Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2701 - 2702: Rhetoric

"Go ahead," said Bai Ruozhu.

Ayi’s smile faded, and her expression turned melancholic, "I just ask that you take my daughter with you when you leave."

"Are you afraid she’ll be chosen as the saintess?" Bai Ruozhu asked softly.

Ayi was startled, "You already know?"

Bai Ruozhu neither confirmed nor denied, only said, "Hasn’t the result been announced yet? How do you know she’ll definitely be chosen?"

"I saw the great elder staring at my daughter. My eyes are different from others; I can see very clearly and even sense others’ emotions. The great elder has already picked her!" Ayi said somewhat excitedly.

Bai Ruozhu wanted to ask more, but someone was already approaching the beach in the distance.

"It’s inconvenient to talk here, I’ll come to your house tonight," she said quickly.

Ayi was a bit scared, but handed her the wooden basin in her hands, "Hold this, and no one will suspect you."

Bai Ruozhu glanced at the basin, which contained something dark, she didn’t know what it was.

"Thank you."

She carried the basin back; several women passed by without suspecting anything, not even giving her a second glance.

She felt at ease and picked up her pace.

After some effort, she finally returned to the bamboo house, temporarily storing Ayi’s basin and clothes into her space.

"You scared me to death, why are you back so late?" Fo Lanying asked in a low voice.

"Ran into a bit of trouble, but also gained something," Bai Ruozhu replied.

Fo Lanying patted her chest, "I was about to go find Jiang Daren, thankfully you returned."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Jiang Yichun’s voice rang out, "Daren Bai, are you awake? Do you need food?"

Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched, was Achun playing "guest room service"?

She opened the door and gave him a big smile, "I’ll eat here in the room, just have someone bring it over."

Seeing she was safe and sound, Jiang Yichun breathed a huge sigh of relief. Heaven knows how he got through the night; Fo Lanying managed to sleep, but he couldn’t sleep at all, worried sick about her safety.

He kept listening for any noises, confirming she hadn’t returned; by dawn he was frantic, if he hadn’t feared that any rash action might expose her even more, he would have gone out to find her.

"I’ll go say it, I’m familiar with Daren’s tastes." Fo Lanying found an excuse to leave smartly.

"Are you alright?" As soon as the door closed, Jiang Yichun held her shoulders, looking her over from head to toe.

"I’m fine, just a bit of trouble, but I found out there are too many secrets hidden here, and it seems ordinary merfolk are not satisfied with the higher-ups." She said in a low voice.

Jiang Yichun hugged her tightly, saying excitedly, "It’s good you’re alright."

She was held so tight she could hardly breathe, asking somewhat helplessly, "Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard, continue," Jiang Yichun said as he released her.

"The birthing area is enclosed within a barrier, I can’t hear any sounds, but I discovered Yuchen Palace is raised by merfolk servants. They are within a barrier on the western beach." She spoke almost inaudibly.

Jiang Yichun was shocked, "The Yuchen Palace where Shanhu and her master stay?"

Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Moreover, a woman from Yuchen Palace took a new batch of Purple River Carriage and gave it to another woman to eat; that woman gave me a very bad feeling, so it’s a pity I didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of her before triggering the restriction, luckily I wasn’t discovered."

She then mentioned how Ayi helped her, by this time Fo Lanying brought in the meal after knocking on the door.

"They mainly eat fish, such an early meal really spoils the appetite," Fo Lanying complained, having eaten her fill of fish since arriving in Fusang.

Bai Ruozhu looked at the Fusang-like breakfast, including some raw fish; her mouth twitched, saying, "I thought merfolk were fish, so they wouldn’t eat their own kind."

"Big fish eat small fish," Jiang Yichun tapped her on the head, "Eat a little and get some rest, don’t tire yourself too much."

Fo Lanying was silently stargazing, she was being a third wheel again while they flaunted their affection, ah ah ah, she seemed to be missing Xiaoyuan.

Jiang Yichun couldn’t stay long, he urged her and then exited the room.

Bai Ruozhu and Fo Lanying had breakfast, then Bai Ruozhu laid down on the bed and rested for a while; not even half an hour passed before Wenyu came, offering to be a gracious host and take them around for a tour.

After touring the area, Bai Ruozhu got a clearer understanding of Merfolk Island; she noticed that although there were trees planted, they were all small, none were tall, and there were no large mountains. Upon closer inspection, the mountains seemed artificial.

Just as the astrologer discovered, this place is on the turtle’s back; they built an island on its back, but after all, there’s a difference between artificial and natural, some artificiality is inevitable.

"What’s the plan for Lady Bai afterward?" After chatting for a while, Wenyu started prying for Bai Ruozhu’s plans.

Bai Ruozhu smiled, "Besides gaining knowledge, we are continuing our sea voyage to find Dragon-seeking Grass. To be honest, besides my identity as a Jiuli, I have an official position in the Imperial Court of Danliang Country, serving as a delegate from Danliang Country to Fusang. Unfortunately, upon arrival, the Fusang Emperor fell victim to demon poison and urgently needs this medicine, so I agreed to assist."

Having discovered Yuchen Palace’s identity, she was unsure if Elder Xuchenzi would alert Merfolk Island, so she chose to "actively disclose," to prevent inconsistencies.

Wenyu expressed surprise, "Who would have thought Lady Bai has such an identity, I’ve heard Jiuli don’t concern themselves with worldly affairs, yet now your people can enter the Imperial Court as officials?"

"That’s in the past; my brother even participated in the Imperial Examination and scored second place," Bai Ruozhu intentionally showed pride.

Wenyu nodded, "Rules are dead, people are alive, rules have to change with time."

Bai Ruozhu noticed his somewhat sentimental tone, perhaps some rule within the Merfolk Clan was something he was trying to change?

She knew not to rush, so she didn’t pursue the topic.

"Dragon-seeking Grass is rare, our clan collected some years ago, but I’m not sure if any remain. I’ll ask the great elders," Wenyu said warmly.

Bai Ruozhu looked delighted, "Thank you so much, Left Guardian, if we can find the Dragon-seeking Grass, it will save me much trouble."

It’s rumored that where there’s a dragon, there’s Dragon-seeking Grass; many searched for dragons by first finding Dragon-seeking Grass. Merfolk once tricked a white dragon, perhaps that’s when it was collected.

But would those cunning merfolk give it up so easily? Surely there’s a condition.

Yet Bai Ruozhu wasn’t afraid of their greed; the greedier they were, the more she’d learn what they lacked and what they were hiding.

That day, none of the four elders appeared again; it was only in the evening that the left and right guardians hosted them for a meal, with the right guardian, Ling Chen, displaying a cold expression, not even acknowledging anyone.