Chapter 407: Bloodstain, accidental discovery (1/2)

Chapter 407: Bloodstain, accidental discovery

Jun Yixie couldn’t escape Fishery Island on his own, so all his hopes laid with the Northern Li imperial clan. After all, he had used one of their ships to sail out this time after getting permission from the emperor. If he didn’t return and Long Feiye brought back his giant haul of fish, the Northern Li emperor would naturally guess what had happened. He sat by the Illusory Sea Lake and settled down to wait. Fortunately, they’d captured enough fish back then to keep him fed for a while.

Despite this, he now shared the same fate as the Tianning disaster victims, which was to eat fish for every meal. After sitting around for awhile, he grew bored and began walking towards the man-made hole in the ice. Fishery Island had its share of regulations, so none of the fishermen or workers shied away from his approach. Jun Yixie cupped some ice water with his bare hands and sniffed it a few times, before tasting it with his tongue. He was trying to figure out what Han Yunxi had dumped into the lake from that bottle to break the legend of the big fisheye and attract all the fish. But he still didn’t solve the mystery even after drinking a large mouthful of lake water.

He had to admit that her poison skills were far superior to his own. Jun Yixie stared at his reflection in the water and gave a start. He couldn’t help but recall the scene of Han Yunxi raising her arm high in the air again, standing all alone atop the frozen lake. He felt like he could see the gecko cinnabar mark right there before his eyes.

Even now, he had trouble believing that she was still a virgin. To put it another way, Long Feiye hadn’t claimed every single part of her yet. Thinking up to here, Jun Yixie rejoiced slightly.

Dammnit. He should thoroughly despise the woman who landed him in such straits, but there was still a sliver of hope nestled in his heart. Jun Yixie shook his head and told himself to be more reasonable. He was about to leave the hole when he caught a whiff of poison in the air as he turned.

Immediately, he grew on guard! Poison!

Was I too careless? Did Han Yunxi really use poison? Jun Yixie crouched down to carefully examine the surface of the ice. Even if hope was faint, he wouldn’t give up! If he could prove that Han Yunxi had poisoned the fish, then history would change. He would be able to make a comeback instantly! Unfortunately, careful examination still revealed no traces of toxins in the water. In the end, he had to give up.

In the middle of standing up, he accidentally caught sight of the frozen traces of blood on the ice. Feeling somewhat doubtful, Jun Yixie walked over and suddenly realized that this was the source of the poison he’d sniffed! The fresh blood came from none other than General Baili and Baili Mingxiang when they’d grabbed Long Feiye’s sword with their bare hands. The metal had sliced through their flesh and stained the ice below. Jun Yixie waited until the people around him weren’t paying attention, then crouched down to get a sample of the frozen blood with his dagger. He held the fragment in his palm and used the heat of his hand to warm it up before slipping it into a porcelain bottle.

The entire process was silent and soundless, so nobody noticed what he’d done. Although the blood here was a mixture of General Baili and Baili Mingxiang’s, he was certain this sample belonged to the latter. His eye had been on the sickly beauty from the start, because he had suspected she was poisoned, but he couldn’t figure out why Han Yunxi hadn’t cured her yet. Judging from this blood, his speculations had been right. This woman was actually deeply poisoned. But he’d been too preoccupied with goading Long Feiye to notice the fact when she bled.

Now that he had a sample, there was plenty of time to study the blood later. Baili Mingxiang was an important figure. The fact that she’d remained poisoned, and the fact that Han Yunxi hadn’t helped her, both caused him intense curiosity!

By now, Baili Mingxiang was far away from Fishery Island. She sat in the ship’s hold as she stared at her injured hand blankly. There was no telling when she’d see His Highness Duke of Qin after today again. In the end, she hadn’t been able to help him at all. She knew that it was useless to think too much, but she still couldn’t win against her heart. A part of her grew curious as to what His Highness and esteemed wangfei were doing at that moment. His Highness was in such a bad temper. Will he do anything against esteemed wangfei?

But that thought only made her laugh. Both her and her father had ending up bleeding without His Highness even sparing them a glance. All he did was tell them to scram. But as soon as esteemed wangfei moved towards the sword, His Highness withdrew the weapon immediately. No matter how angry he is, he wouldn’t do much against esteemed wangfei. She was already injured herself, so why bother worrying about others?

At this moment, Ouyang Ningruo entered her room with a smile. “Miss Baili, how is your hand doing?”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Many thanks to Sir Ouyang for your consideration,” Baili Mingxiang said politely.

“Miss Baili’s health doesn’t seem all that well? Are you ill?” Ouyang Ningruo was a shrewd man, so he could tell Baili Mingxiang was unwell at a glance. He had heard of this woman before, but his only impression was that she’d been perfectly fine a few months ago at the empress dowager’s birthday banquet.

“I’ve only caught a chill, it’s nothing serious,” Baili Mingxiang said mildly.

“The winds are fierce on the seas, so Miss Baili will have to wear extra layers,” Ouyang Ningruo remarked, before changing the subject. “That esteemed wangfei of yours is certainly interesting.”

Baili Mingxiang only answered him with a smile with no intentions of replying. A merchant without scruples like Ouyang Ningruo wasn’t worth her time.

“Miss Baili, I heard that Qin Wangfei is Lady Tianxin’s daughter?” Ouyang Ningruo asked next.

“Mingxiang isn’t very clear. I’m not one to make assumptions about esteemed wangfei’s affairs. Mingxiang is weary now, so please excuse me.” Naturally, Baili Mingxiang was on her guard, and left of her own accord. Ouyang Ningruo didn’t linger, but walked above decks to observe Fishery Island in the distance.