Discuss with you

Chapter 344 The Walking Dead
Zhu Yu stood aside, waiting for the servants to quickly and mechanically place the bowls and plates from the food box onto the table, and then quietly prepare to leave.

She seized the opportunity and quickly stepped forward, blocking the path of the servant walking at the very back.

The servant had a faint smile on his face and didn't react at all. When someone blocked his way, he moved to the side, trying to continue leaving.

Zhu Yu grabbed him and, mustering her courage, reached out and began to lift the servant's eyelids.

The servant was held back by Zhu Yu and couldn't move. Zhu Yu pried open his eyelids, but he didn't put up any resistance. His expression didn't even change.

Zhu Yu stared intently into his eyes before releasing his eyelids. She then pulled the man's arm over, placed her fingers on his wrist, and felt for his pulse.

When he flipped the eyelids earlier, the feeling wasn't obvious, but this time when he touched the wrist directly, Zhu Yu could clearly feel that the servant's body temperature was indeed a bit low, and his pulse was so weak that it was almost undetectable.

"Yan Daoxin!" Zhu Yu heard a noise behind him, turned around and saw Yan Daoxin coming downstairs. He quickly called out to him, "Help me listen to this person's heartbeat!"

“Alright.” Yan Daoxin knew that Zhu Yu would be somewhat reserved, so he readily agreed. He strode forward, grabbed the servant, loosened the front of his clothes a little, brought his ear close to the servant’s chest, and then let go after a moment. He casually straightened the servant’s clothes and gestured for Zhu Yu to let go as well.

Zhu Yu released the servant and stepped aside. The servant walked out unhurriedly as if nothing had happened.

The other companions who came with him to deliver the food didn't wait for him at all; they had long since disappeared without a trace.

"Is there a heartbeat?" Zhu Yu asked Yan Daoxin.

Yan Daoxin waved his hand: "I can't say there's none, but it's not exactly there either; it's extremely faint."

Logically speaking, with such a weak and slow heartbeat, one wouldn't be able to work, let alone crawl; they should already be lying in bed waiting to die.

"I felt their pulses just now, and it was the same. They don't seem like living people at all; they're like walking corpses." Zhu Yu was a little puzzled. "These servants can't speak either, and they can't hear us when we talk to them."

But the farmers we saw growing dyes in the fields outside, although they didn't seem very natural, were still able to talk to us and answer our questions. They were more human than these servants.

"That's true. Those people are indeed much more alive. Although I wouldn't say they're mentally sound, at least they're alive." Yan Daoxin sighed. "Whoever is behind this, they've committed a real sin!"
"It's hard to say about the farmers outside, but at least these servants, judging from their pulses and their barely perceptible heartbeats, I think their days are numbered."

Zhu Yu called the talisman upstairs and called down the others who had already woken up to have lunch. Just as they finished eating, the servants came back to take away the bowls and plates.

This time, the old steward actually followed behind them and came with them. He looked a little unwell, his eyes subtly scrutinizing them, while his words remained the same falsely polite attitude.

"Gentlemen, I wonder if the food prepared in our fortress suits your tastes?" He put on a fake smile and said to the people in the reception hall, "Our place is in the countryside, after all, not like the capital. Our servants are dull and lack manners. If they have offended you in any way, please forgive them and don't make things difficult for them." "Steward, what are you saying? We have nothing to do here. We would feel bad if the fortress prepared food for us." Lu Qing followed up with the old steward's words and asked, "When will your fortress lord be able to return?"

We've been stuck in this little courtyard for the past two days, and it's been incredibly boring.

If the Lord of the Fortress will be returning in a few more days, how about we tour around the area around the Fortress and then come back to wait? What do you think, Steward?

There was nothing wrong with the request itself, but the old steward's expression changed upon hearing it, as if Lu Qing had said something that broke the rules.

"My esteemed guest, it seems we at Fairy Castle haven't been able to take good care of you all!" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "That's just how things are here."

If you wish to meet with our lord to do business, then simply wait here patiently. We will provide you with the best food and drink in our fortress, and you will certainly not feel uncomfortable.

If you gentlemen simply cannot stay here, it means your sincerity is not very strong, or perhaps we are not destined to do business together. In that case, I can arrange for guards to escort you away, and from now on, you should never come to see our lord again.

Whether you stay or leave is up to you, but as long as you stay in our fort, you must abide by the rules of our fort.

If you follow our rules, everything is negotiable. Our fortress's top-quality ingredients will guarantee you make a fortune in the capital.

However, if you break our rules, don't blame us for not giving face to our distinguished guests and refusing to do business with you.

"To be frank, gentlemen, let alone you, even the top cloth shops in the capital, if they want to do business with us, they still have to abide by our rules. Otherwise, even if the Emperor himself came, there's no point in talking."

Zhu Yu and the others exchanged bewildered glances, looking astonished that their casual question had elicited such harsh words from the old steward.

Lu Qing also looked helpless, but he was afraid of losing the business and didn't dare to argue with the old steward. He nodded somewhat reluctantly, indicating that they really wanted the fine silk and dye. Since it was inconvenient, they would just wait here for the lord of the fortress to return.

Seeing that they agreed quite readily, the old manager's attitude softened. He stroked his beard and smiled, then asked them if they seemed a little unwell.

Lu Qing said there was nothing seriously wrong, but he was probably tired from traveling and felt sleepy and weak for the past two days, as if he couldn't get enough sleep.

The old steward nodded, put on a smiling face, exchanged a few more pleasantries with them, and then left with his men.

After the old steward left, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although they had all reached a consensus that there was something fishy going on in Fairy Castle, they hadn't expected the old steward to be so arrogant, and they didn't know where his confidence came from.