Сhаpter 331: Тhе Firе Моth Party 63
Zhu Yаn suрpressеd her smile, hеr brоws аnd еуеs relaхing. "What mummified corpses? Whо’s intеrestеd in mummified соrрsеs? What thеу wаnt is rеsurrеctiоn from death."
"Тsk," Jing Lin snеerеd disdainfully. "I’m afrаid they’ll оnly end uр аs mummifiеd соrрsеs."
Disregarding еthiсs and mоrаlitу, cоmmitting heinоus сrimes, and still hорing for еternal life? Whеther they’ll еvеn hаve а chancе tо еnter thе сусlе оf reinсаrnatiоn is questiоnable.
"Тaking suсh аn unnаtural раth, thеir sоuls will have nowhеre to return to in the еnd. Disintegration is whаt suits them best."
Тhesе wоrds alignеd perfectly with Zhu Yan’s thoughts. She also felt that these Fire Moth Sect members, ruthless and murderous, would surely meet a bad end.
But for now, there were more important matters to attend to.
"Bring two basins of water."
Soon, someone brought two basins of water and placed them on a platform in the corner of the room.
Zhu Yan washed the grime from one of the trays in the water, while Jing Lin beside her followed suit.
It didn’t take long for the two trays of previously indistinguishable substances to reveal their true forms. Zhu Yan wrapped one of them in a white cloth, held it up, and examined it against the light.
It wasn’t particularly special—just common incense found in temples.
The others were similar, no different from what she had speculated.
Having bent over for too long, Zhu Yan felt fatigued. As she tried to stand up, her gaze was drawn to an object on the tray. She hurriedly separated the partially digested incense and picked it up with tweezers for a closer look.
At first glance, it resembled a stone. Having been wrapped in the incense for a long time, this "stone" had a purplish-brown surface, was small in size, and quite inconspicuous.
Scraping the surface with a blade quickly revealed its true color inside—red, a bright crimson.
"Cinnabar?"
Cinnabar was used by Taoists for alchemy. Its production was extremely limited, making it exceptionally precious. A single peck could easily be worth ten gold pieces.
Having served in the inner court for a long time, Jing Lin naturally knew this. "They even consume cinnabar?"
The two exchanged glances, and Jing Lin clicked his tongue. "Are they treating their stomachs as alchemical furnaces?"
But Zhu Yan’s thoughts were elsewhere. She stood up, tidied her things, and turned to leave.
Jing Lin hurriedly followed, instructing the others to keep watch over the corpses.
Jing Lin escorted Zhu Yan back. When she reached the corridor, she noticed it was unusually quiet. Looking back, she realized Jing Lin was nowhere to be seen.
Knowing Jing Lin was busy and had taken time out to protect her, Zhu Yan didn’t dwell on it and continued to Su Guang’s room.
Su Guang had just finished her peculiar prayer ritual and was standing up, performing strange movements while tidying the bizarre intertwined fire and serpent totem.
Praying every day—truly devout.
Pausing briefly, Zhu Yan turned and headed toward Pan Chi’s room.
She remembered Pan Chi mentioning that Su Guang’s ritual was related to fire. She needed to ask for clarification.
Earlier, when she was nearly there, Shen Du had been waiting behind the door for her, but she never arrived. Now, seeing her change direction and head toward Pan Chi’s room, he suddenly felt a sense of being overlooked, as if a card had been left unturned.
Had he fallen out of favor?
In the room, Jing Lin watched as Shen Du nearly crushed the doorframe. Without waiting for Shen Du’s instructions, he quietly slipped away to follow her.
—
At this moment, Pan Chi was also busy, handling official matters at the yamen.
Since Mo Qianzhi had defected and taken most of the yamen’s officers and soldiers with him, the Yingzhou government now needed to be reorganized.
Having grown up accompanying his father, Commander Pan, in government offices, Pan Chi was well-versed in official appointments. However, he didn’t dare be careless. He was meticulously listing out each item with his brush when he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."Zhu Yan entered the room and saw Pan Chi working diligently at the desk by the window.
She had never seen Pan Chi so focused before. After watching for a while, she decided not to disturb him.
After a long silence without anyone speaking, Pan Chi frowned and looked up.
