Yu Xiaolian told Miao Yingyao, I took a big risk to save you, and my family doesn’t know about it.
If you don’t want to be caught, just quietly hide in the room, don’t go out, and don’t make any noise.
She asked Miao Yingyao, why does Jun Mobai want to catch you? How did he catch you?
Miao Yingyao angrily said, "I don’t know if you’ve heard of an old lady Ji in Yangcheng? She’s the one who caught me and sent me to Jun Mobai."
"Old lady Ji? How did she know you’re from the Witch Clan?"
Yu Xiaolian had once asked Madam Feng out of curiosity why their eyes were all black, wasn’t it said that people from the Witch Clan have gray eyes? ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Madam Feng told Yu Xiaolian that Witch Clan people look no different from normal people when they are born.
It’s just that Witch Clan girls, from a young age, raise Gu Worms with their blood. Over time, the Gu and the girl coexist.
When the girl becomes an adult, the Gu Worm in her body can be awakened with a special method, allowing her to control the Gu Worm and change her eye color at will.
So, for their safety, Witch Clan girls are not allowed to go outside until they come of age.
Like Madam Feng and the others, they control the Gu Worms to hide the gray in their eyes.
However, those like Leng Yuesheng, who raise the most poisonous Gu Worms, cannot hide it and can only move around at night.
But, nobody dares to provoke someone like Leng Yuesheng who raises the Poisonous Gu King.
The court wants to catch these girls who have been raising the Beneficial Gu since childhood. Only the blood of girls with Beneficial Gu has detoxification properties.
Since Madam Feng told Yu Xiaolian, she knew she had a Gu inside her. Although it’s a bit gross to think about, Madam Feng said that this Gu Worm grew up consuming her essence blood and had long become one with her, so it couldn’t be removed.
Even if she were to die unexpectedly, the Gu Worm wouldn’t die. Instead, it would look for a new host.
It seems, Miao Yingyao, like her, is raising the Beneficial Gu.
Miao Yingyao angrily said, "That old lady Ji’s real name is Xi Sijin, and she’s a traitor from the Witch Clan.
She was considered your mother’s mentor and the 54th Saintess of the Witch Clan. But she defected decades ago for the love of an outsider.
Who would’ve thought she’d now collude with the Huainan Prince Mansion and use the Cluster Feather Bird to help Jun Mobai catch me."
The Cluster Feather Bird, a bird that can identify Gu Worms by scent.
And in the entire Witch Clan, there’s only this one well-trained Cluster Feather Bird that Xi Sijin took when she left.
At the time, Miao Yingyao was at Baihua House in Linzhou, receiving this month’s dividends for the clan when the Cluster Feather Bird suddenly flew in, and the faces of all the Witch Clan people in Baihua House changed.
Miao Yingyao knew that the Cluster Feather Bird could only identify Gu Worms but couldn’t differentiate between Beneficial and Poison Gu.
Capturing those with Poison Gu wouldn’t be of any use; clearly, they were after her.
Miao Yingyao didn’t check the silver note, flipped over the counter, and tried to escape, but didn’t expect that outside Baihua House, government officers had the place surrounded.
As soon as she stepped outside, she was surrounded and had no choice but to be captured.
Xi Sijin initially wanted to individually verify which girl had the Beneficial Gu, but now she didn’t even need to test. She had someone take Miao Yingyao away directly.
The madam of Baihua House was also from the Witch Clan, and she recognized Xi Sijin but knew she couldn’t beat her, so she pleaded for Miao Yingyao.
She said Miao Yingyao was the daughter of Miao Chengwang and Leng Xuetong, the grand-disciple of the Great Elder Xi Qishan, and ought to call Xi Sijin grand-aunt in terms of seniority.
Xi Qishan was Xi Sijin’s own brother, close enough, right?
But Xi Sijin didn’t hesitate even for a moment and still ordered Miao Yingyao to be tied up and taken away.
Later, Xi Sijin privately told Miao Yingyao that as long as she obediently listened to Jun Mobai, not only would her life be safe, but she might also enjoy endless wealth and glory, better than playing with bugs in the mountains.
The implication was all supposedly for Miao Yingyao’s own good.
Miao Yingyao: Bullshit grand-aunt, you old hag.
Ever since Xi Sijin defected from the Witch Clan, she’d been living in seclusion for decades. Why stir up trouble now?
What on earth did Jun Mobai offer her?
Or does she have something over her in Jun Mobai’s hands?
Could it be that old Ji Da and Ji Er aren’t dead, but have been captured by Jun Mobai?
The Cluster Feather Bird, its existence is a threat to Yu Xiaolian.
Yu Xiaolian now has only one thought, to kill that bird.
Wondering if its meat tastes any good.
"Could old lady Ji also be in Luocheng?"
"No, she left after handing me over to Jun Mobai. Don’t know where she went."
Miao Yingyao looked distressed, "Can you send a message to your brother? I’m afraid he’s still searching for me like a headless fly."
Yu Xiaolian was getting a headache, "How can I casually send out a message?"
"I have to go out for breakfast. You stay put, my room usually doesn’t get visitors, I left some pastries and water by the bed, eat if you’re hungry, drink if you’re thirsty, and keep quiet.
If you need the restroom, wait until we go next door, then quickly go. I’m telling you, don’t wander around. If Jun Mobai catches you again, I can’t save you."
As Yu Xiaolian walked out, Sanya came to call her for breakfast.
"Sister Xiaolian, Brother Hu Zi said, when you go over, don’t forget to bring him a pencil. He wants to give it to Mr. Meng."
"Got it, you head over first."
Just bringing a few pencils as a gift seems a bit cheap, so Yu Xiaolian packed two more bundles of pastries and nuts, and also took two erasers before heading next door.
After breakfast, Yu Xiaolian saw off Little Hu Zi and Su Jingyue to the academy.
The academy wasn’t too far from home, and the two little guys could have walked there themselves, but Yu Xiaolian wanted to go out and gather some news, so she went to see them off.
There were few people on the morning streets. Since the tax hike, street vendors had disappeared, and most market transactions were now barters, with few genuine sellers.
At every street corner, government officers were present, stopping young girls to compare with sketches.
A carriage passed them, and a woman’s cry could be heard from inside the carriage, "I said we should leave last night, but you insisted it was too late. Now look, we can’t leave the city.
And I don’t even know how my father’s illness is going?"
The man raised his voice, shouting, "Why blame me? Did you not hear the officers? An important fugitive escaped last night. Is your father’s illness more important, or is the Princely Heir’s matter more important?"
The city is on lockdown?
To catch one Miao Yingyao, they’ve locked down the city?
Yu Xiaolian, after going through rounds of interrogation, finally reached the gates of Shuren Academy.
She handed the gifts intended for Mr. Meng to the two little ones and then hurried back.
On her way back, she was inevitably stopped for questioning again.
Finally reaching home, just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Jun Mobai and Fu Qing in her family’s braised meat shop, eating meat and drinking wine.
Princely Heir, having such heavy food for breakfast?