As the days grew hotter, on the first day of May, the old cat finally gave birth, delivering a litter of kittens in various colors—three orange, two yellow-and-white, and one pure white with blue eyes, resembling their mother.
Bai Lu, while looking after the kittens, breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his mother’s head was still as white as snow, untouched by the green of jealousy.
However, the dominance of the orange cat’s genes was undeniable. Among the six kittens, five were orange, and Bai Lu could already envision a scene of chubby cats overwhelming the bed.
At noon, Chu Ya returned from the cabinet and found Bai Lu feeding milk to the kittens by spoon. The orange and white kittens were cuddling on a soft cushion, grooming each other’s fur.
Chu Ya reminded him, “Remember to wash your hands after touching the cats. You don’t know how many germs are on their bodies.”
Bai Lu, indifferent as ever, didn’t even look at him.
Sensing something amiss, Chu Ya crouched beside Bai Lu and patiently asked, “What’s wrong? Are you mad at me? Sulking with me?”
Bai Lu’s expression remained cold. “No.”
Bai Lu was still sulking like a child. It seemed that not only was he inexperienced in love, but he also didn’t know if his current thoughts were right or wrong, leaving him feeling confused.
Love was such a nuisance. It was better to focus on making money!
Since Bai Lu didn’t want to go, Chu Ya had to go out alone the next day. Bai Lu was left alone in the White Deer Palace, even his beloved mother had left him to join in the festivities.
For a moment, it felt like he was back in the orphanage.
But Bai Lu wasn’t the type to mope in a corner when neglected. He could turn even the most desolate situation into a five-star tourist destination.
Today wasn’t too hot, with a cool breeze blowing. Bai Lu decided to go to the garden to fly a kite.
However, he didn’t want to be followed by Ling Feng, that persistent tail. So, he mimicked a flower thief, skillfully opening the window and climbing up the familiar willow tree, then scaling the wall to leave the palace.
His wall-climbing skills had become second nature to him. Like a nimble wildcat, he made almost no sound, slipping out of the White Deer Palace unnoticed.
After orienting himself, Bai Lu decided to first visit the wardrobe pavilion to ask Xiao Yue for a kite. He had glimpsed it there last time—a colorful swallow kite.
As he walked towards the wardrobe pavilion, he picked up a piece of grass from the roadside and chewed on it absentmindedly. Passing by a bamboo grove, he suddenly remembered the poison he had buried there last time.
His memory wasn’t particularly good. The joy of reuniting with his mother and confirming his relationship with Chu Ya, plus the addition of the kittens, had pushed the matter of the poison to the back of his mind. It was only now, seeing the bamboo grove, that he remembered.
Although he was currently giving Chu Ya the cold shoulder, he couldn’t stand on the wrong side. This matter threatened Chu Ya’s existence and needed to be brought to his attention as soon as possible.
Bai Lu immediately felt a weight on his shoulders. Now wasn’t the time to play with kites. He turned towards the bamboo grove, intending to retrieve the evidence.
Just as he found the spot and crouched down, ready to dig, he realized that something was amiss. The grass he had used to mark the spot was gone.
Bai Lu’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that trouble was brewing.
Before he could stand up, he heard a commotion behind him. He quickly picked up a bamboo pole from the ground, standing up warily to face the intruders.
The person who approached was none other than Consort Mei, with whom he had various grievances and conflicts.
Bai Lu felt annoyed at the sight of her. Normally, he would pretend not to see her and avoid her, but today, Consort Mei had obviously come prepared while Chu Ya was away, intending harm.
Bai Lu gripped the bamboo stick tightly, calmly assessing Consort Mei and the people behind her.
Apart from her maid, Bi Tao, there were eight medium-built eunuchs, each holding a wooden stick over a meter long.
Bai Lu quickly reviewed his options in his mind. When facing multiple opponents, there were two strategies to win: either capture the leader first to demoralize the rest or evade and strike individually. However, the problem was that Bai Lu couldn’t lay hands on a woman.
The second option was to evade. He had to avoid their attacks as much as possible and pick them off one by one. In such a situation, the greatest taboo was being caught. Once caught, a brawl would turn into a massacre, sealing his fate.
In just three seconds, Bai Lu went through these tactics in his mind, then turned to Consort Mei. “What do you want from me? Do you have business with me?”
Consort Mei sneered, “At a time like this, you’re still pretending to be innocent. I ask you, what were you doing sneaking around in this bamboo grove on the third of last month? What did you hide here?”
Bai Lu understood immediately. Mei Fei must have found out about the poison. He narrowed his eyes, sharply asking, “What do you mean?”
“Bi Tao saw you burying something here,” Consort Mei said, taking out a small paper package from her sleeve and waving it in front of Bai Lu. “This is poison! Lin Xiao’an, you brought poison into the palace, concealed it, and hid it secretly. What are your intentions?!”
With the evidence presented, Bai Lu felt helpless. “Alright, do you know what fingerprints are?”
“What?” Consort Mei was taken aback.
“In that case, it’s simple.” Bai Lu rubbed his chin, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “The poison was clearly in your hands, and it’s not labeled with my name. What right do you have to say it’s mine?”
Consort Mei, not expecting Bai Lu to argue even at this critical moment, turned red with anger. “You still dare to argue! Bi Tao witnessed you burying it here. With both eyewitness and physical evidence, I advise you to confess your identity and purpose sooner rather than later. Otherwise, I…”
“What will you do?” Bai Lu raised his eyebrows, taunting her. “Are you going to use torture to extract a confession?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Consort Mei gave the order, “Go, catch him!”
The eunuchs, without hesitation, rushed towards Bai Lu. The first one swung his stick directly at Bai Lu’s head, clearly not aiming to capture him but to take his life.
Bai Lu dodged to the left, avoiding the attack, then used the bamboo stick in his hand to deflect the assailant’s arm and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.
Another stick came from behind. Bai Lu didn’t have time to turn around and could only move his head to the side, then used his elbow to push away the person behind him, before turning around to land a blow to his chest.
Though Bai Lu was small and weak, each of his attacks was lethal, targeting vulnerable areas like the abdomen and chest. Those eunuchs who fell under his assault were unable to get up again.
However, outnumbered as he was, Bai Lu was struck from behind with a stick, hitting him on the back of his head.
Bai Lu’s vision blurred instantly, and he felt dizzy. In his blurred vision, the blue sky seemed to explode into a silent crimson fireworks, but he couldn’t see clearly.
Barely managing to keep his balance, Bai Lu stumbled back a few steps, trying to find an opportunity to escape the encirclement.
But before he could, another blow landed on his back. Bai Lu grunted in pain, his body going limp as he knelt on the ground. Two eunuchs closest to him immediately came forward, pressing down on his shoulders.
Consort Mei finally approached, looking down at him with disdain. “You’re just a nameless prostitute. Do you still want to fight with me? Guards!”
As she called for the guards, a voice of alarm suddenly sounded from behind. Swift footsteps approached like a ghost.
Then, a flash of light, and before the eunuch could react, his head had already fallen off, rolling to the feet of the newcomer.
Girl thought that someone so 'favored' wouldn't have guards?? 😂