise, underneath the veil was a beautiful, alluring face. Her slender, red phoenix eyes were charming and clear as she subtly winked at Shangguan.

Moon, pond, scent, and beauty…

Shangguan Yunkun lost his mind for a moment, but he quickly calmed down and muttered, “It’s late, and I think it’s going to rain soon. You should go back to your room and rest early.”

With that said, Shangguan Yunkun prepared to leave.

“Master Shangguan!” the woman suddenly shouted, got up, and walked over. Her body swayed as the chimes rang.

“What’s the matter?” Shangguan Yunkun asked.

“To be honest with you, I’m not from Daliang Country. I’m from Jinli Country, which is separated from Daliang Country by the sea. It’s my first time visiting a foreign land. Are there any taboos here that I’m not aware of?” the woman asked gently.

“Hundreds of rivers run through Daliang Country! We have a very tolerant attitude towards other countries, so don’t worry about taboos,” Shangguan Yunkun replied.

“Oh!” The woman nodded gently. “Master Shangguan, I’ve heard that you’re in charge of half of the Ji Manor’s business. It is said that you have amazing eyes that can tell whether an ancient treasure is authentic or fake. Can you take a look at this one for me?” She extended one of her arms out and smiled.

As soon as her voice fell, her hand opened slowly, revealing a piece of brown glass which shined faintly under the moonlight.

When he casually glanced at the glass, Shangguan Yunkun could not pull his eyes away from it.

There seemed to be a dark and deep eye within the thin glass. After looking directly into the eye, Shangguan Yunkun found that there was another eye behind the eye, staring back at him.

Shangguan Yunkun’s eyes gradually blurred. He had countless eyes staring at him in his mind.

Seeing that Shangguan Yunkun was disoriented, the woman took the glass piece away from his sight and smiled. “It’s very late. Master Shangguan, please go back and rest. I’m going back too.”

“Oh…”

Shangguan Yunkun responded in a trance and stepped back.

The sky was covered with clouds, blocking the moonlight and causing the courtyard to darken.

The woman looked at Shangguan Yunkun’s back, and she pursed her lips into a subtle smile.

Shangguan Yunkun returned and walked straight to the chair where he had sat before he left. He said that he was tired, and then fell asleep with his head tilted to the side.

It was around midnight, and he should be tired.

Jin Feng noticed that Su Jiu had refused to go back. He asked a servant to move a bamboo bed here and let her lie down on it to rest. After that, he leaned against the wall to take a nap.

It began to rain heavily after midnight. The downpour flowed like a waterfall from the eaves and ran into a streamlet to the sea.

Su Jiu fell asleep, but she was still worried about Ji Yuxian in her sleep. She would wake up once every hour. Every time she woke up, she would only hear the sound of rain.

When it was nearly dawn, the rain let up but did not stop.

Shangguan Yunkun snuggled himself in the chair, having fallen into a deep slumber.

Su Jiu walked to the wooden door and saw that there was no movement inside the room.

An hour later, the veiled woman entered the room with food, and the servants also brought breakfast for Su Jiu, Shangguan Yunkun, and Jin Feng.

On the wooden chair, Shangguan Yunkun was still asleep.

When she saw him, Su Jiu laughed and went over to shake Shangguan’s arm. “Hey, it’s morning already. Wake up!”

“Shangguan!”

“Wake up!”

Su Jiu shook him several times until Shangguan opened his eyes and looked at Su Jiu with a drowsy expression. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s dawn,” Su Jiu replied.

“Oh…” Shangguan rubbed his eyes and rolled over, wanting to sleep again. “I’m so sleepy, I don’t want to eat. Just ignore me.”

“Go to the bamboo bed,” Su Jiu said lightly when she saw how uncomfortable it was for Shangguan to sleep on the chair.

Without opening his eyes, Shangguan got up, collapsed on the bamboo bed, and immediately fell asleep again.

Su Jiu slightly frowned. Shangguan Yunkun did not stay up last night, so why was he so tired?

Wu Yi’s apprentice came out of the room after she delivered dishes for her master. She came over to Su Jiu with a shy smile. “Good morning, Young Mistress.”

Su Jiu smiled lightly and nodded. “Good morning.”

This time, the woman did not persuade them to go back to their rooms and left after greeting them.

