FBC – Chapter 178 The Bait

Gu Hua and Chi Yu exchanged glances. Both of them knew that if Ji Xuanyu had gone to the porridge shed, it was certainly not for anything good.

With Mu Junyan about to lead his soldiers into a major battle, she had to find a way to stop the Yifeng Hall people. She couldn’t allow them to cause chaos from behind.

Both of them turned their eyes toward Ji Xuanyu.

He wasn’t wearing a mask, and with two others, had already entered the line at the porridge shed.

There was no time!

Gu Hua jumped down from the carriage. Seeing this, Chi Yu quickly dismounted and blocked her way, saying urgently: “Madam, you mustn’t!”

This matter was dangerous, and the consequences unpredictable.

Chi Yu knew they should stop Ji Xuanyu, but Gu Hua was the one most precious to his lord. If anything happened to her, not even his death would be enough to atone.

Gu Hua said firmly: “There’s no time to discuss. I think… Brother Ji must have his difficulties. Let me try to persuade him.”

Perhaps, in their past life, the reason Mu Junyan died wasn’t just because of winter clothes and food shortages, but also because of Yifeng Hall’s sabotage!

Yes. In that life, they must have done this too.

Mu Junyan fought on the front lines, while chaos erupted in the rear.

Just thinking about it made Gu Hua shiver in fear.

She could not watch Mu Junyan fall into danger again. She prayed Brother Ji still cherished old ties, that there was still some kindness left in him, that he remembered he was a subject of Great Liang, and knew that the ones he was trying to harm were the people of Great Liang and its one hundred thousand soldiers.

Gu Hua said: “I’ll try to delay them. You find a way to surround and capture them! He promised me that even if Ji Xuanyu were caught, he would still be given a chance.”

Chi Yu’s heart twisted in hesitation.

But Ji Xuanyu’s figure was already vanishing into the crowd. Gu Hua couldn’t wait any longer.

“Chi Yu, for the sake of Mu Junyan, the Mu Family Army, and the lives of Juzhou’s people, will you act out a play with me? We must deceive him.”

At the porridge shed, the servers were busy when suddenly someone in the crowd screamed.

“Someone fainted!”

“He’s foaming at the mouth—was the porridge poisoned?”

“Another one fell! He’s vomiting and burning with fever!”

“What? Poison? No wonder—my daughter drank porridge yesterday and had a fever all night, vomiting endlessly!”

Lu Laosan cried out: “Look, his face has turned purple, his body is convulsing—this isn’t ordinary poison! Could it be Southern Border gu poison? My neighbor once suffered from that—his body festered within ten days, untreatable by medicine, his death too horrible to watch!”

Another man who came with him quickly added fuel:

“Gu poison? Heaven help us—that can’t be cured! Only Southern shamans can undo it!”

Their words instantly sparked panic.

Everyone in Juzhou knew that the people from the small border kingdoms and tribes of the Southern Border were skilled with poison. If someone said this, they were bound to believe it.

A man who had just eaten a big bowl of porridge turned pale. “I just ate some too—what should I do? Am I going to die?”

A woman clutched her baby, her face full of terror. “My child just drank it too, please save him!”

“How could the Mu Army’s porridge shed possibly have gu poison?”

“Unless… the enemy has infiltrated the city?”

The crowd’s chatter grew wilder and wilder.

When people fall into fear, the more voices around them, the more terrifying the tale becomes.

Fear spread like wildfire, and more and more believed.

In no time, the porridge shed was in chaos.

Crying, shouting, cursing filled the air.

The soldiers serving porridge panicked, hurrying to calm the crowd:

“Don’t panic! Our porridge is not poisoned. A physician has already been summoned, don’t be afraid!”

But with too few soldiers, they couldn’t control the scene. Some even rushed into the storeroom to loot the grain.

“Hurry, grab the grain! Soon there’ll be no porridge left!”

“Yes, yes! The food inside may not be poisoned. Grab it while you can!”

The bolder ones all surged toward the granary at the back, the soldiers rushing to stop them, and the place dissolved into chaos.

Gu Hua and Dong Hua pushed through the crowd, trying to get closer to Ji Xuanyu.

Ji Xuanyu exchanged a glance with Lu Laosan, something hidden in his hand, as they approached the porridge pot. Quietly, both extended their hands.

Suddenly, a trembling little hand grabbed his arm. “Brother Ji.”

The familiar voice trembled uncontrollably.

Ji Xuanyu’s whole body stiffened. He looked up sharply. “Hua’er! Why are you here?”

Since learning that the young master was Ji Xuanyu, Gu Hua had imagined countless times what it would be like to face him.

But never like this.

Seeing the person he had longed for appear here, Ji Xuanyu was thrown into turmoil—flustered, desperate, his mind blank, unable to speak.

Gu Hua’s eyes locked onto the small bamboo tube in his hand, tears streaming down her face.

She had known the young master was ruthless, but to see him use such cruel means on Great Liang’s people—it was like her heart was being torn apart.

Her voice trembled: “Brother Ji, you are from Great Liang. They are innocent civilians! How can you…”

Ji Xuanyu instantly covered her mouth. “Not now.”

“Why is she here?” Lu Laosan, hearing her voice, turned his head and was shocked to see Gu Hua.

Ji Xuanyu glared at him and barked in a low voice: “Do it, quickly!”

Gu Hua clawed his hand away and cried out: “You can’t! Brother Ji, what are you putting into the porridge? You’re lying about gu poison—there’s no such incurable poison! This is man-made!”

Ji Xuanyu hastily pulled her into his arms, clamping his hand hard over her mouth. “Don’t speak nonsense. Hua’er, trust me, just trust me!”

Trust him?

How?

Just yesterday, she and Dong Hua had read books on such matters. Gu poison was nothing more than venomous insects deliberately raised.

These insects entered a person’s body through the nose or bloodstream.

That was human evil!

And the Brother Ji she had once admired was now using this vile Southern poison against the people of Great Liang!

The scene was too chaotic; no one noticed her.

Dong Hua had been swept away by the crowd.

Gu Hua could only watch as Lu Laosan and another man emptied their bamboo tubes into the porridge.

When they left and the disorder subsided, the physician would arrive and cure the sick, and no one would believe in gu poison anymore.

But the untouched porridge would still be drunk by the starving—and then they would truly be poisoned!

Gu Hua had no choice. She bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth.

Ji Xuanyu winced, staring at her as she bit until blood gushed out.

Gu Hua froze at the taste of blood, staring at the smile on Brother Ji’s lips, her heart filled with dread.

Why had Brother Ji become so terrifying?

“Let go of Madam!” Dong Hua finally forced her way through, drawing a dagger to strike.

Lu Laosan swung his fist straight at her face. She screamed, blood gushing, her whole face drenched red. But ignoring the pain, she rushed at him again.

The other man stabbed a short blade into her back. Dong Hua let out a muffled groan, collapsed, her eyes wide open, staring at Gu Hua, her lips trembling soundlessly.

“No!”

Gu Hua’s cry was smothered, her tears streaming, struggling wildly with hands and feet.

Lu Laosan frowned, exchanged a look with his companion. The man raised his knife and aimed for Gu Hua’s back…

Ji Xuanyu suddenly struck her nape, and as she went limp, he scooped her up and withdrew quickly.

Lu Laosan and the other man guarded him on either side.

Not far away, Chi Yu’s eyes were bloodshot. He whispered to his comrades: “Stay on them!”