Upon realizing it was Zhu Yan, the tension in his expression instantly melted away, returning to his usual demeanor—his jade-like face curved into a slight smile, peach-blossom eyes tinged with mockery, dark hair half-draped, and crimson lips glistening.
Before she could approach him, Pan Chi, unusually, stood up and guided her to his desk, urging her to sit down.
Before her eyes lay a booklet filled with names and official positions.
Flipping to the cover, she discovered it was the newly reorganized government roster. After carefully examining it, she reopened the page she had first seen.
Hah, perhaps Pan Chi had grown too accustomed to his carefree ways, creating a lasting impression, but now that he was suddenly serious, Zhu Yan found it somewhat unfamiliar.
"Look, I compiled this all by myself," Pan Chi said, presenting it like a treasure. "Jing Lin didn’t help at all—he’s just a brute."
Jing Lin, hidden in the shadows: ...
"I never expected your handwriting to be so beautiful." It resembled dragon hooks—bold and powerful.
Zhu Yan thought to herself, with such elegance, both literary and martial prowess, and exquisite handwriting, what woman could resist such a man?
"It truly is a pity for someone like you to be confined here."
Pan Chi leaned closer, but Zhu Yan instinctively moved away. Unfazed, he rubbed his nose and said:
"Exactly. You should know, I’m doing all this for you."
Zhu Yan stood up to leave, but Pan Chi gently pressed her back into the chair, pleading:
"My lady, at least let me finish what I have to say."
Not daring to overstep, Pan Chi turned to serious matters:
"The new government organization requires my personal arrangements. Besides this, I also need to compile reports on official changes and submit them to the court."
At this point, his expression turned pained. Zhu Yan was puzzled until she saw a rare shadow of seriousness in Pan Chi’s dark eyes:
"The report will be signed by that Great Pavilion Commander, Shen Du."
He huffed angrily, clearly agitated. "Yet he’s been feigning illness all along, doing absolutely nothing."
This was indeed rather excessive, but since Shen Du never disclosed his plans, no one dared to ask.
"That Shen Du is truly fortunate—first, he gains a wonderful wife for nothing, and now he’s taking advantage of me."
Zhu Yan was taken aback. Why did the latter part sound so odd?
Pan Chi covered his face with his hands, gazing at Zhu Yan. His eyes, which always seemed half-filled with affection, now overflowed with despair. He felt half-dead and even began to miss the leisurely days when he was poisoned.
"Please, let his plan end soon. I can’t take it anymore."
While complaining, Pan Chi reached out for a hug. Just as he drew near Zhu Yan, a sword suddenly appeared between them, its cold gleam dazzling to the eyes.
He straightened up, looking wearily at the newcomer. "Why are you here?"
Jing Lin glanced at him but remained silent.
The appearance of this elusive figure didn’t surprise anyone. Zhu Yan caught sight of Jing Lin from the corner of her eye and smiled helplessly.
"How did the autopsy go?" Pan Chi asked casually, showing little interest.
Zhu Yan briefly summarized the findings, emphasizing the lack of decay in the corpse and the presence of spices and cinnabar in the abdominal pouch.
Pan Chi cautiously remarked, "Cinnabar is toxic and should not be consumed in large quantities, but it can also prevent decay. Those who seek immortality and take elixirs for a long time often have bodies that resist decomposition after death—this is the reason."This aligned with Zhu Yan's speculation, her expression turning slightly grave. "If that's the case, then Lai Luofu's life is also nearing its end."
Long-term consumption of cinnabar was akin to suicide; since ancient times, those who sought immortality often met early deaths.
But for now, they still needed to capture Lai Luofu to fully unravel the mystery.
Zhu Yan asked about her purpose for coming here: "Last time, you said that Holy Maiden Su Guang worshipped fire, right?"
"Have you discovered something?"
Zhu Yan nodded. "I have some slight conjectures."
Pan Chi's spirits lifted. "I told you, so can you agree to what we discussed on the city wall?"
He looked at Zhu Yan with eager anticipation.
Zhu Yan again showed that look of confusion. Seeing Pan Chi's dark eyes sparkling, she suddenly understood, rummaged through the satchel at her waist, pulled out an amber stone, and shoved it into Pan Chi's hand.
The action was so hasty that Pan Chi didn't even react. After a moment of stunned silence, he tried to return it to her.
Zhu Yan refused, stepping back several paces with a resolute expression.
OpenNovel