At noon, Shangguan Yunkun only woke up once, went to the restroom after lunch, and fell asleep again.

Puzzled, Su Jiu frowned and asked Jin Feng, “Does he have a cold? Go and check him. Why does he need so much sleep?”

Jin Feng touched Shangguan’s forehead and shook his head. “No, his body temperature is normal.”

Su Jiu could only nod. Maybe it was too boring here, so Shangguan wanted to sleep. He ate and drank like a normal person, so there should be no problem with him.

This day was peaceful, and nothing much happened. However, the rain did not cease.

Wu Yi only came out once at night, his face pale, though he only reassured them that everything was fine without explaining the current situation. He then went back to his room to wash his face and bathe.

Two hours later, Wu Yi returned and entered the room where he was treating Ji Yuxian.

On the morning of the third day, the sky was clear, and the rain stopped. Birds sang in the courtyard in a happy mood.

The veiled woman went into the closed room to deliver food to Wu Yi and Doctor Gu. When she came out, she walked to Su Jiu and asked in anticipation, “This island has very beautiful scenery. I want to go out for a walk, but I’m not familiar with this place. Can you go with me for a walk, Young Mistress?”

Su Jiu immediately turned to the room where Ji Yuxian was.

“Young Mistress, rest assured that the Eldest Young Master won’t wake up today. You need to wait until tomorrow at least.” The woman blinked. “I’ve been following my master for a long time. He has been in that room treating the Eldest Young Master for three consecutive days, and now I’m lonely and bored. I can only talk to you, Young Mistress. We won’t go too far. We’ll just visit the forest in front and then come back.”

Wu Yi had promised to treat Ji Yuxian. Su Jiu was grateful to him from the bottom of her heart. Since Wu Yi was saving her husband’s life, she should also take care of Wu Yi’s apprentice.

Su Jiu nodded and agreed, “Well, I’ll go out with you!”

“That’s so nice of you, Young Mistress! Thank you!” the woman thanked Su Jiu and smiled. “Young Mistress, have some breakfast while I go and wash my face. Please wait a while!”

“Okay!”

After the two agreed to go out together, the veiled woman carried the tray and left.

One hour later, the woman came back to Su Jiu. She still had the veil on, but she had changed to a light blue gauze dress. She smiled at Su Jiu. “Young Mistress, are you ready?”

Su Jiu got up, and Jin Feng said immediately, “I’ll go with you, Young Mistress.”

Su Jiu looked back at Shangguan Yunkun, who was still asleep. “No, you should stay. I’ll come back soon,” she replied.

“The Eldest Young Master said that I must accompany you wherever you go, Young Mistress,” Jin Feng insisted.

Su Jiu asked with a smile, “Would you still want to stay close if I go to the restroom?”

Jin Feng was completely speechless.

“Shangguan has been acting very strange these days. He’s always asleep. You should stay here and watch him, I’ll come back soon,” Su Jiu said to Jin Feng, before heading out with the veiled woman.

The two went out of the courtyard and walked along the path through the village and the forest to the beach.

“I’ve heard that the Eldest Young Master began to take charge of the Ji Manor at the age of ten. Within a few years, the Ji Family became the richest in Daliang Country. This kind of talent is extremely rare in this world. Young Mistress, you are truly blessed!” the woman giggled and said.

Su Jiu’s eyes flashed as she turned to ask, “Are you from Daliang Country?”

The woman shook her head, “I’m from Jinli Country,” she answered frankly.

“Ji Yuxian’s story has spread to Jinli Country?” Su Jiu laughed softly.

Slightly taken aback, the woman said, “Certainly, Young Mistress! Don’t you know that the Ji Manor also runs a business in Jinli Country?”

“Oh!” Su Jiu abruptly nodded.

“My father was seriously ill, and it was my master who had saved my father when he passed by Jinli Country. After that, I formally became an apprentice to my master. Now I follow him and take care of him, to repay him for saving my father’s life,” the woman explained to Su Jiu how they had met and continued to say, “My master’s medical skills are superb, so please don’t worry about the Eldest Young Master!”

Su Jiu nodded lightly.

“Oh right! My name is Yan Shu!” The woman turned her head around.

“Su Jiu,” Su Jiu responded with her name.

