Chapter 39: Shrouded by Dark Clouds

Bai Luochu stroked her face gently and lamented. The original owner of this body had this harmless face and also innately crippled meridians. Without spirit qi in her body, it was really too easy to escape unnoticed. After all, since the start of the incident until now, no one suspected her.

As for the reason she was as steady as a mountain after hearing about the notice, it was because she was extremely confident in her art of poison.

Bai Luochu was an evil dao witch in her previous life and the poison she concocted was peerless. Comparing every other poison in the world to her own, everything would be considered trash.

Bai Luochu carved all the poison recipes into her memory. This was one of them. She couldn’t concoct some sort of poison which defied the laws of heavens and she had to rack her brains in order to think of one which could cause Su Luoqing to suffer but not die.

The poison that Bai Luochu developed was extremely tricky. It was impossible for a physician to remove it using regular means. She was confident that even if all the renowned physicians in the world were to gather together, all of them would have to spend a lot of effort in order to neutralize it. Even those so-called divine physicians… they were no exception.

As for Su Luoqing? Heh! Su Luoqing came looking for trouble during the birthday banquet. It backfired and she humiliated herself in front of everyone. This was nothing, Bai Luochu and Su Luoqing were enemies on a narrow road and they encountered each other again at the Hundred Herbs Hall. Bai Luochu didn’t want any conflict but Su Luoqing wouldn’t let it rest. She even wanted to kill Bai Luochu!

Bai Luochu naturally wouldn’t let this debt go unsettled.

One would grow wiser after a setback. Right now, Bai Luochu was going to torment Su Luoqing however she liked. She hoped that after experiencing this bout of suffering, Su Luoqing would grow a little wiser and wouldn’t try to look for more trouble.

As the saying went, “With a hefty reward, there will definitely be someone brave enough to take on the challenge.” The rewards set out by the imperial clan was really extravagant. World renowned physicians were respectable people and if they weren’t able to neutralize the poison, they would be forfeiting the reward.

Right now, even the Emperor was getting anxious. He might be displeased with Su Luoqing during the birthday banquet, but she was still a grand niece of the Empress Dowager and half a niece to him. Seeing how the Empress Dowager was gradually getting thinner due to her concern, the Emperor’s mood became bad as well.

Today, after the morning imperial court meeting, the Emperor called for Pei Rumo to the imperial study. He asked, “Rumo, were you not able to find the perpetrator?”

“I wish for Emperor Father’s forgiveness. This son has already sent more men to investigate the matter. However, no matter how hard I try, I can’t find the culprit. I think that it is possible that the culprit has already fled.”

Pei Rumo lied to the Emperor without the slightest change in expression. He didn’t lie about sending more men to investigate. However, the culprit was comfortably resting in his residence and she even behaved like a little ancestor. She was able to avoid all suspicion due to the lack of spirit qi.

“Sigh. Your Empress Grandmother is growing thinner every day because of this incident. You have a wide range of connections. If you are free, see if you can invite any other divine physicians to help treat Young Lady Su.” As the Emperor finished speaking, he leaned on the back of the chair and waved his hand, indicating for Pei Rumo to be dismissed.

“This son will take his leave. Emperor Father, please be at ease. Take care of your dragon body.” As soon as Pei Rumo finished, he bowed and left the imperial study. After walking out of the palace gate, he boarded a carriage that had been waiting by the side.

“Your Highness, did His Majesty ask you about Young Lady Su’s poisoning incident?” When the guard commander saw that Pei Rumo was still contemplating something, he asked cautiously.

“Yeah, he did ask.” Pei Rumo replied half-heartedly.

“Why not hand Luo Chu over to avoid making things difficult for Your Highness?” The guard commander was a little emotional and his voice was rather loud.

Pei Rumo vigilantly opened the curtains of the carriage and when he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and glared at the guard commander and spoke with a soft yet vicious tone, “You better don’t create additional trouble for me. Without my orders, no one is to touch her.”

When the guard commander saw that Pei Rumo was truly infuriated, cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. He didn’t dare to respond.

He looked at how the First Prince emptied his mind as he started to think of a new course of action. After mulling over the matter, Pei Remo said, “Why do you think I will buy a wastrel with crippled meridians as my maidservant? I even gave her such preferential treatment... If this world is a chessboard, Third Brother and I hold a single chess piece each. Luo Chu is the most important link in this game. She might be able to destroy Third Brother’s side of the chessboard.”

“As for her importance... it’s not something you should know for now. Well, you’ll find out sooner or later.”

When Pei Rumo saw that the guard commander had something to say, he simply interrupted with a statement of his own. He stopped the guard commander from speaking so he could enjoy some peace and quiet to reflect about the Bai Luochu incident.

Right now, Pei Rumo was a spectator who could see a clearer picture and the entire situation was caught in his eyes. He had yet to make any moves as he wanted to see what Bai Luochu was preparing to do next.

He wanted to see what exactly was her objective and her reason for plotting out such a meticulous scheme. She even dared to involve the imperial clan and the world’s best physicians!

However, Pei Rumo had wronged Bai Luochu this time. Things had gone completely out of her expectations. Bai Luochu wasn’t intending to make such a huge play.

As the days passed by, Bai Luochu still refused to make any moves as she lived her carefree and immortal-like life. As for Su Luoqing, her condition was deteriorating. Due to the long period of being unconscious, Su Luoqing’s entire body was shriveled up. It seemed as though Bai Luochu was going to leave her to die.