It was a pity that she was eventually discovered. She decided to go all the way, killed her master, and barely survived herself. She had to recuperate for a long time before she dared to see her sister.
She spoke rather briefly, but Wu Caiwei could imagine the oppressive environment she had lived in, how fearful she must have been, and how much she had suffered to reach this point.
"You said your master used poison to control you. Have you been cured of the poison?" Wu Caiwei felt some relief after hearing her explanation. Regardless, her safety was the priority.
Fei Wu paused for a moment, then said bitterly, "That medicine was developed by my master himself. He's dead, and no one knows the formula or the antidote."
"So you haven't had any symptoms of poisoning for so long?" Wu Caiwei examined her with curiosity.
"That old man prepared a lot of antidotes, enough to last for a few months. I won't die anytime soon," Fei Wu said nonchalantly. Every time she went on a mission, she was prepared to die at any moment. Of the eleven people who started together, only three remained. Death was a normal occurrence.
"Do you trust me? If you do, I can take your pulse. Perhaps there's a way."
Fei Wu extended her hand without hesitation. If she hadn't trusted her, she wouldn't have shared her experiences.
Wu Caiwei was very gratified by her trust. She placed her hand on Fei Wu's pulse and began to examine it carefully. Seeing that Wu Caiwei was silent for a long time, Fei Wu quickly comforted her, "It's okay if you can't tell. You don't know how many renowned physicians were helpless."
"I can cure you, it's just a bit troublesome," Wu Caiwei said with a smile.
"What did you say? Did I hear you correctly?" Fei Wu was a little agitated. Although she had already faced death, who would want to die if they could live? Moreover, there were so many people waiting for medicine.
"This medicine is missing one ingredient, which I need to collect from the mountain tomorrow. The brewing process is also quite complicated and will take about seven days. That means the antidote will be ready in eight days. However, my antidote is different from your organization's. Theirs only temporarily suppresses the poison, while mine can completely remove it." Wu Caiwei's eyes shone with confidence as she spoke of her medical skills.
Fei Wu nodded in trust. She knew her sister had developed many miraculous pills, and she had even bought some. She had never imagined her medical skills could be so superb. It was a pleasant surprise.
She didn't linger there for long. She had just taken over the assassin organization and had many matters to attend to. She had been quite busy recently.
The next morning, Wu Caiwei took her tools and went alone into the deep mountains. On a steep cliff face, she found the target.
Upon returning that day, she began refining the medicinal ingredients. On the morning of the ninth day, Fei Wu eagerly came to her house, took the medicine with a slight tremor, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"There's more in this black box. I believe it will be useful," Wu Caiwei handed her a black box. After a moment's thought, she asked, "What are your plans now?"
Fei Wu quickly took the box and said with a troubled expression, "We've been used to fighting and killing. What else can we do if we don't engage in robbery and murder?"
"You are highly skilled and can endure hardship. There are plenty of things you can do, such as opening a security escort agency or serving as bodyguards..." Wu Caiwei replied without hesitation.
"Is that really possible? Can we walk in the sunlight?" Fei Wu looked confused. Although they all disliked the life of fighting and killing, they were also very afraid of truly mending their ways.
"Of course," Wu Caiwei looked at her with firm eyes.
"Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with them."
Wu Caiwei watched her leave with a sigh of relief. She had found one sister, and everything was developing in a positive direction. She wondered where the other sisters were.
The original owner had repeatedly asked Zhou Tianpeng to help her find her sisters. Each time, he nodded in agreement. She didn't know if he had actually searched, but by the time she died, there was still no news of these sisters. This was a great regret for the original owner, and she hoped Wu Caiwei could help her search. However, finding someone in such a vast world was like searching for a needle in a haystack, how difficult it was! She had to take it slowly.
Madam Zhou, far away in the county town, felt that everything in her life was not going smoothly. Her health was poor, so she handed over the account books to her daughter-in-law, thinking she could finally rest well.
However, after only a few days of comfortable living, her expenses for food, clothing, and daily necessities were reduced by one level. Less important maids and servants were dismissed, and her courtyard became much quieter. When she summoned the steward to inquire, she learned that it was Hong Lingxiang who had given the orders.
She suppressed the anger in her heart and sent someone to summon Hong Lingxiang.
When Madam Zhou's servant came to deliver the message, Hong Lingxiang already knew why she was being summoned. She leisurely dressed and tidied herself up and unhurriedly went to her courtyard. She had already prepared her defense before doing this, so she was not in a hurry.
But Madam Zhou couldn't wait. She felt that this daughter-in-law was too disrespectful to her, dawdling for so long.
As soon as they met, her anger became uncontrollable, and she sternly questioned, "I trusted you so much and handed over the household management to you. Is this how you treat me?"
"Am I not good to Mother? I dare say that the food, clothing, and daily necessities provided are absolutely the best for Mother," Hong Lingxiang looked at her, feigning ignorance.
"Does our Zhou family lack that little bit of money? The number of people working in my courtyard has decreased. Compared to my previous life, it's worlds apart." Madam Zhou felt that marrying a daughter-in-law of high status had made her life even more difficult, and she secretly regretted it.
"Mother, you wouldn't know this. Although our Zhou family appears wealthy, if one doesn't plan for the future, one will have worries. Money isn't meant to be spent like this. We need to save where we can. I haven't dared to replace the people you trusted. Only those who were usually slacking, dishonest, greedy, and lazy have been dismissed."
Seeing her stubbornly defending herself and refusing to change, Madam Zhou felt a surge of frustration. "If you can't manage the household well, then give the account books back to me."
"Mother, you're being too harsh. My husband asked me to manage the household. He pities you for being ill and still worries about the affairs of the mansion. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can speak to my husband." Hong Lingxiang was not afraid of her. She had inquired and knew that the Zhou family's business had encountered some problems and suffered significant losses. She believed that Zhou Tianpeng was anxious at the moment and would definitely side with her.
Indeed, her guess was not wrong. That night, after Madam Zhou complained to her son, Zhou Tianpeng said with a headache, "We've been through such difficult times before, and we've come through. Our current life is much better than the past. We were a bit extravagant before, but this is quite good now."
Madam Zhou couldn't believe what her son was saying. She thought Hong Lingxiang had sowed discord between them and decided to teach her a lesson, to let her know that managing a household wasn't that easy.