Chapter 2817: Chapter 3818: All Are Traps
At this moment, Bai Ruozhu was in the Space, munching on watermelon and watching the drama unfold. Her hand still sticky with watermelon juice, she playfully slapped Jiang Yichun on the arm and laughed, "Hahaha, they think they’re clever, only because they couldn’t hear each other’s voices before, making it hard to impersonate. Now that they can hear, can’t they just mimic the voice?"
Jiang Yichun, slightly disgusted, grabbed her hand, wiped it with a handkerchief, and also wiped her mouth, muttering, "Even Little Dengdeng doesn’t make such a mess eating watermelon."
"Hehe, that’s why I need someone to take care of me," Bai Ruozhu said coyly.
Jiang Yichun snatched the spoon, scooped a bite of watermelon flesh, and fed it to her mouth, "Ah..."
"I... I can do it myself," Bai Ruozhu said, a bit embarrassed despite her thick skin.
They hadn’t even finished half the watermelon when the discussion nearby wrapped up, and Ma Xingguo received a secret message, deciding to head for Liuri City in three days.
"They’re definitely planning to let the Turkic people attack the city and then reap the benefits. My master and the others are already gathered in Liuri City and can strike the Turkic troops first," Bai Ruozhu laughed proudly, "I’ll have Jianqi send a message to my master."
Jiang Yichun nodded, "Alright, but we have to act quickly on our end too. I’ve already arranged for the interception of Ma Xingguo’s letters to the Imperial Court. Without his report of the successful recruitment of Weifeng Stockade, it will be easier to frame him as overly aggressive in suppressing bandits, implicating many troops."
Bai Ruozhu pondered with her chin in hand, "But with the changing situation, this plan might need some adjustments."
"Change it however you like, even if it means killing them all; I can handle it for you. Just play the way you want," Jiang Yichun gave her a mischievous grin.
She tapped his nose and said, "Now they’re not actual mountain bandits but privately raised soldiers. Even if we kill them all, we won’t be able to erase the traces here. We might as well create a cover that these private soldiers developed ambitions and refused to follow Ma Xingguo’s orders, then..."
She laughed, "Then Ma Xingguo dies, forcing Ma Tongfang to find ways to cover it up, even needing to claim that Ma Xingguo encountered a strong force and lost his life."
"Nice, leave him speechless," Jiang Yichun agreed.
After a brief discussion, Jiang Yichun selected two people to create human skin masks, while Bai Ruozhu went to send a message through Jianqi.
Quickly, Jianqi delivered the message to Lin Zhenghui, and Bai Ruozhu returned to rendezvous with Jiang Yichun, changing identities once more to slip back among the soldiers.
"What’s your sister’s name?" someone suddenly asked a nearby companion.
"Xixi, why? What’s your wife’s name?" the person answered and asked in return.
"Danniu, alright, now I know you’re not an imposter."
The group burst into laughter, "Danniu? Which egg (Dan in Chinese) is that?"
The soldiers, often bored, enjoyed telling some risqué jokes.
Bai Ruozhu listened on the side, pondering how she should answer if someone asked her.
However, she managed to avoid giving anyone the opportunity to question her.
Thus, the habit of questioning each other’s identity became popular among the Weifeng Stockade soldiers, but as the questions increased, many became impatient and the trend faded.
The next morning, someone near Bai Ruozhu suddenly grabbed her and asked, "What’s your father’s name?"
Bai Ruozhu’s heart tightened as she kicked, "My father’s name isn’t something to casually speak of! Fine, your brother is called Gousheng, and your sweetheart is named Cui Ru."
These were what she overheard and memorized when others asked that person the previous day.
Seeing that she knew his details well, the man was reassured.
Meanwhile, she and Jiang Yichun began to wander around, spreading Poison everywhere.
These poisons would make those who inhaled them irritable, bewildered, and easily provoked into violence.
By then, the entire Weifeng Stockade would be in chaos, allowing her to signal Jianqi and the others to come in and clean up the mess.
Although killing so many at once felt somewhat against nature, she had no choice. Once these people became regular soldiers of the Imperial Court, who knew what they might do.
And the civilians who perished in the recent Turkic attack on Danliang Country were several times more than the number of people here!
On the second evening, a conflict broke out between a soldier and his comrades during patrol, leading to a brawl among an entire unit.
By the time Lian Jin discovered it, it was too late; chaos reigned again in the Weifeng Stockade. Enraged, he broke into the fighting soldiers, drew his sword, and struck down several of the troublemakers.
Seeing this, Ma Xingguo suddenly slapped Lian Jin and squinted, "Stay calm, they’re all poisoned. Bai Ruozhu is here."
At this moment, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun were watching the spectacle from the Space, stunned by Ma Xingguo’s reaction.
She initially thought Ma Xingguo was just Ma Tongfang’s illegitimate child, leveraging Ma Tongfang’s advantage to recruit troops without much skill, but now she realized she underestimated him.
Not only was Ma Xingguo not poisoned, but he had also seen through her poison and even guessed her identity.
Did Ma Xingguo understand pharmacology?
Then Ma Xingguo retrieved a packet of Drug Powder from his person and handed it to Lian Jin, saying, "Boil water in the big pot, let everyone drink a bowl, and it’ll be fine."
"Is the young master a Doctor?" Lian Jin handed the Drug Powder to his subordinates and turned to thank Ma Xingguo with a salute.
Lian Jin scoffed, "Calling me a Doctor is a bit of a stretch, but I did learn some formulas from the Medical Saint for a while."
Bai Ruozhu glared at Jiang Yichun, "A Medical Saint? Your father?"
"My father never mentioned taking such a disciple," Jiang Yichun said.
"Maybe Ma Xingguo concealed his identity; your father always causes us trouble," Bai Ruozhu said unhappily.
Originally, it could have been more disastrous, but who knew Ma Xingguo would remain clear-headed?
"No choice, now we have to go in hard." Jiang Yichun drew his Long Sword and polished it, "I’ll go kill him."
Bai Ruozhu grabbed him, "Wait, let’s observe first; what if he has powerful experts by his side?"
"With our teamwork, it shouldn’t be difficult," Jiang Yichun said.
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment, "Alright, kill him first, then incite the fighting within the Stronghold."
The two silently sneaked into Ma Xingguo’s Room. At night, he lit a candle to read a Medical Book with a serious expression.
Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun quietly emerged from the Space, exchanged glances, and suddenly burst into the Room, aiming to stab Ma Xingguo.
Using poison might alert and startle the enemy, better to simply assassinate.
A Long Sword and a Dagger thrust toward Ma Xingguo simultaneously, about to pierce his chest when suddenly, the person’s figure swelled dramatically, and a thick burst of inner strength exploded.
"Watch out!" Jiang Yichun hurriedly moved to resist, fearing Bai Ruozhu couldn’t withstand such inner strength.
Sure enough, Bai Ruozhu flew backward, a metallic taste rising in her throat.
Ma Xingguo could wield such powerful inner strength?
"You’re not Ma Xingguo?" she asked, staring at the figure.
The person burst into laughter, their bones crackling all over. "Ma Xingguo’s" body grew taller and more robust, then he tore off his face mask.
