Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 456 - 455: Free Clinic

The waist card was indeed an unexpected gain.

The group had a brief discussion and then set off towards the capital again.

The closer they got to the capital, the more clearly they could feel the tension among the locals.

Near the capital, not only were there no young women to be seen, but even the older women who were occasionally visible before were nowhere to be found. More bizarrely, even the young boys and children were absent, as if they had all been hidden away.

"Are they... afraid that King Fan will discover that using women to extend his life is no longer effective, or that he cannot capture enough women, and so they’ve adjusted the ’recipe’ and started capturing children?" Zhu Yu could approximately guess the underlying fear and worry from the surroundings, and couldn’t help but sigh.

"It’s probably like that." Lu Qing nodded, his brows furrowed and not relaxing, "They’re near the capital, and if anything happens, all the potential dangers would be faced by these people first.

It’s often said that when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. Looking at the situation, the fire in the capital of Fan Country seems to be no small one."

"What do you plan to do?" Yan Daoxin asked Lu Qing.

Lu Qing glanced at the pack on his back, "Earlier, you had Fu Lu help you buy so many medicinal herbs, it’s not for leisure, is it?

If you plan to do free treatments, find a suitable place to settle down. Don’t worry about other matters; once the free treatments begin, you won’t have time to spare anyway."

"Sir, aren’t we going to the Fanwang Mansion?" Fu Lu, standing behind Lu Qing, was stunned upon hearing those words. He had always thought that Yan Daoxin brought that notice all the way here just to head straight to the Fanwang Mansion after reaching the capital.

"Look at you, your mind is still too simple. You’ve been around your master for so many years, yet you haven’t made any progress, not even learning a bit of his deviousness!" Yan Daoxin teased Fu Lu, "Can’t you guess his tricks yet?

If we go directly with the notice, firstly, we may seem overeager, making a poor impression, and it might be troublesome and not guarantee a smooth meeting with King Fan.

Furthermore, King Fan is still a king of a vassal state, not someone that just any unknown person can see at will.

We might pass through the checkpoints smoothly with the notice, reaching the capital, but entering the Prince Mansion won’t be that easy.

By then, we might be questioned thoroughly, and we’re not people who can withstand such scrutiny, so we must find a way to elevate our status first.

If we first make a name for ourselves and have King Fan unable to restrain himself, actively inviting us over, then there would be no more thoughts of meticulous questioning, endlessly."

Fu Lu suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.

The five of them continued their journey for another day and finally arrived at the capital. They thought they would inevitably be questioned upon entering the city, but to their surprise, they were let in without much attention.

"I used to say the guards in Shuo Land were too lax, but now I take that back." Yan Daoxin whispered to Zhu Yu, "Fan Country is not much different; it’s just that their reputation keeps people from wandering into Fan Land without reason, so their issue hasn’t been exposed."

"It’s not surprising." Zhu Yu sighed, "My father was merely obsessed with forging weapons, neglecting other matters to that extent, while the King Fan here is genuinely ill.

Scooping up women everywhere, scaring the people into incessant fear, how could they still have the mind to guard the city gates.

The problems here might be more severe than in Shuo Country."

The five of them wandered around the capital, and indeed, it was just as they expected. Although there were numerous shops and the taverns had flags hanging high, there were hardly any people on the streets or inside the shops.

The whole capital felt devoid of any hustle and bustle, instead enveloped in an eerie silence.

Yan Daoxin didn’t rush to choose an inn. Instead, he lingered around for a long time, almost covering what should have been the bustling districts of the capital before settling in a relatively quiet inn on an unnoticed small street.

Zhu Yu was initially puzzled, wondering why they chose such a secluded, unnoticed inn when there were better-located ones if they intended to make a splash?

After all, when she first saw Yan Daoxin, he certainly wasn’t staying in the most rundown inn in the county, so it clearly wasn’t his usual style of practicing medicine.

"You don’t understand, do you? The phrase ’A small hidden thing hides in the wilderness’ means to choose a secluded inn, acting mysteriously so that the word spreads privately. That’s how we achieve the desired effect." Yan Daoxin explained to her.

"But isn’t there another phrase, ’A truly hidden thing hides in the marketplace’?" Zhu Yu retorted.

"Yes, that’s true. But how many can reach such a level? I had grand ideas for hiding in the marketplace, but if they all thought I was just an ordinary doctor coming to me with minor illnesses, I’d be irritated to death." Yan Daoxin waved his hand, "So for these people, the play must be straightforward. Otherwise, showing love to the blind is a pure waste of emotion."

Zhu Yu found Yan Daoxin’s words quite reasonable. Many people in this world perceive their surroundings at only a superficial level.

If they attempted a true ’hidden in the marketplace,’ the results might not be as ideal as hoped.

In this light, the hidden Qi Yun Mountain People truly seemed remarkable.

Under his tutelage, the pair of senior and junior brothers, Yan Daoxin and Lu Qing, one appeared ethereal and otherworldly, wandering about collecting exotic flowers and herbs while having a deep understanding of human nature.

The other outwardly sophisticated and unrestrained, exuding a hedonistic aura, yet meticulously comprehensive within, with grand visions in mind.

It’s hard to imagine what this reclusive master was really like, being able to teach such distinct pupils so brilliantly.

The five of them settled down, and Yan Daoxin remained very low-key initially, without showing anything. It wasn’t until evening when he went downstairs to grab a bite to eat that he suddenly called the young waiter, who was about to leave after serving the meal.

"Young man, have you often been sleepless at night, feeling flustered and uneasy, and experiencing palpitations and shortness of breath?" he asked the young waiter.

The young waiter froze for a moment, a look of surprise on his face, "How... how did you know that, sir?"