According to this woman, the problem could only lie with the three of them, master and disciples.

Chen Yuancheng asked, "Were you watching the whole time to make sure no one came near?"

He asked seriously, and the woman helping in the kitchen was unsure: "I haven't moved an inch. I was busy working and didn't keep looking ahead, but every time I looked up, no one was near me."

A cook wearing an apron and covered in flour came over and said, "Boss, after I put the steamed buns on the steamer, I leaned against the table to rest for a while and wanted to chat with Old Li for a bit, but he said he was busy today and didn't have time to talk to me, so I didn't take up his time."

I observed that he was handling the more precious ingredients himself. After putting the vegetables that needed steaming or stewing into the pot, he started preparing the stir-fries. The fire was being watched by another apprentice, not by him.

Did you see what happened before he lost consciousness?

"I don't know about that. I rested for a while and went to make steamed buns. I only found out that Lao Li was in trouble when I heard other people calling for help."

Xiao Yunying asked, "Who is Chef Li's other apprentice?"

A man walked out from the back, who looked to be a year or two older than Li Yuan: "I am Master's eldest disciple."

Xiao Yunying asked him, "Li Yuan has been preparing the dishes. What were you doing? Did you see anyone approaching?"

He calmly replied, "I was helping the master watch the fire in the stove. I would tell the master when the food was almost ready. No one would come near me while I was there, but I left once to go to the outhouse, ask someone to move some firewood, and also to help the master carry a bucket of water."

The shopkeeper suggested, "Young master, why don't we have someone search you?"

Chen Yuancheng said, "It's useless. If someone did it on purpose, do you think they would leave evidence on themselves?"

Xiao Yunying pondered. From what others had said, no one had ever approached the stove that Chef Li was in charge of, but both apprentices said they had left.

Everyone in the kitchen has their own tasks to do, and no one is going to stare at one spot for a long time. There are no security cameras here, so there's no way to know what happened.

Xiao Yunying pulled Chen Yuancheng's sleeve and walked to the side: "We don't know if that mushroom is poisonous now. No one admits to having seen it. I think someone is guilty and doesn't dare to admit it. I think it's probably poisonous."

The people working at Huiweilou are probably all ordinary people. For them to dare do this, there must be someone behind them, someone who's definitely prepared a way for them to escape. We can't catch them without evidence. I have a plan, want to try it?

The word "we" echoed in Chen Yuancheng's mind as he asked, "What method?"

"It's a very simple method, but I don't know if it will work."

Xiao Yunying shared the method she had seen in a TV series: "Do you think it will work?"

Chen Yuancheng agreed, "We can give it a try."

"Okay, you stay here, I'll head out now."

Chen Yuancheng said to everyone, "It's almost noon. Except for the two apprentices, everyone else can go about their business. Just in case, make all these dishes again. The kitchen helpers should prepare the ingredients again and wait for Yunying to come back to cook."

The crowd responded and dispersed to do their own thing, leaving only the two apprentices behind.

Chen Yuancheng picked up Xiao Yunying's basket and placed it in the corner of the wall, so that it wouldn't be kicked by passersby.

There was only a cloth at the bottom of the basket, and judging by its weight, it didn't seem to contain anything.

Chen Yuancheng put down his basket and left the kitchen, standing in the backyard: "What should I bring her back later? It seems like there's not much good food in the shop."

After a while, Xiao Yunying and Ling Qi returned together.

Ling Qi was carrying a bowl of strong liquor that Xiao Yunying had prepared, and she was talking about the mushrooms:

"It is indeed a poisonous mushroom, and a highly poisonous one at that. The doctor checked the books and found that it is a mushroom called the insect-loving mushroom. We don't have it here. It only grows in the Lingnan region, in valleys that are shrouded in miasma and never see the sun."

This fungus only grows on dead branches and rotten leaves near animal carcasses. When it grows, it emits a sweet smell that attracts various insects. The cap has a thin layer of sticky mucus that is poisonous, killing insects and feeding on them, hence the name "insect-loving mushroom".

Even after being picked and dried, it remains highly poisonous. Locals like to dry it, grind it into powder, and sprinkle it in the corners of walls to repel snakes, insects, and rodents.

The doctor said that if I had eaten that insect-loving mushroom I brought over, it would have been enough to poison a cow, let alone a person.

Xiao Yunying said angrily, "This is an attempt to kill someone."

In this terrifying ancient society, were human lives truly so worthless in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy?

"How is the chef who was poisoned?"

Ling Qi said, "I've already induced vomiting with salt water. The doctor said that luckily I only drank a little soup and was brought here in time, so the poisoning wasn't severe. I'll drink some herbal soup for a few days to detoxify the remaining poison in my body, and I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."

"Thank goodness."

Chen Yuancheng said, "Don't be angry. Let's go in and try to find the person who released the poisonous mushrooms."

Xiao Yunying took two deep breaths: "Let's go in."

The three returned to the kitchen, and Ling Qi placed the wooden basin filled with strong liquor on the food preparation table.

"Those who can stop, come over here. The young master has something to say. Those who can't free their hands can just listen."

Apart from the chef who was cooking, everyone else stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Chen Yuancheng said, "Ling Qi went to ask, and the mushrooms picked out of the dishes are indeed poisonous, and highly poisonous at that."

He repeated what Ling Qi had told the doctor, and Xiao Yunying continued, "In order to preserve the toxicity, the people of Lingnan do not wash off the mucus on the cap. Even after drying, it still adheres to the fungus. As long as it comes into contact with the skin, the toxin will seep into the body through the skin."

Now, I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which do you want to hear?

She paused for a moment, observing the expressions on everyone's faces.

No one seemed unusual; most expressions were surprise, curiosity, or shock. No one volunteered to say which news they wanted to hear.

Xiao Yunying didn't feel embarrassed. She hadn't really intended to ask for anyone's opinion, and continued:

"The toxins in the insect-eating mushroom are highly potent. If you eat it, you will be poisoned within 15 minutes, and there is no antidote."

The good news is that because the person who released the mushrooms didn't ingest them, but rather they penetrated the body through the skin, the poisoning won't occur immediately, and the onset will be slower.

The bad news is that poisoning is certain. The fact that it doesn't manifest immediately doesn't mean you're safe. You'll only start to feel the effects once the toxins spread throughout your body, beginning with the decay of your internal organs. The pain and duration of this process are several times greater than the effects of directly ingesting the poison.

Upon hearing this, the people in the kitchen began to whisper among themselves.

"My God, who brought in such a terrifying poisonous mushroom?"

"What should we do? I don't know if we've ever encountered this before."

"Master, if we encounter someone who has been poisoned, will we also be poisoned?"