Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 320 - 319: Heart-eating Ants

"What exactly is this thing you gave them called?" Lu Qing watched as those people uncontrollably swallowed Yan Daoxin’s medicine before nonchalantly asking in front of them.

Yan Daoxin stroked his chin thoughtfully: "You reminded me, this is the first time I’ve used this poison since I concocted it. I only had a rough idea of the effects when it takes hold, but I haven’t had the chance to name it yet!

What should I call it... This thing, once ingested, makes the whole body feel like it’s crawling with ants, being bitten all over, itchy and painful, but you can’t catch or scratch it, day and night, relentlessly...

What name is suitable for this kind of thing...?

How about... Heart-eating Ants, what do you think?"

"The name isn’t crucial, the key is, do you have an antidote?" Lu Qing asked again.

"Well, that... there should be one, but it depends on my mood. If I’m in a good mood, it might be easier to make an antidote.

If I’m in a bad mood... well, there’s no telling then!" Yan Daoxin smacked his lips, shook his head, and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.

Those robust men looked rather disheveled by now, tied up like dumplings, their mouths unable to close, drool gushing like a breached river, flowing down their chins, dripping onto and soaking their clothes.

Clearly fierce-looking ruffians, they appeared somewhat imbecile due to this incessant drooling.

But soon, they couldn’t care less about the flowing drool, as their faces turned red and white, with painful moans escaping from their throats.

For those thoroughly trained death warriors, they never expected to return alive after completing their mission.

So they had long been prepared for death, just a matter of closing their eyes and hardening their resolve.

Plus, with the medicine pouch hidden in their mouths, they were promised a swift, painless death at the crucial moment by biting it.

This kind of living torment was beyond what their training had prepared them for.

Initially, they could endure it, but eventually, it became unbearable, and unable to break free from their bonds, they could only fall to the ground, rubbing against it in an attempt to relieve the relentless itching and pain. However, no matter how they rolled, it was to no avail.

Yan Daoxin observed and recorded their reactions with great interest. If their jaws hadn’t been dislocated, he would have eagerly asked them about their specific feelings.

Apart from him, another person enjoying the scene was Yan Shu.

Given the choice, she would prefer to whip these disgraceful rogues and beat them to death, but obviously, that wasn’t an option now, so seeing them trapped between life and death brought her some relief.

By the next day, news of the small village being wiped out by the soldiers spread quickly, and the people from nearby villages were overjoyed, bringing all sorts of gifts as a gesture of gratitude, offering live chickens, ducks, cloth shoes, and other items they could think of or scrounge together.

In such situations, Lu Zhang seemed quite adept, appearing approachable and humble while accepting others’ praises.

Lu Qing didn’t join in the conversation but stood on the side, silently listening to the people’s grievances against the bandits and the tragic experiences endured by the villages and hamlets during this period.

Although this area is within the Lan Country’s territory, it is far from the capital and not considered a prosperous place within Lan Country, so the so-called "Jie Country bandits" didn’t gain much here.

Rather than truly looting or taking precious treasures or abducting women, they were more about causing wanton disturbances.

These people would often ride into the village, burning no houses but setting fire to someone’s cottage, or breaking down someone’s courtyard wall, causing their running horses to trample farmers’ chickens and ducks. Some unlucky villagers, unable to dodge in time, were wounded or even killed by their blades.

Overall, while these bandits gained little from their actions, they thoroughly tormented the people in this area.

Thus, the villagers, suffering bitterly, became more convinced of the savagery and bloodthirstiness of the Jie people, believing they inflict harm purely for pleasure, gnashing their teeth in hatred whenever Jie people are mentioned.

Yan Shu, listening intently to the complaints, grew more indignant and aggrieved, eventually retreating to a secluded corner to wipe her tears.

Zhu Yu quietly followed, placing a handkerchief in Yan Shu’s hands.

"These bastards, they’re truly despicable." She waited for Yan Shu to wipe her tears before cursing, "This anger is really hard to swallow. Come on, let’s go to the back and give those guys a good beating, beat them half to death, and let off some steam!"

Yan Shu knew Zhu Yu was saying this for her benefit, to make her feel better, so she pursed her lips, clutching the handkerchief and shaking her head, "No need, having your trust is already a great comfort.

If I acted impulsively and hurt them to vent my anger, wouldn’t I be proving the slanders against our Jie people right?

Besides, those people still have great use to you. We Jie people need them to clear our name, so rest assured I won’t be that rash.

But I do plan to take a look back there!

I can’t beat them, but seeing them suffer from Divine Doctor Yan’s poison is quite satisfying!"

"Alright! I’ll go with you!" Zhu Yu nodded, increasingly fond of Yan Shu’s straightforward yet rational temperament.

The two of them went to check on the mountain bandits tormented by the "Heart-eating Ants," and Yan Shu’s spirits lifted considerably.

"Where’s Yan Daoxin?" Zhu Yu asked Fu Lu, who was guarding the bandits.

"Divine Doctor Yan is over there pondering the medicine pouches taken from their mouths," Fu Lu quickly pointed toward a nearby tent.

Zhu Yu and Yan Shu went over, finding Yan Daoxin indeed absorbed in his examination.

He had opened a pouch, spreading its contents on a white cloth, carefully observing the color of the powder and cautiously sniffing its scent.

"Divine Doctor Yan, what exactly is this poison? How can it cause death so swiftly?" Yan Shu couldn’t help asking after observing for a while.

Yan Daoxin, despite disliking Lu Zhang, held a good impression of Yan Shu, so he answered her with more patience: "This isn’t a poison with a name you might know, it’s a compound of several poisons blended specifically."