The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 20 - A Hint of the Calm Before the Storm

By the time that Feng Yao and Ru Qiang left the front gates of the Chu residence, the skies were already a warm golden orange as the sun slowly descended. Li Yue diligently trailed silently behind them as the three of them continued to walk down the long-winding path back towards their horses and carriages.

"You know," Ru Qiang slowly began. Feng Yao curiously tilted her head to look at him. "When I asked you to help me get rid of the Young Master Chu, I didn't mean to do it by poisoning him..."

Feng Yao pretended to be hurt as she placed her hand against her heart. "What do you mean? They were the ones who said that there was poison in it! I never said that I did it!"

He blankly stared at her as if he didn't believe her claim. "Then why are you still perfectly fine after eating that same dish?"

Feng Yao suddenly brightened into a grin at his words. She answered his inquisition with a question of her own.

"Why do you think that I ate yours too? Obviously, they both were poisoned."

She continued cheerfully strolling down the walkway with her arms swinging at her side when she suddenly noticed that Ru Qiang had disappeared. Looking behind her, she saw that he had stopped a few paces ago.

When her gaze met his, she noticed that his fox-like eyes were intensely studying her own. Feng Yao knew the moment that realization dawned upon Ru Qiang by the way that his inky eyes darkened even more.

You've finally figured it out?

Yes, it was true. Her body was quite resistant to most poisons. Although, remembering the reason and process of how it happened was something that often made her eyes instantly chillier.

Feng Yao gave a smile as she backtracked to meet Ru Qiang. In a light voice, she explained.

"I noticed that the fruit dessert had a slightly more bitter taste than how most people like to eat it. If you looked closely, you could also see more elderberries than usual. Of course, you could say that this is because of the old madam's great love for elderberries."

Ru Qiang didn't comment on the fact that Feng Yao had somehow known what fruit the old madam of the Chu family liked the best as she continued.

"However, it's quite easy to see what the problem was. The bitterness meant that the elderberries were still unripe meaning--"

"--meaning that they still contained the raw seeds." Ru Qiang finally spoke as he finished her sentence.

Feng Yao looked genuinely surprised before chuckling. "I expected no less from you. Of course the prestigious son of the Jun Clan would know a great deal about these types of matters."

He didn't answer as he began to walk again. Feng Yao simply grinned before following him down the path.

Both of them knew. Raw elderberry seeds, when eaten in great quantities, could cause nausea and even possibly a coma. But a mistake like this was juvenile. There was no way that the Chu family's experienced cook could have done such an easy mix-up.

Ru Qiang suddenly took a detour and walked off of the paved pathway and into a large grove of trees. Feng Yao watched confused for a moment before deciding to follow him into the woods.

As Feng Yao reached Ru Qiang's location, she noticed that he was sitting on one end of a large, fallen tree trunk. Alongside him ran a small stream of flowing water about as deep as her waist.

"Oh! A tree! How delightful."

Ru Qiang paused at her words. He couldn't tell if she was actually excited or was simply being sarcastic.