The sky was already clear in the morning. The moisture in the atmosphere had condensed into dew during the previous night. Under the hot sun, the dews made Su Jiu feel sticky. The morning after the rain was not refreshing, and it was somewhat unbearable.

The two gradually entered the depths of the forest, away from the village. They could only hear the sound of leaves rustling around them, and the sound of the waves beating against the rocks in the distance.

After a moment of silence, Yan Shu suddenly said, “Since you are the Mistress of the Ji Family, you must know a lot! I have this small item here. Could you please help me tell if it is authentic or fake?”

As she spoke, she took a piece of brown glass from her sleeve and put it in her palm to show it to Su Jiu.

Su Jiu turned around, but before her eyes fell on Yan Shu’s palm, she heard a cold cry from a girl. “What are you doing?”

Both Su Jiu and Yan Shu were stunned. They turned around and saw a woman coming over with a sullen expression. It was Guo Mei.

Yan Shu immediately retreated her hand and hid the glass.

Su Jiu and Yan Shu stood under a big ancient tree. Su Jiu glanced at Guo Mei, wondering why Guo Mei had questioned them. Just then, she heard a man panicking behind the tree. “Guo Mei!”

“Mu Liang, when did you hook up with Yun Zhu?” Guo Mei asked.

Guo Mei’s voice was immediately followed by Yun Zhu’s. “Are you blind? It’s clear that he’s the one bothering me!”

Su Jiu was slightly astonished. Wasn’t Yun Zhu in the Frost Vapor Mountain? She remembered that Ji Yuxian had sent her there. When did she return to the village?

Moreover, it sounded like she and Guo Mei were in a love triangle.

Su Jiu’s eyes flashed. She grabbed Yan Shu’s wrist and leaped onto the ancient tree, hiding behind the dense branches.

In the distance, Yun Zhu stood next to a man behind another tree. The man was not tall, and he was wearing fisherman shorts. He was extremely tanned, and at that moment, he was looking at Guo Mei with a blush on his face.

Guo Mei came over to the man and gaped at Yun Zhu in amazement. “You’re supposed to be working at the mine! Why are you here?” she interrogated him.

As soon as Guo Mei spoke, she seemed to understand something. She immediately pointed at the man and continued, “It was you! You were the one who sent fish to the mine and secretly brought Yun Zhu back. Yun Zhu was sent there by the island master to be a cook! She deserved the punishment. You’re going against the island master’s instructions. He’ll surely get angry!”

Yun Zhu looked a little more haggard than before, but she was still arrogant when she spoke, “Mu Liang, you said that you like me. Tell Guo Mei you don’t want her, and I’ll stay with you.”

Mu Liang’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious?”

Guo Mei interrupted them, “Mu Liang, Yun Zhu is fooling you! She hates me for helping the island mistress, so she’s using you to retaliate against me! She doesn’t genuinely want to be with you!”

Mu Liang gawked at Yun Zhu, confused.

“Tell her you don’t want her!” Yun Zhu sneered, “So it was all a lie when you said that you like me?”

“No, of course not!” Mu Liang shook his head repeatedly.

“Then tell Yun Guo that you don’t want her!” Yun Zhu urged.

“Mu Liang…” Guo Mei frowned at him. “She wants to make you feel guilty. Don’t take the bait.”

However, Mu Liang turned to Guo Mei and said ruthlessly, “From today onwards, we are over. I don’t like you. I like Yun Zhu!”

Guo Mei seemed angry on the surface, but she was not upset deep down. She asked in a cold voice, “Do you truly like her?”

“Yes.” Mu Liang nodded with a serious look.

Yun Zhu hugged her shoulders and smiled at Guo Mei with pride.

“You…” Glaring at Mu Liang with disappointment, Guo Mei stomped her feet, turned around, and ran towards the village.

Mu Liang immediately turned to look at Yun Zhu and smiled. “I’ve already said what you wanted me to say. You’ve promised to stay with me. You can’t regret it!”

“Of course not!” Yun Zhu rubbed his shoulder and smiled. “Go back to the village first. I still have something to do, and I’ll find you when I’m done. Also, don’t tell anyone I’m back!”

“Okay, I won’t!” Mu Liang looked at her with much reluctance. “When will you go back to the village?”

“I’ll find you when I come back. Quickly go now, and remember what I said,” Yun Zhu urged again.

