Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 392 - 391: Wading into Troubled Waters

The Fake Castle Master’s face was visible through the faint light coming from above. Behind the black veil, he grinned, showing a smug smile.

"Using the same trick twice, and you still fell for it. I really overestimated you." He mocked them with a sarcastic tone as he flung a handful of powder forward, then propelled his whole body upwards towards another exit above his head.

Just as he burst out of the dark and low tunnel, a sudden blade slashed toward him.

Unprepared, the Fake Castle Master was struck on the brim of his hat and tumbled back down into the tunnel, managing only to survive by grabbing the edge of the hole.

His reaction was astonishingly quick. After a moment of initial surprise, he deftly flipped out of the hole again, avoiding a second blade coming at him.

Right behind him, Lu Qing and Lu Yan also emerged from the tunnel entrance.

Standing opposite the Fake Castle Master, gripping a sword with a tense expression, was none other than the vigilant Lu Zhang.

Behind Lu Zhang were dozens of his soldiers, who had also drawn their swords, all pointing them in his direction.

Behind these people, Zhu Yu let out a sigh of relief.

Moments ago, she had hastily found Lu Zhang, urging him to guard this other tunnel exit with his men. This would create a double insurance and also minimize the area to capture the Fake Castle Master, avoiding excessive exhaustion from running around.

The Fake Castle Master just steadied himself and glanced around warily.

At this moment, the hat that had been struck by the blade could no longer withstand the blow and split open from the middle.

It’s hard to say how to evaluate Lu Zhang’s timing.

You could say his timing was off, but he did decisively strike at the first moment the Fake Castle Master showed himself, hitting him squarely.

And yet, his timing might have been right. He struck when the Fake Castle Master’s body was hanging in the air, causing him to almost tumble back into the hole, the fall absorbing most of the impact. Otherwise, it wasn’t just the hat — even the Fake Castle Master’s head might not have withstood it.

The hat split into two and slipped off the Fake Castle Master’s shoulders, falling to the ground, fully exposing his tightly concealed appearance to everyone.

Those close to him gasped as they saw his face, feeling a chill run through their bodies.

It hardly resembled a human face, transcending the bounds of beauty and ugliness, causing one’s heart to tremble.

His face, under the flickery torchlight of the soldiers around, appeared more terrifying, with only two areas reflecting light, indicating where his eyeballs were.

For some reason, his nose bridge was gone, leaving only two abrupt holes marking where his nose should be.

His lips seemed to be either missing or wrapped in layers of scars.

Those scars crisscrossed his entire face, casting shadows of various depths on the raised and sunken scars, making the sight utterly frightening.

Others were shocked by his horrifying appearance, including the usually brave Lu Yan, let alone Lu Zhang, who hadn’t experienced any proper large-scale battles, whose hand holding the sword couldn’t help but twitch.

However, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu instantly recognized what was going on with that face.

The Fake Castle Master’s face was identical to those priests that Situ Jing once dealt with in the Li State main camp.

Clearly, like those people, this Fake Castle Master was specially nurtured as a death soldier.

To avoid exposing their identities, they had their faces destroyed well before being sent out.

Lu Zhang didn’t anticipate his strike would reveal a "monster", and he stood there stunned, not daring to move.

The Fake Castle Master, revealing his true face, was indifferent. Instead, he grinned, displaying a sinister, eerie smile.

His scar-covered face, along with his previous injuries from Lu Qing, paired with that smile, appeared even more eerie.

He glanced around at the heavy encirclement, his gaze falling once again on Lu Qing, suddenly chuckling: "You are something!

Heaven pitied you once, letting you escape with your life, and yet you didn’t cherish it, running everywhere, seeking turmoil.

It’s as if you are desperately trying to find the gates of hell to drill into!

Looking back, it was a pity I showed mercy back then, I should have finished you sooner.

Next time, King Yanluo probably won’t resist your earnest intentions, and will surely take you, reuniting you with your grandfather and father down there!"

Lu Yan and Lu Zhang both knew about Lu Qing’s background, but this was a great wound for Lu Qing, and somewhat taboo for Emperor Jin.

No one expected this terrifying looking man would bluntly bring up Lu Qing’s past, seeming to know it well, and his words were clearly provocative.

This left them a bit astounded, glancing at Lu Qing, worried he might get enraged by this person and do something irrational.

Lu Qing coldly looked at him, not responding, the sword pointed unwaveringly at the Fake Castle Master. Then he smiled slightly: "I am in no hurry. Since you know so much about me, perhaps I’ll send you ahead, so you can greet my ancestors for me."

With that, he rose swiftly and thrusted his sword at the hideous Fake Castle Master.

The Fake Castle Master didn’t expect Lu Qing to be so composed and unaffected, quickly dodging aside.

He grabbed a soldier rushing towards him, wrenching the poor man’s neck, and took his sword. His previously feigned calmness was diminished, as he gritted his teeth and fought fiercely with the surrounding people.

The soldiers circled around, mainly to prevent the Fake Castle Master from escaping, their martial abilities, either overt or covert, were far inferior to the Fake Castle Master.

Lu Qing and Lu Yan launched aggressive attacks, but refrained from lethal blows.

After all, their goal was clear, aiming to capture the Fake Castle Master alive and uncover the mastermind behind him.

"Lu Yan, watch his mouth, don’t let him bite the death soldier poison capsule in his mouth, or all will be lost." Lu Qing reminded Lu Yan amidst the chaos.

Lu Yan, unaware beforehand, quickly agreed after the reminder, charging forward again.