Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 444 - 443: Notice

On the day Zhu Yu and her group left, Lu Chao’s trusted aide already looked every bit like a shopkeeper, organizing a group of carpenters and masons to start repairs in the inn with their tools.

Zhu Yu knew that this place would not be a simple inn in the future, as Lu Qing and Lu Chao’s plans were never hidden from her.

The Hidden Guards they raised also needed a secure place to settle.

This inn was opened in Lan Country, not far from Jin Country, just a day’s journey, situated on a major route for traveling merchants, making it an ideal spot for gathering and relaying information.

The five of them set off again, still dressed as Daoists, heading towards Fan Country to the further west along the borders of Jin and Lan Countries.

Along the way, Yan Daoxin constantly discussed with Lu Qing about how to enter Fan Country.

Fan Country was a unique existence among the vassal states under Jin Country, quite different from the others.

At first, when choosing to submit to Jin Country and become a vassal, Fan Country practically offered no resistance.

Among the vassal states at that time, Old Lan King had some family ties with Emperor Jin, so becoming a vassal went smoothly without any military efforts.

While Shuo Country was bold in spirit, it wasn’t as fierce as imagined, hence their submission was fairly straightforward.

The Jie people’s initial defiance caused quite a headache for Emperor Jin, with all his efforts focused on the struggle against Jie Country, leaving little attention for others.

Just as the war between Jin and Jie Countries was at a stalemate, and Jin Country was gaining the upper hand, Fan Country, which had remained silent and inconspicuous, suddenly submitted a letter for voluntary submission as a vassal.

Given its timely submission, Emperor Jin felt pleased, and Jin Country’s army was boosted in morale, fighting the Jie people with full force.

Soon, Jie Country couldn’t hold on; after several defeats, they reluctantly called for a halt and agreed to submit to Jin Country to secure peace for the Jie people.

Thus, for many years, Emperor Jin didn’t pay much attention to Fan Country, unlike the constant vigilance towards Jie Country.

Moreover, Fan Country was unique in its customs.

If the Jie people were bold and fierce, the Shuo People were straightforward, and the Lan people were gentle and delicate, then it’s hard to define the nature of the Fan Country people.

Fan Country people rarely ventured out, and others knew little about them. The unique geography of Fan Country led to an unusual humid and hot climate, a breeding ground for various snakes, insects, rats, and ants. Residents there firmly believed in strange witch doctors and witchcraft, along with eating unheard-of foods, which made outsiders wary of them.

Over time, Fan Country seemed to become a secluded place, with outsiders only having baseless speculations and rumors about it, with no actual knowledge.

Despite Yan Daoxin’s extensive travels, thoughts of Fan Country also made him a bit uneasy.

"People there don’t like monks and Daoists. This time, wearing Taoist robes may not let us pass as smoothly as in Shuo Land," Yan Daoxin told Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, "Once, while carrying ordination papers, I wished to look for a legendary rare herb there, but when I reached the checkpoint, they refused passage, saying Fan Country doesn’t welcome monks and Daoists, and told me to travel elsewhere for alms!"

"Hear that! What nonsense!"

"This time, even though we are five, it might not be so easy to sneak through."

"Master, how about we disguise ourselves as merchants?" Fu Lu suggested. Having traveled with Lu Qing, pretending to be a merchant was a familiar skill for him.

Fu Wen softly reminded, "That’s unlikely. Little to no merchants deal with Fan Country. When have you ever heard of anyone bringing goods back from there to sell?"

Fu Lu found this quite reasonable and scratched his head, running out of ideas.

"Not fond of monks and Daoists..." Lu Qing wasn’t particularly distressed, looking at Yan Daoxin and then at Zhu Yu, "But wandering doctors, surely they wouldn’t be that secretive and unwilling to let through, would they?

Fan Country has always been full of exotic herbs, snakes, and scorpions. Though frightening, there are many legitimate medicinal plants.

As traveling doctors, going there specifically to find good herbs, that makes sense?"

"Seems like this is the only way we can try!" Yan Daoxin agreed, though not very optimistic, "After all, scholars don’t need to pass through Fan Country, and who would deliver something regular to such a ghostly place for escorting missions? Who would deliver anything genuine there?"

Alright! Then let’s be traveling doctors!

Let’s walk a bit further to find a bustling county. While we’re still in Lan Country, let’s acquire what we need, change our clothes, and so on, otherwise when near Fan Country, even if you want it, you wouldn’t find it!"

Zhu Yu listened to their discussion, filled with curiosity about what Fan Country was like.

As they moved forward, upon resting in a county, Fu Wen brought back several sets of clothes, simple in style. He and Fu Lu remained dressed as attendants, while Lu Qing and Yan Daoxin wore wide-sleeved cyan-gray long robes with indigo surcoats, and black square caps on their heads.

Zhu Yu’s attire was a light-colored, narrow-sleeved short outfit, without a hat, just a cloth scarf to wrap the hair bun, clearly portraying an apprentice to a doctor.

Though Zhu Yu wasn’t short among women, she seemed petite standing next to Lu Qing and Yan Daoxin. If she wore the same surcoat as them, the contrast would look awkward.

In this short outfit, she looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, not fully grown, and with the fair and handsome Yan Daoxin beside her, no one would suspect she was overly feminine.

Lu Qing was quite satisfied with Fu Wen’s thoroughness, and Zhu Yu herself also liked her nimble short outfit, making movement particularly convenient.

With everything prepared, they continued their journey and, in just another two or three days, reached the Fan Country checkpoint.

The travel documents, naturally penned by Yan Daoxin, appeared convincing enough to pass as genuine.

However, as they reached the checkpoint, they saw from a distance that something was posted on the city wall, with many people gathered around pointing and talking animatedly.

"Come, let’s see what’s so curious!" Yan Daoxin gestured to the others, leading the way at the front.