Chapter 630 - 633: Testing for Poison

Chapter 630: Chapter 633: Testing for Poison

Hua Manman told everyone to divide the roasted pig leg.

But Li Ji suddenly spoke up.

"Wait a moment."

Hua Manman thought he was going to throw the roasted pig leg away. Just as she was about to persuade him otherwise, she heard him say in a low voice,

"Who knows if they added something to the pork? We have to test it for poison before eating."

Hua Manman froze for a second.

’Right, I forgot about that.’

Although the Xiliang Delegation had roasted the wild boar on the spot, there was some distance between the two groups. Hua Manman couldn’t guarantee they hadn’t secretly poisoned the meat.

Better safe than sorry. It was best to be cautious.

So, now came the question—

Who should be the poison taster?

Hua Manman’s gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on the little cat lying by her feet.

Li Ji’s eyes followed hers to the little cat.

Little Flower was dozing off, feeling lazy all over, when it suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere.

It sat up, looked up, and its eyes met Hua Manman’s and Li Ji’s.

Hua Manman reached out, picked it up, and asked with a grin.

"Do you want some meat?"

Although Little Flower was a cat, its true form was a system. The cat was just a facade materialized from data.

For a set of data, poison was completely useless.

The moment Little Flower heard there was good food, it perked up and meowed excitedly.

’Where’s the meat? This kitty wants to eat!’

Hua Manman personally carved a slice of meat from the pig leg and placed it in front of the little cat.

It opened its mouth, gobbled up the pork in one bite, chewed, and swallowed.

Hua Manman asked, "How does it taste?"

The little cat licked its lips, wanting more.

Meow~

’It tastes pretty good!’

Hua Manman picked it up, leaned in, and whispered.

"So, can you help me analyze if there’s any poison in this pork?"

The little cat’s eyes immediately went wide as it stared at her in disbelief.

’There’s poison in the meat?!’

’This woman actually fed it poisoned meat!’

’How outrageous!’

The little cat let out an angry roar.

MEOW MEOW MEOW!

’You two-legged beast, you’ve gone too far!’

Hua Manman knew it would be angry.

She cupped the little cat’s head, leaned in to give the tip of its nose a loud smooch, and then stroked it from head to tail.

The little cat’s anger instantly dissipated.

It turned back into that well-behaved little cat.

The watching Li Ji was speechless.

’This scene feels strangely familiar.’

After Little Flower’s assessment, it was confirmed that the roasted pig leg was not poisoned.

Hua Manman could now let everyone divide and eat the pig leg without worry.

The pig leg was quite large, but not large enough for their numbers. Each person got a small slice of meat, and in the blink of an eye, the entire leg was gone.

Li Ji wore a gloomy expression from beginning to end, his mood foul.

It wasn’t until he saw Manman refuse the slice of roasted pork offered to her—that she, like him, didn’t touch it—that his expression finally cleared up, and his mood improved a little.

Hua Manman quietly took his hand and tickled his palm with her finger.

When he looked over, Manman gave him a sweet smile.

The corners of Li Ji’s mouth curled up in response.

The last bit of gloom in his heart vanished like clouds parting to reveal the moon.

’It’s just a pig leg. Why should I get upset over such a small thing?’

’Besides, the only one Manman loves is me.’

’If I threw a tantrum at Manman over a pig leg, the loss would truly outweigh the gain.’

After eating and drinking their fill, Hua Manman and Yue Niang returned to the carriage to sleep.

The little cat dutifully followed them into the carriage.

There were blankets and quilts in the carriage.

Hua Manman and Yue Niang took off their outer coats and slipped into the quilts, and the little cat wriggled in after them.

It chose the most comfortable spot between the two of them, lay down, and fell asleep.

Li Ji sat with his back against a tree, his eyes closed in sleep.

Everyone else also found a suitable place to rest.

Only the few people on night watch were still awake.

The night grew deeper.

The crisp calls of a few birds sounded from the woods.

Li Liao, who had been sleeping with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

He stood up and said to the man on watch,

"I’m going to relieve myself. I’ll be back soon."

The man on watch nodded slightly and watched him walk into the forest.

Not long after Li Liao left, Li Ji also woke up.

Li Ji stared in the direction Li Liao had gone, lost in thought.

Ever since the Xiliang Delegation appeared, Li Liao had become unusually quiet, clearly hiding something.

When Li Ji asked him, he was unwilling to talk.

Li Ji had no choice but to use his Mind Reading Technique to probe the other’s thoughts. But strangely, he could only pick up fragments, never any truly important information.

This made him even more concerned. He had been secretly observing Li Liao, wondering what secret he was hiding.

Li Ji stood up, his long legs carrying him toward the forest as well.

The woods were pitch-black, filled with mottled shadows of trees.

But Li Ji still relied on his sharp senses to pinpoint Li Liao’s location.

Li Liao was not relieving himself.

He was talking to someone.

Li Ji hid behind a tree and watched for a while, but due to the distance and the deep darkness, he couldn’t make out the other person’s appearance.

Since he couldn’t see clearly, Li Ji decided to stop hiding. He walked straight out from behind the tree and called out openly.

"Father, who are you talking to?"

Li Liao and the person in front of him were both startled.

The person tried to run but was stopped by Li Liao.

Li Liao said, "Ai Yi, since he’s already discovered you, we might as well come clean about this."

Li Ji walked up to his father and finally got a clear look at the person standing beside him, which made him freeze.

The person standing next to Li Liao was plain-looking, the type who would disappear in a crowd. Logically, such an ordinary person should have had no connection to Li Ji.

But in Li Ji’s memory, this person had appeared before.

Relying on his excellent memory, Li Ji quickly recalled that when the Imperial Ancestral Temple was being repaired, someone had secretly stolen something hidden inside the late emperor’s ancestral tablet.

That person’s name was Xu Yi.

At the time, Li Ji had watched helplessly as Xu Yi was rescued from right under his nose.

He had sent people to search everywhere for Xu Yi’s whereabouts but had failed to find any trace of his origins.

After that, Xu Yi had vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air.

What Li Ji never expected was to see Xu Yi again here, and under such incredible circumstances.

Li Liao, as if not noticing the astonishment on Li Ji’s face, calmly introduced the man.

"This is Ai Yi, one of my most capable men."

Xu Yi clasped his fists and bowed to Li Ji.

"This subordinate greets the Regent Prince."

Li Ji’s gaze shifted between the two of them, his expression turning frigid.

"I need an explanation."

Li Liao’s expression was complicated.

"I promised Manman that I would have a good talk with you.

But I have many reservations and haven’t been able to bring myself to speak with you frankly.

Actually, there’s something I’ve always wanted to say to you—"

As he spoke, his eyes filled with guilt.

"I’m sorry. I lied to you."

...

You’ve probably forgotten about Xu Yi. For a reminder, see Chapter 305: The Last Ancestral Tablet.

Only two updates tonight. Good night, everyone~