Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 273 - 272: Exorbitant Price

Zhu Yu’s attention was entirely on her fingertips just now, and she didn’t really notice Jia Hui’s palm.

Now, reminded by Yan Daoxin, her gaze also shifted there, and she finally saw that Jia Jun’s palm was an eerie pale white with a faint greenish-blue tinge, as if a layer of mist had risen in his palm, making the lines indistinct.

"What’s going on?" Zhu Yu was taken aback. She had seen corpses turn green from rot, but never something that was perfectly fine everywhere except for a green shadow in the palm of the hand.

"Jade Snowbird." Yan Daoxin was silent for a moment and then spoke the name.

"What kind of bird is that?" Zhu Yu had never heard of such a bird before. The name sounded rather pleasant, but from Yan Daoxin’s expression, it was clear it wasn’t anything good.

Lu Qing also hadn’t heard of it, and he looked at Yan Daoxin, waiting for him to explain.

"The Jade Snowbird is a strange bird that likes to perch on high mountains, building its nests at the treetops. Its feathers are all emerald green, similar to the color of leaves, except for its head, which is white," Yan Daoxin explained to them. "This bird flies very fast, and only the best archers with the fastest arrows can hit it, but arrows can’t be used to shoot it."

"Why is that?" Zhu Yu quickly examined Jia Jun’s other organs, confirmed there were no other abnormalities, and began to sew up the incision.

"Because the blood of the Jade Snowbird is highly toxic," Yan Daoxin responded solemnly, glancing at Lu Qing. "Its original name was actually the Jade Bloodbird. Later, because it sounded too frightening and in recognition of its white head, ’blood’ was changed to the white ’snow’.

Ordinary people wouldn’t want to catch it because it requires climbing treacherous mountains and traversing dense forests, which is very dangerous.

But those with ulterior motives who want to make big money on the black market with the Jade Snowbird naturally can’t use arrows, otherwise, the blood would drain, solidify, and become unusable.

So the only way is to find the Jade Snowbird’s nest, wait for the adult bird to leave in search of food, then climb to the treetop and steal the newly hatched chicks that can’t fly.

Seeing Zhu Yu’s lack of reaction, Yan Daoxin added, "Doesn’t sound too outrageous, does it?

What if I told you the bird’s claws are particularly sharp, its beak is also pointed and hard, making it very aggressive? If it finds someone approaching its nest, it will fiercely peck and bite, while the person trying to steal the chicks would be hanging precariously on a high treetop by a cliff."

Once Zhu Yu heard this, she understood; this was another rare item that required risking one’s life to obtain.

Moreover, a young bird that can’t fly wouldn’t have much blood, even if drained, explaining its high price on the black market.

Blood...

Suddenly, Zhu Yu realized and quickly asked Yan Daoxin, "If the blood of the Jade Snowbird is mixed with wine, would it affect its efficacy?"

"Affect? Of course, it affects it," Yan Daoxin affirmed with a nod. "Mixed with wine, the poison doubles in strength."

"Then I know how the blood ended up in his stomach," Zhu Yu relaxed her brow. "Deer Blood Wine!

Many men in the Shuo Land believe drinking Deer Blood Wine can strengthen the body, so many will deliberately drink some every day.

It seems someone secretly added Jade Snowbird’s blood to the Deer Blood Wine, masking the bird’s blood scent with the wine’s bloody aroma, avoiding any suspicion.

Does it take effect quickly?"

"Very fast, after drinking, within a moment, it feels like a scorching fire from mouth to stomach, causing unbearable abdominal pain, and death follows soon," Yan Daoxin nodded. His face looked worse than it had for days, and his gaze remained on Lu Qing.

Listening to him, Zhu Yu looked up just in time to see Yan Daoxin looking worriedly at Lu Qing, whose face was no longer as relaxed as before, with underlying emotions stirring.

"What’s wrong? Why do you two look like this?" she asked puzzled. But she quickly grasped the situation, "Was it this poison that got to Lu Qing back then?!"

"No, no," Yan Daoxin replied quickly, waving his hand when he saw her expression change. "If he had been poisoned by the Jade Snowbird’s toxic blood, going to Shanqing Temple wouldn’t have been necessary.

The master said someone must have mixed Jade Snowbird meat into the chicken soup he ate. Though the meat is also toxic, it was much weaker, and fortunately, this guy was indeed tough, sustaining him barely alive until he reached Shanqing Temple."

Zhu Yu nodded, lowered her eyes, and continued carefully sewing the wound. But in her heart, she felt a weight, as if someone had slipped a large black iron ore into her when she wasn’t paying attention.

This Jade Snowbird, she hadn’t even heard of before, and from Yan Daoxin’s words, it was clear it wasn’t due to her lack of knowledge but because this creature was truly rare.

They had a good idea of why Weapon Supervisor Jia Jun had died.

But back then, that bowl of chicken soup was brought to Lu Qing by Consort Zhao.

It was hard to believe Consort Zhao couldn’t get bird blood and had to settle for bird meat.

If one could get the meat, then there were certainly ways to get the blood.

As to why toxic blood wasn’t used directly, Zhu Yu thought it was probably due to the severe and painful effects of the blood, causing a gruesome death that would arouse suspicion in the palace.

No wonder even the highest-skilled Imperial Attendant in the palace couldn’t find a remedy back then.

Now, with the unfortunate Jia Jun dead from Jade Snowbird blood again, the reappearance of this rare poison... does this mean...

She silently tightened the thread in her hand.

Well, Lu Qing was no longer the vulnerable and helpless child he once was. The reemergence of the Jade Snowbird’s toxic blood was advantageous for them.

Otherwise, they would still be at a loss trying to find new clues to settle old scores.

Zhu Yu tied a knot in the thread, snipped the end, and examined her handiwork, neat and clean as always, leaving only a long wrinkle on the skin’s surface, completely concealing needle holes and stitches. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lu Qing helped her re-dress Jia Jun in his inner garments, neatly and properly, so that, on the surface, there was indeed no indication of any abnormality.

"Then let’s go outside; we can’t stay here too long," he said to Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu looked at Yan Daoxin, "What should we say once we are outside?"

"Leave it to me, you don’t need to worry about this," Yan Daoxin said, dusting off his clothes and straightening his back.