Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 353 - 352: Strange Flowers

Inside the enormous black wooden box, there was a thick layer of black soil, from which that bloody smell emanated.

On top of the thick black soil, neat rows of flower seedlings were planted. From the branches and leaves, they looked somewhat tender and not fully grown. Occasionally, a few had just sprouted tiny buds, with deep green calyxes encasing flower petals showing a hint of moon-white at the edges.

The flower’s stem was slender, its leaves long and curly. Despite the dark color, they appeared exceptionally clear, as if carved from the finest jade.

Though Zhu Yu wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about farming and cultivation, she did eat things like garlic chives and yellow garlic.

These seedlings were not just planted in the underground chamber; they were grown inside boxes painted completely black, with even the openings covered with a layer of black suede.

In such a "sunless" environment, how did these flowers manage to look so green and beautiful?

It must be said, she didn’t know what this thing was, but she could sense a kind of weirdness from the bottom of her heart.

Lu Qing clearly felt the same way. He examined the seedlings in surprise, then retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket. Carefully, he dug up a seedling with a bud from one corner of the box, soil and all, wrapped it meticulously in the handkerchief, and handed it to Fu Lu.

Fu Lu received it and carefully tucked it into his bosom.

At this moment, there seemed to be some sound in the distance, like people talking. The sound was indistinct, as if still far away, making it impossible to hear clearly.

The three people’s hearts tightened, and they quickly closed the box, tiptoeing back the way they came at the fastest speed.

The voices seemed to be approaching from behind them, forcing the three to quicken their pace. However, the passage was narrow, and they couldn’t make noise, so despite their efforts to move faster, their speed wasn’t as quick as they’d like.

Zhu Yu’s heart was pounding like a drum. She dared not breathe deeply and walked quickly, keeping her head down.

Fortunately, until they could vaguely see the fading moonlight spilling in through the slate opening, the voices behind them hadn’t closed in, seemingly stopping at some distance away.

The others didn’t seem to be avoiding them deliberately, speaking without holding back. Their voices echoed through the twisting passages, sounding muffled and particularly noisy.

The trio finally returned to the exit beneath the small pond, where Fu Lu, taking advantage of his height, climbed up, then turned back to pull Zhu Yu.

Lu Qing supported Zhu Yu’s waist with both hands, aiding her upward leap and helping her grab Fu Lu’s hand. She was then pulled up with the combined effort of Fu Run and Fu Lu.

Feeling the voices were getting closer, Lu Qing turned his head and at the distant end of the passage saw a faint glimmer of torchlight, presumably someone moving toward them.

He dared not linger much longer, quickly pushed off a nearby stone wall and deftly climbed out of the opening. Fu Run and Fu Lu replaced the slab at its original spot with the fastest and gentlest movements, sealing the entrance tightly.

"Sir, just now..."

Fu Lu began to ask Lu Qing but was stopped by him with a raised hand: "Restore the pond to its original state first. Everyone go upstairs; don’t gather in the courtyard. You two, after returning the buckets, keep an eye on the surroundings."

"Sir, we understand!" Fu Lu nodded quickly and, with Fu Run, began to refill the pond with the water they had painstakingly scooped out.

The others, noticing their abrupt and hurried return, suspected something had happened below and didn’t pry, quickly following Lu Qing’s instructions to move to the second floor of the small building, leaving only Fu Run and Fu Lu in the courtyard.

Yan Shu, following Zhu Yu upstairs, couldn’t help but sniff as they walked, gently tugging Zhu Yu’s clothes: "I say, what did you do down there? There’s a strange smell on you... it’s hard to define, not exactly fishy or foul, just unpleasant. Not strong, but noticeable.

You didn’t have this peculiar smell before going down."

Zhu Yu was surprised that Yan Shu’s nose was so sharp, not only detecting the strange smell she picked up but describing it so accurately.

Lu Yan also sniffed from behind, looking puzzled: "What smell? I can’t sense anything."

He spoke naturally enough, considering that, as the Third Prince, he conversed with Lu Qing’s advisors and guests simply because he was open and not hung up on rank and status.

Yan Shu didn’t react much either, as such interactions were quite normal in the Jie Country, where the people were straightforward and informal. Besides her and Zhu Yu posing as men, even if she were dressed as a woman, it wouldn’t be unusual in Jie.

However, Lu Zhang, following behind, seemed a bit awkward initially but couldn’t help secretly sniffing, trying to pick up the scent Yan Shu mentioned.

Clearly, his sense of smell was akin to Lu Yan’s — Lu Yan didn’t detect it, and neither did he.

Once upstairs, everyone tacitly gathered in the same room. Lu Qing gestured for Lu Yan to sit by the table. Seeing his serious expression, Lu Yan knew there was something important he wanted to share, and promptly sat down.

"We discovered a dungeon beneath the passage where there’s the tax collector you previously had Fu Lu watch." Lu Qing didn’t beat around the bush, directly telling Lu Yan, "However, he’s been dead for many days. We found his corpse, but haven’t figured out the situation inside yet, so didn’t move it.

There are several other bodies with him, possibly... your other tax collectors might be among them."

Lu Yan, upon hearing this, widened his eyes, nearly having them pop out of their sockets: "What?!

Did you see the appearance of those others clearly, brother? Let me describe the tax collectors’ looks to you and Chief Historian Yu, see if those people below match."