Chapter 278
Clang! Clang!
Lin Huaijing, caught completely off guard, was left dizzy by the two massive surprises Yue Fuguang had just dropped on him. He stood frozen on the spot, eyes wide, momentarily speechless.
It was his father, Lin Congxue, who couldn't bear to watch anymore. Both amused and exasperated, he gave his son a light kick on the backside and reminded him, "You silly boy, aren't you going to thank the Young Tutor?"
Prompted by his father, Lin Huaijing quickly snapped back to his senses and immediately bowed. "Huaijing... thanks... thanks the Young Tutor!"
His face flushed red with excitement, his eyes crinkled into crescent moons from smiling so hard, and his grin was so wide it showed his pink gums.
Ignoring Lin Huaijing, who was grinning like a total fool, Yu Boming only spoke to Yue Fuguang, "Don't worry, little sister, your second brother will definitely take good care of this kid!"
Yue Fuguang nodded and said with the serious air of a little adult, "I'll give Second Brother an extra chicken drumstick later."
When it came to giving extra chicken drumsticks, Yue Fuguang was a girl of her word. Once all the dishes were served, she picked up the untouched drumstick from her own bowl and placed it into Yu Boming's.
"Smells amazing!" Cai Xian and the others swallowed hard as they took in the mouthwatering aromas of the whole roasted rabbit, braised chicken, and braised pork. Although the preparation was not as refined as what they usually ate, the rich, tantalizing scents were simply irresistible.
The parents finally understood why these little brats, who were usually so picky about their finely cooked meals at home, would sneak off to steal live poultry from the pastures.
These kids, who normally wouldn't lift a finger to do any chores, actually rolled up their sleeves to cook for themselves just to get a bite of this food.
Lin Congxue had heard his younger son mention that he had only managed to get a little bit of soup at the time.
However, if they were back in their youth facing such delicacies, they would have acted even worse than the kids did. Even just drinking the soup would be worth it!
The little brats had only stolen a few birds to eat. This showed that the military camp's training, especially the ideological education, was already starting to show results on these playboy sons.
Wei Shouyi laughed and said, "This is also my, Lao Wei's, first time eating these. It's not like they raised these poultry and livestock, so how did those little brats know they tasted so good?"
Huo Sui and the others silently looked toward Yu Boming.
Yu Boming's face turned red. He nearly buried his head in his bowl, almost making intimate contact with the chicken drumstick Yue Fuguang had given him.
Just as everyone was about to start eating, the voice of the Divine Artifact rang out in their ears.
[Master, the wild herb and vegetable soup is poisoned.]
Yue Fuguang's hand, reaching for the soup bowl, only paused for a brief second before she continued serving herself soup, asking in her mind, "Little Zhu, aside from the soup, are any of the other dishes poisoned?"
[No, only the soup has been laced with a deadly poison called Morning Fragrance Powder.]
The people at the two tables felt their hearts sink upon hearing that the soup was poisoned, especially with an incurable, deadly poison like Morning Fragrance Powder. The chopsticks in their hands almost dropped to the floor.
Wei Shouyi, in particular, had his head bowed, his face full of gloom.
Poisoning the food at his banquet, and targeting the Young Tutor no less! This was basically someone thinking his Lao Wei family and all nine generations of his kin were living too comfortably!
If you asked him how he knew the poison was aimed at Yue Fuguang, it was because he had specifically ordered the kitchen to make this bowl of soup for the Young Tutor.
Precisely because he knew she usually liked eating these fresh wild herbs and seasonal vegetables, this bowl of soup was prepared today.
Wei Shouyi's fists cracked as he clenched them tightly. In his mind, he carefully went over all the kitchen staff, from the head chef to the helpers, their information flashing through his head one by one.
Thinking about it now, everyone seemed like a suspect.
Seeing Yue Fuguang casually serving herself soup as if nothing was wrong, the crowd couldn't help but feel nervous, even though they knew the Divine Artifact had an antidote pill.
Yu Chongshan steadied his nerves and said with a smile, "Fuguang, Grandfather also wants some soup. Could you give Grandfather the soup in your bowl?"
