Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Poisoned

Qing watched as the Canghe Tribe’s attitude toward Lu Xiao changed, and jealousy festered in her heart.

Lu Xiao’s success only served to highlight her own incompetence.

It also proved that her previous vicious slander against Lu Xiao had been a lie. Now, whenever she walked down the street, the females who were once friendly with her would pretend not to see her, keeping their distance as if she were something filthy that couldn’t be touched.

At the same time, the males who used to flock to her, showering her with attention and small kindnesses, had also vanished.

Though she still lived in the Canghe Tribe, she had been completely ostracized by everyone.

This pushed Qing’s hatred for Lu Xiao to its absolute limit.

She felt that Lu Xiao’s arrival was the cause of everything. If it weren’t for her, the people of the tribe would still treat her as they always had.

It was all because she had come and healed Hunt that Qing had ended up in this state.

So when Platinum came to find her, Qing said impatiently, “When can we start? I can’t wait any longer!”

Platinum had, of course, heard about the recent happenings in the tribe. The fact that the young female was so popular wherever she went didn’t surprise him in the least; in fact, he was exceptionally proud.

’What does this prove?’ he thought. ’It proves that the female I’ve set my sights on is just this charming and capable.’

It was something to be very proud of.

He was proud of Lu Xiao.

This, in turn, led to Platinum looking at Qing with a gaze full of contempt, though she hadn’t yet sensed it.

“Since you can’t wait, then let’s begin. Just put these into the water source the Canghe Tribe uses.”

Hearing Platinum suddenly tell her to contaminate the water supply, Qing instinctively blurted out, “No! Can’t we just target Lu Xiao? Why do we have to ruin the tribe’s water source?”

“If we only targeted them, wouldn’t it be too obvious?” Platinum looked at her as if she were an idiot, making Qing squirm. “But I still can’t poison the water supply! The water is the lifeblood of the Canghe Tribe. I can’t do this!”

“Then suit yourself,” Platinum said, turning to leave.

It was as if he wanted nothing more to do with her.

Seeing this, Qing panicked. She believed Platinum was the only one who could help her change her fate.

“Wait, don’t go! I’ll do it. But you have to promise this stuff won’t kill anyone.”

“Don’t you already have the antidote? If you’re worried, you can just administer it after the fact,” Platinum said nonchalantly.

In truth, the lives of the Canghe Tribe people meant nothing to him.

Although Qing was still hesitant, she knew this might be her only chance to turn her situation around. She nodded. “Okay, I’ll do as you say.”

Platinum gave her a gentle smile. “I promise you won’t regret this.”

His smile was so gentle and handsome that it made Qing blush. “When… when are you planning to take Lu Xiao away? Can we still see each other after that?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. As for seeing each other again… heh. It’s best we don’t.” ’I have no desire to see an idiot like her again,’ he thought.

Tossing out those words, Platinum turned and left.

*

Lately, in between purifying the Crystal Fruit Tree and treating Hunt, Lu Xiao had been researching the Crystal Fruits. She had moved the former witch doctor’s purification vessels back to her home.

But she discovered that these tools alone were not enough to begin her research.

After all, she wasn’t a local witch doctor. She was used to precision instruments, and she was completely stumped by these primitive vessels.

So, her research stalled before it could even begin.

Fortunately, Lu Xiao wasn’t the type to get bogged down on a single problem. Besides, while the Crystal Fruits had healing properties, they weren’t absolutely necessary as long as she was around.

Ares noticed Lu Xiao staring blankly at a pile of bottles and jars and couldn’t help but walk over. “What are you thinking about, Xiao Xiao?”

That’s right—Ares’s leg had completely healed. The man now had no trouble walking.

At his words, Lu Xiao snapped out of her daze. “I was just wondering when my Father will find us. Grandmother and Teacher Ai Li must be worried sick.”

These were feelings she could only share with Ares.

“He will come,” Ares answered with conviction. “Admiral Clan won’t abandon us.”

Lu Xiao nodded. “I know. I just hope he doesn’t run into any danger on his way here.”

Just as they were speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

Lu Xiao glanced over instinctively and saw Shield rushing over, with Fred trying to block him outside.

Lu Xiao stood up. “What happened?”

She asked as she and Ares headed outside.

The moment he saw her, Shield suddenly dropped to his knees. “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, I beg you to save our chief!”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao’s heart clenched. She hurried forward, but before she could help Shield up, Ares had already pulled him to his feet. “Speak properly. Don’t resort to kneeling all the time. Lu Xiao doesn’t like it!”

He said it so naturally that Fred, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but glance at him.

Because in that moment, he was struck by how similar Ares and Lu Xiao were.

Perhaps when two people live together long enough, they start to become alike.

This realization filled Fred with an indescribable envy.

’In the Empire, and here… Ares is probably the only male who would say something like that,’ he thought.

After Ares pulled him up, Shield looked at Lu Xiao, his eyes red-rimmed. “The chief seemed perfectly fine this morning, but when I went to see her just now, she had collapsed on the floor and was already unconscious.”

Lu Xiao replied, “Don’t panic. Let’s go take a look now. Has the chief ever experienced anything like this before?”

’The old chief is getting on in years,’ Lu Xiao thought. ’It would be perfectly normal for her to have some underlying health conditions.’

Shield shook his head. “Never. The chief has always been in excellent health.”

They rushed toward the old chief’s treehouse, but on the way, they ran into Mao, who was sprinting in their direction. Spotting the group, he immediately shouted, “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, this is bad! Some of the tribespeople have fallen ill! They’re vomiting uncontrollably, and some have already fainted.”

At these words, Lu Xiao’s expression instantly turned grim.

If it were only the old chief, it might be due to her own health. But if most of the tribe was affected, then this was definitely not a trivial matter.

“How could this be happening?” Shield also realized the gravity of the situation.

Just then, a crowd of people suddenly ran toward them. “It’s her! She brought this curse!”

A female suddenly rushed forward, pointing at Lu Xiao and shouting, “It must be because she touched the former witch doctor’s things! She displeased the former witch doctor, and now we’re being punished for it!”

“What are you talking about? Her Excellency Lu Xiao has been helping us!” Mao spun around, staring in bewilderment at the approaching crowd, unable to understand why their attitude had suddenly turned.

“Qing was right! Outsiders really do have ill intentions! If not for her, why would those people have gotten sick?”

“Even the chief was affected because of her!”

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep