Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 336 - 335: Too Quiet

By evening, several more servants arrived, carrying food containers. They moved swiftly and seemed to be in high spirits, full of energy, yet spoke very little.

To say they spoke very little might not be quite accurate; in fact, they didn’t utter a single word.

As they were taking trays of food out of the containers and placing them on the table, Zhu Yu tried to casually strike up a conversation with them.

However, those servant-like people just smiled briefly at Zhu Yu, as if they couldn’t hear her at all. Without any response, they neatly arranged the dishes, bowed, and left quickly, not saying a word throughout.

As the servants walked out, Fu Lu mischievously stuck out a foot, causing the last servant to stumble and instinctively exclaim "ouch." His companions quickly steadied him, and they continued to leave as if nothing had happened, without pausing for a moment.

It seemed they could speak, their voices and ears functioning perfectly.

Zhu Yu silently pondered as she watched them leave.

"What’s the matter? Did you notice something odd?" Yan Daoxin entered from outside, feeling hungry and helping himself to food without waiting for an invitation. Seeing Zhu Yu constantly staring in the direction the servants left, he asked.

"Those people seemed clear-minded and even quite spirited, but their eyes were empty," Zhu Yu pointed at her own eyes, "When they look at you, their eyes seem devoid of anything, as if they were walking corpses."

"Oh? It’s no wonder Fu Lu stuck out a foot to trip that person earlier; he must have been testing them for you! I knew he wasn’t the kind to play pranks!" Yan Daoxin had an epiphany. He had only seen Fu Lu’s actions earlier, not Zhu Yu instructing him from inside, "I figured, people hanging around Lu Qing for long always end up restrained and dull like him. How could they suddenly develop a playful thought!"

Fu Lu rubbed the back of his head at the door, smiling wryly.

Divine Doctor Yan and his master, whenever together, couldn’t help but banter, and unexpectedly, they dragged their brother into it this time.

Yan Daoxin picked up chopsticks from the table, and using an empty bowl, he sampled a bit of each dish, carefully tasting a small bite before nodding reassuringly: "All set! The food should be fine, but I can’t tell with the wine; to be safe, better not drink it."

Zhu Yu nodded, watching as he took more food into his bowl and went upstairs.

This meal was somewhat awkward.

Yun Shu still didn’t want to interact with Lu Zhang, so, like Yan Daoxin, she grabbed her own food and went upstairs to eat alone.

As a result, only Zhu Yu remained, along with the Lu family brothers. Her public identity as Chief Historian Yu by Lu Qing’s side seemed a bit inappropriate sitting with the master on equal footing at the same table.

So she imitated Yan Shu, took some food, and went upstairs to eat with Yan Shu.

In the end, only Lu Qing, Lu Zhang, and Lu Yan were left at the table.

Without Duke Yan, Lu Zhang and Lu Qing got along better than in the past, but Lu Yan was always a bit displeased with him. The atmosphere at the meal was not exactly warm, only with Lu Qing present did those two manage to avoid another clash.

After eating, the puppet-like servants came again to collect all the dishes and left quietly.

Afterward, the sun set, night fell, and the small courtyard grew increasingly serene.

Lu Qing instructed everyone to lock their doors at night and stay vigilant before returning to his room.

Zhu Yu stood on the second-floor balcony, leaning on the railing, peering down in the faint moonlight.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Qing approached, standing nearby, hands behind him.

Being outside, it was naturally inappropriate for them to appear too close.

"That small pond below," Zhu Yu pointed downward, "If you look closely, the flowers that were hidden beneath the leaves during the day are now blooming, and they’re quite fragrant."

Lu Qing looked down and indeed saw some white flowers now floating in the pond, faintly visible.

And there was indeed a faint and cool fragrance hovering in the air.

"Let’s go back inside; it’s too dark outside, standing in the corridor is conspicuous." He reminded Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu nodded, and they returned to the room, locking the door.

Though Fu Lu’s rooms were placed at either end of where the others slept by Lu Qing’s arrangement, except for Lu Zhang and Zhu Yu, the others were capable enough to protect themselves. To be cautious, everyone decided to sleep fully clothed, ready for any sudden occurrences at night.

Zhu Yu lay in bed, her pillow under her head, staring at the canopy above, and asked Lu Qing, who had also just lay down: "Don’t you think this Immortal Castle gets a bit too quiet after dark?

Although the high walls may block our view, surely they haven’t plugged our ears.

When I stood in the corridor earlier, it felt eerily quiet, without any noises, no footsteps, and no voices.

The household here shouldn’t be too small, it’s unrealistic for everyone to just sleep right at nightfall, right?"

"Yes, I noticed too," Lu Qing nodded, "When you were upstairs with Yan Shu, you didn’t see.

The three of us were eating in the guest hall downstairs, and the servants who came to collect the dishes moved quickly, as if someone had instructed them to complete everything before sunset, and they left without looking back.

Typically, farmhouses keep chickens and dogs; even in rural houses, dogs usually bark at night, and one will trigger others to join in.

Such absolute silence like this, I’ve never encountered it before."

After he finished speaking, he waited for Zhu Yu’s response, but after a while, there wasn’t any. He turned to see Zhu Yu already asleep, arms behind her head, with her eyes closed.

Lu Qing chuckled, gently pulling Zhu Yu’s arms from beneath her head to her side, to avoid them feeling numb over time.

She sure seemed exhausted recently.

Lu Qing silently sighed in his mind, blew out the nearby candle, and lay back down.

In the darkness, the faint fragrance lingered.

Lu Qing’s once clear mind began to fog up, consciousness blurring, and soon his head tilted to one side, sinking into sleep.