Yue Fuguang paused for a moment, quickly realizing the reason behind his request. She smiled and handed the bowl to Yu Chongshan, saying, "Here you go, Grandfather. This soup was flavored with chicken broth, so it must be absolutely delicious."
Yu Chongshan smiled back. "Since Fuguang says it's good, Grandfather will have to drink a couple more bowls."
Seeing that the soup was already in Yu Chongshan's hands, Cai Bing and the others, who had originally wanted to seize the chance to show off their loyalty, instantly gave up.
Even his own biological son didn't get a turn, so how could it be their turn to show off?
"Little Zhu, drop half an antidote pill into the soup."
[Master, the poison has been neutralized. However, the poisoner is about to run away.]
Still gnawing on a chicken wing, Wei Shouyi slapped his thigh and said, "Oh my, there's still one dish that hasn't been served. I'll go hurry them up."
Huo Ying made a symbolic gesture to stop him and asked, "What dish is taking so long that you need to go hurry them up yourself? Can't you just send a personal guard?"
Wei Ping also chimed in, "Exactly, Lao Wei. The head chef in your camp is slacking!"
Wei Shouyi smiled and replied, "It's the spring bamboo shoots we dug up near the mountain yesterday. The head chef is stewing them with old duck to make a soup. I'll go urge them along. You guys eat first, I'll be right back."
[Master, do you think Lao Wei will be able to figure out that the old woman working as a kitchen helper is a spy?]
"Not necessarily. If he was going to notice, he would have noticed long ago."
[True. That old woman is actually a man in disguise. Even though his disguise skills are top-notch, the fact that Lao Wei and the others haven't noticed anything unusual after all these days means their vigilance is really quite poor!]
Wei Shouyi, who hadn't gone far, suddenly looked a bit sheepish upon hearing the Divine Artifact's critique.
Leaving the dining hall, he sprinted toward the kitchen. The images of the few old women working as kitchen helpers flashed through his mind, and he quickly figured out who the biggest suspect was.
This person lived in a nearby village, had a family with sons and daughters. If it weren't for the two ancestors bringing it up, he truly never would have suspected this kind of peasant woman who so obviously had vulnerabilities!
"A military camp is a crucial area; using outsiders is indeed prone to causing problems. If we employ the family members of trusted soldiers and have them all live together in a centralized area to prevent them from being coerced, it should be much safer."
Everyone nodded in agreement in their hearts upon hearing this. The Young Tutor's idea was excellent.
Having the whole family in the military camp served as both a hostage situation and a form of protection. Moreover, the pastures wouldn't need to be entirely managed and fed by soldiers anymore; they could easily hire these family members.
Finding a livelihood for their families would only make the soldiers more loyal, and they would hope for the military camp's success even more than outsiders, ensuring they could sustain themselves for a long time.
"Little Zhu, do you know who is trying to make a move on me this time? Also, that old woman who is actually a man in disguise—hiding in the military camp for so long couldn't have been just to wait for me, right?"
[Master, you were just a target of opportunity. His original purpose for sneaking in was to gather intelligence on the new military camp and its daily training routines.
However, Lao Wei is quite strict with the management of non-military personnel. Separated by high walls, they couldn't see what was going on inside at all.
This guy has been here for months and hasn't obtained a single piece of useful information. He was almost in despair, but then he finally waited until a big fish worth a thousand pieces of gold like you came along!]
"My life is only worth a thousand gold pieces? Who are they looking down on?"
Yue Fuguang was very angry, while the people around her were quite flustered. Ancestor, is this really the time to focus on how much your life is worth?
However, a small voice in their hearts quietly agreed that it was indeed too low an offer. In their eyes, a thousand pieces of gold couldn't even buy a single strand of the Young Tutor's hair.
[Exactly! By that calculation, Master's life isn't even as valuable as the half an antidote pill Little Zhu just dropped into the bowl. It's simply outrageous!]
The system flattered her sycophantically, but its bootlicking clearly hit a sore spot.
Yue Fuguang: There's really no need for such a comparison! Don't I need to save face?
Happy New Year's Day, everyone!
May your 2026 be filled with happiness, health, prosperity, good luck, peace, and joy...
May everything go your way, and may your years be forever free of worry!