Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 515 - 514: Drinking

Before Yan Daoxin’s words were finished, Zhu Yu’s mouth was covered by Lu Qing’s hand. The strength wasn’t much, very gentle, but enough to stop her subconscious move of wanting to spit out the strange thing of unknown origin.

This time, Zhu Yu was completely awake, opened her eyes, and swallowed the thing in her mouth with a gulp. Instantly, she felt a coolness spreading from her throat throughout her body, and the previous unbearable stuffiness seemed to be largely dispelled.

"What is this?" She lowered her voice and asked Lu Qing and Yan Daoxin.

"Did you really think I was just making medicine for that power-obsessed, senile old man these days?" Now that there were no outsiders watching, Yan Daoxin returned to his usual private demeanor, grinning and whispering, "Earlier, Lu Qing told me to be prepared, so I was thinking.

From Bhutan to Jin Country, most of the journey is inevitably hot and humid. This group of people isn’t going to be kind enough to take care of us greatly, so of course, we must be prepared.

What you just swallowed was medicine to dispel heat and dampness; otherwise, even if there was nothing else, just the heat and dampness alone would make all five of us sick on this journey."

As he spoke, he pointed at his bosom and asked Lu Qing to help.

Lu Qing reached over and fished out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom. With both of their hands tied, they had to cooperate to distribute the pills inside, each taking one.

When Zhu Yu took her own pill and saw Yan Daoxin getting Lu Qing to help stash the porcelain bottle back in his bosom, she suddenly felt like laughing.

Sometimes, she was really curious and wanted to know how many secret pockets this guy’s robe had sewn inside. He could always pull out so many small porcelain bottles containing pills, like some kind of treasure pouch.

This time, she didn’t need to ask about the pills. Just holding it in her hand and smelling it was enough to recognize it—it was the same kind of pill that Yan Daoxin had quietly hidden on her back at Little Mountain Building, which ensured that a person wouldn’t collapse from hunger or thirst.

"I specifically waited until now to have you take these." Yan Daoxin glanced out the small window, saying proudly, "The heat and dampness here are hard to bear, and those people didn’t sleep well last night either. At this moment, when the sky is dawning and it’s the coolest time, they are sleeping most soundly, making it much safer."

Yan Daoxin was indeed right. Those guards from Fanwang Mansion seemed to be sleeping very deeply outside, without any noise. It wasn’t until the five of them had taken those two kinds of pills and another hour had passed that the guards gradually woke up, as usual, throwing some water and a few hard biscuits into their carriage and then locking the door before leaving.

Nibbling on a few mouthfuls of biscuits and washing them down with some water, the five of them closed their eyes to rest.

In broad daylight, Zhu Yu naturally wouldn’t dare to rest her head on Lu Qing’s lap anymore and could only lean against the hard carriage wall.

The road was extremely bumpy, but with the pill that Yan Daoxin had prepared in advance, after eating it, Zhu Yu felt a coolness emanating from inside her, making the surrounding stuffiness and dampness seem less unbearable.

Having not slept well at night, the medicine’s effect during the day made her extra comfortable, and she dozed off leaning against the carriage wall.

Seizing every little moment to rest was an important lesson Zhu Yu had learned in the past.

When she couldn’t help with anything or do anything, forcing herself to endure was irresponsible for her life.

Although she was skilled in autopsies and had the ability to investigate cases, her martial arts skills were lacking, having only learned some self-defense moves under Lu Qing’s guidance.

So, whether it was guarding against those guards outside from Fanwang Mansion or being wary of any unexpected problems, they weren’t things within her capability.

Thus, she felt at ease leaving these matters to the talisman runes, and even to Lu Qing and Yan Daoxin.

With the four of them there, Zhu Yu didn’t worry about her own safety.

Just like that, repeating in cycles, they had been traveling for five or six days, and finally reached the area bordering Bhutan and Jin Country, where, at last, the temperature wasn’t so oppressively hot and stifling.

In these few days, with Yan Daoxin’s pills supporting them, although Zhu Yu and the others weren’t feeling great, it was at least more bearable.

The guards from Fanwang Mansion were different.

These people clearly had a hired attitude, showing no great loyalty towards King Fan or his nephew. That’s precisely why after King Fan’s death, they had no objection to "obeying" the nephew’s orders.

For them, it’s just a paid job that they must finish without caring about allegiance or legal norms.

Because of this, the heat and exhaustion of the journey took a toll on them, one by one looking listless and disheveled, unsure if it was due to losing interest or if they had been intimidated before, but they no longer harbored any malicious pranks against the five of them on the way.

When they crossed a ridge and reached the border of the two countries, they finally experienced some relief from the previous plague of snakes, insects, rats, and unbearable humidity.

Perhaps because they were closer to Jin Country, the towns and villages they passed through were visibly more prosperous and affluent compared to the surroundings of the capital, making their desire to indulge a little more uncontrollable.

On the night before entering Jin Country, these people somehow managed to purchase or perhaps steal a few jars of wine and began drinking boisterously.

Clearly, this scene made King Fan’s nephew uneasy. He ordered the guards to refrain from drinking and to rest properly, as they needed to hurry with their journey the next day and not delay important matters.

After all, although King Fan’s corpse had gone through extensive preservation procedures, with the weather being so hot and humid, he was worried that if it didn’t work, by the time they reached the Capital, the body might have already decayed significantly. If Emperor Jin refused to acknowledge it and hold Prince Xiaoyao accountable, the blame might fall on his shoulders.

Unfortunately, the guards seemed unable to understand the nephew’s concerns, completely ignoring his warnings or requests, continuing to drink and revel.

After several reminders from the nephew and even a few direct appeals, he was still ignored, with some guards, drunk on wine, sneering at him.

Frustrated but unable to express his anger, he could only return to the carriage, hiding away without coming out.

Zhu Yu listened to all of this from inside the prison carriage, and her suspicions grew ever more certain.