Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 442 - 441: Antagonistic Medicinal Properties

Though she was able to speak, the woman’s mind was still somewhat muddled at first, unable to clearly recall many things. However, under Yan Daoxin’s detailed questioning, everything gradually began to fall into place.

In the end, after piecing together many fragmented pieces, Yan Daoxin finally found the key for the woman to turn the crisis around.

"What? Spiders?" Zhu Yu looked at Yan Daoxin, sitting excitedly across the table, a bit surprised. "The same kind of spiders I brought back for you before... spiders?"

A long-lost smile returned to Yan Daoxin’s face as she nodded quickly, "That’s right, those spiders!

After carefully inquiring about that woman’s situation, I discovered that she was no different from the other women for whom medicine and stones were useless, except that, after taking medicine for a few days, she had a moment of regret and begged the old witch to let her go home.

The old witch got annoyed with her nagging and threw her into the tunnel you had walked through before.

This girl was quite fortunate; she managed to get through the first two stages unscathed by luck, but at the third stage, she couldn’t make it and was bitten all over by the spiders until she fainted.

When she woke up again, she was back in the previous room. The old witch told her that if it weren’t for the fact that many nobles in the Capital wanted concubines recently, they wouldn’t have given her a second chance, and asked her if she wanted to improve her health to enjoy wealth and glory or still insisted on going home.

The girl was terrified by the experience and dared not mention going home again, fearing she might die in that horrifying tunnel. She quickly agreed to take care of her health and become a concubine, ridding herself of any ’improper’ ideas.

Afterward, she resumed taking her daily medication until we rescued her.

So, after repeatedly comparing, I figured it was likely the spiders’ venom itself that prevented certain effects of that so-called ’tonic’ from working.

If it weren’t for this chance coincidence, I wouldn’t have found a way to break those wicked ’tonics’!

This is truly heaven-sent, finally allowing me to find the key to detoxification. In the future, when encountering people affected by such sinister tricks, I won’t have to watch helplessly as they die!"

"The few dead spiders I brought back for you... there aren’t enough, are there?" Zhu Yu felt a bit of regret, thinking he should have figured out a way to bring back more spiders. However, given the circumstances then, it was obviously unrealistic, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.

Especially thinking about how Lu Qing and the others burned those spiders... it would be difficult to get hold of them again in the future.

Yan Daoxin grinned: "Ah... that... actually, there’s something I didn’t dare tell you before, for fear of scaring you."

Zhu Yu looked at her with some confusion.

Yan Daoxin glanced at Lu Qing not far away: "Anyway, seeing how well you’re recovering now, with your courage, it should be fine to tell you...

In fact, that day after you were rescued, when Lu Qing was helping you change clothes and check your injuries, he discovered that among the bandages on your injured leg and inside your clothes, quite a few spiders had actually crawled in, but they died before biting you.

After he threw out that tattered clothing, I rummaged through and picked out no less than... twenty...

So, combined with what you specially brought back for me, we do have a fair number on hand."

Twenty...

Zhu Yu was stunned. She thought she had protected herself very well, and those spiders were only crawling on the surface of her clothing, not realizing so many had crawled in stealthily!

Luckily, she later rushed into the maze illuminated by the crystal stone, full of lies and heat. Those spiders probably couldn’t stand the brightness and heat, so they quickly died.

If she had lingered a moment longer...

Just the thought made her shiver involuntarily, and she immediately felt uncomfortable all over, as if tiny long legs were crawling all over her body.

Yan Daoxin saw Zhu Yu’s expression and knew he shouldn’t have told her that, feeling some regret, he slapped his mouth several times.

Unfortunately, what’s said can’t be unsaid, resulting in him paying the price—a kick on the backside from Lu Qing.

That night, to ease Zhu Yu’s mind and rid her of the illusion of spiders crawling on her, Lu Qing ordered a large tub of hot water to be prepared for her to bathe and arranged fresh undergarments to assure her there were truly no spiders on her body.

Zhu Yu found the situation both amusing and exasperating.

She had been resting for so many days, and the absence of spiders on her was beyond doubt; the discomfort was merely an associative unease that would improve better by forcing herself not to think about it.

Nonetheless, she accepted Lu Qing’s gesture wholly, as she’d been in poor health during her initial recovery. Consequently, Lu Qing would help her wash her hair every couple of days, while bathing, which was more physically demanding, was obviously off the table.

Initially, there were many incompletely healed wounds that couldn’t get wet. Later on...

Lu Qing said he could assist but couldn’t guarantee he’d maintain his self-control.

He spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously, earning a reproachful glare from Zhu Yu.

Now, soaking in the long-missed warm bath, Zhu Yu felt every pore breathing in deeply, feeling an indescribable comfort.

She took the opportunity to examine herself closely, noticing that, upon close inspection, she could still see faint traces on her body—the scars from where those large rats had bitten her. Thanks to the ointment prepared by Yan Daoxin and Lu Qing’s meticulous daily application, they had recovered to this extent.

In due course, these scars, which are now just faint traces, would likely completely disappear, leaving no long-lasting marks.

This filled Zhu Yu with immense relief.

Before going to sleep, she couldn’t help but say to Lu Qing: "That kick you gave Yan Daoxin today was kind of ’biting the hand that fed you.’

What he said was merely the truth of what happened, not scaremongering to frighten me.

Had it not been for his excellent ointment, I might have had to spend my life covered in scars."

Lu Qing rested his chin on top of Zhu Yu’s head, surrounded by the fragrant aroma of bath beans, gently and slowly stroking her back: "I don’t care for his kindness.

As long as you’re lively and well, I don’t care whether there are scars on your body or not."