The chicken soup had a faint, slightly astringent taste from the medicinal powder, which couldn't be completely masked even with the addition of various seasonings. Lu Zhao had grown up in the palace and was used to such methods of secretly administering drugs. If he hadn't been more vigilant, he probably would have died hundreds of times over.
Wu Tiancheng's medicine was not sophisticated; it was merely a common folk remedy for inducing unconsciousness, not some colorless and odorless medicine. Therefore, Gu Chaoxi found the taste strange, and Lu Zhao could tell there was something wrong with it just by smelling it.
Remembering that Gu Chaoxi had just taken a sip, Lu Zhao supported Gu Chaoxi's arm, his tone revealing an anxiety he himself was unaware of, "You just took a sip, are you feeling unwell now?"
Although this common sleeping potion has a smell, it is very potent. Even a small amount can knock out a strong man, let alone a delicate woman like Gu Chaoxi.
Gu Chaoxi hadn't expected that just one spoonful of the soup would have such a strong medicinal effect, but it was exactly what she wanted.
She collapsed into Lu Zhao's arms, feeling weak and limp, with a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.
Lu Zhao was extremely anxious, secretly blaming himself for not protecting her properly. He picked Gu Chaoxi up and carried her outside, saying, "I'll take you to see a doctor right now, and then we'll come back and take down the Wu family."
Wu Tiancheng had been keeping an eye on things. When he heard the sound of a bowl breaking, he assumed that the two siblings had been drugged. He waited a while before coming over to check on them, only to run into Lu Zhao carrying someone and kicking the door open as he left.
Wu Tiancheng was unaware that Lu Zhao hadn't drunk the soup. When he bought the medicine, the barefoot doctor had told him that men are generally stronger, so the medicine would take effect more slowly. Seeing Gu Chaoxi lying in Lu Zhao's arms, clearly showing signs of the medicine taking effect, Wu Tiancheng stopped Lu Zhao from leaving in order to buy some time.
"Miss Gu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing Wu Tiancheng's pretentious expression, Lu Zhao was furious and kicked him over, yelling, "Get out of my way! I'll settle the score with you later!"
Wu Tiancheng was kicked to the ground and scraped his arm. He quickly realized that Lu Zhao had seen through his drugging. He was both flustered and unwilling to lose this opportunity. He stopped Lu Zhao again and reached out to take Gu Chaoxi, who had fallen into a coma, from Lu Zhao's arms.
“Brother Gu, I saved you and your sister and took you in. I truly like Miss Gu, and I did this so that I could keep her here. Just because I saved you, you should marry your sister to me. If you, as the brother, agree, then we will all be happy. If you don’t agree, don’t blame me for forcing her to stay.”
Lu Zhao dodged his hand, preventing him from touching Gu Chaoxi, his anger surging. He himself couldn't even marry her, yet this man dared to forcibly take her away! He was practically courting death!
Unable to snatch anyone, Wu Tiancheng swung his fist at Lu Zhao.
He worked in the fields year-round and occasionally did manual labor in town. His arms were full of strong, muscular muscles. Lu Zhao was not as muscular as him and was injured. He believed that Lu Zhao could not possibly beat him.
With Gu Chaoxi in his arms, Lu Zhao couldn't fight back and could only turn his head to dodge. He then kicked Gu Chaoxi in the chest with all his might, and Wu Tiancheng actually coughed up blood.
Wu Tiancheng took two steps forward and stepped on the hands on the ground. With a crisp cracking sound, he cried out in pain and broke out in a cold sweat.
Looking down at the person in his arms, Lu Zhao didn't know how much medicine he had given her, or if there were any side effects. He didn't know when he would arrive in town. He looked at Wu Tiancheng, who was lying on the ground groaning, and said, "Go and call your doctor over. If you don't comply, I'll kill you!"
The murderous intent in Lu Zhao's eyes terrified Wu Tiancheng. The pain in his hand, so close to his heart, was a clear reminder that he couldn't beat this man.
He hurriedly nodded, scrambled to his feet, and ran out. However, he didn't go in the direction where the barefoot doctor lived, but in the opposite direction.
Lu Zhao carried Gu Chaoxi back to the bed and put her down.
Wu Tiancheng had been gone for a long time. Just when Lu Zhao thought he had taken the opportunity to escape, Wu Tiancheng returned, followed not by a barefoot doctor, but by a large group of villagers.
Wu Tiancheng was unwilling to give up so easily. Since they had already broken off relations, he didn't care anymore and directly called all the villagers over.
Wujia Village is located in a remote area, and men who cannot find wives often go to town to buy women to take back as wives. Most of these women are trafficked to this place, and when they are first bought, they are determined to escape. The villagers of Wujia Village will unite to capture them. This time was no exception. As soon as they heard Wu Tiancheng ask them to help, the men in the village did not hesitate and hurriedly came from the fields with their tools.
Seeing a group of people blocking the courtyard with menacing expressions, Lu Zhao narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint in them.
A villager in his forties or fifties standing next to Wu Tiancheng stepped forward and said to Lu Zhao, "Kid, it's your sister's good fortune that Tiancheng has taken a liking to her. Tiancheng's family is the richest in our village. So many girls want to marry him, but he doesn't even look at them! Don't be ungrateful! I heard you're injured. You can't take on so many of us by yourself!"
Lu Zhao didn't want to waste any more words with these people. Since they were so stubborn, he would just kill them one by one. Judging from their appearance, they had done this kind of robbery quite often.
Lu Zhao took a sickle from the wall.
Just as the stalemate was reaching its conclusion, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard, along with the faint sound of voices, "The Prince's signal came from here... Why are all these people gathered here?"
Lu Zhao called out, "Jinyang."
The next moment, the voices outside stopped, and Jin Yang led a group of guards in, blocking the entire courtyard.
Jin Yang took the lead and knelt on the ground to pay his respects. "Master, your subordinate is late."
Lu Zhao dropped his sickle. "You come in with me first. The rest of you keep an eye on these people and don't let them escape."
Jin Yang followed Lu Zhao inside, while the remaining guards, well-trained, surrounded the villagers in the courtyard. The villagers of Wu Family Village had never seen such a spectacle before, and they immediately panicked.
It seems they've offended some big shot!
The man who had just spoken, who was also the village chief, knelt down tremblingly. "Sir, we didn't know your identity and have offended you. Please, sir, spare us."
Wu Tiancheng was dumbfounded. "You, who are you people?!"
When Aunt Wu returned home carrying her vegetable basket, she saw so many people gathered at her door and hurriedly asked loudly, "What happened?"
Upon seeing a group of fierce-looking guards in the courtyard, Aunt Wu panicked and rushed to Wu Tiancheng's side, only to find him covered in dust and his fingers dangling.
Grandma Wu held her son's hand and cried out, "Which heartless bastard hurt you?!"
"Mother...it's the man you saved!" Wu Tiancheng cried.
A guard glanced at Granny Wu and snapped, "Quiet down! His Highness the Regent is inside. If you don't want to die, keep quiet!"
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