Mu Liang and Yun Zhu walked towards the village, before parting with each other.

Yun Zhu waited for Mu Liang to disappear in the distance. She stood there, looked around, and then walked towards the depths of the forest.

Su Jiu frowned. Where was Yun Zhu going?

She had used Mu Liang to secretly return from the Frost Vapor Mountain. Why didn’t she go back to the village?

Even if she wanted to escape, she would need her father’s help.

What was she planning to do in the deep forest?

Su Jiu felt that Yun Zhu’s return was not for simple reasons. She glanced at the direction where Yun Zhu had disappeared to and carried Yan Shu down from the tree.

“If you go back by yourself, can you find your way back?” Su Jiu asked.

“I know the way back.” Yan Shu nodded suspiciously. “Aren’t you going back with me?”

“No, I have something else to do. You should head back first. If Jin Feng asks about me, tell him I’ll be back soon,” Su Jiu explained lightly.

“Okay.” Yan Shu nodded with a smile.

“Thank you,” Su Jiu said and walked away.

Yan Shu clenched onto the glass piece in her hand and looked in the direction where Su Jiu was going, frowning slightly.

Su Jiu was very important to her now. She could not let anything happen to her.

She needed Su Jiu to be alive before she could exploit her.

Yan Shu’s eyes flashed. She then turned around and quickly rushed towards the village.

Within a short time, Su Jiu quickly found Yun Zhu in the forest.

Yun Zhu was walking swiftly, constantly looking around with a nervous expression.

Seeing this, Su Jiu confirmed her guess. She knew that Yun Zhu had returned with a purpose.

Yun Zhu walked for nearly half an hour, passed through a stone forest, and stopped at a humble wooden house.

Yun Zhu looked back to make sure no one was following her, before quickly walking towards the wooden house.

Su Jiu immediately kept up with her. She easily climbed to the roof of the wooden house and observed what was happening in the house through a gap.

Three men were sitting in the room. One of them was Yun Zhu’s father, Yun Ao, while the other two were wearing masks. Su Jiu could not identify who they were.

Yun Zhu came into the house. Yun Ao immediately got up, looked at her with concern, and said in a caring tone, “Zhu’er, you’ve suffered a lot!”

Yun Zhu’s eyes were fierce. “Father, you must avenge your daughter!”

“Don’t worry. Ji Yuxian has treated us unfairly. I will make him suffer twice for it!” Yun Ao said with hatred.

One of the masked men said, “This island originally belonged to your tribe. Why did the Ji Manor take it from you? If you help us, our master will agree to help you kill Mu Zhen and the Patriarch of the Min Family. In the future, you will be the master of your tribe, Patriarch of the Yun Family.”

“What about Ji Yuxian?” Yun Ao asked.

“Ji Yuxian has been poisoned, and now he’s dying. Don’t worry!” the other masked man in black said cruelly.

“No, two people came on the island recently. I heard that one of them is treating Ji Yuxian,” Yun Ao hurriedly said.

The man in black was not surprised. He seemed to have already received the news as he sneered, “Ji Yuxian’s poison can’t be removed at all. Even if he is treated, once the matter over the Frost Vapor Mountain is over, our people will ambush the island. Ji Yuxian won’t be able to escape even if he grows a pair of wings!”

“That’s good!” Yun Ao seemed to be greatly relieved. “What do we need to do?”

The man in black whispered slowly, “We have sent a guy to the Ji Family’s mine and buried gunpowder there, but then our guy suddenly disappeared. He must have been discovered by the Ji Family and was killed. I recently got the news that he was caught after burying gunpowder. The Ji Family didn’t know where the gunpowder was buried, and they had been searching for it. Hence, we’re planning to go to the Frost Vapor Mountain on the north and detonate the gunpowder.”

Yun Ao asked anxiously, “How much gunpowder did your man put in the mine? Will it blow up the whole island?”

“Relax, it won’t. It will only destroy the mine in the mountain. If the mine collapses, it will inevitably lead to public anger. The public will think that it’s the Ji Manor’s fault for causing many casualties. At that point, you must rally your tribe members to kick the Ji Family out of the island, Patriarch of the Yun Family. That’s what we want,” the man in black sneered.

“So, what do we need to do?” Yun Zhu asked.

