Chapter 174

Chapter 174

"Two years from now, I'll be gone. When I die, I'll pass my position to Little Jin'er, and you must support her from behind."

"That's not what I want to hear." Nu Shi's eyes grew cold. He clearly understood Nvshan had an ulterior motive for telling him this.

"Abduct Chu Mi and take her to Wuzhou Tribe," Nvshan said. "I believe with your intelligence, you can certainly do it. I told Ying Jin you poisoned me. If you abduct her, Ying Jin won't suspect me."

"Chu Mi? Because of the bows and arrows?"

He was already close to figuring out how to make them himself. Kidnapping Chu Mi seemed unnecessary.

"Do you think someone who can bring such transformation to a tribe only knows about bows and arrows?" Nvshan retorted. "Take her back to Wuzhou Tribe. The more it prospers, the more your people will appreciate her."

Nu Shi looked at Nvshan, a woman of many schemes. Suddenly, he asked, "Don't you hate me?"

"I do hate you. But what good would that do?"

"Fair enough."

As long as Nvshan didn't want her position usurped by her sisters, she couldn't eliminate him.

Two years was perfect—Little Jin'er would be five then, young and impressionable, easy to control. And Nvshan had no choice but to rely on him. After all, who could be more devoted than a biological father?

……

The two struck a deal. After Nu Shi left, he gazed at the red-brick house in the distance.

That house belonged to Chu Mi—the most prominent one, recently built and inhabited.

Its structure was excellent, surrounded by wild fruit trees, with a carpet of lush green leaves covering the ground.

Children ran around. When they spotted Chu Mi nearby, they cried, "Madam!"

Chu Mi turned to Nu Shi. "I need to ask you something, Madam. Is it true that Nvshan really doesn't have much longer to live?"

Nu Shi looked at her with a mix of tension and fear, as if dreading the truth.

Seeing this golden-haired, blue-eyed man, she recalled what Ying Jin had told her.

Ying Jin had said Nvshan’s poisoning might be related to Nu Shi.

If that were the case, his acting skills right now were Oscar-worthy.

……

"Yes, just two years." Chu Mi didn't want to engage with him further. "I have things to do, so I should go—"

"Madam, do you despise me?" Nu Shi reached out and grabbed Chu Mi’s hand.

Her slender palm was soft, as delicate as a baby’s.

He was astonished—how could someone’s hand be so tender?

"Let go!" Chu Mi, feeling his fingers kneading her hand, snatched it away, ready to slap him.

"My apologies, Madam. I was too hasty just now." Chu Mi’s face flushed slightly, her beauty radiant as spring blossoms.

……

Seeing Nu Shi’s sincere apology, Chu Mi still took a few steps back. "Your impatience is your problem. I’ve already told you everything I know."

She grabbed her basket and ran off.

If he weren’t the man of Wuzhou Tribe’s leader, she would have hit him already—it wasn't worth causing tribal strife.

"How adorable." Watching Chu Mi flee, Nu Shi’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

Her golden hair, jade-green eyes, and the smile she flashed in the sunlight made her angelic in her beauty.

As he smirked, he lifted his hand to inhale—the faint scent of herbs lingered on it. Unlike Nv Yao’s foul odor, Chu Mi’s fragrance set his pulse racing.

Suddenly, he realized that taking Chu Mi wouldn't just benefit the tribe’s development—it would also gain him a beauty.

……

Chu Mi fled in alarm, only to crash into someone. Looking up, she saw Ying Jin.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ying Jin drew her close. "Did someone bully you?"

"Not exactly." In her time, someone grabbing her hand wouldn't have mattered much.

But he had *touched* her. Even though Nu Shi was handsome, the way his touch lingered made her skin crawl.

"Ying Jin, that Nu Shi really isn’t a good person." She had always thought him odd, but this time, his presence made her even more uncomfortable.

"Avoid him from now on." Ying Jin nodded.

Chu Mi sighed. "Such a beautiful young man, yet he gives one the creeps."

Ying Jin’s gaze darkened as he stared at her. Sensing danger, Chu Mi knew she’d be taught a thorough lesson that night.

……

To cure Nvshan’s poison, Chu Mi had to treat her. Ying Jin, uneasy, assigned A Su as her escort.

While examining Nvshan, Chu Mi noticed Nu Shi made no move, letting her relax.

Nvshan, weak, looked at her. "Why do you keep eyeing Nu Shi so cautiously?"

"Didn't you tell Ying Jin he was suspicious?" Chu Mi asked.

"I did," Nvshan admitted. "But he poisoned *me*, not you. Why are you so wary?"

"He poisoned you, yet you keep him by your side?" Chu Mi let her guard down against Nvshan.

Nvshan was too pathetic now—anyone would pity her.

Their only conflict had been Nvshan trying to take her man. Now that she wasn't, there were no hard feelings. Women empathized most with those hurt by men.

……

Nvshan concealed the cold glint in her eyes, playing weak. "I'll handle him once we return. How's the cure coming?"

"It’s working. Just rest for a few days, and you’ll recover." Chu Mi went over Nvshan’s prognosis.

"That's good. By the way, can you spare us some bows and arrows?"

Chu Mi glanced at Nvshan, whose complexion had improved after days of care, though she still seemed a bit weak.

"No." Bows and arrows were still not an option.

"That's a shame," Nvshan said. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Not staying today?"

Nvshan shook her head. Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, Chu Mi let it go. It was Nvshan's decision after all—no one could stop her.

"Take care of yourself. With proper rest, you might live much longer."

"Mm." Nvshan nodded.

As Chu Mi walked away, Nvshan called out, "We'll meet again soon."

......

Chu Mi had put her teaching on hold for days because of Nu Shi.

Today, she finally brought some materials to A Li.

A Li studied the symbols Chu Mi had written, unfamiliar with a few.

"This is the multiplication table and the division table," Chu Mi explained. She had spent nights in her space writing them down.

A Li eagerly flipped through Chu Mi's book while she sat beside him, explaining the patterns of the multiplication and division tables.

A Li listened intently, occasionally noting key points on nearby leaves.

"My lady, with this, our calculations will be much faster!" A Li could hardly contain his excitement.

"Math is deep and complex. Learning the abacus would also be a good choice." Chu Mi had learned the abacus as a child, and since the elders in her family preferred using it, she still remembered how.

However, crafting an abacus would be hard to achieve.

After going over the basics of mathematics with A Li, Chu Mi bid him farewell.

......

On her way back, she told Ying Jin about Nvshan's impending departure.

"Since Nvshan is leaving, A Su doesn’t need to follow me anymore. You’ve been short-staffed recently—let him assist you instead," Chu Mi said with a smile.

"Alright." Ying Jin nodded.

Unfortunately, something happened the next day when Nvshan departed. Chu Mi only heard about it from Ying Jin.

"So you're telling me Nvshan attacked Nu Shi right after leaving the tribe, and he escaped?" Chu Mi exclaimed in surprise. "Was she too hasty?"

"Not sure. But he can't re-enter the tribe now." After all, he'd only heard reports and hadn’t witnessed it himself.

Something didn't add up to Chu Mi. Would Nvshan really act so rashly?

She felt there must be more to the situation than she had noticed.

"Mi, if you're worried, I can have A Su accompany you," Ying Jin offered, seeing her worried expression.

"Don't bother." Ying Jin and the others were busy enough—she wasn't a child needing a minder.