Chapter 2818: Chapter 3819: Little Detective Dengdeng
The opponent was a burly middle-aged man with bushy eyebrows and big eyes who had previously used the bone-locking technique to disguise himself as Ma Xingguo.
Actually, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun had never seen Ma Xingguo himself, so even if there were some differences in physique, it would be extremely difficult to notice.
Yet, the opponent insisted on using the bone-locking technique, indicating that he was meticulously thoughtful and extremely cautious.
Moreover, he could detoxify, with astonishing inner strength.
"Do you think the General would let the Young Master take risks without competent people to protect him?" The opponent spoke, and there was a mocking tone in his voice.
"Where is Ma Xingguo? Did you impersonate him to claim the military merits too?" Jiang Yichun asked.
"That’s none of your business. You must die here today!" He made a gesture, and eight guards wrapped in black cloth charged in, forming an array.
Bai Ruozhu grabbed Jiang Yichun, "Let’s go first, don’t waste energy here."
As she spoke, she scattered a poison and lunged towards someone with Jiang Yichun.
"Trying to escape? Dream on!" The man also scattered some drug powder, and a palm wind imbued with inner strength struck towards the two.
Jiang Yichun controlled the water vapor, and suddenly entangled the nearest black-clad guard, fiercely pulling another towards that man, breaking out with Bai Ruozhu.
As soon as they reached a corner, the two of them slipped into space.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Yichun supported her and asked worriedly.
"Just a minor internal injury, not serious." Bai Ruozhu said, taking a pill and putting it into her mouth.
Seeing that she needed to focus on regulating her breath, he didn’t say anything further and instead fixed his gaze on the situation outside.
The people outside were trying to catch them but to no avail.
After a while, Lian Jin appeared and greeted the man, "Mr. Hua, hard work indeed."
"It’s just a pity they still managed to escape." Mr. Hua said, who, precisely speaking, was Ma Xingguo’s teacher.
"I’ve always heard they’re cunning and indeed hard to guard against—you’re fortunate to have come, Mr. Hua." Lian Jin spoke very politely, showing great respect to Mr. Hua.
"You continue to dispatch people to search. Let them drink a bowl of the medicine I provided daily; it won’t be so easy for them to get poisoned." Mr. Hua said.
"Yes."
Jiang Yichun’s expression grew more solemn; after all, the earlier investigation results were limited, and now they had worked for nothing, still clueless about Ma Xingguo’s whereabouts.
After a while, Bai Ruozhu opened her eyes. Although she was regulating her breath, she could hear the conversation outside.
"Let’s not fight them now; we’ve wasted energy for ages without confronting the real master," she said somewhat helplessly.
"Alright, let’s observe for now." Jiang Yichun saw her complexion had improved and felt relieved, "He just mentioned the General wouldn’t leave the Young Master unprotected, indicating Ma Xingguo is indeed here."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "The bone-locking disguise can’t last long; short-term impersonation is fine, but not continuous. Furthermore, achieving merits should be done by himself, or how else would Ma Xingguo grow and win public support?"
She recalled Ma Xingguo’s smile and gaze from before, then remembered Mr. Hua’s eyes moments ago, suddenly realizing something.
"I figured it out. The Ma Xingguo we saw all along was really himself—from the point I used poison, Mr. Hua started impersonating Ma Xingguo."
"Indeed, also there’s something odd about those eight black-clad guards." Jiang Yichun added.
Bai Ruozhu hadn’t paid much attention to those black-clothed individuals earlier, focusing on Mr. Hua.
"Look for an opportunity to check again, does it seem like the Quanrong Clan?" Jiang Yichun suggested.
"Quanrong Clan?" Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. The secret techniques of the Quanrong Clan are difficult to deal with, and if it really is the Quanrong Clan, it would be troublesome.
...
At the Bai Residence mansion, Little Dengdeng took his two younger brothers in chase of Little Tutu, the black rabbit they had been feeding, now grown very fat. Bai Ruozhu saw it every now and then and couldn’t help but salivate—a rabbit this fat is surely delicious.
Feeling his mother’s predatory gaze, Little Dengdeng resolved to help Tutu lose weight.
Thus, the three children chased the rabbit around under the guise of exercising it for weight loss, although the exercise largely belonged to the three children.
A little maid happened to pass by, smiling at the sight of the three children.
"Big sister, who are you?" Little Dengdeng noticed her and stopped to ask.
"I’m called Yaotou, a laundry workshop maid." The little maid answered.
Little Dengdeng tilted his head at her, "Oh, then you go busy yourself."
The little maid’s expression changed slightly—shouldn’t she be invited to join and play?
Tiaotiao called out to the little maid, "Auntie, Auntie!"
Suggesting the little maid somewhat resembled his aunt, Lanlan.
"What?" The little maid stopped and glanced back at Tiaotiao.
Little Dengdeng grabbed his brother, saying, "Nothing, hurry to work, don’t let us hold you up."
"Yes, Young Master." The little maid could only walk away crestfallen.
Little Dengdeng watched her figure as she left, pulling the two brothers to head back while whispering, "When will you understand a bit more? Don’t talk silly to strangers."
"Brother!" Bengbeng protested. You were the one talking.
"Brother’s learning about enemy intelligence. Look at Tiaotiao cluelessly saying she looks like Auntie, but our aunt is much prettier than her." Little Dengdeng glared at Tiaotiao, who pouted and burst into tears.
"If you cry, you won’t be allowed to play." Little Dengdeng declared.
Tiaotiao instantly stopped crying—Little Dengdeng evidently had a knack for dealing with his brothers.
Nanny Zhang came running from a distance, thinking Tiaotiao had tripped somewhere, and upon seeing him unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nanny, we’re going to find Grandpa, there’s important information." Little Dengdeng announced.
Nanny Zhang looked at him in surprise, "Young Master, what information?"
"You’ll find out later." Little Dengdeng slyly grinned; this little one had surprisingly learned to be secretive.
Nanny Zhang took the three children to meet Gao Zhou and Chushuang, Chushuang liked Little Tiaotiao best, immediately hugging him.
"Why is Tiaotiao crying?" She asked.
Tiaotiao looked at his brother, "Brother is bad."
Chushuang laughed heartily, "Even learned how to tattle."
Little Dengdeng ignored his squabbling brother, performing a formal salute like a little adult, "Grandpa, Grandma, I’ve spotted a suspicious person."
"Who?" Gao Zhou narrowed his eyes.
"We were playing by the garden; Grandpa, you instructed us not to go out, but a rough maid passed outside calling herself Yaotou from the laundry workshop." Little Dengdeng spoke clearly, prompting Gao Zhou and Chushuang to nod repeatedly.
"I spoke to her; she wasn’t nervous, and showed little humility, unlike a maid unaware of rules. When I didn’t invite her to play, she seemed slightly surprised and disappointed—definitely suspicious."
Nanny Zhang’s face darkened, "Young Master, why didn’t you call for someone—what if she’s a poison master?"
"We were within the barrier, and mother said not to alert the enemy." Little Dengdeng smiled.