“When you accompany Miss Yun back to the Frost Vapor Mountain in the north, our people will follow you in disguise and find a way to get into the mine. The only thing you have to do is to bring our people in.”

“That’s it?” Yun Ao asked.

“Yes, it’s very simple! But you will certainly get a huge reward when it’s done!”

Yun Ao and Yun Zhu glanced at each other, their eyes determined and fierce. “Okay, we’ll do as you said.”

Meanwhile, on the roof, Su Jiu was shocked to hear what the people had talked about.

Who was the man in black? Who was his master?

Why was he plotting against the Ji Manor?

It sounded as if they had been planning this long ago.

She had thought that Yun Zhu was just a grumpy girl. Now, it seemed that she and her father had malicious intentions towards the Ji Family.

After all, the miners in the north mountain were both the Ji Manor’s people and their tribe members. However, Yun Ao did not care about their lives at all and colluded with outsiders to blow up the mine instead.

That was extremely cruel.

Su Jiu’s eyes flashed sharply, and after contemplating what to do, she decided not to kill these people at this moment. She would follow them to the north mountain, and find the gunpowder before they could.

Otherwise, the gunpowder in the mine would be a big threat to the miners.

She also wanted to find out who was going against the Ji Manor in secret.

Having made up her mind, Su Jiu continued to listen to the people in the house from the roof. She then noticed the four people coming out of the house.

One of the men in black had changed into the clothes of a villager. He had a very ordinary face, and Su Jiu did not know who he was.

A carriage was parked outside the house. Yun Zhu got in the carriage, while Yun Ao and the assassin dressed as a villager flicked the whip, causing the horses to run.

Another man in black waited for the carriage to disappear and then walked away.

Su Jiu came down from the roof and quickly followed the carriage.

Wushan Isle was not big. It only took four hours for the carriage to travel from the south side of the island to the Frost Vapor Mountain on the north side.

When they arrived, it was already noon. The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain. The three people got out of the carriage and walked to the place where the miners would usually take a break at.

There were dozens of wooden houses laid out at the foot of the mountain. At this time, the miners were having lunch, and among them, several cooks added rice and poured water for these miners.

There were guards at the door, and Yun Ao brought Yun Zhu with him to a guard. He smiled respectfully. “Brother, who’s in charge here? I want to see him!”

“Who are you?”

“I am the Patriarch of the Yun Family. This is my daughter,” Yun Ao pointed at Yun Zhu, who lowered her head.

The guard looked at Yun Zhu and asked another guard to bring the manager here.

While the three of them were waiting for the manager, Su Jiu hid under the carriage and waited quietly.

Soon, a man in a dark gray robe came out. He had a calm temperament as he asked gently, “Who’s looking for me?”

The guard immediately answered, “The three of them.”

Yun Ao brought his daughter forward, paid his respects to the manager by imitating Daliang Country’s etiquette, and greeted, “Nice to meet you, Manager Chang.”

“Patriarch of the Yun Family, it’s you.”

Manager Chang had been on the island for many years, so he was familiar with the tribe members.

Yun Ao said with a guilty expression, “Manager Chang, Yun Zhu had previously offended your wife and was consequently punished by the island master to work here. My girl has never done any hard work, and I pamper her too much. I didn’t expect her to run back to the village secretly. This time, I’m bringing her here as my apology.”

Yun Zhu bowed her head and pursed her lips in silence.

Manager Chang had been informed by a servant that Yun Zhu was gone. He was about to send someone to tell Ji Yuxian after lunch. However, he did not expect Yun Ao to send his daughter back.

Yun Ao loved his daughter very much. Hence, the fact that he decided to send his daughter back was a surprise to Manager Chang.

Manager Chang nodded and said, “Okay, since you’re sending her back, I won’t blame her.”

“My girl is young and naughty. Please take care of her for me, Manager Chang,” Yun Ao said respectfully and pointed to the carriage. “This time, I don’t know when my little girl can come back again. It’s too hot here, so I brought a bamboo mat and her clothes for her, and they’re all in the carriage. Could you let my carriage enter, Manager Chang?”

Manager Chang nodded. “Okay!”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Yun Ao nodded and thanked the manager profusely. He then asked the man next to him to drive the carriage.

The carriage slowly entered the compound and headed towards the place where female workers stayed.