Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 343 - 342: Cowardice

"No way!" He slammed the Jade Pendant onto the table, "It looks like the people have definitely been captured by those bandits!

I’m going out to search right now, to see if I can get them all out!

No! I’ll set off immediately, sneak out during the night, and rush back to the camp. Early tomorrow morning, I’ll bring people over, and we’ll coordinate from inside and outside, directly destroying this bandit den and rescue my people!"

"How can that work!" Lu Zhang heard this and felt that Lu Yan’s impulsive nature had flared up again, quickly speaking to stop him, "This castle is absolutely not simple, the intrigue is far more than just a little bit!

There’s seductive fragrance everywhere, and you don’t even know if you can withstand it. They’ve taken our horses and tied them up somewhere, how do you plan to ride out overnight without alerting the people here, have you thought about it?

Rushing out recklessly, you’ll be caught before you can even bring reinforcements!

Moreover, if you rush out, the rest of us are still here! Are you not considering everyone’s safety?"

"Everyone? I think it’s just you, Second Brother, who is afraid of dying?" Lu Yan originally didn’t get along with Lu Zhang, and in recent days had only kept it to himself for Lu Qing’s sake. Now, being blocked by Lu Zhang, he couldn’t suppress his anger, "I advise Second Brother to move aside and not waste my time, or else, you know my rough ways, I might accidentally hurt or injure you, and don’t go cry to your important granduncle!"

"You!" Lu Zhang was so infuriated that his face turned red, partly because Lu Yan implied in front of Yan Shu that he was like a nanny brought up under Duke Yan Zhao Bi, unable to take charge, and partly because of Lu Yan’s impulsive and unreasonable temperament, "When will you change this habit of acting and speaking without thinking?"

"Both of you, sit down." Lu Qing stood up, placed a hand on each of their shoulders, signaling them to sit down.

Lu Zhang looked at Lu Qing, still hoping he would help block Lu Yan, and naturally wasn’t going to oppose him, so he sat back down.

Lu Yan was determined to rush out and couldn’t bear to sit, but the strength of Lu Qing’s hand was immense, pressing on a point on his shoulder which caused one side of his body and shoulder socket to ache. Unable to resist, he finally sat down.

"It’s admirable that you care for your subordinates and value loyalty," Lu Qing spoke calmly, without any ripple in his voice, first complimenting Lu Yan and then turning the conversation, "But now is not the time to lead troops to flatten the Immortal Castle.

You merely found his Jade Pendant; whether he has been harmed or imprisoned, we know nothing.

If it’s just us few left behind, it’s nothing to fear. Breaking out might not succeed, but holding on until you return with reinforcements is possible.

However, if you truly care about your subordinates’ safety, you must remain calm.

Acting impulsively at this time, alerting the enemy, will only endanger the life of your tax collector."

His words were slow and steady, carrying a sense of undeniable authority.

Even with his fiery temper, Lu Yan found himself unable to argue back after listening, resorting to punching his own leg in frustration, cursing under his breath.

"When I explored that half, there was indeed a night patrol, but the number was not particularly high, and their vigilance wasn’t very strong," Lu Qing continued with the previous topic, pointing out an area on the map to the others, "The entire Immortal Castle, though the walls are high, is almost unobstructed when viewed from the top, clear at a glance.

Except in this spot, there is a towering ancient tree, very tall, with a dense canopy that provides a perfect hiding place.

With the height of that tree, hiding within the canopy during the day provides a clear view of nearly the entire Immortal Castle and everyone’s movements.

Being trapped in this isolated space puts us at a disadvantage; we can’t grasp the situation within the Immortal Castle, so someone needs to go out to investigate."

"Master, let me go!" Fu Lu quickly volunteered, "I’ll take advantage of the darkness to set out secretly, hide myself, and when it gets light, no one will be able to spot me. After dark, I’ll report back all my discoveries from the day!"

"Master, it is not appropriate, you should let me go." Rune thought for a moment and shook his head, pulling Fu Lu aside, "He is too burly and strong, no matter how dense the tree canopy, it might not completely conceal him.

If he’s discovered during the day, everything will be for naught."

Fu Lu realized his brother’s words made sense and pointed at Rune: "Master, my brother is right, let him go! I’ll stay and watch the courtyard!"

Zhu Yu saw the two behaving like this and guessed some of the reasoning behind it, sighed, and raised her hand showing ten fingers pierced with silver needles, saying to them, "This courtyard is indeed peculiar, not only you two brothers can’t resist it, just focus on your tasks without guilt over what happened."

Her words indeed touched upon Fu Lu and Rune’s concerns, making them both look gratefully at Zhu Yu and nod.

"Alright then, Rune, this task is yours." Lu Qing nodded to Rune and then said to Yan Daoxin, "Give him some Awakening Pills again.

Is it possible to change the position of the Cow Hair Silver Needle? Piercing the fingertip may not be convenient for action."

"Master, it doesn’t matter." Rune immediately waved his hand, "As long as it keeps me awake, whether it’s my fingertips, or even through the sole of my foot or my eyelids, I don’t care!"

"You might not care, but I do! Do you know how hard it is to make my golden-tailed Cow Hair Silver Needle? You’re all over the place with climbing up and down trees; if it’s lost, damaged, or stuck in your flesh where you can’t pull it out, where am I going to get replacements?" Yan Daoxin spoke roughly, but it was deliberately exaggerated, just to prevent Rune from insisting the needle stay in his fingertip for better alertness.

He stepped forward and swiftly removed and secured the needle from Rune’s fingertip, then took a slightly longer one, felt for the position on his neck, and with skillful and steady hands, embedded the needle.

The sharp pain from Rune’s fingertip dissipated instantly, replaced by a sensation from the back of his neck as if an invisible hand was lifting a tendon upwards.

"Divine Doctor, it works! I can feel it." he said happily, "I’ll set off now!"

With that, he walked towards the outside, stopping motionlessly at the long corridor.

"Brother... what’s wrong?" Fu Lu followed, waiting for a while, seeing Rune neither moving nor speaking, asked anxiously.

Rune gestured for him to stay calm: "I’m just testing if the awakening effect is truly effective!

Seems fine, I’m off!"

With that, like Lu Qing and Lu Yan before him, he leaped into the night, disappearing without a trace.